24x30 Wyoming NOT-Saltbox

[melwynnd]

Amanda,

Is it just me, or do you find it rather expensive and quite time consuming "going green"?  

We are working on consuming less, but it seems to be a slow process and the equipment can be expensive.  We have the cow(meat, dairy), the chickens(eggs, meat), the garden(veggies), the orchard(apples plums strawberries, raspberries).  Now I'd like to get a flour grinder.  I've looked at lots of kinds and the best hand powered(trying to get away from the old electricity ) is the Country Living mill.  It runs about $400 )

Sometimes it seems we take two steps forward and one step back, but we are making a little progress.

Still, I think the time is coming in our lifetimes(I'm 35 and my hubby is 33)when we are all going to have to use less, and how much nicer will it be for us if we're used to it.

Sherry

[Sassy]

Sherry, that's what I keep telling myself when I think things aren't quite as easy or convenient in our underground cabin as they are in our house in the valley (of course we aren't finished with the cabin yet...) but there is more work keeping up the solar system although we seldom have any problems, you've got to be more careful with how much power you use - but then I've always been pretty frugal having been a single mom for several years - instead of turning on the air conditioner my kids & I would wear wet tee shirts around the house, sometimes even putting them in the freezer for awhile, drape a damp towel over ourselves when sleeping - good evaporative cooler  :-/ - open windows at night & use fans.  Even years ago, power to run the air conditioner in that house could reach $300+, same with the heater - so just bundled up more, used the woodstove... I even had additional insulation put in but didn't help that much.  I've always had a garden, canned, froze stuff etc.  In Washington I used to can & freeze lots & lots of salmon (that's why I couldn't even eat the stuff after awhile - cleaning & smelling the fish, etc).  Had a friend who grinded her own flour - I never got to that point, the grinders were too expensive, but did make my own bread.  

Sherry, having animals you have to milk & care for, making your own cheese, wine, etc, gardening - you end up basically having to make that your full time job - otherwise you are just too busy & I would think stressed to really go all green... but you sound like you are just about there. You have your home business & also building your house - wow, superwoman!

It will be awhile before we can have our own animals - not been too successful so far with all the coyotes, raccoons, bears, bobcats (not Glenn's   ), even mountain lions, although I've never seen one around here but Glenn thinks he saw one on our road one day or else it was a huge bobcat.  

But back to my original thought before getting sidetracked... things might not be quite so easy or convenient, a lot more work entailed, but we better get used to it - with the economy & political situations going like they are, who knows what the future holds?  

[melwynnd]

Sassy,

Actually, my home business is on the back burner right now .  I'm a librarian in the real world.  I work four days a week.  It's a great job for me since I have access to all the information I can use(and a lot I don't need ).

We're constantly looking for ways to streamline the farm.  After 4 summers of being tied down with the milk cow I've decided to change my plan of operation.  I'm waiting to breed her in December so she'll calve the end of September.  Then I'll milk in the winter until mid February when the bum calves are available.  I have more time to make cheese and stuff in winter anyway.  I'll just put a calf or two(she's nursed up to three at a time)on her and milk when I want after that until July or so when she'll need to be dried off to have her next calf.

By the way, I think I've convinced my husband about changing the roof to a more universal plan.  In fact he had a good idea(I hate it when he does that!) and said instead of a balcony, we could just make that six feet over the sunroom and porch part of the house.  We spent a little extra on the foundation to put footers and a regular stem wall under the porch anyway as we were putting the foundation up so high.

 That adds enough room for a reading nook with a south window and a 6x11 foot sewing room for me which will be great since I sew all my own clothes.  In fact, I think the biggest mess in the house now is my sewing stuff that has to be hauled out and never quite gets put away .  It also makes the bathroom bigger and gives me a laundry in the bathroom.

Thanks for the encouragement.  Tomorrow is my day off and Rachel and I will be building the sunroom walls and the porch beam.

Sherry

[Amanda_931]

As soon as the price of transportation sinks in a bit more, I think we're all going to go a lot greener.

I don't know if it really costs more.  For me it would probably be quite a bit less--eating at home more, driving less, getting more exercise, etc.

I'm buying more things in the way of food on-line, especially those things that could otherwise come from Nashville.

[Sassy]

How did your day of building go, Sherry?  I once thought of being a librarian since I love to read so much - figured that would be a perfect situation & now with the internet!  

Amanda, we eat out a lot... Glenn being on the road, traveling back & forth from the cabin to the valley, I have a half hour drive to work each way, even from our house in the valley  :-/ .  Seems we are always in a hurry or just don't feel like cooking... I cook some but not every meal - then I try to serve healthy stuff - make sure we have veggies, fruit (from our garden & fruit trees) am buying more organic foods (especially milk products).

Our initial investment in the solar & wind generator was pretty expensive, but Glenn has it set up where there's very little maintenance anymore & we have plenty of power for most our needs... I can wash clothes & even use the propane dryer (hanging out clothes while weather hot & dry which is 75% of the year it seems) we use the microwave,  compact florescent lightbulbs, swamp cooler when needed, freezer, monitor refrigerator & all Glenn's tools, the well pump.  Otherwise, we have the instant on hot water heater & stove - both propane, use wood heat... have a WWII diesel generator... the garden is on the roof, we still have 4 chickens left that seem to be laying an egg each everyday.  So in those ways, we are pretty independent & green although it takes someone who knows how to set up, work & maintain the stuff, otherwise, not only is the initial purchase super expensive, the upkeep would be terrible if you had to call someone in all the time to check things out & fix them.  Since Glenn knows how to do all that, we don't have to worry   .  

With our building, we have used recycled stuff, dirt from our property, a lot of logs that were bug kill but still in good shape to build with, Glenn has milled all the wood.  

Well, I better finish this now as the DSL guy is here to check out our system.... in spite of Glenn's working on it, we think the main problem is a faulty modem.

[melwynnd]

We almost never eat out, but that is less from virtue and more from the fact we have to drive 60 miles to a town with any good resteraunts .

Actually we don't go much at all.  My husband's body shop is right at the house and I work 1 1/2 miles from home.  We grocery shop once a month in Cody(60 miles) and usually carpool with my parents for that.

I'd have loved to do an underground, or partially underground home, but the water table is just too high here.  We are going to berm up the ground around the house 2 1/2 feet and use that for a raised bed.  Right now I have a garden in our lawn(translate: weedpatch), but I'm going to pull it out and plant Envirolawn.  I'll till a 2' strip next to the fence for hollyhocks, foxglove, and sunflowers(all "weeds" that don't need much care).  We've started getting hummingbirds here and they're fun to watch.

I should be able to use our crawlspace for a root cellar.  Potatoes and carrots all winter!  My parents used to use their basement for a root cellar in the winter(it's dry then, they pump it out all summer), but they had their furnace put down there so it's too warm for the veggies to keep well now.  It's great for brooding baby chick though 8-).

We have more trouble with the neighbors' dogs than wild critters here with our chickens.  But we keep them in a large pen almost all the time and lock them safely up at night.  We only have six hens anyhow, so they aren't hard to keep track of.

Well, I'm off to finish the porch wall.  If all goes well, we'll have all the second floor decking on and the front porch finished by Sunday evening.

Sherry

[Sassy]

Post more pictures!  

[glenn-k]

That is "Post more pictures, please", Sassy ----

[melwynnd]

Here's what we got done this weekend.  It wasn't quite what I'd hoped(somehow it never is ), but we're proud of it anyway.  

Rachel and I built the walls for the sunporch while my husband screwed down the decking on Saturday.  We got it all up and tied together by Saturday night.  We were all pretty tired on Sunday, but we went out to put up the I-beams on the porch since they need to be up for Brad to put the decking on properly.  We had cut two when we discovered that two of our 24' beams were only 22'.  They'll replace them, but they didn't have a delivery driver on Sunday, so we quit until evening.  Then Brad screwed on more decking and I tried my hand at cutting risers for steps(the 4' jump up to the house seems to be getting harder.



Here's the sunporch from the west side.  



This is the south.  I've been racking my brain for a way to put some thermal mass into that inside wall.  There is a foundation under it, so weight really isn't a problem.  I'm thinking of bronze painted tin, with sand inside?  I don't think sheetrock would conduct the heat as well, but maybe I'm wrong.



Here's the veiw from the second story.  As you can see, lawn care really hasn't been a priority.  We can see everything but who's pulling into the driveway. :-/

Sherry

[glenn-k]

Nice job, Sherry.  I love the lawn -what are you talking about?

Thermal mass -- brick -- adobe brick -- water filled galvanized culvert colunms(best)-- cob.  Water holds twice the heat.  How about scrap plastic buckets filled with water and plastered into columns?  Just a bunch of goofy ideas.

[Sassy]

Beautiful views, Sherry & great job on the building!  Glenn doesn't believe in lawns - he thinks they're too much work & a waste  :-/ , so he likes the "un-mowed" look...    We have a lawn in the valley - plus all the landscaping - always a lot of work but it is very beautiful when  everything is taken care of so I do my best to keep it looking nice when I'm there - occasionally one of my sons will visit & do the yard work   - last time, I even got one of them to clean all the outside house windows! We are surrounded by almond orchards & vineyards, but the place is kind of an oasis out in the hot valley.  

Know what you mean about the 4ft to get up to the foundation!  That would be tough... here at the cabin everywhere you go, you are either climbing up or down steps or hills!  

[melwynnd]

Sassy,

I agree with Glen about the lawns.  We're putting in Envirolawn when we're done, sort of like a prairie lawn.  But here you have to have SOMETHING or you have the seven foot tall kocia weeds that you see in the picture.  Since I'm only 5 foot tall, it makes it hard to see where I'm going.

Sherry

[Amanda_931]

Here, it's time for the Giant Ragweed to start blooming.  It will go well past 10 feet tall.

But in general I'm with Glenn on the subject of lawns.

Buffalo grass might work, though.

A bit ago John posted a LEED chart for somewhere--Seattle.   They really really hate lawns, gave extra points for less than 25% of the landscaped area lawn,  

(don't have the URL handy, I copied the .pdf in documents)

Outdoor Conservation
 (2) 6-2. Mulch landscape beds with 2 in. organic mulch
 (1) 6-3. Use grass type requiring less irrigation and minimal
maintenance
 (3) 6-4. Use compost soil amendments to establish turf and
other vegetation with less irrigation
 (3) 6-5. Limit use of turf grass to 25% of landscaped area
 (3) 6-6. Landscape with plants appropriate for site
topography and soil types, emphasizing use of plants
with low watering requirements
 (4) 6-7. Plumb for greywater irrigation
 (5) 6-8. Install rainwater collection system (cistern) for reuse
 (10) 6-9. Bonus Points: Install irrigation system using recycled
water
 (10) 6-10. Bonus points: No turf grass

[glenn-k]

Doesn't ragweed give people asthma?

[glenn-k]

Sherry --sheetrockers have cool little stilts they use to work on ceilings -- they strap right on to your feet -- that way you could see if there were any mowers coming. :-/

Sorry about that Sherry --- couldn't resist picking on you a bit --- I'm so ashamed.

I really think it is great that you are doing such a fine job on your house and are teaching or learning along with your daughter --- the knowledge she gains on this project will help her to be a "can do" girl just like her mom, for the rest of her life.

[melwynnd]

Here's the stuff we're going to use:

http://www.outsidepride.com/store/catalog/Envirolawn-p-17721.html

Most of the lawn is fenced and I plan on planting hollyhocks and wild sunflowers(both grow without being watered and attract birds) along that fence.  They can just be cut with a sicklebar mower in the fall and it won't hurt for the tractor to drive on them to pull the ditches.  

We're putting a 2 1/2' raised bed all the way around the house for flowers, herbs, and strawberries and I'll use a soaker hose for that.  We do have assess to water(someone else's wast water) for flood irrigation of the lawn, but it's a pain so I'd rather not if I don't have to.  Besides, the more you water, the more you have to mow :-/.

Sherry

[Amanda_931]

The sources I've seen for the buffalo grass were in Texas--with names for the shortest stuff like "Tex-Oka."  So that guy's lawn mixtures might well be better for your area.

[melwynnd]

Hello everyone  

We had a busy weekend(what's new) and got a good chunk done.  All the decking is on the second floor and the sunporch is sheathed(sorry didn't get pictures this morning before I went to work).

We've decided to go with 8 foot walls upstairs and a 4:12 metal roof.  In fact we've chosen very similar colors to the picture of the 20' universal cottage.  We're going with vinyl shakes in a very light grey with a darker grey metal roof.  We're trying to echo the greys in the hills with our house.

We have also changed the way we're going to do the balcony.  Instead of attatching it to the outside of the house and supporting it with posts to the ground(very looong posts as the top floor is 14' off the ground ), we're going to slip 20' IBS's in between the floor joists and let them cantilever out the six feet.  If we'd planned on having the balcony sooner, we could have just had the floor joists cut 6' longer  :-?.  But the balcony is a must since we've chosen to have a spiral staircase and the beds won't fit up it.  

My husband and I were discussing how much work this all is yesterday and how, if we'd hired someone else, it would already be done, and so much less OUR house.  We'd have exactly the houseplan we bought, without those things that fit our lifestyle so well.  I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

I'll try to get some pictures in the morning.

Sherry

[melwynnd]

Finally got pictures .



The east side of the house.  This is where the balcony will go.  Hopefully we'll get some of the joists up for it tonight.



The south side of the house.



The west side of the house.  I still need to build one more set of steps.  That's a long way to jump and it hurts when you miss .



The inside of the house from the sunroom.  It's interesting how getting the upstairs floor on changed how the size of the downstairs felt.  I wonder what sheetrock will do.

Now for the upstairs walls!

Sherry

[Sassy]

WOW!!!

[Amanda_931]

That looks so nice!

Yep, everything you do makes it look different, from here, drywall is a biggie, then ceiling, paint, flooring all make a difference, but adding furniture may be the most dramatic.

Ragweed and asthma?

Not directly--it's a very common allergen--I've known people who stayed indoors in air conditioned--and air filtered--splendor for two months in the late summer and fall because of it.  Sneezing, streaming nose and eyes if they ventured outdoors.

Sometimes things you are allergic to are asthma triggers--ragweed grass or tree pollen, cats, dogs, horses, cockroaches, fungi, penicillin, dust mites.  As are exercise, cold, heat, smell of cedar, added "scents" like detergents or drier sheets, assorted "chemicals."  Sometimes they're not.  

But years of aggressive desensitzation shots led me to think that even if something wasn't a trigger, becoming un-allergic helped ditch the asthma.  Not very aggressive desensitization shots just cost time and money--for me.  They've helped a friend beyond belief.

[Jimmy_Cason]

Good progress pics. The house is looking great!
Is that second floor walls lying on the ground?

[melwynnd]

Jimmy,

Nope, that's the first wall we built that was knocked off the foundation by a microburst :-/.  It doesn't look too damaged until you get close.  Then you see the split sill plates.  I think we'll use what we can for a garden shed.

Sherry

[Jimmy_Cason]

Jimmy,

Nope, that's the first wall we built that was knocked off the foundation by a microburst :-/.  

It must not have passed inspection from someone up above!
So they removed it for you.....

A guy that lives down the road from me rebuilt his 2nd floor framing 2 times in 2 weeks due to those darn microbursts.

The 2nd time it happened his truck was parked next to the house and ended up under the debris pile..

[melwynnd]

Our latest progress.  It's funny how flimsy the walls look all the way up there .



The east side with the balcony and the frame for the french door.



Another shot of the balcony.  



The west side.  We're putting up the walls in half sections.  They're easier to handle that way since there isn't anyway to prop it from the outside.  The top of the wall is 25' in the air.