Still plugging away. Construction had to pause due to Zombie Apocalypse, but we’ve started up again now and are making good progress on the plumbing. Also, chainsaws.
Read MoreWe've had a bit of a set-back with the electric and are now re-doing one wall so that the insulation and vapor membrane can be properly installed and sealed. In this video, I show the water heater in action and the results of getting insulation up into the ceiling, as well as a few other odds and ends.
Read MoreIt would be remarkably easy to let the weight of all of that sink in, and sink into my bed. And not get up again. To binge watch Netflix, eat too much sugar, and brood. I did some of that, back in March, and am determined not to go there again (well, frankly, I’m still eating a lot of sugar). This house project has helped me stay away from that place, thanks in no small part to the sense of efficacy that grows when I learn a new skill, practice it several dozen times, and come out the other side much better able to repeat it in the future in different contexts.
Read MoreIn which I melt my electric system and don’t get much work done.
Read MoreI have not indulged in balance, or much cost-cutting. I imagine BioSquare as my last house, partially through the virtue of it being movable. I could indulge my millennial wanderlust from time to time, if I so chose. I could grow into the space if I could build the capacity for adaption to change into my space. Some things will need to adapt, in the coming years, though I don’t yet know what. Building in the capacity for adaptation requires careful engineering, multiple systems, complications. It costs, even as delays teach me patience.
Read MoreIn which I receive a marriage proposal and finally move the house!
Read MoreI have noticed no material difference in my happiness between sleeping and working hard in the woods, carrying water up a hill every day, and my much more pampered (in comparison) existence back at Lost Valley. I’m spending a lot of time and energy working very, very hard to create my ideal place to relax. I am reminded of the parable of the Mexican fisherman.
Read MoreI’m sore, bruised, and tired two days after leaving the work site. We’ll take a week off and then we’ll get right back at it to finish the exterior. I’m excited about all the progress we’ve made, though intimidated by the prospect of finishing the interior myself. It’s going to take substantially longer, but there are also lots of pieces of it that I am really looking forward to.
Read MoreI don’t want just a cute, tiny box, though. I want a life pod. I’m making plans for solar panels, a biodigester, composting toilet, grey water harvesting, wood and solar heating for hot water. Survival is a game — how self-sufficient can I get? How much recycled material can I use? What can I build myself? In this home building project, I’ve found an avenue where I can exercise the full scope of my creativity and skill with spreadsheets. I can put my mind and body to work in service of a noble goal: reducing carbon emissions and lowering my footprint. And I don’t have to worry much about permits.
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