Good news & bad news

We got a bit of very good news on Friday: Loralee and a friend went for a walk on the property, and found our excavator, Brent Newland, clearing the topsoil from the homesite! He wrapped up his other project a few days early, so was able to get his equipment to our site a few days early and start moving earth around. "Set expectations, then exceed them". We took a run up Friday evening to see what he'd done, and he was still working at 7:00 PM. While talking to him, his wife and daughter showed up to pick him up. he roughed out the driveway, so for the first time we can drive up to the homesite. Next week, he plans to dig for the foundation and lay out the forms.

Sadly, we also recieved some bad news on friday: My Grandfather, William Tester, passed away. for the last six weeks he has been battling congestive heart failure. He lives in Connecticut, and last weekend my Dad and I took a quick trip down to see him. He wasn't doing so good, but we managed to talk and I was able to say goodbye. Last Sunday, he had a massive stroke, and he just faded away this week. Lor and I will be running to CT on Monday for the funeral, returning on Tuesday.

Good Weather?

Here's to hoping for good weather next week! Our excavator is planning to start on the driveway and dirt-work, and we are anxious for a good start. The last two days this week have been great-- Sunny days in the 50's, although cold at night. Right now, the weather reports look good for Monday, but the rest of the week may not be so good. We'll see.

I had lunch with David Van Houten yesterday. He and his wife Margaret build nearly the same Old School Saltbox last summer, and had a very good experience with the builders. David and I have been meeting every few weeks, and he is a great resource. He just gave us a pile of lighting and bathroom fixture catalogues for us to persuse. Believe me, I think that is the most overwhelming part of the process right now. There are literally THOUSANDS of choices. We are looking for very good quality but lower priced solutions, but it is very hard to decide which choices are right.

I've posted here a photo of the view from our homesite. This view is to the north, overlooking Willoughby Gap (A glacial lake in the Northeast Kingdom). We own 15 acres, purchased from my Grandmother, which is adjacent to her farm. This land was not part of the original Wall farm, but part of the old Jones farm. It was purchased by my family in the late 90's when Alma Jones moved into a nursing home.

The roof of the old Jones homestead can be seen in this photo. It, along with 200 acres, was originally known as the "Butternut Farm" in the early 1900's, and is currently owned by Chuck Fergus and Nancy Brown, two writers from Pennsylvania.

To Loralee and I, the homesite is a very special place, old hayfields bisected by a spring-fed stream. The northern half is still hayed by a local farmer, while the southern half, reached via an old fieldstone bridge, is slowly regrowing into hardwoods. 3 sides of the property have remanants of stone walls, those bones that were once painstakingly hand-cleared and are now sinking back into the earth. Cat-tails and moose-wood grow in the swampy southeast corner, which is criss-crossed by game trails. The peaceful, soul-soothing character of the land enables me to embrace the term 'sacred space' when describing it.

Masonry Heater

I just mailed out the deposit for our masonry heater. We are having it built by Michael Thronson, Earth and Fire Masonry. This will be our primary heating system for the house, as well as the 'heart' at the core of our home. So, what is a masonry heater? Basically, it's a firebox enclosed by some kind of stone or mason work. It burns wood, which heats the stonework. The stone, in turn, radiates out the heat throughout the day, heating the home. They are considered very efficient wood-based systems. Most homeowners fire thier heaters once a day, sometimes twice on the coldest days. The heat generated can be regulated somewhat by managing the size of your fire, and the type of wood you burn.

Our masonry heater will be brick faced, with a warming bench, woodbox, and baking oven. The oven is a 'must' because Loralee bakes all her own bread. It will look something like the picture here, although probably without the bluestone elements. This is one of the most expensive elements of the home (Don't ask!), but it also forms the 'heart' of the house, around which all activity will revolve.

In addition to the masonry heater, we will have a 2nd chimney flue to support a basement wood stove. Our backup (for when we go on trips, etc) will be a propane furnace with a radiant system in the basement slab. The house being as tight as it will be, this should provide enough heat to keep it from freezing if we go away during the winter.

Why the masonry heater? First off, I am very concerned about fuel costs... We are adherents to the 'peak oil' theory, and feel that petrolium products will continue to be expensive for the forseable future. Second, we LOVE the feel of wood heat, and having a hearth in our home is a priority. Third, wood is renewable and locally grown!

Weekend update

Today is Sunday, and the weather is more seasonable. It has rained light but steady all day, with temperatures in the mid-40's. Loralee made a run to NH, and hit Lowes and Home Depot on the way to price out bathroom fixtures and tile. We're not especially fond of the big-box stores, but they can save time. I just got off the phone with her, and she managed to find several nice fixtures (Bath sinks, toilets, and tub), all well within our budget. Also, she found some nice tile for the mudroom. Since she is a teacher with the summer off, she is planning to do all the tiling in the house-- Since most tilers in this area are charging $4/sf to lay tile, this should save a lot of money.

Myself, I met with Tim today, who will be cutting the line for our power. I also had tea tea with Chuck Fergus and Nancy Brown, our future neighbors. They have been great, giving us the easement for power, and even some old brick that was in the chimney of their house before it was restored. This coming week, I'll be putting a deposit in for our Masonry Heater, but beyond that we are playing a waiting game until our excavator can get to the site to put in our driveway and dig the foundation.

Back-story

Today, April 20th, is another stunning spring day. Unseasonably warm with temperatures near 70 and clear blue skies. It reminds me of last spring, when Loralee and I started the homebuilding process. We both wanted very similar things in our home. We appreciate classic architecture, and were leaning towards a traditional cape design. Meanwhile, I had previously seen the work of a local builder, Old School Builders (http://www.oldschoolbuilders.com/), and had fallen in love with their work. Their primary focus is on building sustainable post-and-beam style homes.

For us, the core design elements of the home would include: A small footprint that would integrate into its surroundings; an open but cozy floor plan; Energy efficiency; traditional style. Loralee specifically wanted a light-filled home. I had read a lot of Sara Susanka’s ‘not so big’ literature, and am impressed with the ‘quality over quantity’ message. As always, though, cost would be a constraining factor. (this can be good, though: It creates a natural barrier to building an oversized home!).

We looked at a lot of plans and a spoke to different builders, but when Keone Maher, the principal of Old School, walked into my workplace with his plans for the “Old Salt Box” last spring, we fell in love with it! The house is an expression of everything we were looking for. (Side note, if you are thinking of building your own home, I STRONGLY suggest reading the book “A Pattern Language”. It contains timeless advice for creating communities and homes).

It starts with the large mudroom, on the north side of the house (Necessary in Vermont). The area has space for a coat closet, a bench, and small desk for mail sorting or bill-paying. From there, you walk into the kitchen. On your right, a short hall leads to the small pantry and half-bath, then next are the stairs leading to the second floor. As you move forward through the kitchen, you find yourself in the dining area, with south-facing windows. Turn right, into the sitting area in front of the Masonry Heater. This is the heart of the home, and we intend to use the heater as our primary heat source. It will be brick-faced and include an oven for baking bread. Moving on, you will find yourself in the living area, which will be split onto two spaces—A sitting area, as well as a den-like space with bookshelves, our piano, and computer.

The second floor will have a full bath at the top of the stairs, a master bedroom to the left with walk-in closet, cathedral ceiling, and sitting area, and two small bedrooms to the right… for guests OR children. All this in 1800 square feet. There is expansion space in the attic as well as a walk out basement that may eventually be finished off into living space or an in-law apartment.

Stay tuned, more to follow….

The Adventure begins...

Today is a beautiful April day here in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, with temperatures in the 60’s an clear blue skies. The buds are about to burst, and grass is starting to green. Loralee and I are in “go” mode on the house. In March, we cut the wood line for the driveway, wrapped up our permits, and made sure everything is lined up. One thing I need to get done before construction is cut the access for power across the Fergus property, and last night I figured out how to get that done.

Tim Baker owes me $500 for a trailer he sold last year. Due to his eye problems, he got deep into a financial hole, and has been unable to pay me back. However, he’s an honest guy, and I believe has every intention of making good—when he can. So, I called him last night, and offered him an opportunity to work off the debt by cutting out for our power line. He jumped at the chance, and I’ll be meeting him this Sunday at the property to go over what needs to be done.

Lor and I are very happy with the house design. It will be a post-and-beam saltbox, with a very…organic… feel to it. We want an efficient and environmentally friendly house, and some of the core features to that end include:

- Extremely tight, high R-value (R-42) construction using Stress-skin panels.
- Primary wood heat using a Masonry Heater.
- Use many Vernacular wood products, including lumber from Fed Bishop in Wheelock, and Quarter-sawn spruce siding.
- South facing windows that maximize passive solar gain.

In addition, the design is very efficient, with the core living area coming in at 1800 square feet, and possible expansion into a walk-out basement. Our front porch extends the living area into the surrounding landscape. This is ‘not so big’ house construction at it’s best!