February 9, 2014
I put my architect hat on and starting researching, conceptualizing, sketching, building models, and worrying. Nothing can prepare you for the momentous act of building a house. It is about the biggest thing you will ever do. and every little detail must eventually be considered.
The final result is a complex aggregate of decisions and materials that will haunt you forever.
My experience ran to; building an out house, building a chicken coop, and- not to be discounted, a junior high school class called: the Wonderful World of Construction. this, and the Wonderful World of Manufacturing, were mid 1970’s curricula that acknowledged, that even in my well endowed, upper middle class, university town, school district, not all students were college bound, and early vocational training would benefit the future work force.
In this class we learned about every aspect of construction, from drawing and reading blueprints, building models and using tools. We broke up into small groups and built models of houses from foundation up- small cross-sections that included; installing plumbing, electrical wiring, insulation, and duct work, we laid flooring, and roofing, tile, sheet rock, and wallpaper we installed window trim, and ceilings, all on 3/4 size models stacked like books in the classrooms construction yard.
I never realized how much I had learned in this class until it was time to build.The idea of alternative methods of construction was attractive, but given the commitment of time and expense involved it seemed that the less risky idea was the tried and true techniques. This and the option of having a a close neighbor help, who had experience with standard construction methods, turned the tide. I say he helped, but actually I was the helper. He became the foreman on the job, setting the days agenda, for which we paid him a modest hourly wage. After laying out the site, we broke ground in the early spring of 1990. Tanya and I excavated for the foundation, we mixed concrete by hand and cast the pier block foundation in place.
Art & Life 9
Then the framing began and the small house I had imagined, quickly became large, as did the muscles of my hammer arm. By late summer we had a shell framed and closed in, and hopefully weather tight.
Over the next year Tanya and I installed the interior- plumbing, wires, insulation, floor, walls, window trim, kitchen, and wood stove. Stepping back and taking a breath, I was aghast- What had we done?
We had just built a plywood box in the woods, revealing our middle class bourgeois roots!
But that sensation passed soon enough as we moved in. The old cabin became storage and studio until its decay required a teardown. After years of living in this house I have identified a million things I would have done differently, but, it has successfully housed years of comfort and memories.
RIGHT: the house is just peeking through.
This picture is from the same vantage point as above with the grassy field in the foreground, The same pine tree on the left.
THE LATEST FACELIFT 2013: after some water damage was repaired, and the aging shingles re-roofed, our little box in the woods has a new lease on life.
THE NEW GARDEN BEGINS.
Find more at the ‘stories continue’ archive