introducing NOLA

Izak and I have been planning on getting a dog AFTER the house is complete, but then came Nola. She's a six month old Great Pyranees weighing in at 53 pounds that was abandoned along the side of the road. Izak does landscaping for a family that fosters dogs that have been down on their luck. He was at the house on Tuesday and met Nola. She stole his heart, so we went out and picked her up on Wednesday. We think she will fit right in on five acres.

I took her out the the new house yesterday. This is what happens when you take an all white dog to a construction site.

After a good hosing off she was a good as new, but exhausted from all of the work she did at the house.

The Little Things

Time has gotten away from us. Izak is in full swing again with his landscape design business and Joe has been away working on another project. We had agreed up front with Joe that if he had other work come up that was important to his business (kitchen and bath renos) that we would let him go. It happened, and we can't wait to get him back. In the mean time we've had the HVAC, plumbing, and septic contractors come in, so we aren't doing nothing, but not many exciting changes in the interior of the house. Our biggest hang up is getting an electrician to get on board with the project. They come out and look at the house and we never hear from them again. The walls scare them away. Tomorrow I am meeting with an electrician that works with log cabins and timberframe homes. Seems like its a similar concept, so I hope he isn't afraid of the challenge. I've been spending my weekends working on the beams and collar ties. They sat out in the mud and rain all winter, so they are dirty. It was impossible for the guys to keep them clean when they were putting them up so I've been up on a ladder cleaning them...for hours. Since they are rough cut it has been a struggle getting them clean enough that I feel comfortable putting on the sealer, so I have resorted to sanding them all. I'm not sanding them until they are smooth, but sanding them until they look clean (with 50 grit paper). It's not the most enjoyable part of the project for me, but I only get one chance to get them perfect...and it has to be done before the walls are finished. I'm going to start going out in the evenings after work now that it stays light out pretty late.

Anyhow, we've painted and the house is completely locked up now. We boarded up the glass ends of the house for security, but we have the glass panes now that will fill that space (and all of the clerestory glass). Hopefully, once we get through the rough-in inspection and Joe comes back, we'll be back making progress and I'll have more exciting pictures to add. Here's the house from all angles. The garage roof is currently being fabricated so it should be coming soon. Then we can put the siding on the bottom of the house.

Just A Few Pictures

Too tired to add any comments today, but wanted to get a few photos added.

Sliding Doors and Siding

These sliding doors are beautiful. They are so simplistic and compliment the interior beautifully. The beams in front of each door make them almost disappear...so all you see is the view. Noah absolutely captured what it means to design a space that brings the outside in. We can't wait to see what it will feel like when the leaves are back on the trees.



We chose to use a cement-board product for our siding that comes in 4' x 9' sheets (James Hardie Hardipanels). From an insurance standpoint, it qualifies at the same level as a brick exterior and feel it is a nice contrast to the angled wooden beams. We like the modern look of the panels and will be painting them a deep umber. Battens will be applied over the seems to add some interest. We will be finishing the lower level with stucco and cedar channel siding. At least that it was our plan is as of today. It may change, but we would like to incorporate different contrasting, yet complimentary materials on the lower level features.

THE ROOF

It seemed like we were never going to be able to get the corrugated metal onto the Therma-Steel roofing because of the weather, but finally the temperature allowed the snow and ice to melt and the gusting winds subsided for a day. And it really was just for one day. Luckily that was all it took to get it all fastened down. What a relief.





This is the standard roofing that Noah includes in his kit. We considered using a bronze colored corrugated steel, but after looking into things we felt that the "silver" color was the best. I must say that everytime I think that I want to side-step Noah's ideas I end up agreeing with his decisions in the end. I have been truly impressed with the decisions that he has made in The Noble Home.


Anyway, this color will provide reflection of the sun's rays rather than absorbing them in the summer, and qualifies for an Energy Star rebate. I'm also hypothesizing that we may be able to generate more energy from our solar PV panels as a result of the reflection. That is, if our grant comes through. Apparently our Governor, who all of us "Green Minded Individuals" were convinced was going to really get a green initiative going in Ohio, decided to pull the plug on all of the residential renewable energy project grants this week (and gave an extention to power companies to find alternative means for energy production). We have our fingers crossed that the State will come through for us, but if they don't, all of our solar arrays will have to be put on hold until either the price comes down or we hit the lottery. It really is a shame and a major disappointment to many many people.

Rooms with a View

Each room of the house has a unique view of the property. The view of the hillside distracts from the fact that the windows in the bedrooms downstairs are at ground level. Each window is 3' x 5' so they let a lot of light into the downstairs, even with the deck above. The windows are Energy Star rated with Low-E glazing and filled with argon gas. The argon and Low-E coating reduce heat transfer through the glass and shield against UV damage to interior finishes and fabrics.


Please pay no attention to the rusty drum. (No, we didn't build on an old landfill.) The guys use it to burn scrap wood and to warm up their fingers.

The window on the left will be in the full bath downstairs. The two windows on the right are in one of the bedrooms.

Our House of Straw

When Noah told us that our house kit included compressed straw interior walls (Durra Straw Panels), I didn't really realize that he meant my walls were going to be made of compressed straw (see photo below). Sounds silly, but I just figured they would be made of finely ground straw pressed together like drywall. I was confused when I walked into the house and saw straw laying all around. I was trying to figure out why the guys would have spread straw around the top floor. Then I saw a panel that had been cut for a doorway. Ohhhh...compressed straw!




These wall partitions are really quite interesting. The straw that is used, paddy straw, is considered an agricultural waste that would have been burnt and destroyed after the harvest. The straw panels are fire resistant, strong, durable, and are wonderfully sound proof and insulating. They also save space and time because they eliminate the need for framing and drywall. On the negative side, they are extremely heavy and are diffucult to saw through. The guys had to wax the saw blade with a construction crayon to cut them. Although they were somewhat difficult to maneuver and cut, we are happy that we went with such a unique and green product.



Right now the walls look like cardboard. They will be finished with drywall mud and standard drywall finishing techniques, so in the end, one won't know that they are straw (that is, until I tell them).

I like this photo of Izak (who is 6'5" tall) because it gives a perspective on how large the angled rafters are and how far they extend outward. The pine columns will stay in place with three sets of 8' sliding doors just to the outside of them.