Back-up System for Houses is about how this Architect designs and specifies mountain houses with options for multiple back-up systems so that you can still have power, lighting, Internet and water when The Grid goes down.
Sound impossible? This firm has tested these solutions in their own house. They work.
Recently, Hurricane Helene and Milton killed people and made living in people’s housing impossible due to flooding, loss of The Grid electricity, loss of potable water, loss of Internet and other sources that we all take for granted until we are dispossessed of them in events like harsh storms.
When you are considering whether to engage an Architect (as in a real, Licensed Architect) in your state to design your house, you may think that an Architect is too expensive and decide to allow a builder to dust off some existing old plans from a back room to build for you. Big Mistake. Why: because: the chances are, most Contractors do not specialize in design, nor in the providing of multiple back-up systems for their clients. They are interested in building your house and getting paid for it, and cutting costs as much as possible. That’s one of the reasons they are called “Builders”, not designers.
But when you are the client, and a significant storm or other calamity damages normal systems, what are you going to do when you have no power, no lighting, no water, no Internet? Likely, you will have to leave your house and drive far away to find some temporary housing, perhaps in a hotel somewhere, perhaps in another State. Your life and those of your loved ones just got turned upside-down. If you got out alive.
So what could you have done to not have that happen?
Well, for one, you could have started with a special Architect first, rather than a builder. And have your Architect design the project tailored to your land and your lifestyle, using durable materials and methods that can resist the onslaught of the storm, and also specify multiple back-up systems for continuing to provide alternate sources of electricity, potable water, Internet, lighting and the like. Let’s day that again: certain Architects can specify back-up systems to prevent your having to relocate elsewhere during and after a storm. Isn’t that going to be much more comfortable for you and your family? Of course. You just need to hire an Architect at the beginning of your project, instead of being penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Some people may say: “I can’t afford an Architect.”
In reality, how can you not afford an Architect?
Your house is likely the most expensive investment in your lifetime. Don’t you want it designed properly and with multiple back-up systems to allow you to continue living there, when everyone else experiences the unpleasantness of having all their systems shut down?
HOME ARCHITECTS ® can specify and indicate where these types of back-up systems and features can be located on your site/house:
SOLAR POWER SYSTEM: where to located solar panels, batteries and controllers, so not only do you have back-up power, but hugely reduced power bills, if any for decades to come.
EMERGENCY GENERATOR: to fill the gaps between solar power batteries. With a large LP gas tank.
MAIN HOUSE POTABLE WATER WELL: near your house for your main water source.
COMMUNITY WATER SOURCE: likely what most people in your community use.
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM: in your crawlspace and/or basement: to filter and purify your water, to make it the cleanest as can be.
INTERNET BACK-UP: Starlink and local fiber-optic. Both can be interchangeable, so if one goes out (likely the fiber optic as it is wires strung between poles often), the other can continue to provide you with connectivity and phone wi-fi.
STRONG DETAILS OF CONSTRUCTION: This Architect coordinates with Structural Engineers to insure that their houses are engineered to resist Code-required winds.
EMERGENCY WATER STORAGE TANK: This Architect can build-in where an emergency 500 G FDA approved potable water storage tank can be located in your garage or other place to insure you’ve got water no matter what.
SUPERIOR INSULATION LEVELS: to provide comfortable levels of thermal insulation during storm events.
In conclusion: save your life and your loved ones, and save yourself the grief of not having water, power, internet and cleanliness: Hire HOME ARCHITECTS ® to design your next special mountain house.