Off-grid planning: what you need to know

Off-grid is a spectrum

Some sites have power at the road but no water. Others have a well and no utility service. Seasonal-use structures can accept systems that a year-round dwelling cannot.

Define the intended use first: weekends in summer, shoulder-season use, or continuous occupancy. That single decision drives every system below. If you have not yet worked through the parcel itself, start with the land preparation guide.

Power

A solar array with battery storage is sized from a realistic load list, expected winter production, and how much generator backup you accept. Snow cover and shading from terrain and trees reduce output at exactly the time demand rises.

Electric heat, well pumps, and water heating dominate the load list and often decide array and battery size. Sizing is done by a qualified system designer for your elevation, orientation, and load list; we do not publish an output figure that would apply to every site.

• Write a load list with every appliance, its wattage, and hours of use per day in winter.
• Decide whether generator backup is acceptable, and where fuel would be stored.
• Record shading from ridgelines and trees at the proposed array location.

Water and wastewater

Options include a permitted well, cistern delivery, or hauled water, each with its own permitting and freeze-protection requirements. Wastewater usually means a county-approved onsite wastewater treatment system or an approved alternative.

Both processes are governed by state and county rules and are approved independently of the building permit. Well permitting runs through the Colorado Division of Water Resources, and wastewater permits are issued by county public health departments.

• Search existing well permits for the parcel before assuming a well is possible.
• Ask the county what percolation or soil testing an onsite wastewater permit requires.
• Plan freeze protection for tanks, lines, and pumps during unoccupied periods.

Heat and building envelope

Insulation levels, air sealing, and glazing specification affect off-grid feasibility more than the heat source does. A tall glazed gable is a defining feature of the A-Frame models and needs a glazing specification chosen for the elevation and exposure.

Heat source selection interacts with the power system: resistance heat is simple but load-heavy, a wood or pellet stove needs clearances, a flue, and fuel storage, and propane needs a tank location a truck can reach. Freeze protection for plumbing during unoccupied periods needs an explicit plan. We describe envelope specifications from the drawings rather than publishing an energy-performance claim.

• Choose the primary and backup heat sources before the electrical system is sized.
• Confirm the fuel or firewood storage location and how it is resupplied in winter.
• Decide whether the structure will be left unheated between visits, and plan drain-down if so.

Winter access and maintenance

Plowing responsibility, snow storage, fuel delivery, and how you reach the structure in a storm are part of the design conversation. A structure you cannot reach in February is a seasonal structure. The service areas page describes the regions where we review properties.

Off-grid systems also need ongoing attention: clearing snow from an array, checking battery state of charge, exercising a generator, testing water quality, and having the wastewater system inspected on the schedule your county sets. Decide who performs that work, and how often, before the systems are specified.

• Identify who plows, how quickly, and where plowed snow will be stored.
• Set a maintenance interval for the power, water, and wastewater systems.
• Arrange remote monitoring or a local contact if the structure sits unoccupied for long periods.

Which models suit reduced-service sites

Smaller plans carry the smallest system loads: Barn Mini at 176 sq ft total, Barn Compact at 258 sq ft, and Garden Office Compact as a detached accessory structure. Larger plans are possible off-grid, but the systems and the budget scale with them.

We confirm feasibility per site rather than publishing an off-grid package.

Official planning resources

These are state reference tools, listed for convenience. Your local jurisdiction and qualified professionals determine what your project requires. Neither agency endorses A-Hut.

• Colorado Division of Water Resources — well permit search

  State tool for looking up existing well permits and permit records by location or permit number.

• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment — OWTS information

  State reference material on onsite wastewater treatment systems, which are permitted and inspected by county public health departments.