Monday, March 27, 2006

From house to trailer

All went well and we are now homeless (as David says). The closing went smoothly and we picked up the 29 foot trailer. Things are a bit muddy and it is still pretty cold, but the trailer is now in place (after a lot of frost heaves from Auburn to Industry).

We hooked up the generator and moved the necessities into the drawers. The dogs are quite confused, but very interested in the smells and roaming area. As a matter of fact, that can be a problem until we get a fence up. They spent the first night in the garage -- Milos managed to find a jug of liquid plant food -- which ended up all over his nicely made bed. He must have just played with it as he had no side effects. So, Sunday we moved a kennel (which was already there) into the garage and they now have a safe secure place to stay -- or a jail. Hopefully, that will help Dave to stay sane.

The furniture was due to arrive today, but I had to come back to work. I plan on a visit tomorrow. I will try to remember the camera and snap a picture of it all stacked in the garage.
Keep your fingers crossed for an early Spring here in the northeast. I have started an album for summer / construction pics. There are only 2 shots there now, but it should grow over the next few months. You can see it here:
http://www.sharonbetts.org/photo/thumbnails.php?album=19

Monday, March 20, 2006

The countdown

Wow - it was a busy weekend as Dave and I packed up boxes and prepared for the Friday closing. Ryan and Robyn came by and stuffed her Subaru -- they plan on being back sometime this week to re-fill it. Micah was there to say hi. He got his stuff earlier-- he is presently sharing a house with an old friend and they took some of the excess furniture. It is too bad that we will be moving further away from them; I hope they make the trek up to see us (at least occassionally).

Today, both Dave and I were on the lot, but not together (that seems to be the status lately). Things are looking good there and drying out daily. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for the weather this Spring.

No pictures today -- but I will post a few of the "summer-house" after we park it on the lot. 4 days to closing............

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Carpet and Wood - not my floors!!

Carpets and Wood? Not us

Floors and Walls in a concrete house, hmmmmm....
I have been researching different types of floors which look good but don't deter from the concept of thermal mass . It would pretty crazy to have a wall of south facing windows and then cover the mass with carpets. And (as anyone who has visited us knows, owning two 100+ pound dogs doesn't go well with carpet anyway).

So, ever heard of Acid etched concrete?
Picture from decorative-concrete.net
Acid stains are made from hydrochloric acid, wetting agents and metallic ions. The stain chemically combines with the concrete to form great colors.


Slate and natural stone?
from http://www.stonesource.com/
Being a natural at heart, these are probably my favorites. We have slate under our present wood stove and it has been great. I have read that it should be sealed, but takes very little maintenance. There are many colors and shapes to choose from, too.

Anyone have other ideas? Let me know...

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Boxing and Planning

Closing is now set on our Wells house. David has been busy setting up appointments with the General Contractor, the electric company, etc. And then there is the challenge of a final floor plan. We can easily design the perfect plan, but unless we win Power Ball.... Well. Anyway, we have one that has been given to our contractor for an estimate. I will put a copy of it here as soon as I can sketch it out. It holds true to our berms on 3 sides, south windows and 2 bedrooms. I managed to get my dream Tulikivi stove included (at least in this draft). If you don't know about Tulikivi, (TWO-lee-KEE-vee) soapstone fireplaces and ovens, check out: http://www.mainemasonrystove.com/ This distributor is only a few miles from where I am working and I visited them a few weeks ago. The warmth of that soapstone and beauty of the unit completely won me over. And since you can bake a pizza in 4 minutes in the oven, made it even more desirable.

So, we are packing and shuffling -- look for the plan here soon. Sharon