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OUR OFFGRID LIVING ROOM FLOWS EASILY TO THE KITCHEN
The sun in the offgrid living room warms the floor and bounces to the back wall to absorb heat. When building off grid a passive solar home needs to be positioned for the most sun rays in the winter and the least in the summer. We positioned the house 13 degrees east of magnetic south. This picture was to capture where the sun hit the walls and floor in the winter time for radiant and conductive heat. This did change how the porch will be built. The porch will have to be half of the window height in order to allow the sun through the windows in the offgrid living room in the winter, but still allow shade in the summer. All of these doors and windows were bought at an auction. We are always looking to recycle.
The living room and kitchen are open in an "L" shape. It was designed this way so that conversation can take place in either room. We are not able to see some of the mountains from our living room. The views had to be sacrificed for function. We can always go outside to see the beautiful sunsets or sit in the dining area.
I think this did the trick. The alcove that we made for the wood stove and the walls do not meet the ceiling. The wood stove weighs 450 lbs. Ron and I struggled to get it out of van and into the house. The stove pipe was not that easy to install either. We had to work it together little by little and then tilt the wood stove and push it up under the stove pipe. We installed triple wall pipe going through the roof.
Update March 2, 2008-This winter we added a device that connects into the stove pipe for the wood stove. It is called a Magic Heater. We turned it around backwards so that when the fan automatically comes on it blows the warm air into the back rooms of the house. Since none of the walls go to the ceiling it keeps these rooms comfortable.
It is also not so stiffling hot in the living room. The wood stove is located in the center of the house.
Both were great additions to our heating system.
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Update: July 25, 2007-I started on the pony wall today. I used satin bead board which comes in a 4' x 8' sheet. No cutting which is always good for me. I nailed it to the studs with a 2 inch finish nailer. I stained it the same color as the cabinets in the kitchen giving a rustic look.
I had some 1'x 2's that I nailed on either side of the bead board to hold it straight and nailed another on the top to finish it. I also put them on the edge down the side. I use a 1 inch brad nailer which cut my time in half. Then the same color stain was applied. This took about 4 hours to complete. Eventually there will be a built in table here with the small bar stools. I am thinking of building one with hinges that will collapse against the wall. If you would like to see the kitchen side go to
As you can see our offgrid living room is mustard yellow, brick red and teal. When I started painting, I think everyone thought I was nuts. Most people like the rich colors, or at least kind enough not to hurt my feelings. I wanted deep, bright colors throughout our off grid house. I had white walls in other homes, I wanted the walls to be fun and colorful.
We also added a fan that sits on the stove. It uses no electricity and is heat activated. It blows warm air out into the living room. The warm air is then circulated to the magic heater which brings it to the back rooms of our home.
