The design and construction of Casa de KP3

Welcome to our humble blog of the design and construction of Casa de KP3, our sustainable family compound in Albuquerque, New Mexico. First...a little background:

• KP3 = Karen Partlow, Karin Perry and Kristin Perry (Karin's twin sister). (oh...and Marguerite Perry, mother of Karin and Kris, will also be joining us in the compound!)
• KP3 purchased a 1/3 acre lot in a residential/agricultural area of the North Valley of Albuquerque (ABQ) in the fall of 2009.
• We've been working with our FANTASTIC architect (Leslie Buerk of Kalyx Studio in ABQ) since early 2010 designing the house and the grounds. Leslie is a permaculturalist which basically means she take a holistic approach to designing a home, considering the orientation of the lot, its topography, prevailing winds, angle of the sun, etc. She has an incredible aesthetic and is just one of the most pleasant people we've had a chance to work with. We do hope to call her "friend" long after the construction project is over. 
• We are aiming for a Net Zero home...which means it would create as much (or more) energy as it uses (through photo voltaic panels for electricity, capturing passive solar for heat, and solar heated hot water). Not only will this minimize our collective carbon footprint, but it will also help us contain our ongoing energy expenses going forward.
• Timeline: We are hoping to get the bid process with select contractors started before end of January...select our contractor in February...and break ground in March. If this happens as planned, then we expect to move by the end of summer. But hopefully we'll have a better idea of timing in the coming weeks.

I guess that's good for now. I'll post things like the schematic designs, 3Ds designs, links to finishes and the sort...and then once construction begins, I'll post weekly updates with pictures (provided by Leslie) of the build. Thanks for your interest in our little project. We hope you all will come visit us in ABQ!

Karen (for Karen, Karin and Kris)