Welcome!This blog was created to keep our friends and family updated on our building project, and to share our homebuilding experiences with anyone else out there who's interested. The internet is a powerful tool for expanding one's awareness of new technologies, but it can be overwhelming. That's where a good blog can bring it all together in a way that is up-to-date and specific to one's interests.
We recently purchased a five acre parcel of land in Squaw Valley. It has a driveway and a couple of building pads that were graded in the '80s when the parcel was created, but that's it - no utilities, not even power.
We are currently debating the pros and cons of power sources: whether to have the local utility bring power to our site, or to remain off the grid and use solar. We are finding that the cost will be about the same either way: the local utility charges about $18/LF to run power poles (and the nearest pole is about 1/4 mi. away), while most solar power systems run about $8k to as much as $12k per kW installed (and we would need about 2.5kW to run our house).
We are also researching our options for the other utilities: water (well), sewer (mini-treatment plant) and gas (underground propane tank).
What our land does have is great scenic value and exciting development potential. The rugged terrain and oak woodland are pretty (especially in spring), and the view from the top of our hill is stunning (on a clear day you can see the Coast Range across the Central Valley).
As of this date, we are planning to build our house with non-combustible materials: autoclaved aerated concrete block (AAC) will be used for all exterior walls, while metal framing will be used for the interior, and fiber-cement tiles on the roof. We believe that anyone who builds in the CA foothills should build a FireWise house. The only combustible materials in our home will be interior finishes. It just doesn't make sense to us to take a beautiful piece of Douglas Fir lumber, mill it into a lowly stud and hide it inside a wall!
Future posts to this blog will include some images of the custom home we are currently designing for the site, along with details about the architecture and construction. Stay tuned!
posted by architect | 3:46 PM
3 Comments:
This is really neat. I like the whole FireWise stuff. I do envy the greenry!
This is so cool! This will be the modern day version of "This old House". And for those of us who can't readily visit it's the next best thing to being there! We're looking forward to living vicariously through you guys!!
Pat, Karen, Lauren and Jenna
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