We. Have. WALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I could either stay in Richmond and be sick, achy and contagious, or I could go to the net zero off grid modern house kit and be sick, achy and contagious.
Easy choice.

I just could not bear to be away another week, knowing that Bobby Hirsh, the carpenter, had reused and built actual WALLS out of VMI's old basketball court. Honeychile, this t'ain't yer Chinese drywall...

So I grabbed a box of Kleenex and headed out, sick and feverish, to the net zero passive solar SIPs house kit.

We rounded the drive and saw the field was still covered with snow... yet in the distance, the house kit shone happily, a beacon for our car to aim for through the mud.

We tumbled out, and the children and dogs proceeded to do exactly what I feared: splash through the mud puddles, roll in the snow (and no dry change of clothes with us), and chase each other, slushing through soil and ice, round and round the prefab. *Sigh*

As I surveyed this certainly disastrous scenario, Handsome Husband slipped away to peek inside the house kit and returned quickly: "Wow."

I hurriedly went to inspect. 
So: A year ago we had purchased VMI's basketball court, and now here it would be in our prefab as walls? Creating rooms with recycled, beautiful 100% maple floorboards instead of using drywall?!? Handsome Husband warned me that due to our carpenter, who is a Mennonite minister, being called back to Haiti (where he and his family lived for five years before moving here), he had not been able to completely finish the walls. But who cares, I just want to SEE the walls!

I could tell you all about it, but... c'mon and see it for yourself.
I was taping when I walked in for the first time, and it probably conveys to you more than anything I could type. 
(I love how I keep trying to be informative, glib, and then I see the walls and GASP...)

Prefab Green Home Update: Recycled Reused Wood On The Walls!


Prefab House: Interior Walls: Recycled Reused Wood: VMI's Basketball Court!

We told Bobby to cut wood inside since the temperatures have been so frigid this month, and to leave any scraps behind so we could recycle them.  In preparation, Handsome Husband had moved all the furniture in the corner and covered it all with a sheet. So we spent the day in the prefab house kit sweeping, sorting wood scraps, sweeping some more, dragging back the furniture piece by piece, and... sweeping.

Y'know, all we do out there are chores it seems, but we are all SO HAPPY, so busily content, feeling the sun on our faces, smelling the crisp air  that only happens when it has touched snow, seeing progress as we proceed on every little thing we do in the prefab house kit.  We are so grateful to all of the craftsmen who have helped us, and it is so satisfying that we also have a hand in it, that our children will remember this slow process as we move towards our sustainable goal.

 

To refresh your memory of this journey: We started with purchasing land, then awhile later bought a 1960s camper where we would brave the spring ticks, the summer heat, the late autumn frost (all with our children still in diapers)... then the house kit was erected and suddenly we had shelter, REAL SHELTER.

And now we have walls.
And even CLOSETS.

For the first year ever, we have been out there in 1. January and 2. February, and out there, in the dead of winter, 3. *comfortably*!

If I hadn't been so feverish I would have suggested we stay and spend the night.  But I also know I need to get better and that the better thing to do is install the ERV / off grid systems so we can seek respite even more efficiently and comfortably than the makeshift ways we've been visiting for years.

But in the meantime...? We appreciate every. single. thing. 
And don't miss what we lack in the prefab house kit, because we've never had it there.
Makin' something outta nothin' is not a hobby, it's a philosophy.  I am fine with my children being raised how to be comfortable, knowledgeable and practical in raw weather and conditions, and I think these experiences make them better for it.

 

Prefab Modern SIPs House Kit : Gimme My Off Grid Systems!

If you really want to plan a super fall weekend in Virginia, plan it thus:
The second weekend in October, take Friday and Saturday off to enjoy the Richmond Folk Festival.

Then hop over on Sunday to Appomattox, for the Appomattox Railroad Festival.

Both include great live music, lots of culture, people watching, endless local food, and history.

Both are free.
Both are fun for young and old.
I know this, because I did both, and had an AMAAAAAAAZING time.


But back to the prefab SIPs modern house kit:
We expect the electric quote tomorrow from the electrician. Next, we get the plumbing quote. Then, we get a loan to finish the interior and snap on systems.
Then we're done.

Because it's that easy, right?

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

So, a prefab modern house kit recap:
We finalize quotes, then purchase and install rainwater collection and filtration, and solar systems.

Then we move to interior, reused, recycled design.
And from there, we start our sustainable landscaping plans.  (You may recall our initial post on Topos LLC's landscape architecture plan- there will be much more on that soon!)

We will spend years on projects such as crop tree release, crafty functionality, interior design, creating a sustainable farm... and I'm certain stuff I haven't even thought of yet.

But this is what I DO know:
I may have all these other decisions to make as a prefab mod consumer, but...
The passive solar SIPs house kit ROCKS.
Again I spent a cool fall weekend without any heat, and again I was comfortable thanks to the passive solar house kit design and the fact that the house kit is comprised of energy efficient structural insulated panels.

From Prefab Weekend In The House Kit: Appomattox Railroad Fest and More!

AGAIN I felt the chill of outside, then retreated to the steady comfort of the SIPs and passive solar design.  Again I experienced an entirely gray day today, yet the temperature indoors was 70.

Do you know what it's like to wash dishes outside in the rain when it's 50 degrees?
I do.

And that is when I yearned to be inside my cozy prefab house kit.
And that is when I fixed my aim on GETTING THOSE SYSTEMS IN so I don't have to wash dishes outside in the rain in January.

Much less take a shower as so.
Oh, let me rephrase that: Now I have been taking a shower, don't you call me dirty.
But I would like to go from this:

From Prefab Weekend In The House Kit: Appomattox Railroad Fest and More!

To...a shower.
A real shower.
A hot shower.
In January.
Please! : )

 

Modern Prefab Update:

It is morning in the net zero prefab house kit.
I am blearily sipping coffee, and the 5 year old just walked up and said,
"Momma? This feels like home."

Last night both children woke up separately, and with them, individually, we finally watched the stars and listened to the coyotes howl together.

It has become habit here for the 5 year old to awake waaaaay after the animals have melted into dawn and sit with me, along the south windows overlooking the trail, loudly chattering while seeking wildlife.

So for her to finally join me before dawn, in the dark, and quietly listen to all the night sounds as I always do, alone, was... so nice to share it with them, for I have been listening for years by myself while the family slumbered... You should have seen her bright eyes and smile: she heard the coyotes, an occasional cow, and many birds of the night.

She even saw her first shooting star. : )



Sooooooooooo... Let's talk about the bedrooms.
We have neglected that middle bedroom while camping in the prefab.

We have two queen sized air mattresses on which we've been staying while camping in the house kit.
We put one in the west bedroom, and one in the east, which is supposed to be our room. Through this sleeping arrangement over the past months, I am now rethinking it- the west bedroom, intended to be the 6 year old's, might actually work better for the adults- we are tending to sit at the dining table at night, so I imagine that might be the "late night talking area" vs. the other side of the common room, and the east bedroom is closer to the bathroom so it might be better for the 6 year old when he has little friends stay the night.

So as we re-think the purpose of the east & west bedrooms, I suggested,
"Why don't y'all sleep in the five year old's middle room tonight, and we'll try out the west bedroom?"

It didn't work out that way.
Somehow a child fell asleep on EACH bed, so the boys were in the west room and the girls in the middle bedroom.

And let me tell you... that middle, overlooked bedroom is FABULOUS.
It is PERFECT for a little wildlife watcher!

When she awoke, instead of leaving the warm bed for the rocking chair along the south windows to seek animals, we just turned over under the covers and looked out that long, vertical window where we had a clear view of the field. I am certain she will see many things over the years from that lovely view.

Because the house kit is made of SIPs (structural insulated panels), the inside sounds tend to... stay inside.

The dogs were being loud- the mastiff-mix happily-with-tail-wagging-and-heavy-breathing his acknowledgment of our nighttime alertness, the other shaking his tail happily and jingling his tags as he greeted us, and Handsome Husband... well...
Handsome Husband was snoring.

So, from the comfort of our bed, I reached out and opened that vertical window, and suddenly the night sounds filtered in.

Similarly, those high windows in each bedroom ROCK. During the day, they allow light in while providing privacy. At night, I tell the children to lie down, heads on pillows, and look up: they are perfectly placed to view the stars!

Although progress has been maddeningly slow (no one's fault but our own), it has really given me time to evaluate how we are *really* using the space, vs. as I had envisioned we would.

Imagine if I wanted to switch rooms after decorating one room very mod and adult, the other decorated for a little boy! So by camping in and using the space thus, I can make sure everything is finished where it is appropriate for YEARS of use and enjoyment.

Now I am off to sweep (again, thank you, myself-in-another-dimension for NOT choosing bamboo and embracing the easy-to-clean concrete with fly ash! My other-self-NOT-in-another-dimension would have LOST IT when the 6yr old decided to give the dogs "dirt baths" whom, after I finished sweeping, came in to flop...and it was awhile before I noticed the piles of dirt here, piles of dirt there... "What the heck?!?" then he 'fessed up...) and organize as Ron will build bathroom walls this week, just in time, for... well, one of my best friends is supposed to visit next week from NEW YAWK CIT-AY and I am taking her camping in the prefab house kit.

Handsome Husband is busy recycling leftover wood from framing to make stairs, and the 6year old has proudly added a um, nice doormat he snatched from the waters of the Bay while sailing last weekend and thinks it's perfect to reuse here.
I support his enthusiasm to reuse! But... um, it's not quite mod.
But, hey, it's reuse, so I applaud.

(So if you come to the Prefab Open House September 26th and notice a faded doormat that's all frilly / West End housewife-y, that's the story behind it. Please tell the 6year old you think it's a *lovely* addition to the decor.)

 

Prefab House Kit: Systems, Passive Solar and SIPs

The past two weeks have been overwhelming, hence the silence, and aside from meetings, we haven't anything new to show regarding our own SIPs prefab house kit. [Now, about the *other* prefab house kits being built... (claps hands over mouth) Ahem, more on these later! : ) ]

Instead, we have spent time over the past weekends exploring Richmond's James River, which we never had access to until we bought a vintage Boston Whaler. It's amazing what a little river access can do for a family! We can now hook up the boat and in 15 minutes be at the river, watching bald eagles, blue heron, turtles and fish with our children.

Any-hoo, today, the prefab architect of the net zero house kit casa ti, David Day, came to visit!

Our original plan was to visit an artist's studio he built with structural insulated panels (SIP) but we digressed and instead sat outside watching the children play.... enjoyed the day and company of each other while discussing Woodstock documentaries, green living, and off grid net zero systems.

Let's talk about green building and living. We were discussing what our particular family had chosen for systems for the off grid net zero house. Everyone's needs will be different. So you might have the same house kit, but vastly different choices might be made for each prefab home.

Because the passive solar house kit design combined with the use of energy-efficient structural insulated panels helps keep cool summer night air in, and the clerestory windows allow the hot air to escape, AND with the knowledge that last week, in a spate of 100 degree days, when Handsome Husband left work in Richmond and drove to the land to meet with the contractor at 3ish (without the opportunity to 1. let in the night air, then 2. close the windows in the morning to keep that cool air in, nor 3. let the hot air out via clerestory windows, in the 4. hottest heat of the day), yet inside the prefab house kit, because of the structural insulated panels and passive design, it was 85 degrees on a SUPER hot day...
Well, we will not install air conditioning.
So that's one less big thing to power, therefore allowing us to have a smaller system.

We will also not power things like... oh... hair dryers.
(I mean really.)
We will not be powering a washer. (See hand-turned washer below...)
A dryer. (Hello, line dried clothes...)
Kitchen utensils. Television.
And with each choice, our systems requirements are reduced further.

We will not power a vacuum cleaner. Because we have chosen to build a small footprint home, we can easily sweep it with a broom to keep it tidy.

Don't worry, we will be powering music... I mean, that's NECESSARY! But we can also think of creative ways to get our music, films, and culture without drawing from our main power supply.

So... we don't just think about how to build green, how to be more energy-efficient... we also think about reducing power consumption, and re-evaluating what you really "need."

P.s. If you'd like to see it for yourself, don't forget our Open House September. 26th!

 

Last Look At Prefab Zero Energy House Kit Before Framing

I headed for the hills mid-week to take a last look at the prefab house kit before interior framing begins. I admit I fear I might miss the look of the structural insulated panels (SIP)! You might have seen in the previous post my aunt left the particle board "as is" in her own gorgeous home (3rd video down in the post), and I find it appealing.

If we hadn't already found the gorgeous, recycled VMI floorboards to reuse in our interior, along with other recycled finds, I would be seriously considering just painting the SIPs on the inside and calling it a day.



Here's a video of a last walk through the wide open / no interior SIPs prefab house kit:
(I'm sure it will take awhile to download, I tend to go on and on a bit...



Once interior walls are built, the off grid energy efficient systems will be installed: solar energy and heat, rainwater collection and filtration, and more. I guess I will no longer say I'll be "camping" in the house kit... : )
Instead, we'll simply be off grid, zero energy, prefab-ulously done.

 

Green Building Virginia Architect, David Day, Shares His Thoughts On The Zero Energy House.

It will be in the mid-90s this weekend and, as there is no new construction to see in the zero energy house kit, we will be instead heading to the river. (That's what we call the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. It's weird, I know. At least I'm not calling it "The Rivah" as some do...)

Just when I thought I had nothing new to say about our modern house kit, here comes the amazing, green building Virginia architect, David Day, to share his thoughts on the off grid house!

So I now present, the LEED certified, sustainably-conscious, amazing modern designer / architect, David Day!

He writes:

"seeing the casa ti in person for the first time, all the original concepts came back full circle. our goal was to design a shell that could be inhabited and personalized into a home. a blank slate in a way. part of this involved designing without specific site features being known, other than solar orientation and prevailing winds. normally, specific views would suggest window placements etc.

simplicity was desirable on many levels, and has come through in the built home. first, the efficiency of SIP modules, straightforward slab on grade construction gave an economy of installation costs and very little construction waste. it also complements the complex, wild site - farmland partially returned to forest - as a simply structured visual rest space in the landscape.

the efficient shell has only a single load bearing line separating the upper and lower roofs, so interior layout/design can be totally flexible. speaking with copeland and christoph, we could even remove all the interior walls except surrounding the bath space and some storage/utility spaces (christoph even suggested no built in closets, only movable storage pieces as room dividers, and i totally agree). what struck me most about the interior so far is it's comfortable volume and balancing of light, along with the framed views out to the site.

lastly, the way the house sits in this particular landscape suggests its integration: a small natural amphitheater occurs on the east end, with the east walls available as a screen/backdrop. the large oaks 50' or so off the south side form a natural end to an outdoor room of plantings - a slightly tamed version of the meadow landscape on the other sides. some walls as a backdrop for a specimen tree, a place for a snow camouflage summer shade terrace, and so on.

we've been discussing finding a large beer or wine fermentation tank for rainwater collection off the south roof. now is when the house becomes a home, as it fills in with plantings, furniture, color, a reclaimed gym floor as wall finish - the family. exciting times."

We too are looking, excitedly, at the next steps, and look forward to having the Day family back very soon so we can not just focus on the architecture and design, but the friendship between our families and the rest of our life spent there, living.

 

Modern House Kit Update- Architect David Day & Family Visit The casa ti!

We were SO excited for David Day and his family to visit! As you may know, the green building architect David Day is the designer of our zero energy, passive solar casa ti house kit.

Now finding our land is not easy. I had emailed a map, but felt it best to take my new recycled dirt bike from Richmond Re-cycles and pedal down the drive to the road for a trial spin to see how visible the yellow rope we hung as a marker was for a car. Imagine my surprise when, as I returned to the house kit, I heard a gentle beep behind me, turned around, and there was the Day family right there, already on the land!

They tumbled out, and the children promptly found the dirt hill, sand, and creeks. They have been very busy making "a campfire," "a kitchen," (on the sand pile) and "food." Yes, sand, twigs, and rock food which was served to us and was *absolutely delicious,* while David Day and his lovely wife Kerri sat down with Handsome Husband and myself for a beer at the picnic table to discuss the off grid house.

David was very, very happy with how the house kit had been completed, by the way, and I have asked him to give an architect's response some time later this week to share with you. I just loved seeing him smile as he walked around the modern house he designed, and when he got HIS camera out and started taking pictures... that was a moment I'll always cherish.

Now that we have a little more shelter than my beloved aluminum teardrop camper in which we have camped for four years through all seasons, we are starting to finally meet more neighbors. Earlier that day, we met Peter Scott, a neighbor whose family bought over 100 acres on our road over three generations ago. He met Handsome Husband on the road as he was trying to make the driveway more noticeable for the Day family to find, and we invited him in for a tour of our passive solar house. I was wondering what an old school guy would think of the off grid house but... he loved it! He totally got it! He walked around and nodded his head as we explained the passive solar functionality, the practical concrete floors that also provided thermal mass, our plans for landscaping. We loved his deep knowledge, ready smile, and stories of the generations of families and land along our road- we learned his family used to farm what is now our land, and that it was traditionally planted with grasses and corn. We really hit it off with Mr. Scott- especially when he started talking about barbecue, and how his family starts at 4 a.m. to begin their roasts, and the detailed traditions they have in creating each community barbecue... I know we have found a good friend and look forward to having his family over when we have friends over and cook for a crowd!

Now this was also the first time we had visited since Handsome Husband sealed the floor. It made ALL the difference- I will never need a vacuum cleaner, a push broom EASILY cleaned the dirt and dust after a busy weekend neatly into a pile, easily finished with a dustpan and brush. We will probably add one more layer of sealant after the inside construction is finished, but really, it could last for years as is. David Day also mentioned we could wax it as well, something we might consider.

The weekend was mild, but at night it went down to the 30's. Inside the house kit, still with no systems installed, it remained 58 degrees. According to Handsome Husband, the zero energy house lost only six degrees from sundown till sunup. By 8:30 the next morning it was already 60 degrees. I wonder if that was not so much due to the sun rising, as it was still early, as much as the fact that little children and dogs were racing around like atoms colliding in the zero energy house! You really do understand the passive house reports where body warmth is pretty much all that is needed. With warm blankets and comfy clothes, we could easily not have to use our solar energy to heat the house except for very few times of the year.

We had a lovely weekend, but again felt the deep desire to "just move in!" The good news is that the interior begins again after Easter - and no, we can not wait. : ) In the meantime we dragged out an old trunk I have used since college in New York to keep kitchen things in, and a portable closet given to us when friends moved away to store coats and pillows and sheets in, so that we don't have to keep carting everything back and forth.

In the pre-dawn, as I listened to the coyotes howl (coyote here are the size of shepherds), I admit that as much as I miss camping in my camper it is nice to have my family safe within the modern home's strong structural insulated panels...

Oh, by the way, I have some good news regarding house kit tours / annual open house days! Keep September 26-27th on your calendar, because I am going to line up some fun farm tours, a house kit open house and more around Charlotte County's Heartland Bike Tour. There is so many history sites and cultural things to do, and you can even ride your bike, camp out, and more! I also plan to have regular "open house" days seasonally where I choose a date where interesting, fun & historical events are going on in the community so you can not only tour the house kit but make it a destination weekend in Virginia. Within fifteen miles of the land there is founding father (Patrick Henry's Red Hill), civil war, and civil rights history so plenty to see and learn.
So stay tuned...

On our way home, I thought it would be fun to take some photographs to show y'all our little town...

And on the drive home, I took pictures of the landscape, reminding us all why we all need to preserve and value these landscapes and see it as a national resource. Just an hour away, development encroaches with mass grading, ticky-tacky inefficient developments, and no respect for what may be our most valuable asset, our land. Remember: without local farms there is no local food...

So here are our house kit, little town, and driving home pictures, below! I hope you enjoy!
(I added lots of comments to the pictures so if you see something that interests you please click on the picture to see a larger version with comments.)



Our little town:


And the pretty scenes we pass:

 

Passive House: Modern Design Affordable House With Passive Solar Energy Efficiency! Update.

More modern design, passive solar house kit updates...
We headed out to the land today...
It was cold, but beautiful.



You could see the sun on the foundation, demonstrating it's passive solar house energy efficiency even before it was weather tight.

It was amazing to walk around there, realizing that is 1,200 square feet of efficient, happy living. There is nothing we need. And we can have all our friends over.

For all our stages of life.



The one thing you need to note in these pictures/video is that some of the interior braces will be removed, there is storage/systems space in there but they did that to quickly allow for the roof panels they will add tomorrow.

So, here's some 360 photos I took... So you can get a sense of the space yourself. Also tons of video walk throughs, so please excuse the download.










Here's from another area of the house kit:

 

Off Grid Zero Energy Modern House Kit Update Day 4

Here's the latest house kit update from Ron, our wonderful, money-saving contractor:

I started the call mentioning how dramatic the sky looked in the pictures he took.

His reply? ; )

"I didn't even see 'em, I was looking at the house.

All the outside walls were up, within 2 hours of what I had hoped.

We have no crew tomorrow because of the Amish wedding, Thursday we'll put the top plate in and build a bearing wall in the middle.
Friday we're out...

We won't set panels until Monday morning."

 

Zero Energy Modern House Kit Update : Day 3

Finally, some sun.

Please again welcome our guest blogger, Ron Bernaldo of Giant Oaks Construction!

...Otherwise known as "Fabulous Contractor."

If you've followed along, we were rained out two days last week.

Finally, with sun, we resumed.

Also, please note Ron's crew are all, with one exception, Amish.

And this is Amish wedding season. Their weddings are on Tuesdays or Thursdays, hence cutting into our construction schedule. (But I wouldn't change the experience for the world, and it is so special our local neighbors are the ones constructing the house kit.)

Here Ron sums up today's house kit construction:

"Nothing eventful.

Put up panels...could possibly finish tomorrow- only have half of a crew tomorrow, no crew on Wednesday because there's another Amish wedding, this time in New York.

If we finish putting up the walls tomorrow we'll be at my goal, which is exterior walls in three days.

The weather has NOT been nice to us.

I don't have the entire Amish schedule, but I'm hoping to have the roof panels in place next week, vapor barriers on, weather tight."

Yes, that'z riiiiight, you heard it straight from the source:
Green Modern Kits is being hijacked by the Amish! ; )
Tru.
; )

On my front I have (and am still in the process) been battling some national vendors to lower their cost, and it all came to a head just this week.
So, don't say I don't fight fer ya... ; )

 

Off Grid Passive Solar SIP House Kit Construction, Day 2!

Our zero energy off grid modern house construction update from our wonderful contractor, Ron Bernaldo! Here he explains the progress and his thoughts, as a contractor who has not worked with structural insulated panels (SIP), or a house kit like our passive solar casa ti house kit.

"Eh, I would say it doesn't take a lot of technical expertise to put the panels together but there are quite a few steps involved, so it's not a speedy process.

We got the 44' wall done, and the one 16' wall done, and the first piece around the corner... it wasn't a wonderful day weather-wise, and I had to take care of some things on another job... but all-in-all we've got one guy filling in the framing, 2 setting panels, and the most experienced carpenter following us just framing in the doors & windows.

The factory rep checked in with us... and I had some questions that they walked me through.

I prefer screws to nails or staples, so I deviated from traditional instructions on that.

I put up a 44' wall today.
Normally we have braces all over the place, and there overnight.
I went up to that wall today, and we couldn't shake it.

It's a neat design, I'm really happy with it.

The panels go together EASY. But you do have to do things as you go along, and that's what slows you down.

One more solid day could get us all the way around the perimeter.
If I can get the perimeter done in 3 days, I might do this in 7 days. (That's my goal.)

One of those interior walls will need to go up first to set the roof panel... so that will slow the perimeter/exterior down.

The only thing I'm unhappy with is the amount of material that did not come with the kit. We need material for the clerestory, for the framing of interior, etc. - so I need to account for that.

But I am still considering in my mind the framing for the extending of the roof on one side... that will eat up time.

That's about it!"

Copeland's note: The house kit is *just* the SIPs and SIP parts, of which I had been clear. I will ask him tomorrow why or what he thought would else have been included- they do come with a window and door schedule, but we are very clear about our "bare bones" - which makes it affordable and flexible for the consumer, who could then make their own decisions according to their style and budget.

There is rain in the forecast, which will certainly slow them down... and I also rescheduled the cladding delivery (it was supposed to be delivered Friday) for next Friday (they only deliver on Fridays), because of the rain. Remember, in a rural lot, you do NOT want to get a truck full o' metal modern cladding stuck in the mud!

I am really looking forward to spending the first night with our children in this house, and sharing it with our friends and family. David Day Design did a beautiful job on an affordable, passive solar house kit for Green Modern Kits.

 

Our Modern Zero Energy SIPs House Kit Has Arrived!

Please welcome our handsome guest blogger, our fabulous contractor, OUR HERO!:
Ron Bernaldo of Giant Oaks Construction!
Here is his account of our SIPs modern house kit arrival!

"The truck is 70 feet long.
I did not anticipate that.
The biggest issue was getting it in the driveway - this is a rural property and it took them over an HOUR to make that turn.
We took out the driveway posts, and fortunately there were no large trees that we had to cut down in order to get the truck onto the site.

You don't want a large staff the first day - we used three: myself and two Amish.

The last pictures show everything is staged- they just came bundled, not sorted, so we had to sort everything out (another reason you don't want a lot of people on hand the first day because people might stand around while you're organizing).

We stacked in reverse order so the top is the so when you bring your bigger crew in, it's all ready.

They don't weigh much, but I would have preferred to have a forklift with the forks further apart, and longer. (Because the packages are so big.)

Tomorrow we will not work as there is an Amish wedding.

We're going to start on that long wall, and work our way around, clockwise.

The weather forecast does not look great for the later part of the week.

So we will be keeping an eye on it, because if the cladding arrives Friday we certainly do not want a truck full o' metal being towed out out of the mud at our expense."

Thank you Ron! Finding a *super* contractor who is passionate about efficiency saves YOU money. We are *very* grateful to Ron Bernaldo, and Giant Oaks Construction, in making this project such a success.