The best homes in that area are adobe. Adobe bricks can be imported from Mexico but better yet, just build from 12 or 8 inch cement block and you don't need fire insurance because it can't burn, has adobe effect because it's almost same thickness. If you decide to sell it, you can get a serious offer because your electric bill is way lower because you don't need A/C, but you can have a cold room as people there do that, or do swamp cooler. But earth bags can water out your back and you won't be able to sell it, means no mortgage capability. Actually it would be harder than cement block. 8 inch block are so easy to lay up, strong bearing walls for a steel roof, heat proof. Wood gets too dried out in the heat. Just look at Cochise County as desert with way more greenery and more animals than some other AZ deserts. I like that area because it's so peaceful and you can buy land for under 1k an acre very easily. Just do water capture system and store the water up. Douglas has a super Walmart, can eat real well shopping there. I'm getting 20 acres for 8 k, almost done paying it off. Just make sure your land is accessible with 2wd. My 20 is but I have some hat is 4wd access. It's OK, just can't drive fast. Bag the earth bags, it's way more hassle than its worth (0). You're going to have so many mice living in a straw bail home that soon enough you will be driven out. Go with block and just fill the tops with sand, for mass to gain adobe effect. Enjoy!
Your brick idea is a great one... I really like it, but it looks like ShinyTiny went with earth bags (sort of) anyway. I like what they came up with, too, and I am interested in doing the same in northern New Mexico.
Build a Deltec Home! They are totally beautiful! We built one in California on 163 acres years ago on top of a ridge and had forever views. It is round and has lots of windows. We built it ourselves and it has no load bearing walls, etc etc. everyone that came to visit said “Wow” the moment they walked in the door. We love watching your channel and your family is adorable! We love your smiles!
Just ran across this video and Cochise County caught my eye. I had no idea there was such an interest in the area until I read these comments... just did a crazy thing about a month ago and bought my own RU-4 zoned property in Portal! This is going to sound strange, but I felt divinely guided to do it and was wondering if anyone else felt that way too. I've never even been to Portal, but I fell in love with Arizona 30 years ago and always hoped I'd live there one day. I have hopes of harvesting rainwater then creating a food forest on part of the property. I love what you guys are doing experimenting with different building techniques. I wish you all the luck in the world and hope your family loves living there.
Moving to New Mexico this summer just as soon as we can sell our house in Alaska... we'll be "neighbors"... 😉 Can't wait to get outta here... and get on with life!
Been homesteading here since last Mid-May. Like you, started with raw land. Been moving forward ever since. Hope your zoning issues get worked out. Like you I searched for RU4 properties as the only option for me. I am doing shed to house conversion here. Cheers from Don the Canadian import.
Hi Ashley & Jonathan, great video! 👍 I'm getting caught up on your beautiful Journey in life ! Your family is awesome & I wish I had done this in my younger years I'm 56 now so now I watch beautiful families like yours & a few others Take care God bless
I just realized that y'all got in barely before the pandemic! Praise the Lord! I don't even want to think how hard it would have been in the shutdown. You might not have gotten your rezoning. And then we wouldn't have all these wonderful videos to start our day . 🤔😊☕
Lol! I’m in Tucson already and have been looking at land all over Cochise. From all the comments, I’m surprised there’s any left. Any recommendations of certain locales over others in regards to water availability, soil type, etc?
@@danieldixon4568 seriously! If I knew there was a small growing community of like minded folks that are connected and help each other out, I’d be filling my Earthbags already.
So glad to see your project here in Cochise County! I lived here 10+ years ago and am back for winters. Moved MOM here last year and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the area. The SV Farmers Market is fabulous (closed now for C-19), and the views are spectacular! Looking forward to following along on your new journey :)
Thanks! We’re so excited to be a part of this community 😁. Have to wait until March 11 to go before the board and won’t know for sure until early April if it’s been approved. Feels like forever!
That's the issue I'm finding in Oregon. If I buy a small slice of property, I cannot do what I want to do. Zoning nonsense, permit palooza, inspection city, etc. Big bummer, because I want to be close to my son. Of course I'll still follow!
Sister Sherry Travels thanks for following along on our journey. We have spent so much time researching where we can build what we want without jumping through so many hoops. That’s why we are settling on Cochise County. We hope we can help others navigate doing this, at least in Arizona. It’s way more complicated than we anticipated. But we’re up for the challenge. :)
It is sure is nice in Arizona, we have the season in higher elevation. I'm looking at the Navajo county area to be moving too. I'm from Michigan so I need some trees and lakes. Good luck..
@@elyohep Oh awesome! We are so nervous this whole re-zoning thing will fall through and we'll be back to square one. Just gotta keep looking! You'll find the right place.
Congrats guys! And Thank you for this! We are only in the renovation phase of our journey to full time RVing but we constantly talk about finding a hole base out west or in AZ. It’s great to see others that are out there putting down some roots. Tks
Me and my wife bought almost 5 acres for 3,700 in Cochise there light ,gas I don’t know about water just put a fence on a acre I’m between Douglas and bisbee
Cochise is a gorgeous area - good luck on it all working out! It seems the last year everywhere you went, all you wanted was to be back in Arizona! I hope you signed Handeeman's (Derek) petition. I can imagine it is stressful trying to get a seller to agree to get it rezoned - wouldn't it be more valuable then since there is such demand for that particular county and zoning right now? Hope you get it all in under the wire - although I bet the govt. won't go through with it unless there are too many people building unsafe structures. It is the inability to get a certificate of occupancy that would give me some pause if you ever needed to sell.
Thanks Stuart! Yeah we've definitely fallen in love with the area :) We both signed the petition yesterday. I think the seller doesn't live here so re-zoning isn't something they want to bother with. But thankfully they've been great about giving us agency to re-zone on their behalf. The guy we talked to at Planning and Zoning felt like there was a good chance it would go away, but that there would be at least a 6 month window to give people time to get their current plans in. We'll know more Feb 1st! We aren't too worried about the certificate of occupancy as we'll be doing everything cash and don't plan on selling it, but you're right it's definitely something to keep in mind.
You destroy my illusions of the american freedom, having less restriction, building codes that we all have in Germany and makes creative alternative and affordable building nearly impossible.
That what I love about my area of TN. No one even cares what you build. The only inspection is the electric company inspecting to turn on power. (if you are on grid) There are no plans to submit etc.
Something you already know but I'd like to point out to your viewers is... Not that long ago when our great country was new, the pioneers started with basically nothing. They didn't just merely survive, they thrived. Eventually creating the most advanced culture on the planet. The settlers that ventured west couldn't just go to the store to buy what they needed. There were no stores. Even if there were, money was difficult to come by. So... they either did without or provided for themselves. Obviously they didn't go without much. I emplore you to follow the examples this family is sharing! They combine the spirit of our humble beginnings with the technologies of today in a seemingly forbidding environment... and making it work!
Does anyone build their own Adobe brick homes in Cochise? My hubby's great grand parents built a home of rock and adobe in Cavecreek Az back in th 1950's. Would live to recreate that in the Cochise area.
I haven’t found anyone who is doing an entire house of Adobe bricks here, but that’s not to say there isn’t anyone. We’ve definitely seen people using them for parts of the build.
I am a single mom with 4 children. This is what makes my heart beat we are on such a low income I'd like to hear your thoughts on whats the lowest you think you could do this on budget wise and am I crazy or could i do this as a single mom?
I would also like to know. I have 4 kids but only 1 left at home with me. I have a good job with ok (single) income but there is no way that I see that I can afford to do it. And if I were able to get land, I wouldn't be able to leave my job and I sure don't have any savings or inheritance to get me through. I don't see a way I can do it. I would like to do it before I'm too old to do so. (I should add, I grew up in the country and my heart has always been in the country and nature even though in my adult life I have never been able to live in the country.) So any thoughts, suggestions, advice from anyone appreciated.
I was seriously looking for property in Cochise County 2 years ago but couldn't deal with the County restrictions on what a property owner could do with their property. Only "...block or stick-built wood..." structures permitted.
Because the whole conversation started with you saying only stick built buildings were permitted here. That’s completely incorrect, and the owner builder opt out is affording all sorts of unique alternative building out here. Earthbag, strawbale, geodesic domes, earthships, and more.
Cash or financing don't have any bearing on re-zoning. In our case, our offer was only contingent on the re-zoning being approved, and we had to get permission from the current owners to go through the re-zoning process on their behalf since they were in CA.
@@TinyShinyHome Do you have email or IG? We're looking to buy some SR43 land and I was wondering how difficult that might be to rezone to RU-4. I had a few more questions.
Tiny Shiny Home I don’t see much talk of building these even though they are very versatile are they allowed Cochise County, I will be down there looking for land later this year
@@madbanana1 There's a guy over near Williams, AZ doing some really cool Quonset stuff - if you do a Google search he should pop up. Think his name is Earl.
