The original homes and buildings of Monan’s Rill
In the early 1970’s, when the first Monan’s Rill members were establishing this community, there were no homes or infrastructure on the land. Individuals, couples, and families drove up from the Bay Area and camped out on the land every weekend to do the physical work required to bring the community into being. Often teaching themselves how to do it as they went, the founders worked together, weekend after weekend, to establish the garden, create water infrastructure and roads, and build homes and community buildings. It was through their consistent, collective effort that this community was born, both materially and socially.
The houses, community buildings, garden and pasture have always been clustered in one corner of the 414 acres of land that make up Monan’s Rill.
Homes: Between the 1970’s and 1990’s, a total of 11 dwelling buildings were constructed, several of which were designed so that multiple households could share them. Our homes ranged from a studio at 370 sq. ft, to a few 4-bedroom homes at almost 1700 sq. ft. All of the original houses were heated by wood, which came from fallen trees on our own land. Water is supplied from our well. We work together to maintain and improve our homes, to the best of our abilities. Building skills and empowering one another is at the heart of our community life.
In addition to homes, members worked together to construct several shared buildings: the HUB, the Shop, and the Barn.
The HUB: We call our Community Building “the Hub”. The building contains a kitchen, a guestroom, two bathrooms, and a large gathering room. We use the Hub for our potlucks, seasonal celebrations, movie nights, yoga/Pilates sessions, music gatherings, dances, business meetings, etc.
The Shop: Our shop consists of one large room with woodworking tools, a room for general repairs, a painting room, a “craft” room, and a small office. Outside of the Shop is where general plumbing, electrical, truck, tractor, chainsaw and miscellaneous supplies for Community needs are stored.
The Barn: Animals have long been a part of individual Rill members’ lives. Over the years, horses, goats, sheep, cows, llamas, chickens, pigs have lived in or near the barn and been enjoyed by all. The Rill currently has a herd of goats and a flock of chickens.
Since the Glass Fire
In 2020, there were 30 residents of Monan’s Rill occupying the homes, including 22 adults and 8 children. On September 28 of that year, all but one of our homes burned in the Glass Fire. We also lost the barn and the chicken coop. We still have the Hub and the Shop – and next to the Shop, our rainwater catchment tank and solar array!
Recovering from wildfire and rebuilding is a long and ongoing process. Our first phase of post-fire rebuilding took place between 2021-2023. During the first year of the process, we worked with architect and engineer Robin Stephani of 8th Wave to create a master plan for new homes at Monan’s Rill, and several template building plans.
Because we were very underinsured, and the costs of construction have skyrocketed, the insurance funds we received after the Glass Fire from the 10 buildings that burned were only sufficient to cover the cost of building three new homes, under the leadership of Dustin Deason of Brandywine Builders. With a lot of creativity and efficient use of space, these new homes along with the one home that did not burn have provided just enough housing for all of the members who wished to return to the Rill after the Glass Fire, with room for one new resident. We are grateful to have these modern, energy-efficient, all-electric, and fire-resistant homes to anchor our community.
We would love to build more homes to enable more people to live to the Rill in this new phase, as well as rebuild the barn for more animal housing, but we currently do not have the financial resources to do so. If you are able to donate to our recovery, you can give at our Monan’s Rill GoFundMe or contact info@monansrill.org to learn about the longer-term giving opportunities we are developing.
Please also follow our Instagram page, and sign up for our newsletter to stay on top of what’s happening here.
