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 Green Home Takes On The Wind Chill. And The Passive Solar Net Zero Prefab Fabulously Triumphs.

Wind chill of 14? Actually, I was corrected: The wind chill was FOUR. 
It's a windy day at the prefab green home.

As long term readers might notice, during extreme weather our favorite game in the net zero modern prefab (still with no heating / power systems installed) is to compare the outdoor temperature with the indoor temperature.

We have no heat. We have no electricity.
But we certainly have fun measuring the effectiveness of the structural insulated panels + passive solar design in the prefab house kit on a dinky (one arrow missing that's supposed to indicate humidity) thermometer.

A Lovely Lady From Leeds : )  asked,

Mel, I don't know. We certainly can (and should) have someone measure it, but because it is our private home despite my being the founder, well, I previously thought, "Eh. It's more fun doing the dial-y thermometer thang."

Your interest has prompted me to take it more seriously and add it to the "to do's."

[I have a similar attitude towards LEED accreditation. Don't kill me! (The firms are all LEED accredited; I just don't see the benefit for the consumer to certify a house they don't intend to sell, and am approaching this house as an "average" consumer of my own house kit. ]


This is all stuff we as professionals know, documented by passive haus, passive houses, SIPs manufacturers, etc., but when I (even though we intelligently know it) put it into practice by turning a thermometer into a family game... oh, it's so much more fun. : )

In summer, we marveled at 100° harsh heat in the fields, yet inside the off grid prefab green home, it was a comfortable 85°, and the cross breezes from the open windows made it even more pleasant.  Now we test the prefab house kit in icy, bitter temps with a few intermittent days of overcast skies.


Handsome Husband reports: "Windchill is 4°.  Last night it went down to 18°, today's highs will be 27°.  Yet the prefab green house kit is 45° on arrival."

Yes, that's cold.
But it has been overcast for days in temperatures in the teens and twenties. This proves that despite daily temperatures being such, the interior of the prefab green home will not freeze.  This is great news.


After spending a day researching modern supercoolio wood stoves after discovering the promised family wood stove was mine no longer, I admit defeat: Why would I spend $1,500-$3,500 on a modern, cool  wood stove we will use so little in the energy efficient, passive solar SIPs house?

Yet the wood stove is comforting as back up once our solar systems are installed, there to dry wet mittens and sopping snow clothes and to cook on if need be.

It's 11:00. Handsome Husband calls to say the prefab house is already 49-50° from him just moving around. Imagine how fast a big wood stove would heat that efficient, insulated space...and then overheat. If it's easily 50s inside when the temperature outside will not rise above freezing today, our original concern is correct - we would easily overheat the house with a big stove.

I researched battery-powered heaters, but they were either too small or not exactly safe for indoor use. [Understaaaaaatement!]


So... we bought a wood stove.
It's ugly. It's not a nostalgic family hand-me-down.

It's definitely not modern. 
Handsome Husband is consoling me with, "Well, you could kinda cook on it..."
*sob*

After spending the past 24 hours frantically researching what new products have come on the market since I last looked (a lot of nice modern wood stoves now), in the end I said, "Fine, solve the issue NOW, let's pay someone to install this NOW, so we can freaking enjoy our prefab modern house kit NOW."

Each dollar we spend on something unexpected (like the unexpected cost of a $1,000+ wood stove) is a dollar that should be going to off grid solar systems and hiring local labor to install them.

We will now bemusedly note how many years the original, "free" wood stove given to me will sit in my parent's basement until Mr. Wil "I Will Sue You For Everything You Own" Sakowski claims it... IF he ever does.


[Readers: Please bear with me in these last two posts as bitterness tinged these references... My life, and my dear, lifelong friends are an entirely happy different story. It's all good. : ) Besides, being a bandit is much more rewarding and adventurous. ]

Handsome Husband calls:
"I'm leaving! And in the prefab house kit it's 54 degrees." (3:40 p.m.)
Me: "What'd you do?"
[Understaaaaatement!]

He...

• Met with the roofers
  
• Unloaded the modern bed and put it together
• Installed the Danish mid-century daybed
  
• Drove to Appomattox and bought a wood stove
• Examined the scouting camera (Awwww, Bambi!)
• Sorted some of the VMI basketball wood
  

Y'know. That's all... ; )
Stay tuned...
The next post is where I rearrange all the furniture.

 

Prefab Green Home Contractor Meeting Rescheduled.

I have just rescheduled the meeting (previously cancelled due to snow last week) with our contractor in the prefab green home for Saturday.

Of course, the next comment from my coworker, Amy, was, "Did you hear they're calling for more snow?"

We. Shall. See.

In the meantime, we had Gwendolyn & Damon Pearson over for dinner last night.  You may already be aware of Damon Pearson, our Princeton-trained architect, partner in the fabulous design and fabrication firm, Tektonics, and designer of our sister modern prefab site, Green Cabin Kits. 

We have some upcoming big news on those prefab green homes – we are now modifying them to be fabricated like the rest of our prefab house kits (modern prefab at Green Modern Kits, and prefab cottages at Green Cottage Kits) – already passive solar, and built with SIPs, the prefab cabins will now be fabricated at plants throughout the United States, not just Tektonics.  We will be publishing those new designs in January.

I am also adding new voices to Green Cabin Kits – the Pearsons.

Gwendolyn will provide a counter point to the industrial and prefab design / technical voice that Damon, as the architect, will add.  Oh, she will be off topic (and likely off color) – but leads such an interesting life as an environmental educator for a national nonprofit that I want to share her daily musings with the world.  There were *so* many tales told over the table last evening it certainly could provide fodder for months of postings!  (Ask her about the bucket of eels…)

Of course, when there was a wane in conversation, we always had the dogs to entertain us… (see below video…)

That’s all I can say for now… in the meantime, I hope you enjoy the food pics from dinners this week!

And more exciting news on all our prefab house kits coming after the New Year.

 

 

I am playing with Posterous + Google Wave while killing time to go to my parents.

Reply Edit 11:19 am I am playing with Posterous + Google Wave while killing time to go to my parents. Here's a pic from last year's Thanksgiving there! : ) Bienvenue Bienvenue (yes, I named one of the Prefab Cottages after their house, in honor of them) was built in 1801 on a farm in Hanover county, then moved to Richmond in the 1920s. Oh wow. In looking for a pic of my parent's house I just found a bunch of prefab house kit pics - it was this time LAST YEAR our mod prefab house kit arrived!!! The house kit / shell / windows & doors went up in about a week. And here it is a year later and I haven't done the interior. We're doing it in stages because we won't move there until the children finish 5th grade because they are in a special educational program. In the meantime, we're certainly having fun camping in it! So, for fun, here's some pictures of the prefab modern house kit from last year arriving and being constructed on the land! (More videos, etc. here in the October / November / December 2008 archives: http://www.greenmodernkits.com/2008_11_01_archive.html) Amish forklift The SIPs house kit panels are unloaded Putting together the prefab... Prefab house walls going up... Prefab construction... SIPs A storm approaches... On the roof... From the north... Getting weather tight... Interior... clerestory windows... Windows go in... Week 1: We have shelter!!!! Well, there's some pictures from week 1 of our modern prefab net zero house kit! After years of camping in that 1960s (still beloved) teardrop camper, I am grateful for the shelter and energy efficiency of the prefab passive solar house. Reply Edit Reply Edit

 

Modern Prefab House Kit: Preparing For The Prefab Open House

Sharp eyes might have noticed the top south cladding panel on the modern prefab house kit was a bit... muddy. As the last panel in the stack of cladding, it had been a victim to the rain and gathered mud before the Amish installed it. Normally this would be a simple annoyance, but when you're a net zero off grid passive solar house with the systems not yet in place... well, it's not like you can just pull out a hose and wash the prefab house off, is it?



I, already overwhelmed with work... avoided the issue over the summer.

But the Prefab House Kit Open House loomed...
and...
we found an *excellent* solution!

There are sprayers you can buy that pump - ironically, for this eco house, the sprayers are intended to spray pesticides. (Oh, the irony!)

But for us?

Cleansing water swept the dirt away,
and the prefab house kit is shiny again!



Prefab House Kit: Finally washed the mud off the modern house kit! from Copeland Casati on Vimeo.
The weekend in the prefab was full of such serendipity:
The tractor had a flat; oh the stress of "how-much-we-had-to-do"... It was imperative to get the wheel to the closest tractor repair shop, fifteen minutes away, in historic Appomattox before noon. We piled into the car... and ended up whiling away hours there.

We strolled the streets, taking in the old homes, storefronts, and history. We leisurely ate at Granny Bee's (now don't you evah be in a hurry at Granny Bee's... and make sure you get the stewed tomatoes & spoonbread with your meal!). The 6yr old got a hair cut. And I found a new favorite thrift store.

You may have noticed I'm not only an enthusiast of cutting-edge modern design (www.GreenModernKits.com, www.GreenCabinKits.com), but a huge fan and avid preservationist of old architecture. (AND love old cottage architecture redesigned for the next 200 years: www.GreenCottageKits.com...)

Here are some pictures from Appomattox- and yes, I will get a better picture of that log cabin next time...we were driving quite fast to make it to the Tractor Store in time before it closed... I highly recommend taking the time to visit Appomattox if you are here next weekend for the Prefab House Kit Open House. You could start your day there, walk around, shop, eat lunch, then head over, or, if you stay the weekend, visit the next day. Here is what one bed & breakfast recommends, and also check out Tour Appomattox for events.



We then raced back to Richmond the next morning to support good friends and research for juvenile diabetes by participating in the annual Juvenile Diabetes Research Walk.
What a weekend.
I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

And yes, the Passive Solar Prefab Open House IS next weekend.

Wish me luck... with muddy children, dogs, and Handsome Husband undoing my every broom sweep and cleaning... it will be heartfelt but certainly not over planned. This is more to see the structural insulated panels (SIPs) in the prefab house kit before we finish it in affordable style.

We will have prefab green building architects from Green Modern Kits and Green Cabin Kits present. Unfortunately, despite their enthusiasm for biking, our prefab cottage architects involved with Green Cottage Kits are unable to attend- as they are in Seattle!

I am looking forward to welcoming our prefab enthusiasts, neighbors and family friends to our special community here in historic, rural Virginia.

 

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.)