Update on Michael Reynolds

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Hoar has found, for instance, that his house can be easily "operated" — to reach the desired heat level — simply by opening and closing windows and adjusting the awning over the glass wall. Furthermore, he says that the wintertime temperature in the front room reaches a low of about 50°F at dawn, but rises to around 70° by 8:00 a.m. . . . and that the bedrooms remain between 69° and 75° even in the most bitter weather. His monthly utility costs consist of a "whopping" $40 electrical bill . . . and that expense, Joe explains, is mostly due to the fact that he likes to take excessively long, hot baths!

The first Volkshome to be completed cost about $38 a square foot. And now — three years and their attendant inflation later — the structures are running close to $45 per square foot. Perhaps that figure sounds high . . . but when you consider New Mexico's prices and remember that lifetime utility costs for a Volks can range from low to nonexistent, you'll see that the homes are truly bargain dwellings. In fact, Mike's so pleased with the residential "bugs" that he's actually marketing them — through newspaper ads, open houses, and such — which is a first for him.

EARTHLY DWELLINGS

Beyond the Volkshomes on Michael's mesa stands a menagerie of unusual structures. One of these is his own home, and the rest are simply inconclusive experiments.

For example, the first can dome Mike ever created is one of the cluster of buildings. He's recently added a greenhouse to it (to provide solar-generated heat). Then there's a pyramid, built without any steel, which Mike now uses as his own private retreat (when he needs to be alone to play music or just to think).

Reynolds considers his wind-turbine home to be the only truly energy-self-sufficient structure among his creations. He began by supporting his own personally designed turbine on four massive poles. The wind grabber is connected to a generator that — along with two panels of photovoltaic cells — is able to pass electricity into 12 golf cart batteries . . . which, in turn, provide all the electricity for the house.

Then, once the turbine was completed, Mike built tire-and-adobe walls between the poles, leaving the south side open for a greenhouse. The resulting 600-square-foot "windome", notes the designer-builder, "does a whole lot of things at one time: It captures the wind and the sun and turns them into electricity and heat . . . recycles all its own water . . . stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter . . . and allows the owner to grow his or her own food!" And the only utility bill is $20, which is sent to the propane company every three months to keep the home's refrigerator and stove going.

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