This week was a dynamic step forward in establishing the reality of the dream being real. In December of last year I wrote a check for almost $7,000 to PGE, our local utility company, for power service line extension. I was reluctant to blow the underground conduit with power cable. There would be no turning…
I just spent the last eight weeks supplying personal and corporate financial statements, along with current profit/loss statements and business and personal tax returns to six different lending institutions, not to mention the number of times my three credit scores have been pulled from the reporting agencies. I heard from two selected institutions that they…
I spent six days in Phoenix Arizona celebrating my mother’s 98th birthday. It was a continuing education for me in the aging process. I have never known anyone as old as my dear mother. She is blessed to live independently in her own apartment with meals available in a community dining room served by an array…
This always seems to be the war cry, whenever we bring new products to the market, or at least they will reduce resource consumption. Seems like a good deal, no? Well to be quite frank, more often then not the idea is in evolution. Remember low gallon flush toilets? Yes, all you had to do…
After a long verbal training session with Ryan Shanahan of Earth Advantage, it turns out that I should update my thinking concerning energy consumption. I’ve heard over and over again that contractors tend to overlook the efficiency that we are capable of building into our new high performance buildings, and Ryan assured me that I’m…
As the primary maintenance guy for my home, I like under counter mounted sinks, because of the ease of clean-up. The raised lip of self rimming sinks is a constant challenge to clean up. No more, just sweep the water and /or crumbs directly into the bowl. Presto-no hassle! As I work on the plans…
As I plan my new home, all the possibilities and options available for creating a net-zero energy home race through my mind. These thoughts have been with me since the very beginning of this, when the cottage in the woods was just a nebulous concept decades ago. With all the changes in modern home building…
Home construction techniques are one of the most challenging issues, be it for the home owner designing his first home with a professional, or a custom home builder building his 120th home. So many aspects are evolving in the interrelated approaches, that must work in a coordinated fashion, not independently. It would seem problems present themselves when these independent approaches interfere…
As I spent years thinking through the process of building my new cottage in the woods, the spirit of the place spoke to me, and became the guiding force for building this custom home in the foothills of the northern Coast Range of Oregon. I wanted to create an environment for that inner soul to…
Net Zero Energy Consumption means that over the occupancy of the home, there is no loss of energy over the year. The home collects energy from the sun and is so well constructed that it loses a very small amount through the walls, windows floors or ceilings. It is in the neophyte developmental stage in this…
New Cottage In The Woods 