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Design by Joanna, Tucson, AZ 
Joanna built her home to suit the southern Arizona climate. The photo above shows the west elevation. She said passive solar gain in this area is to be avoided; it's plenty warm even in the dead of winter. But she designed her roof to the optimum angle to collect solar energy and convert it to elecricity. "I had originally planned on a parapet roof like many homes here in Tucson," she writes, "but I wanted solar and need a 30 degree roof."
We love the fact that she vented her attic space. It's an oft-overlooked detail, but crucial for carrying interior moisture out of the contained space.
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Imagine the assistance Joanna will get from the sun in producing electricity for cooling and lighting. With walls that have an insulative value of R-42, she will be able to keep her house cool with immensely greater ease than the average stick-frame house. Remember that your roof should be super-insulated as well -- R-60 or 80 is not too much.
"I made everything else myself, including the foliage," Joanna writes. "Landscaping is xeriscape. The roof has solar shingles and the interior walls use Rastra. I didn't have time to do each shingle separately and had to do with shiny dark paper instead.
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 "I believe the floor plan was about 2000 sq ft." writes Joanna. "I tried to stay within the recommended guidelines from the Scottsdale Green Building Program."
By designing her house herself, Joanna maintained optimum control of building costs and usage of space. Lacking the confidence to maintain our original design for Arm of the Spiral, we relied on a home designer who added hundreds of square feet to our footprint. That's easy to do on paper, but costs money and makes for a less green home in reality.
Well done, Joanna!
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