The Rencher Residence
My family's full-time home. Designed entirely by me, built on 40 acres outside Spring City, Utah with no existing utilities — no power line, no water, no sewer. Nine people live here every day. Two of my children were born in this house.
Location
Spring City, Utah
Sanpete Valley
Land
40 acres
No utilities at purchase
Occupants
9 full-time
2 born in the home
Completed
2023
Full permit, county AHJ
Tyler with one of his sons on their property. The valley and mountain views to the west are visible from most rooms in the house.
Exterior photo
Kitchen
Valley view
The Challenge
The land had no legal road access when we purchased it — the county maintained the road but held no easement. We had to acquire half the road surface from our neighbor before we could do anything else. That was before we broke ground.
The property sits at an elevation with cold winters, significant wind, and a building department that had never reviewed an off-grid electrical system. My wife wanted normal appliances, comfortable indoor temperatures year-round, and large windows. Getting that on solar and battery storage requires doing the analysis correctly — not optimistically.
The Design Focus
Air sealing above all else
I spent more time on the air sealing strategy than on any other system. Continuous barriers at every penetration, rim joist, top plate, and window opening. The result: floor and ceiling temperatures that are nearly identical in winter.
Off-grid system sized for January
Solar array and battery storage sized for peak winter load — not average annual production. A system that works in July but fails in January isn't a system. Nine people depend on this one every day.
Full permitting through a new process
The county had never reviewed an off-grid electrical system. We went through the full permitting process from the beginning — educating the reviewers, responding to questions, and reaching approval without shortcuts.
"I don't have the option of shipping a new version. My family lives there. That's why I treat every decision as if it's permanent — because it is."
Home Systems at a Glance
Solar
Full array sized for winter-worst-case load profile. Grid-independent since completion.
Battery
Bank sized for autonomy days — not just peak daily cycling. Generator backup integrated.
Water
Full water system design. Municipal connection was never an option — the system had to work independently.
HVAC
Standard forced-air with load-calculated sizing. Thermal envelope does the heavy lifting — equipment runs quietly in the background.