The House
As the story goes the house was originally built in 1979 and was apparently a solar house. The original sight for us was not pretty.....having being abandoned for 15 yrs or so, there had been substantial damage. Junk everywhere including a sailboat!!! Fires had been started in the house, shotgun blasts through the walls, infested with raccoons and other critters, holes in the roof, every window smashed, water pipes burst, rain damage etc. etc. etc. It was completely unlivable. Despite the negatives, the foundation was structurally sound and the framing in good shape.
August 2006 the work began with a "barn raising" party, with numerous family and friends out to give us a hand. Gutting the place and putting on a new roof consumed the first 2 weeks. Once we had a roof over our heads we started to put it all back together.
With the house not being livable, and with no place else to live, our home consisted of a tent in the yard for 3 months. When temperatures started to drop we moved the tent under the shelter of the house and continued sleeping in it until Christmas, when at that time the master bedroom was completed, as well as the drywall and most of the insulation in the rest of the home.
Since our time here the house and property has gone through a dramatic change. Through a little research the home was originally designed as a passive solar home, and some of its attributes are as follows:
- Southern exposure
- Large, double glazed windows on the south side allow sunlight to pour in
- Concrete Slab Foundation stores heat collected (thermal mass) from the sun during the day and releases this back at night
- Super insulated walls ( 1ft thick - R40 batts plus 1" rigid ISO board) and ceiling ( R-80) is much greater than standard building code allowing any heat gained to remain in the home.
- Large evergreen windbreak surrounds home, creating a micro climate.
- Fairly open concept allowing heat to disperse evenly
- Minimal North and West windows.
- Blinds allow sun in during winter and keep the sun out during summer.
We also installed a high efficiency wood burning stove, with our property providing most of the wood to heat the home. The rest of the firewood coming from wherever we can find it. We do have baseboard heaters, which we never use, except for the bathroom on those colder winter mornings. In our 1040sqft home we burn approximately 4-5 cord (mixed hard and soft wood) over the average heating season.
The passive solar home really does work! Numerous times we have had visitors over and when stepping in the house state "nice and toasty in here", though we probably haven't had the wood stove on since the evening before. Normally, on even the most coldest of days in the winter (as long as the sun is shining), the wood stove is only used in the evening and stocked up before bed, to burn through the night.
We attempt to conserve as much energy as possible, not only for environmental benefits but economical ones as well. Installing a small water heater designed for the minimum number of people in the household allows us to conserve our hot water usage and electrical consumption. We have also installed Energy star Appliances if possible, such as the refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, and washing machine.....and a clothesline. Fluorescent light bulbs in all lighting fixtures. Timers in use.
A window air conditioner is all that is required to cool the home, along with ceiling or pedestal fans. The super insulated walls keep cool air in and warm/hot air out. Blinds and outdoor window shades keep the summer sun from shining in the windows as well as working as an insulator. The concrete floor also remains cool on bare feet. We have also planted a few deciduous trees to the southeast and west in order to provide summer shading of the home.
All the renovations to the home were completed by ourselves and with the help of family and friends. It was really quite the experience and we really learned a lot about construction and doing-it-yourself. We did have an electrical contractor in to get the power on as well as one to install the wood stove pipe for insurance purposes ( plus, we were starting to freeze and wanted it up quickly!) but that was about it for hired help. Having built most of the home ourselves has helped us bring the "Homestead" part into our 'name'.
August 2006 the work began with a "barn raising" party, with numerous family and friends out to give us a hand. Gutting the place and putting on a new roof consumed the first 2 weeks. Once we had a roof over our heads we started to put it all back together.
With the house not being livable, and with no place else to live, our home consisted of a tent in the yard for 3 months. When temperatures started to drop we moved the tent under the shelter of the house and continued sleeping in it until Christmas, when at that time the master bedroom was completed, as well as the drywall and most of the insulation in the rest of the home.
Since our time here the house and property has gone through a dramatic change. Through a little research the home was originally designed as a passive solar home, and some of its attributes are as follows:
- Southern exposure
- Large, double glazed windows on the south side allow sunlight to pour in
- Concrete Slab Foundation stores heat collected (thermal mass) from the sun during the day and releases this back at night
- Super insulated walls ( 1ft thick - R40 batts plus 1" rigid ISO board) and ceiling ( R-80) is much greater than standard building code allowing any heat gained to remain in the home.
- Large evergreen windbreak surrounds home, creating a micro climate.
- Fairly open concept allowing heat to disperse evenly
- Minimal North and West windows.
- Blinds allow sun in during winter and keep the sun out during summer.
We also installed a high efficiency wood burning stove, with our property providing most of the wood to heat the home. The rest of the firewood coming from wherever we can find it. We do have baseboard heaters, which we never use, except for the bathroom on those colder winter mornings. In our 1040sqft home we burn approximately 4-5 cord (mixed hard and soft wood) over the average heating season.
The passive solar home really does work! Numerous times we have had visitors over and when stepping in the house state "nice and toasty in here", though we probably haven't had the wood stove on since the evening before. Normally, on even the most coldest of days in the winter (as long as the sun is shining), the wood stove is only used in the evening and stocked up before bed, to burn through the night.
We attempt to conserve as much energy as possible, not only for environmental benefits but economical ones as well. Installing a small water heater designed for the minimum number of people in the household allows us to conserve our hot water usage and electrical consumption. We have also installed Energy star Appliances if possible, such as the refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, and washing machine.....and a clothesline. Fluorescent light bulbs in all lighting fixtures. Timers in use.
A window air conditioner is all that is required to cool the home, along with ceiling or pedestal fans. The super insulated walls keep cool air in and warm/hot air out. Blinds and outdoor window shades keep the summer sun from shining in the windows as well as working as an insulator. The concrete floor also remains cool on bare feet. We have also planted a few deciduous trees to the southeast and west in order to provide summer shading of the home.
All the renovations to the home were completed by ourselves and with the help of family and friends. It was really quite the experience and we really learned a lot about construction and doing-it-yourself. We did have an electrical contractor in to get the power on as well as one to install the wood stove pipe for insurance purposes ( plus, we were starting to freeze and wanted it up quickly!) but that was about it for hired help. Having built most of the home ourselves has helped us bring the "Homestead" part into our 'name'.
2016: Construction has begun on a passive solar water heater. Referred to as a batch or ICS water heater, the sun will pre-heat water in a collector prior to entering our homes hot water system. It is self designed after models currently in use, and will hope in incorporate own ideas to improve cold weather performance. More info and photos to follow.