It was time to select the appliances. I am the first one to admit, I make reservations for dinner, rather than prepare food. The microwave is my essential appliance for reheating our left-overs from all those dinner reservations. In this day and age, with the consolidation of the various manufactures, there are only about three…
Wiring underway. It’s time to light up the place. I went to the main distributor for light fixtures in Portland, Globe Lighting. Oh my, how things have changed. The new LED sources for lighting are a significant step forward from compact fluorescent, which I disliked greatly. The power and reach of these new fixtures is…
Over the years of my constructing homes, one aspect that has been always a secondary thought was plumbing fixtures. My attitude was if it flushed and did not back up it was fine. It took many years and many plumbers and interior designers to get me into a more refined frame of reference when it…
One of the things I have learned through my “net zero” education is the importance of sealing up the shell of the buildings. I witnessed the haphazard performance of the advanced weather barrier wraps over the years, and it seemed like it was time for an advance in science and methodology of these wraps. And…
I am in the process of snaking wire through my home. As I wind the wire through my house, my mind enjoys imagining all of the various scenes that will play out through the year…the heat and celebration of a fourth of July Block Party to the silence of a Christmas Eve celebration with a…
After five weeks of nailing boards together, and covering over the framework with sheets of plywood, we have a legitimate building, in three dimensions. Then the fun begins, walking around the inside of the structure and deciding how to coordinate consistently applied details. . . heights of doorways, dropped ceilings, sill levels of windows, posts…
One of the most wonderful accents that an designer/builder can employ is the use of outside light let into the somber and dark interior of a building, punch it up with energy! I had predicted that I had a problem spot in the middle of my entry area of my new home. Then I eliminated…
We say in the home trade that the roof is the frosting on the cake. We sweat the floor arrangement, and the individual room plans, and not so much the roof design. However as builders, we know that the cascades of different roof planes, are what stimulate people’s interest, and causes them to get out…
The third dimension has finally become reality. I’ve been living in 2 dimensions for over four years. The paper plans of 24″ X 36″ pages, have been cut apart and taped back together on many occasions. The closest I’ve come before, has been putting masking tape on the floor of large garages with wood stakes…
Building my New Cottage in the Woods has been one of the most difficult processes I’ve gone through. Part of my problem is that I’m aware of all the problems resulting from less then a thorough analysis of the positioning of the foundation. Is the home going to sit in a mud puddle for all…
New Cottage In The Woods 