Have you heard of Earthships? To help keep you out of debt bondage you should also be considering how much of your design you can create to be off-the-grid entirely.
That's where I ran across this idea a while back.
Here are some sources:
http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Earthship
http://highexistence.com/10-reasons-why-earthships-are-fing-awesome/
Optional: in your design, include a large room where you can have your workshop, then invest in an industrial 3d printer, and you'd be surprised how much cool stuff you can do yourself.
http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Main_Page
Keep up the good fight. Cheers!
Thanks for all of the advice. We certainly have a lot to consider as we proceed with this. I have heard of earthships too!