Overlooking Arizona’s expansive San Rafael Valley, at an elevation of 5,000 feet, the tiny house known as Casa Caldera doesn’t provide the easy escape of a typical vacation getaway. What this 1,060-square-foot, off-the-grid retreat does deliver are stunning views and the opportunity for an adventure that begins with getting there. Roughly half of the two-hour drive southeast from Tucson cuts through mountains and goes off-road, across spectacular high-desert grasslands, past grazing cattle, and up into forested slopes.
The earth-hued house was built with scoria, a porous cementitious material, also referred to as lava concrete, that takes its name from its primary component, a lightweight volcanic cinder, similar in color and makeup to the surrounding terrain. (Geologically, the region was once the site of a caldera, or large volcanic crater.) The building is not visible from the road. Tucked just below the crest of a hill and camouflaged by Emory oaks, Casa Caldera emerges from the landscape slowly, but only after you park your vehicle at an informal “carport” and activate the house’s sources of electricity and hot water—a self-contained portable solar system and a propane tank.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.