Okay, so today is my second full day back at work ON MY OFFICE!!!
We finally finished off the last big project we had for the year so I am now dedicating my time and energy to making some serious progress on my office space.
Monday I was mostly done, but also mostly brain dead. I spent most of the day pulling nails out of salvaged wood and listening to Stephen Colbert interviews. It was what I needed.
Yesterday I decided to tackle the deck and figure out everything I needed to get it done...
Today I went to Lowe's to buy lumber.
Turns out it was a GREAT learning experience. The store was calm for a Wednesday and the staff could not be more helpful. I love it. I asked one of the guys if they noticed things being slower - they said sales are way down. The economy - the housing crunch. It's hitting everyone. But they were all working and helping me and I appreciate it so much!!
And in my incredible learning experience it became clear that I'd made sort of a REALLY STUPID mistake.
Pressure treated wood needs to be nailed with galvanized nails. Regular nails (what I used) will disintegrate over a few years from the chemicals in the pressure treated wood. Melt. Deteriorate. Rust away to nothing.
Okay, all together now... OOOOPPPSSSS!!!!
So that roof? Those floor joists? yah...
Good news, my pals at Lowe's also told me how to fix it.
And they are delivering my lumber on Friday!!!!
So tomorrow, I'm doing pre-emptive repairs. It puts me a little behind schedule, but not nearly as much as having my office roof and floor collapse around me in 3 to 4 years. See. It's all a matter of perspective. . .
It won't be pretty but it will do the job. Thanks GUYS!!
Until tomorrow...
Showing posts with label plans and costs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plans and costs. Show all posts
12 December 2007
28 October 2007
Slow but steady... but slow
This is not the view from my office. But it's nice to know that in Indiana, the trees are vibrant, the grass lush green and the skies are bright blue. (it's all sort of dry and hazy down here in Georgia these days)Anyway, we made some progress on the office today. I'm too tired to down load the photos and the ones that show what we managed to do will not be visible until daylight tomorrow. I like working until it's too dark - but it makes documenting the days work tricky.
We got the verticle posts up!! YEAH!!! It's becoming a real structure now. I'm so excited. And the floor is in temporarily. And we figured out how to do the insulation in the floor which was terribly exciting. (I can't quite explain it, but using 80% recycled cellulose (blown in insulation type) 6 mil construction plastic, and some spare wooden stakes I think I'll be able to get the place pretty toasty!
Of course, it takes forever. I'd burned out a drill motor. (Don't ask - because nothing will make me feel more like a novice building dork than having to admit that the smoke coming out of it didn't clue me in that I should STOP DRILLING!! - on the other hand, I have a very nice drill bit in place of a long 1/2 in bolt... Durrrr....)
But we got the new drill last night, and forgot to get washers. So in the midst of working on the office, AFTER getting set up what I need to do this week, AND planning a weeks worth of dinners AND going to the grocery store AND coming home and unloading groceries AND everything else, we had to send James to Lowe's to get washers, while we drilled the 6x6 posts and the 2 4x6 beams together.... ugh.
It was just not a day for large accomplishments.
And then, because it's all autumn and stuff, IT GOT DARK EARLY!!
Oh well... slow but steady. And I'm excited to see even a little going up...
More soon! thanks for the encouragement.
Oh next week Regan and Ed will be helping out, so we are expecting some real progress!!
07 October 2007
PROGRESS!!!
Okay Folks! Here we are!!
I finally had to gut it out, swallow some of my very best intentions and just go with it.
After figuring out what I needed to get this thing off the ground, literally, we sat down Saturday at about 1:30 and drafted a pick list. I have learned a lot on this venture, but drafting a pick list, was well, sort of a combination of drafting a letter to Santa Clause while trying hard not to want to strangle my spouse.
This is the problem. We are both fairly smart. We're both clever enough to be able to figure out how to do things, and we're both stubborn enough to want to be the one making the decisions.
But when it comes down to it, we both don't have a clue what we're doing. Okay. Maybe a little. But it's still sort of funny, because we are both so convinced that we know we are right.
With the pick list drafted, we headed to Lowes - the local big box hardware store.
Now, this is where swallowing some of my ideals comes in. I needed lumber. I needed a fair amount. several folks have said "I have wood you are welcome to use" But never returned phone calls, or live far enough away that getting there and getting the wood sorted through and getting it loaded in SOMETHING and then getting it down here is more than this poor soul can do in a day. ALSO, I realized I needed to make some significant progress on this thing within the next several weeks, because we have other commitments coming up and I don't want to be January trying to get in. Work is expected to get hairy again in the end of November. I need to be in the office or some approximation there of, but then.
I'd loose a weekend of work to sorting through lumber I don't know if I can use, and well,... I simply didn't want to be put back that far, AND I wanted to be able to get exactly what I needed for the framing. So I did. And as Seumas, my eco-guru reminds me - wood IS a renewable resource.
So I sucked it up and bought 6x6s, 4x6s, 2x10s, 2x6s, and 2x4s, plywood for the sub flooring, Plus 50 pounds of nails, an new hammer, braces, and a few other assorted goodies. It totalled about $800 in materials. (ouch) and took about 6 hours to figure, find, pay for, load, unload, and repeat. Lord we were tired.
Today we got to work getting things set up and while I would love to say I have great pictures, I don't yet. Soon.
But I think the funniest and most enjoyable part of the whole thing was working with the spouse. At one point I was asking the Lowe's expert guy - Mike about ply wood. Mike is in his early 60's I'd guess. I'd also guess he works at Lowe's because he enjoys helping folks. So we were discussing ply wood density, and Bill came up. When Mike realized Bill is my husband he got this funny smile on his face. He said " you all are doing this together?" We chuckled and said "yep. For the moment"
Mike's eyes twinkled knowingly. He looked at Bill and said "in a case like this, you only need to remember 2 words --- Yes, Dear."
And then he looked me straight in the eye and said "You know, in Georgia there used to be a law, now it's off the books and everything, but there USED TO BE a law that a man could hit his wife one time with a stick."
I laughed a little, then he said "but it never said what size that stick was... and he could only hit her once."
then he saw Bill smirking and said "but now, that's off the books and illegal and everything, just remember to say 'yes Dear'".
We all sort of stood there grinning.
Several times today Bill's told me he's looking for that stick. But he's only had to say yes dear about a dozen times. (for those of you who know Bill, know he is a very sweet and gentle man, and wouldn't ever raise a hand to me... so no worries there)
Still it's amazing how much fun we had today.
(See we are pretty evenly matched, and didn't throw one another into that gorge...)Anyway, we are making progress. I was putting together a saw horse and learned an important lesson. I am not good at hamming left handed. I banged the tar out of my thumb and even saw stars swirling around my head and little yellow birdies! and I always thought that Wylie Coyote and crew were making that up!! Maybe next time I'll invest in one of these..
It is a patented finger protector for holding nails!! and here Bill and I thought we were the clever ones!!
16 September 2007
Garden Offices in the News - sort of...
From USA Weekend - the magazine insert to our Sunday paper...
Sometimes the inspiration just keeps coming... I'm just a trend setter, I guess...
We're out to set the footings this afternoon!! Update coming tonight, if I can move...
Enjoy! in the meantime!
Getting away from it all (without leaving)
Homeowners squeezed for space are turning to cozy "cabins" they can build in their backyards. These affordable, DIY units are extending our living space like never before.
By Jeffrey Ressner
As a single mother living in Austin with her 16-year-old son, Sydney Rubin adored the architectural style of her 1952 two-bedroom bungalow. But she desperately needed more space for a home office. Adding a new room would have run about $40,000, and at least double that to convert her carport. Either way, the renovations would have compromised the home's original design. Instead, Rubin came up with a novel solution: a tricked-out backyard cabana that transformed her garden area into an idyllic workspace.
"They're less expensive than an addition and a great way to escape from loud family life in the main house."
"I know it sounds flaky, but it's a really inviting, happy-looking structure," says Rubin, who bought the upscale cabana online after mulling over her various options. The 140-square-foot unit took a couple of workers just five days to build using prefabricated materials, including gorgeous tight-knot redwood panels. Total cost: $22,000. Now she has a home office, a garden feature and a conversation piece.
"Every time someone comes over, they ask the same question: 'Where can I get one?' "
These days, the answer is easy. Prefab cabanas, or "cabins," as people also call them, experienced a resurgence in the 1970s, and in the last few years several companies have popped up selling hip backyard lodgings perfect for art studios, meditation rooms or guest quarters. Keep in mind, however, that traditional "bonus room" additions generally are more sturdy than cool prefab modules and may deliver a better return on investment when reselling your home.
Although separate structures like these often are used for storage, they also can offer homeowners a real refuge -- a different room in which to work, play or just relax. It's almost like having a vacation home in the backyard. The units range in size (100 square feet and up) and are detached from the main residence and immobile. "A new trend definitely started in the building industry," says Casper Mork-Ulnes of Modern Cabana, the maker of Rubin's cube and one of at least a dozen firms offering the nifty single-room nooks. "They're less expensive than an addition and a great way to escape from loud family life in the main house."
Garden rooms in general have become a popular concept as homeowners seek ways to expand exterior living and leisure spaces beyond wooden decks. Some daring folks are experimenting with cargo containers; others park gleaming Airstream trailers in their yards. Jo Stougaard of North Hollywood, Calif., pitched a large canvas tent in her garden, decorated it with safari gear, framed Hemingway photos and African knickknacks and now often hosts fun dinner parties there -- that is, when guests aren't sipping martinis inside a nearby Tiki hut, which serves as yet another outdoor room.
Sometimes fun is trumped by function: Richard Cornelius of Cincinnati spent nearly $10,000 on a Cape Cod-styled mini-home that he uses to hide his swimming pool equipment.
Popular for many years in England, the too-cool garden-room trend got a spark here in early 2004 when Gen X-slash-Y craft magazine "ReadyMade" published a cover story featuring a $1,500 super-shed by California designer Edgar Blazona. With its corrugated metal siding, large glass panels and Eames-era charm, Blazona's MD100 (named for its 100-square-foot size) became an instant classic -- practical yet prudent, retro yet relevant. When "ReadyMade" began hawking the construction plans for $35 online, they quickly became a big hit.
"I call it an adult playhouse," says Christian rocker T.D. Oakes, 32, who built an MD100 on his Lexington, Ky., property over two weeks last September for $3,000, using off-the-shelf material from Lowe's and The Home Depot along with a cheap cordless power tool kit.
Candace Locklear, who lives in the East Bay hills near San Francisco, says building an outdoor room was "totally worth it." She and her husband had considered landscaping their yard, adding sod and a koi pond, but instead built a hip "modern playhouse" for their young daughter. Not only did the construction project bring them closer ("it helped us realize what great partners we really are"), but they've become the most popular parents on the block.
Blazona, a former Pottery Barn designer who offers larger backyard structures at ModularDwellings.com, thinks the market for outdoor rooms is good but says "it's hard to create a true product that can be made anywhere" because each municipality has different building laws and codes.
Dave Kimball, whose New Hampshire firm Shelter-Kit has sold prefab barns and homes since the 1970s, sees his business expanding, especially for the basic $9,975 "Unit One" mini-cabin, which can be used in backyards or combined with optional decks and porches to create larger residential structures. "Our business was exclusively in the Northeast, but now we're all over, including Texas, Idaho and Montana," Kimball says.
And why not? Single mom Rubin says the pre-fab units offer a pretty fab way for homeowners to get back to nature: "These aren't tiny trailer homes; they're beautiful objects surrounded by greenery. I'm in my little room, looking out over the garden, watching squirrels climb up an oak tree. It's far better than any other office I've ever worked in."
Go to top
HouseSmart By Lou Manfredini
The practical side of building a backyard escape
Check with your local building department to see if these types of structures are allowed, and if so, what requirements you must meet. You may need to submit a building plan and survey to show where it'll be located on the property.
Position the structure in a way that avoids problems such as water pooling down in low spots. Consider a gravel base or raised concrete slab to keep your new unit high and dry.
Make sure the design of your new cabin or shed has some kind of visual relationship with your home. Not only will it make a great companion element, it'll keep your neighbors happy, too.
Add some basic amenities to the unit. Having a few electrical outlets, some lighting and even indoor plumbing can be a real plus. (Check out the BioLet toilet, a composting unit that uses no water, at biolet.com.)
Lou Manfredini is OurHouse.com's "Mr. Fix-It" and a contributor to NBC's "Today" show.
Go to top
What's your style?
1. Cottage All that's missing from this elegant mini-home, which even boasts a steep gable roof, is the white picket fence. It's a sweet spot for overnight guests, or maybe a great pool house.
2. Pavilion This octagonal "home extension," designed by Michael Graves for Target stores, makes a great breakfast nook or library. Use more glass walls and it's an awesome greenhouse or artist's studio.
3. Modern dwelling Marketed under various brand names, such as "modern cabanas" or "metrosheds," these fun retro designs are perfect for a trendy playhouse or an urban home office.
Cover photograph by Jean-Yves Bruel, Masterfile
http://www.usaweekend.com/07_issues/070916/070916build-cabins.html
Sometimes the inspiration just keeps coming... I'm just a trend setter, I guess...
We're out to set the footings this afternoon!! Update coming tonight, if I can move...
Enjoy! in the meantime!
Getting away from it all (without leaving)
Homeowners squeezed for space are turning to cozy "cabins" they can build in their backyards. These affordable, DIY units are extending our living space like never before.
By Jeffrey Ressner
As a single mother living in Austin with her 16-year-old son, Sydney Rubin adored the architectural style of her 1952 two-bedroom bungalow. But she desperately needed more space for a home office. Adding a new room would have run about $40,000, and at least double that to convert her carport. Either way, the renovations would have compromised the home's original design. Instead, Rubin came up with a novel solution: a tricked-out backyard cabana that transformed her garden area into an idyllic workspace.
"They're less expensive than an addition and a great way to escape from loud family life in the main house."
"I know it sounds flaky, but it's a really inviting, happy-looking structure," says Rubin, who bought the upscale cabana online after mulling over her various options. The 140-square-foot unit took a couple of workers just five days to build using prefabricated materials, including gorgeous tight-knot redwood panels. Total cost: $22,000. Now she has a home office, a garden feature and a conversation piece.
"Every time someone comes over, they ask the same question: 'Where can I get one?' "
These days, the answer is easy. Prefab cabanas, or "cabins," as people also call them, experienced a resurgence in the 1970s, and in the last few years several companies have popped up selling hip backyard lodgings perfect for art studios, meditation rooms or guest quarters. Keep in mind, however, that traditional "bonus room" additions generally are more sturdy than cool prefab modules and may deliver a better return on investment when reselling your home.
Although separate structures like these often are used for storage, they also can offer homeowners a real refuge -- a different room in which to work, play or just relax. It's almost like having a vacation home in the backyard. The units range in size (100 square feet and up) and are detached from the main residence and immobile. "A new trend definitely started in the building industry," says Casper Mork-Ulnes of Modern Cabana, the maker of Rubin's cube and one of at least a dozen firms offering the nifty single-room nooks. "They're less expensive than an addition and a great way to escape from loud family life in the main house."
Garden rooms in general have become a popular concept as homeowners seek ways to expand exterior living and leisure spaces beyond wooden decks. Some daring folks are experimenting with cargo containers; others park gleaming Airstream trailers in their yards. Jo Stougaard of North Hollywood, Calif., pitched a large canvas tent in her garden, decorated it with safari gear, framed Hemingway photos and African knickknacks and now often hosts fun dinner parties there -- that is, when guests aren't sipping martinis inside a nearby Tiki hut, which serves as yet another outdoor room.
Sometimes fun is trumped by function: Richard Cornelius of Cincinnati spent nearly $10,000 on a Cape Cod-styled mini-home that he uses to hide his swimming pool equipment.
Popular for many years in England, the too-cool garden-room trend got a spark here in early 2004 when Gen X-slash-Y craft magazine "ReadyMade" published a cover story featuring a $1,500 super-shed by California designer Edgar Blazona. With its corrugated metal siding, large glass panels and Eames-era charm, Blazona's MD100 (named for its 100-square-foot size) became an instant classic -- practical yet prudent, retro yet relevant. When "ReadyMade" began hawking the construction plans for $35 online, they quickly became a big hit.
"I call it an adult playhouse," says Christian rocker T.D. Oakes, 32, who built an MD100 on his Lexington, Ky., property over two weeks last September for $3,000, using off-the-shelf material from Lowe's and The Home Depot along with a cheap cordless power tool kit.
Candace Locklear, who lives in the East Bay hills near San Francisco, says building an outdoor room was "totally worth it." She and her husband had considered landscaping their yard, adding sod and a koi pond, but instead built a hip "modern playhouse" for their young daughter. Not only did the construction project bring them closer ("it helped us realize what great partners we really are"), but they've become the most popular parents on the block.
Blazona, a former Pottery Barn designer who offers larger backyard structures at ModularDwellings.com, thinks the market for outdoor rooms is good but says "it's hard to create a true product that can be made anywhere" because each municipality has different building laws and codes.
Dave Kimball, whose New Hampshire firm Shelter-Kit has sold prefab barns and homes since the 1970s, sees his business expanding, especially for the basic $9,975 "Unit One" mini-cabin, which can be used in backyards or combined with optional decks and porches to create larger residential structures. "Our business was exclusively in the Northeast, but now we're all over, including Texas, Idaho and Montana," Kimball says.
And why not? Single mom Rubin says the pre-fab units offer a pretty fab way for homeowners to get back to nature: "These aren't tiny trailer homes; they're beautiful objects surrounded by greenery. I'm in my little room, looking out over the garden, watching squirrels climb up an oak tree. It's far better than any other office I've ever worked in."
Go to top
HouseSmart By Lou Manfredini
The practical side of building a backyard escape
Check with your local building department to see if these types of structures are allowed, and if so, what requirements you must meet. You may need to submit a building plan and survey to show where it'll be located on the property.
Position the structure in a way that avoids problems such as water pooling down in low spots. Consider a gravel base or raised concrete slab to keep your new unit high and dry.
Make sure the design of your new cabin or shed has some kind of visual relationship with your home. Not only will it make a great companion element, it'll keep your neighbors happy, too.
Add some basic amenities to the unit. Having a few electrical outlets, some lighting and even indoor plumbing can be a real plus. (Check out the BioLet toilet, a composting unit that uses no water, at biolet.com.)
Lou Manfredini is OurHouse.com's "Mr. Fix-It" and a contributor to NBC's "Today" show.
Go to top
What's your style?
1. Cottage All that's missing from this elegant mini-home, which even boasts a steep gable roof, is the white picket fence. It's a sweet spot for overnight guests, or maybe a great pool house.
2. Pavilion This octagonal "home extension," designed by Michael Graves for Target stores, makes a great breakfast nook or library. Use more glass walls and it's an awesome greenhouse or artist's studio.
3. Modern dwelling Marketed under various brand names, such as "modern cabanas" or "metrosheds," these fun retro designs are perfect for a trendy playhouse or an urban home office.
Cover photograph by Jean-Yves Bruel, Masterfile
http://www.usaweekend.com/07_issues/070916/070916build-cabins.html
08 August 2007
I was almost giving up...
I have found that over time, I get to the point on things when I am just ready to give up...
And go to Lowes and buy some atrocity, that my neighbors would tolerate, and I would "make due" with... something really grim like this:
That the gods smile upon me, decide I've struggled with frustration long enough and show me the way out.
Honestly, the more exhausted and wits end I am, but not quite giving up, the richer the reward. I don't expect it, but I always feel grateful when it happens. . .
So this morning, instead of diving into the Project Summary I was supposed to be drafting I jumped over to my friend Alex's sight on "shed working" and found that though he's gone on holiday (it's vacation), he's left me a gem. It's a link to a site that is the inspiration and fun that I needed... Called Simon Dale's low impact woodland home.
DUDE!!!
This is IT!!!
It includes the building instructions, and thoughts on how to do this without spending a fortune!!And then I sent the post to my awesomest friend Sue, who totally gets the low impact hobbit hole thing and she's thrilled too. I even sent it to Tim, the engineer, who said it looked good, though he's concerned about the heat here in Georgia with the straw bale construction... Honestly, just having SOMETHING would be great, and having this would be amazing.
It will be smaller, but I'm INSPIRED AGAIN!!!
I can't dive into it too deeply yet, Russian Arctic Stakeholders to analyze and then a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for the Caspian, but those should wrap as the weather cools a bit here...
anyway, I'm thrilled and once again, feeling energized and optimistic. And ready to go start digging holes in the back yard!!
19 July 2007
Summer Time....
Oh My!!
I've been in absentia more than I would have liked. It's been hectic, and there has been some progress on the fortress - though most of it is on paper.
First to offer the excuses:
Finished big project for work - did not want to be within spitting distance of the computer for a few days
Had to get my big mall doors from their hiding place at Joe's. Now at new hiding place.
Had to spend time with family who haven't seen me, because I've been working so much (see above)
Had to take son to have all 4 wisdom teeth pulled (ouch!!) He's doing well.
Had to take Lucy (the adorable dog in all the pictures) to vet this morning to have some back teeth removed
(poor Lucy!)
Had to get ready to go on my upcoming trip for work. 2 weeks in South Africa and Namibia. It will be a work fest, no doubt.
And
Had to get back on my feet after the work related marathon I've run.
So, that being said and done, I'm back for the moment.
I leave for South Africa/Namibia on Saturday (21 hour flight each way - so much for that carbon foot print reduction thing, huh? but it is for a big international environmental conference, so I guess I don't know, I get greenhouse points?)
In the meantime, We are working on the fortress. We have decided on dimensions (10 ft x 10 ft, plus a 10ft x 3 ft bay window- with the 4 mall doors - facing south) a small loft above with a window to open for convection cooling. a deck (covered in summer) of about 7 ft that wraps around to the side where the "outhouse/composting toilet" will be. For cooling/warming we'll dig a trench 5 ft. deep, that will run around the back yard, and back and blow air 54 degrees (f) into the space. Lots of over hangs, losts of passive heating and cooling. I'd like to get the radiant heating for the floors, so we're looking into that. And more....
My darling husband, Bill, has taken this on with renewed gusto and is hoping to have the pylons set and the trench dug before I get back the second week of August. And then it's building it up from there.... We'll see. I expect it will be interesting.
Work will either slow down a lot this fall or will be fairly busy. At the moment, I just don't know. If it's slow, I'll do the work myself (at least some of it). If it's busy, I 'll pay someone else to do it.
Anyway, that's my update du jour.
More soon!
Very best,
Mary
I've been in absentia more than I would have liked. It's been hectic, and there has been some progress on the fortress - though most of it is on paper.
First to offer the excuses:
Finished big project for work - did not want to be within spitting distance of the computer for a few days
Had to get my big mall doors from their hiding place at Joe's. Now at new hiding place.
Had to spend time with family who haven't seen me, because I've been working so much (see above)
Had to take son to have all 4 wisdom teeth pulled (ouch!!) He's doing well.
Had to take Lucy (the adorable dog in all the pictures) to vet this morning to have some back teeth removed
(poor Lucy!)
Had to get ready to go on my upcoming trip for work. 2 weeks in South Africa and Namibia. It will be a work fest, no doubt.
And
Had to get back on my feet after the work related marathon I've run.
So, that being said and done, I'm back for the moment.
I leave for South Africa/Namibia on Saturday (21 hour flight each way - so much for that carbon foot print reduction thing, huh? but it is for a big international environmental conference, so I guess I don't know, I get greenhouse points?)
In the meantime, We are working on the fortress. We have decided on dimensions (10 ft x 10 ft, plus a 10ft x 3 ft bay window- with the 4 mall doors - facing south) a small loft above with a window to open for convection cooling. a deck (covered in summer) of about 7 ft that wraps around to the side where the "outhouse/composting toilet" will be. For cooling/warming we'll dig a trench 5 ft. deep, that will run around the back yard, and back and blow air 54 degrees (f) into the space. Lots of over hangs, losts of passive heating and cooling. I'd like to get the radiant heating for the floors, so we're looking into that. And more....
My darling husband, Bill, has taken this on with renewed gusto and is hoping to have the pylons set and the trench dug before I get back the second week of August. And then it's building it up from there.... We'll see. I expect it will be interesting.
Work will either slow down a lot this fall or will be fairly busy. At the moment, I just don't know. If it's slow, I'll do the work myself (at least some of it). If it's busy, I 'll pay someone else to do it.
Anyway, that's my update du jour.
More soon!
Very best,
Mary
10 July 2007
GREEN GURUS
Since my dilemma with pressure treated lumber I've come to the conclusion, I've had enough pressure lately with everything so I want to keep things green, with no chance of leeching arsenic or other nasties.
And I've spent a bit of time thinking about things, talking with friends and family and well, GETTING MY DOORS!!! (Yes, stashed somewhere in Athens are 4 "mall" doors!!)
So things are on track and getting greener by the moment. Sunday my dear friends Sue and Seumas came down from the mountains and we all went out for brunch. I love these folks. I've known them since I moved to Georgia 20 years ago, and have always felt like they know more about living gently on the earth than anyone I know. They've always done it, with such respect and appreciation for the environment, and everything they do, they do with respect and love. This is no short term "eco fad" for them. They are serious about it. Seumas knows more about vegetation of north Georgia than faculty at UGA, and Sue, well, Sue is just awesome.
Anyway, they are excited about the forthcoming greened house and helping put together ideas for it. I am so excited!! Things like geo-thermal heating and cooling systems, uber insulation, and construction ideas well beyond what I can come up with on my own. I'm very lucky to have them as friends.
More updates forth coming, and, soon plans and more pictures. I have to revise a project document for work first.
And thanks to Green Pa, and Alex for your great ideas and inputs!! Please keep them coming!
Since my dilemma with pressure treated lumber I've come to the conclusion, I've had enough pressure lately with everything so I want to keep things green, with no chance of leeching arsenic or other nasties.
And I've spent a bit of time thinking about things, talking with friends and family and well, GETTING MY DOORS!!! (Yes, stashed somewhere in Athens are 4 "mall" doors!!)
So things are on track and getting greener by the moment. Sunday my dear friends Sue and Seumas came down from the mountains and we all went out for brunch. I love these folks. I've known them since I moved to Georgia 20 years ago, and have always felt like they know more about living gently on the earth than anyone I know. They've always done it, with such respect and appreciation for the environment, and everything they do, they do with respect and love. This is no short term "eco fad" for them. They are serious about it. Seumas knows more about vegetation of north Georgia than faculty at UGA, and Sue, well, Sue is just awesome.
Anyway, they are excited about the forthcoming greened house and helping put together ideas for it. I am so excited!! Things like geo-thermal heating and cooling systems, uber insulation, and construction ideas well beyond what I can come up with on my own. I'm very lucky to have them as friends.
More updates forth coming, and, soon plans and more pictures. I have to revise a project document for work first.
And thanks to Green Pa, and Alex for your great ideas and inputs!! Please keep them coming!
02 July 2007
Update...
WATCH THIS SPACE!!
Soon - updates on:
Doors! Doors! Doors!
Wood! Wood! Wood!
Plans! Plans! Plans!
Serindipity ABOUNDS!!
Okay, I'm super crazy busy at the moment - but soon! With photos! I promise!!
Soon - updates on:
Doors! Doors! Doors!
Wood! Wood! Wood!
Plans! Plans! Plans!
Serindipity ABOUNDS!!
Okay, I'm super crazy busy at the moment - but soon! With photos! I promise!!
27 June 2007
Georgia Summer Heat
Well, summer is finally here and IT IS HOT.
We are in a terrible drought, as I mentioned before, so it's been a dry heat, though we've had a bit of rain the last few nights. Not much. Not enough. Not nearly enough. The county has implemented a full on water ban - no outdoor watering during the week. Odd numbered houses can only water between mid night and 10 am on Saturday, even numbered on Sunday. The nursery business is suffering, the University horse pastures are turning to dust, and even the bugs are down, since there isn't enough water to sustain them.
We need a good hurricane in the Gulf to get things back to normal, but it will take a big one. And there are major floods in Oklahoma. Weather has gone wonky - and we need to keep it going. A BIG major catastrophe to wake people up and get them to turn their air off, recycle a little more, and quite with the SUVs already!
Anyway, I digress... It's hot.
It's 9 am and 77 F/25 C.degrees already!!
It will be cooler today - 92F/33 C. Yesterday was about 95F/35C.
And most Georgia summers we'll have a few weeks that cap 100F/37.8 during the hottest part of the day. But that won't be until the end of July. Or at least usually that's when it is.
So the question arises:
Do I want to put an airconditioner in my office?
No, I don't. I don't want one. I dislike the feel of being hermetically sealed into the AC, and then trapped. I've had this on going battle with myself and others about turning on the AC. With Dad living here now, he's a Georgia boy at heart, and he's not pushing to turn on the air. He lived without it in Georgia (when it was cooler in the summers), and honestly at 73 his circulation is a bit slower, making the heat more tolerable. (Why do you think all the old folks move to Florida and Arizona?)
It will be cooler if I can build under ground, but that is still a question... but if not, I'll need to design it so that it's comfortable in the summer.
But, I also really need to be comfortable enough to work. Fans are great! and I've got one out in the fortress/tent now. It helps a lot. And I've got this neat thing that draws heat off my laptop. It keeps my mitts cool, hooks up to the USB port and makes it possible for me to hold my laptop, get this... on my lap, when it's sweltering, without wanting to toss it across the room. (At least due to the heat).
High ceilings are good for cool, as are fans and such. Good insulation and proper exposure will help, and windows that open at the top are good too.
I think I need to learn more about this. The office/shed/house/fortress will be in the woods so there is the shade.
But I'd like to avoid melting....
Ahhhh.... well... Better get on out there... and enjoy the cool while I can.
We are in a terrible drought, as I mentioned before, so it's been a dry heat, though we've had a bit of rain the last few nights. Not much. Not enough. Not nearly enough. The county has implemented a full on water ban - no outdoor watering during the week. Odd numbered houses can only water between mid night and 10 am on Saturday, even numbered on Sunday. The nursery business is suffering, the University horse pastures are turning to dust, and even the bugs are down, since there isn't enough water to sustain them.
We need a good hurricane in the Gulf to get things back to normal, but it will take a big one. And there are major floods in Oklahoma. Weather has gone wonky - and we need to keep it going. A BIG major catastrophe to wake people up and get them to turn their air off, recycle a little more, and quite with the SUVs already!
Anyway, I digress... It's hot.
It's 9 am and 77 F/25 C.degrees already!!
It will be cooler today - 92F/33 C. Yesterday was about 95F/35C.
And most Georgia summers we'll have a few weeks that cap 100F/37.8 during the hottest part of the day. But that won't be until the end of July. Or at least usually that's when it is.
So the question arises:
Do I want to put an airconditioner in my office?
No, I don't. I don't want one. I dislike the feel of being hermetically sealed into the AC, and then trapped. I've had this on going battle with myself and others about turning on the AC. With Dad living here now, he's a Georgia boy at heart, and he's not pushing to turn on the air. He lived without it in Georgia (when it was cooler in the summers), and honestly at 73 his circulation is a bit slower, making the heat more tolerable. (Why do you think all the old folks move to Florida and Arizona?)
It will be cooler if I can build under ground, but that is still a question... but if not, I'll need to design it so that it's comfortable in the summer.
But, I also really need to be comfortable enough to work. Fans are great! and I've got one out in the fortress/tent now. It helps a lot. And I've got this neat thing that draws heat off my laptop. It keeps my mitts cool, hooks up to the USB port and makes it possible for me to hold my laptop, get this... on my lap, when it's sweltering, without wanting to toss it across the room. (At least due to the heat).
High ceilings are good for cool, as are fans and such. Good insulation and proper exposure will help, and windows that open at the top are good too.
I think I need to learn more about this. The office/shed/house/fortress will be in the woods so there is the shade.
But I'd like to avoid melting....
Ahhhh.... well... Better get on out there... and enjoy the cool while I can. Suggestions, thoughts and comments welcome as always!
19 June 2007
Meeting with Steve the Builder Guy, and web pages
Last night, I had a great 1/2 mile swim - short but I pushed it, ran to Kroger and then dashed home.
Steve the Builder Guy, who I've known since he was a puppy, was promptly at the door at 6:45, and it was great to see him again! I've really known Steve for at least 16 years. He baby sat James way back long ago, married a friend, had a kid, started a business, moved to Athens, and now is all grown up, a single dad and a business owner to boot. An impressive fellow and a real sweetie, as always.
We sat inside and chatted about this crazy idea of mine, we came out to my office al 'fresco, and chatted about this crazy idea of mine. I'm really impressed with how much he knows and how well he explains things. Poured concrete, digging the space out, felling the trees that have to go, insulation, tensile strength, rebar, permitting issues, and so on and so on. It was really fun to get to do this, and Steve is very patient with my "crazy" ideas.
He'll put together an estimate for me, which will be good. As he was leaving he said that the biggest cost will be concrete (yep) and labor (sure thing). He's got teams of folks who can swoop in and do it, which is good to know. But we'll have to get a lot figured out.
He also said he's recently done something like this which was easily $30,000, and this could run that high. (cue audible gasp)
I talked with Bill about it, who slammed the breaks on things. (He's logical that way). So if the estimate comes in really high, we can (a) wait for the finances to even out and then do it, or (b) start looking at where to cut expenses without sacrificing the objective to build a low cost, energy efficient, minimal impact structure that is as environmentally clean as possible.
It would be easy to throw up my hands and say "oh well, can't do it" but that sort of thinking never get's problems solved. Creative problem solving is a favorite activity for me. So here is a very real opportunity to do just that!
Below are some web pages I've put together for Steve. Other observers might be interested in them too.
_______________________________________________
Some web pages that may be interesting in this endeavor include:
http://www.malcolmwells.com/ This guy seems to be the granddaddy of under ground building
http://www.greenfloors.com/HP_CF_Index.htm for the groovy cork flooring
http://www.1st-glassblock.com/ for glass blocks
http://www.homepower.com/ for some very interesting articles on things like passive solar, etc.
http://www.grannysstore.com/Do-It-Yourself/index.html some interesting reading and links in general... James found this one for me.
http://www.lcs.net/users/pinecrest/text/design.htm this is a web page of someone who actually did this - though in a much larger scale - I think. Interesting stuff nonetheless
http://www.radiantcompany.com/system/solar.shtml I thought this one was way cool!
http://www.poolproducts.com/-i-OPP-SNM-COMPACT-FNM-96.htm Fun with composting toilets!
http://www.tanklesswaterheaterguide.com/#electric tankless water heaters- tell me again why do don't have this?
http://rainbarrelguide.com/ rain barrels info. (maybe more than you needed)
http://www.summerwood.com/products/home-studios/index.html?gclid=CMuE5_GDw4wCFRK1YgodCBu_aA this is the/an alternative, though honestly, I'm not sure how energy efficient it would be - which is a big issue
BUT we aren't there yet. We are very much still in the positive side of things.
People often tell me something can't be done, and then I go ahead and get it done anyway.
I see no reason this shouldn't be the same way.
And as I sit out here this morning with 3 demonstration projects to finish drafting, TODAY, ASAP. I am reminded that while it is lovely to be all Bohemian on my carpet, under the tarp in the woods, the weather will be outrageously hot, and fairly cold in the next year, so something has to happen to make working out here on a more permanent basis more of a reality.
Plus, listening to the wrens, and the cardinals carrying on their morning conversation, while a cool morning breeze tickles my bare feet, just increases my belief that we have to do what we can to protect this planet. This is too precious to lose and figuring out how to preserve it is a good thing to do.
I'll keep you all posted.
Steve the Builder Guy, who I've known since he was a puppy, was promptly at the door at 6:45, and it was great to see him again! I've really known Steve for at least 16 years. He baby sat James way back long ago, married a friend, had a kid, started a business, moved to Athens, and now is all grown up, a single dad and a business owner to boot. An impressive fellow and a real sweetie, as always.
We sat inside and chatted about this crazy idea of mine, we came out to my office al 'fresco, and chatted about this crazy idea of mine. I'm really impressed with how much he knows and how well he explains things. Poured concrete, digging the space out, felling the trees that have to go, insulation, tensile strength, rebar, permitting issues, and so on and so on. It was really fun to get to do this, and Steve is very patient with my "crazy" ideas.
He'll put together an estimate for me, which will be good. As he was leaving he said that the biggest cost will be concrete (yep) and labor (sure thing). He's got teams of folks who can swoop in and do it, which is good to know. But we'll have to get a lot figured out.
He also said he's recently done something like this which was easily $30,000, and this could run that high. (cue audible gasp)
I talked with Bill about it, who slammed the breaks on things. (He's logical that way). So if the estimate comes in really high, we can (a) wait for the finances to even out and then do it, or (b) start looking at where to cut expenses without sacrificing the objective to build a low cost, energy efficient, minimal impact structure that is as environmentally clean as possible.
It would be easy to throw up my hands and say "oh well, can't do it" but that sort of thinking never get's problems solved. Creative problem solving is a favorite activity for me. So here is a very real opportunity to do just that!
Below are some web pages I've put together for Steve. Other observers might be interested in them too.
_______________________________________________
Some web pages that may be interesting in this endeavor include:
http://www.malcolmwells.com/ This guy seems to be the granddaddy of under ground building
http://www.greenfloors.com/HP_CF_Index.htm for the groovy cork flooring
http://www.1st-glassblock.com/ for glass blocks
http://www.homepower.com/ for some very interesting articles on things like passive solar, etc.
http://www.grannysstore.com/Do-It-Yourself/index.html some interesting reading and links in general... James found this one for me.
http://www.lcs.net/users/pinecrest/text/design.htm this is a web page of someone who actually did this - though in a much larger scale - I think. Interesting stuff nonetheless
http://www.radiantcompany.com/system/solar.shtml I thought this one was way cool!
http://www.poolproducts.com/-i-OPP-SNM-COMPACT-FNM-96.htm Fun with composting toilets!
http://www.tanklesswaterheaterguide.com/#electric tankless water heaters- tell me again why do don't have this?
http://rainbarrelguide.com/ rain barrels info. (maybe more than you needed)
http://www.summerwood.com/products/home-studios/index.html?gclid=CMuE5_GDw4wCFRK1YgodCBu_aA this is the/an alternative, though honestly, I'm not sure how energy efficient it would be - which is a big issue
BUT we aren't there yet. We are very much still in the positive side of things.
People often tell me something can't be done, and then I go ahead and get it done anyway.
I see no reason this shouldn't be the same way.
And as I sit out here this morning with 3 demonstration projects to finish drafting, TODAY, ASAP. I am reminded that while it is lovely to be all Bohemian on my carpet, under the tarp in the woods, the weather will be outrageously hot, and fairly cold in the next year, so something has to happen to make working out here on a more permanent basis more of a reality.
Plus, listening to the wrens, and the cardinals carrying on their morning conversation, while a cool morning breeze tickles my bare feet, just increases my belief that we have to do what we can to protect this planet. This is too precious to lose and figuring out how to preserve it is a good thing to do.
I'll keep you all posted.
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