Here are several fotos taken of my place in May, 2007.

Link to before and transition images along with narration here. Site, sheet mulching, solar, concrete removal, food, extending the growing season, rain water catchment,,,,

Entry from the street. Sidewalk is what is left of the driveway. Shed on the right is built where the driveway was. Door and living space is former garage.

Walk to the front door. Water feature and habitat to the right. "Rocks" are chunks from the driveway.

View from the roof to the front yard. This was all grassy yard. Note sunken cold frame, habitat below. Planted are various brambles, grapes, blueberries. There is a cherry tree, filbert, out of view where the driveway was is an English walnut.

Backyard from the roof. Again, this was all grassy yard. Note chicken house, portable cold frames, compost, bungalow, top of sun room.

Cold frame along the sunroom wall. Allows for extending the growing season. Panels come off in the summer time. Part of the coldframe is sunken below grade for added warmth in the winter time. I have picked tomatoes here in December.

Food hedge from the roof. Apple and pear trees are shaped into a hedge by using wires and cross pieces of wood to pull the branches in the desired direction.. There is no open space between trees and trees are limited in heights to make best use of space along a fence. Several more years and the hedge will be solid. There are non thorn domestic balckberries planted between the hedge and the fence. Max use of space.

South side of the house. Note sun room and coldframes, water barrel- filled by hose from larger tanks next to the house. I hand water the back yard, dipping a watering can into the barrel. It works fine.

Back yard habitat and water feature, bungalow to the left, herb garden to the right. Note yard art on the left. A metal hoop hangs by fishline from an oddly bent t post. A place should be aestheticlly attractive.

Inside the bungalow. There are two areas, solar and core living. The solar space has seven 36" x 70" glass panels in the ceiling, essentially a glass ceiling. An insulated curtain and insulated panels separate the spaces in the winter, curtain is opened on sunny days to import warmer air, closed when heating advantage is lost. All walls are 2 x6 and fully insulated. The ceiling of the core space has an r 48 value. Cinder block stem walls are insulated with 3 " ridgid foam on the outside.

View from the solar space to core space. Insulated curtains cover all the windows of the core space for cold weather. Ladder leads to sleeping loft. Bed in the loft is visible at the top. Storage under the bed. Open spaces above are closed in the winter time. There is also another smaller guest loft with small door to an elevated exterior deck with view of the garden and sky.

Workspace. Seeing the ceiling glass from all locations makes for a very spacious effect. Painting is of Cala Sisine on the east coast of Sardegna.