I bought my 40 acres of Texas desert in October '07.  Then I took a couple of weeks off to visit family in Arizona and plan my new empire.  I contemplated several natural building methods but have no experience in this area.  The landscape out here is dotted with failed attempts at building this way - folks trying these methods and discovering how difficult and labor intensive they can be.  I also wanted to avoid the horrendous metal shade structures that are popping up out here to shade the dreaded double wide trailer.  I knew I wanted to get cozy quickly and cheaply (and with some style) so I designed a structure that could be zipped together using my old NYC set building skills.  In 8 days and for a cost of about $1600, I built and moved into my little building.   On my own, construction was accomplished using simple hand tools and a cordless skill saw and drill charged by my solar panels.  It took about 5 months and another $800 to finish all the details.  Until the greenhouse building is built, I have subsided mostly on canned food with some occasional store bought fresh meat and vegetables.  (did you know there are 5 different flavors of SPAM?)  My refrigeration comes from my homemade ice box which relies on an 8 lb. bag of ice every other day.  I cook on a propane camping stove for now - but a solar oven is in the works.