Week 8: A Smattering of Things

Hi Friend,

We're hanging in there! The heat, the humidity, and the insulation were all trying to get us down, but we've pushed through, and we're thanking God that the heat broke today.

We got a visit from the HERS rater to inspect the insulation. He took pictures and asked questions about what had been done for insulation and air sealing ... which leads to his deciding how many energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) we will need. The tighter your house, the more ERVs you will need to ventilate the house, trading indoor air for outdoor air. At $500-750 apiece, these things are not cheap! And he explained that if it's humid outside, then they will bring the humidity inside, so it's best to get a dehumidifier also. As a low-tech-loving girl, I do not appreciate these high-tech, "green" requirements being thrust upon me. I'd much rather just design for good air flow, and crack the windows for fresh air!

Windows caulked and taped to keep water out

Another fun fact he mentioned is that the reason that Massachusetts is removing all incentives for any non-electric-powered equipment (i.e. after September 2024, if you even have propane on your property here, you do not qualify for any incentives) is because those non-electric industries do not contribute to the state fund. Hmmm ... we'll be using propane anyway.

Let's get to the funner stuff, shall we? The crew worked on caulking and taping the windows on the outside, chinking the windows with fiberglass on the inside (no spray foam here, remember?). They also worked on interior framing upstairs for the bathroom, bedrooms, and closets, and helped us to think about the wiring plan. Wiring this house will be a bit tricky with so much of the framing exposed.

Eden chinks the windows with fiberglass

The guys frame the upstairs bathroom and bedrooms

Judah shows off his laser level

Also, the septic is done! Just needs some finishing touches, like grass.

Septic tanks and leach field are in!

When the kids first came out, we came up with a nightly schedule to make the summer more fun.

This was the original plan:

Sunday - game / puzzle night

Monday - high-brow film night

Tuesday - folk singing night

Wednesday - reading night

Thursday - low-brow movie night

Friday - grill / bonfire night

Saturday - event night (dances, weddings, shows, etc.)

For several weeks, we stuck to the plan most nights! But then, we ... got ... tired. Bedtimes started creeping closer to right after dinnertime. It kept reminding me of farmer Joel Salatin's book that completely changed my life outlook, Folks, This Ain't Normal:

That young people today, at least when they are not in school, spend the day lounging around, hanging out, and then go into the wee hours burning off excess energy is aberrant in the first degree. Add to that the pastime of playing video games, exercising only thumb muscles and fingertips, and folks, we have a situation that just ain’t normal ... Our apprentices and interns normally dismiss themselves from our company and head off to bed as soon after dark as they can get there.

A friend postulated that their energy levels might be affected by the type of material that they're working with, and that might be true. Seems like now that they're handling wood again, they're feeling lighter.

Now that the building envelope is close to being done (just need the town's insulation inspection before we can put on the roof and siding!), I've moved on to the kitchen cabinet design so that we can get that order in.

Cabinet design ideas centered on the middle window

Jordan corrals baby to wash dishes

Until next time,

xo

P.S. After my comments about windows in my last post, I regretted speaking so harshly about non-TDL (true divided light) windows. The fact is, I've been incredibly spoiled by the abundance of historical elements that we have in this area - and, there are many SDL (simulated divided light) options that are both beautiful and energy-conserving. This got me thinking, if my window choice were not limited by this house kit, how big a budget would I have allocated to windows? What type of windows would I have chosen? I know that the design would be based on another of my favorite design books, Get Your House Right by architects Marianne Cusato and Ben Pentreath. This book has really helped to train my eye as to what looks right on a building and why. It's based on a classical foundation of architecture, and I've referenced it again and again.

If you've bought new windows recently, what kind of quality / construction did you choose, and what percentage of your total budget did you allocate to them?

Next post: Week 9: A Splash of Color