Category Archives: BUILDING A PASSIVE HOUSE
Tapering the columns
Tapered columns look extra special but I wonder how Nick Ford did the math. He’s so good I expect it’s by eye. The pillars on many old Shaker buildings are granite, with the same tapered proportion.
Building the porch
The porch roof boards were coated with white primer during another marathon painting spree by Chris (abandoning Susan to dinner, homework, lunch boxes and night-night). Chris is pitching in to keep costs down but we are so glad we added “front porch” to the contract with Bill Stratton Building Co. (instead of trying to build it ourselves). It’s modern and Shaker and so very welcoming. It’s also the last big thing the team will do before we take over to finish the interior. We will miss them when they are gone. The good work is appreciated and the progress is addictive. “What did they do at the house today?” is the first question Nicholas, age 10, asks when he gets off the school bus.
Daytime moon
Installing the porch floor
Framing the porch deck in cold weather
Spar varnish marathon
150 FSC certified mahogany planks have been delivered for our porch deck. All of them need to be sealed with spar varnish before installation. I’ve completed 85. (Note from wife: Open the window, and come home for dinner.)
Inside electrical wiring
Dean Warner, electrician, returns to install more interior wiring and keep an eye on the deer walking past in the field. Fixtures are attached to the one-and-a-half-inch furring strips attached to the SIPs panels. In the next week or so, this will all be covered by drywall / sheetrock. This approach is easier than creating chases within the rigid foam to run wiring, or hiding it in a fat baseboard, which are alternatives when working with SIPs.
Morning sunlight
Working at the workbench
