So, it's been awhile. Like almost a year. And what a year it's been!
OK, not really, but that sounds better than "Hey, I just kind of lost my drive to write." Not so much writer's block as apathy. I didn't feel like saying anything. Or reading anything. Not in the blog world anyway. Plus, we moved into our new house in May, but didn't get our phone line put in until two weeks ago. And we haven't put in cable lines yet... We live in the middle of nowhere, so our only option for a while was satelite internet and we didn't want to get a satelite just for the net, cause we don't really do tee-vee. Hence, an additional five months sans communication with the oozing, bloated world of the web. But hey, we're back and ready to rejoin the ranks of the bloggers. Well, we will try anyway.
So first, this house. Ah the house. The house that took 2 1/2 years to build and is still not finished... though is livable. I know there are countless others out there who have built custom homes, who have suffered beurocratic azz-clowns with their "correction notices" and code books, who have watched material prices tripple (thanks George!) while the housing market crashes (thanks George!) around us. I know I am not the only wife to pull her hair out and wish to strangle her husband as he spends months-- months I tell you-- researching the most cost effective materials as we watch our savings slip away to pay for rent on the house we live in while he's REASEARCHING materials. But, alas, we are finally "done"! At least in the eyes of the powers that be, those who kept us from living here for an additional month (and cost us an additional $1,872.53 in construction interest).
This house is... beautiful! For all my complaining, I have to admit that it is a great house and I love it.
This is the house that Shane built:
the garage:
Installing the solar panels:
As you can see, there's still a lot to do.
Did I mention that my husband built this house? With his hands. Ok, his hands and a few power tools, but he didn't hire a builder or whatever. He did it. He had help of course-- when he could get it. We had a great, great family work with us for a few months. They are a father/son(s) team that was not only willing, but excited, to work on our house.
See, our house is, um, different. First off, it's custom, but it's modest. Like less that 1,500 sq. ft. in the house. The garage has a "loft" over it that is about 700 sq. ft., but it's not officially living space: though we hope it will be one day. Our good friend John designed it just for us, just for our property. And he even remained our friend despite all of our cookey, eccentric details! I think he did a really great job too. The house really suits us, you know?
The house is a so-called "green building", with the aim of being as energy efficient and earth friendly-- not to mention people friendly-- as possible, given our resources (i.e. a not so big budget). All in all, I think we've done pretty well. We had to compromise on more than we hoped due to the price of materials (thanks again, George!), but came up with a pretty livable and green final product. Wherever possible we used materials that are free of toxics and pollutants that are harmful to people, and minimized sythetic materials as much as possible. Here is what we did.
Materials/components:
*Framing: Logix Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) from Alvis Projects
*Low E wood clad windows from sustainably harvested timber (Sierra Pacific)
*Concrete, acid stained floors downstairs and organic, sustainably farmed & harvested Bamboo flooring upstairs
*natural stone tiles and granite solid surface countertops & showers
*Rinaii tankless water heater
*dual zone HVAC system
*Solar electric system from Kuykendall Construction & Solar (if you live in central CA, this small company is the best you'll find.)
We strive for the cleanest, most chemical free options inside as well, using organic cotton linens, natural fiber furniture, and hypo-allergenic metals, etc. Ya, ya, Hippies.
