Moving to Blanca, Costilla County. Please tell me about this area (San Luis: utilities, zoning)

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by LHS79

I dunno- that looks like "Redneck Engineering".

Do you sit in the chair in the basement to make sure the fire is always burning so there is no smoke?

What happens to the air in the home when the smoke starts?

Interesting- wonder if this is actually one of the home inspection photos you see every once in awhile.

No smoke in her house. The sheet metal wraps around the airtight stove and move the heat through the central heating system. Any smoke or fumes go out the exhaust pipe as they would with any wood burning stove. They burn a couple of cords of wood per winter and have for a good 30 years.

[LHS79]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

No smoke in her house. The sheet metal wraps around the airtight stove and move the heat through the central heating system. Any smoke or fumes go out the exhaust pipe as they would with any wood burning stove. They burn a couple of cords of wood per winter and have for a good 30 years.

Very cool- never knew this could be done. Just have to keep it filled with wood.

[interloper1138]

The warmest weather is generally late May through early October, but to fully appreciate the extremes of the valley I highly encourage you to visit the valley in the dead of winter (early January) when temps routinely drop below 0. Overnight lows of -20F or more are common. Temperature swings of 40-50 degrees in a single day are possible year-round. This should influence the type of structure you build (depending on intended use). A lot of homesteaders struggle to keep warm out here during the winter because they either didn't know what winter entails out here or can't afford a more insulated / efficient structure.

Your permitted land use will depend on what subdivision your land is in. Some are more permissive than others. Septic and well requirements are where most homesteaders struggle to meet county restrictions, rather than building materials for their structures. Contact the Costilla County Planning and Zoning office for more info at (719) 937-7668.

Homesteading the SLV is still do-able but it takes a lot of careful planning and budgeting to make it work. Good luck.