Homes that pay us back and communities?
Imagine living in a home that generates (and stores for later usage) more energy than you used. That’s not science fiction; this technology exists today, and generally speaking these are referred to as “renewables.”
Indeed, Fast Company released an article that talked about net zero tiny homes that generate enough energy to pay for themselves.
It’s a great concept, but let’s take it further.
The article highlights promising developments from vendors who are building prefab homes with integrated renewables (solar panels, lithium-ion batteries, efficient heat pumps) that often generate more energy than they use.
This is a meaningful development, but here's the thing:
Not many folks want to live in a tiny home
The ideal housing solution isn't about reducing life to 350 square feet and tucking your toothbrush beside your spice rack; it's about right-sizing life.
And that means returning to something we already know works: the Goldilocks home.
Who needs a McMansion when we have Goldilocks Homes?
Goldilocks homes are not too big, not too small; somewhere between 1,200 and 1,600 square feet; comfortable, efficient, and scaled to meet the needs of a couple, a family, or a multigenerational household.
This isn’t for everyone. Some people crave a 4,400 square foot home sequestered away in a cul de sac, deep within a gated community, and if you’re that person, then this article is not for you.
Imagine Goldilocks-sized homes that come with integrated renewables, paying for its own energy and water use, and it's not a one-off, it's part of something larger.
Enter TerraCores
TerraCores are our implementation of what we call an MVCU (a Minimally Viable Community Unit).
I've written of Minimally-viable Community Units in the past, and they represent a competitive use of real estate vis a vis traditional homes.
Consider the results of a A/B test we ran with compared the merits and deficiencies of TerraCores MVCU's and the traditional family home:
Each TerraCores Minimally Viable Community Unit includes 5-12 homes arranged around a shared commons; it's a community designed not just for efficient living but for regenerative community life.
Our layout includes:
Several Goldilocks-sized homes (1,200-1,600 sq ft)
One or two tiny homes for visitors, earn-and-learn apprentices, or those testing the waters of intentional living
A covered commons space for community meals, laundry, events, and shared solar + water capture infrastructure
Paths and gardens to promote casual interaction and grow fresh food
The homes are built to be Net Zero (or very close) thanks to a combination of thoughtful design and several innovative technologies in the renewables and water reclamation space.
Rough outline of a community we’re about to build in North Carolina - a Veteran’s Purposeful Community, in collaboration with a veteran’s-oriented nonprofit
At the community level, TerraCores integrate localized food production and regenerative land use strategies, drawing on innovative new models proven in water-sterssed environments.
These innovations don’t just conserve water; they help communities reclaim food sovereignty, reduce supply-chain dependence, and create jobs rooted in land stewardship.
This isn’t that much different than the intentional / purposeful communities that cater to the whims of those 50 years and up. The difference being: we’re extending the benefits of these communities to those who need them most - small families and young people.
Real Multi-Generational Community is the Killer App
TerraCores the homes are integrated into a cooperative ecosystem
This is the TerraCores framework for aligning five foundational pillars into an integrated solution that delivers "the ability to afford" rather than housing that's merely "affordable."
Housing (resilient, net-zero, and equity-building)
Water & Energy (reclaimed, renewable, and community-scaled)
Food & Farming (local, nutrient-rich, and rooted in reciprocity)
Wellness (physical, emotional, communal)
Education (creative, intergenerational, and contextual)
And critically, TerraCores communities create not just savings, but income.
Living Subsidy Through Community Income
This isn't a commune, and it's not a charity project. TerraCores are a community-scale economic engine, designed to make a dignified life more affordable for those who live there and more accessible to those nearby.
Through cooperative ventures (like shared meal programs, solar banking, local food production, wellness offerings, and even earn-and-learn apprenticeship tracks) residents don’t just survive, they thrive.
These initiatives generate recurring revenue that gets redistributed internally to lower the cost of living for everyone involved. In effect, it's a built-in cost-of-living subsidy generated by the community itself.
What Kind of Cost-of-Living Subsidy?
Informed by real-world examples, here are a few “what-if” examples that illustrate how residents participating in a TerraCores local economy might receive monthly or annual cost-of-living subsidies or financial benefits.
1. Angela the Apprentice
Angela is a single mom participating in the Earn-and-Learn trades program. She spends 12 hours per week helping with housing maintenance and 3D-printing tasks. In return:
She receives a $500/month credit toward her rent.
She also gets priority access to reduced-cost meals for her kids (saving ~$200/month).
Annual savings/subsidy value: ~$8,400
Using the integrated TerraCores economic model, Angela now works part-time remotely and still thrives within her community.
2. Reggie the Grower
Reggie maintains a greenhouse pod and helps with community food prep three evenings per week.
He receives monthly food credits (~$300) based on his labor.
Any surplus produce he grows gets sold via the local marketplace, and he keeps 60% of the sale, averaging an additional $150-$200/month.
Annual benefit: ~$6,000-$7,000
Reggie no longer needs to shop at grocery stores, and he’s healthier than he’s ever been.
3. Lucía the Solar Banker
Lucía manages the cooperative’s solar surplus, overseeing when to bank, sell back to the grid, or allocate credits internally.
For her role, Lucía receives a quarterly stipend (~$750/quarter).
In addition, she pays no electricity bill, saving another $100-150/month.
Annual benefit: ~$5,000
Lucía uses her savings to pay down debt while building strong credit.
4. Daryl the Community Cook
Daryl helps prep two community meals a week. He’s semi-retired and wants to give back.
In exchange, he receives free meals 5x per week, valued at ~$400/month.
He also receives an end-of-year profit-share dividend (~$800) from the meal service co-op.
Annual benefit: ~$5,500
This lets Daryl stretch his fixed income and stay active and social.
5. Kendra the Wellness Guide
Kendra runs weekly movement and trauma-informed yoga classes. Her classes are well-attended.
She receives $75 per class, hosting four per week = ~$1,200/month.
She’s also eligible for discounted housing (20%) through service credits.
Annual benefit/income: ~$14,000-$16,000
Kendra’s not just helping others; she’s earning with meaning.
Wait. Economic and Workforce Development? How?
Here's where it gets powerful: this is not just a closed-loop system.
Each TerraCores community serves as a hub of economic and social services for the surrounding area, often within a 15-20 mile radius. These are the regions where public services are scarce, infrastructure is neglected, and access to opportunity is uneven at best.
TerraCores fill that vacuum by extending its benefits outward, operating like a micro-commons in an economic desert.
Meal services can serve elder-care clients or local families through prepaid plans.
Solar banking offers power credits to adjacent properties.
Earn-and-learn programs provide local youth with on-ramps to relevant jobs; construction, farming, renewable tech, childcare.
Wellness programs aren't just yoga classes; they're trauma-informed, elder-guided, intergenerational lifelines that take “health” from hospitals and re-root them in daily practices that improve quality of living
Cultural gatherings reinforce social fabric and encourage nearby residents to participate in something greater than individual survival.
Circular Economies That Regenerate, Recirculate, and Root
Each TerraCores community operates as a living engine; a regenerative system that circulates value, builds wealth locally, and creates livelihoods that keep people rooted to place.
Regenerative Infrastructure
It begins with design. These aren’t just homes; they’re Net-Zero, or better. Powered by solar, harvested rainwater, and sustainable materials, TerraCores applies regenerative best practices from the ground up.
Even waste streams (like graywater or compost) are treated as nutrients for the system. This isn’t about reducing harm; it’s about designing for abundance.
Spending That Stays Local
Inside each community, cooperative ventures (like meal services, wellness programs, solar banking, and shared gardens) circulate value among residents.
A complementary economy (think loyalty points, local credits, or service exchanges) encourages neighbors to spend locally. That value loop strengthens mutual trust and materially reduces the cost of living.
Jobs That Keep People Rooted
But it doesn’t stop there. As these communities scale, production itself becomes local. Solar panels need maintenance. Tools need fabrication. Furniture, clothing, food products, even modular housing components; all of these can be manufactured, repaired, and distributed within the community, for the community.
This isn’t just self-sufficiency; it’s economic sovereignty
By placing light manufacturing, skilled trades, and workforce development inside TerraCores communities, we reverse the generational pattern of exporting young talent to cities in search of opportunity.
With TerraCores, opportunity lives where you do.
This means sons and daughters can apprentice under local mentors, gain real skills, and stay rooted without sacrificing ambition. Grandparents aren't left behind. Families stay together. Culture stays alive.
This isn't just about "affordable housing." It's about the ability to afford the life we were meant to live.
A community designed to capitalize upon shared economies of scale is one that can financially justify the creation of shared amenities.
This means that a shared space might offer shared storage for those who live in the community, thereby reducing the need for each home to have its own two car garage (used to store things).
Add to this a values-based governance system called C3 (Community, Culture, and Commerce), and you've got a blueprint that avoids the perils of becoming a company town.
C3 tracks soft capital like trust, reputation, and contribution alongside traditional financials, and allows the community to arbitrate its own disputes, assign meaningful roles, and evolve over time.
TerraCores aren't just buildings. They're containers for a new kind of life.
And while prefab tiny homes with solar panels are a good start, it's time we zoom out. What happens when we apply the same energy-positive thinking to a neighborhood? To a block? To a town?
What happens is this: we build homes that pay us to live there, and we deliver them into mutually-supporting communities that subsidize a life worth living.
That isn't just Net Zero. That's Net Benefit.
Do you Own Land? Want to Develop, But Without Selling Out?
You’re not alone.
We hear from landowners all the time who don’t want to carve up their family land for another bland subdivision, but still want to create value, preserve legacy, and serve the next generation.
That's exactly where TerraCores (and Terra Global Developments) come in.
We’re not just architects or visionaries; we’re a team of builders, planners, and capital strategists who can help you:
Structure your project (LLC, cooperative, trust, or nonprofit)
Retain land ownership while generating recurring income
Access grants, tax-exempt funding, and regenerative capital
Plan and build infrastructure aligned with your values
Launch a community that feels like home; to you, and those you welcome
You don’t need to know how to do it all. You just need to know you don’t want to sell your land to someone who will flatten it for cookie-cutter homes and walk away.
If You’re a Nonprofit That Already Serves Your Community
You’re already doing it. You don’t need to reinvent yourself to take the next step.
If you’re already providing services to veterans, families with disabilities, or other underserved populations, the TerraCores model can help you expand your mission to include housing, jobs, and economic stability, without giving up your identity or control.
We help nonprofits like yours access tax-exempt capital, structure long-term land use options, and develop community-scale housing that directly reinforces your existing programs.
This approach has strong demand among impact investors, especially because “human service providers” represent just 5% of a $500B/year tax-exempt debt market, making your projects both meaningful and uniquely fundable.
If you’ve ever wondered how to serve more people, offer more stability, or build something permanent, we can help you turn that vision into a real place people can call home.
Terra Global Developments: Turning Vision Into Reality
We help you:
Secure funding
Navigate permitting and governance
Build regenerative homes and infrastructure
Launch an economy that keeps your community rooted
This isn’t just about housing. It’s about creating a future worth passing down, in a self-sustaining stewardship community that delivers a legacy of opportunity.
With over 300 cumulative years on the core team, Terra Global Developments was created to help emerging communities secure the capital they need to acquire land, build their infrastructure, and launch a new chapter of life rooted in mutual support and financial self-determination.
This isn’t just about buying land and building homes. It’s about helping communities introduce regenerative, circular economies that support housing, power, water, food, wellness, and meaningful work; all without needing to leave home to chase opportunity elsewhere.
We work alongside our communities to:
Secure startup and long-term funding,
Design and build homes and infrastructure aligned with their values,
Launch cooperatives and micro-economies that sustain the community,
And anchor families to land that supports them, not the other way around.
This isn’t just development. It’s co-creation. A new model of home, community, and future, one that you can build, live in, and pass down to your children.
You already have the relationships, the reputation, and the trust.
What you may not have is the development team, capital strategy, and infrastructure planning support to bring a community to life.
That’s where we come in.
Terra Global Developments is your co-builder, not just of housing, but of hope, equity, and long-term sustainability. We build with you, for you, and around your mission.
Want to learn more? Drop us a line!
To begin our journey, download our white paper / request to meet with one of our staff.
