And Away We Go!

I am pleased to report that after 18 months of hassle getting access to our land, last Thursday we got the county's approval for our sub-division of property and our building permit which allows construction to resume in earnest... here are the first pictures of work today (Saturday; 3/22/08):







These are my stem wall forms at the west end of our Irish cottage and the 5 cords of wood that Alexis and I split last July... we have a total of three acres of woods surrounded by 100 acres that will not be built on anytime in the near future... we are 1.25 miles from the village of Sewanee... Alexis wanted to name the site Brigid's Wood to honor a cousin of hers who died in 1850 coming to America from Ireland... Brigid died and was buried at sea... she was 12.

Looking south into the woods at the west end of the house... from left to right: David Musser, my helper, Boone Dog who wants to help and me (the before shot of me... I'm bound to lose weight during construction... it's already killing this 61 year old man!)


Looking SE into the woods from the NW corner of the house... we hope to pour the stem wall Monday or Tuesday... then plumbing and insulation goes in/on the gravel and the slab will be poured on top of that (thanks to Mike Harris, my St. Andrews friend, who helped me put the outside form in):




Obviously the land has been cleared, the footings have been poured, the septic tank is in and lots of material has been squirreled away from Internet "good deal" purchases over the last 18 months while waiting for the access to be straightened out (windows, doors, countertops, kitchen cabinets, metal roof, appliances, plumbing fixtures, insulation, etc.)

For those interested, here is a link to the AAC block that I'm going to use in my exterior walls (to be stuccoed) SAFECRETE. It's amazing stuff and is a do-it-yourselfer type of product. I went to school last Tuesday to learn how to lay it.

The house will have the look of an Irish cottage... small (1400 square feet)... cozy (heated with wood)... extremely energy efficient (using AAC blocks and tons of sprayed on insulation in the roof) passive solar... most of the windows are on the south-side of the house with the appropriate overhang for this latitude to block summer sun and let winter sun in... and the best part... MORTGAGE FREE!



We will memorialize our progress in a blog so if you want to follow along, we'll give you the address.

It is all happening in God's time.

Happy Easter... the Lord is Risen!... the Lord is Risen indeed!

Dave & Alexis
Brigid's Wood