Finally Bought Some Land

[davids]

I wholeheartedly agree with this. Our place is single level and I now hate our other house for having so many stairs!

You definitely need a dog. A big furry bastard, preferably bought from the farmer who owns the orchard.

-Joe

Of course, we went the opposite way - from a single-floor condo (OK, it was up either one or two flights of stairs, depending on the entrance) to a 3-floor house.

20161103_082850.jpg

On the plus side, my wife says her arthritis is actually better now that she's climbing more steps. But we'll have to see where we're at with this in a couple decades...

And no pets. None.

[guido]

Get someone in to talk to confirm your solar ambitions. We have always wanted to do solar but our site just doesn't have the exposure we would need for PV, let alone passive solar heat. You love the trees and might face a dilemma when you learn how many you'd need to clear...

[bcm119]

That's really cool. I love Columbia county, it's a great place for "rural living" without a lot of the usual drawbacks that phrase implies. As a kid growing up in the hudson valley, and being obsessed with meteorology, Columbia county was often the place to be, especially the eastern side in elevated terrain. You'll see way more snow than the river towns, and in the summer the thunderstorms often gain a little kick as they ascend the terrain heading east toward the MA border. There was a pretty big tornado (by northeast standards) back in the mid 90s that crossed the Taconic near Hillsdale and left a swath of sheared-off trees for many years, it's still apparent if you really know where to look.

[lumpy]

Welcome to the neighborhood. I look forward to showing you around a little.

[Matthew J]

Needn't take all that long to build quality. Take a look at the video 1/4 down the page. Thinking about doing this on property I have outside Whitefish.

Quebec based Bone Structure offers similar services. Somewhat more established so should be faster.

Both would work with your architect.

[Markco]

Time to start the tractor discussion.

[echelon_john]

1. Screened porch. Better yet, 2. One for entertaining, one for sleeping out when it's hot or you just feel like it.

2. Not all excavators are created equal. Some will minimize damage/unnecessary tree removal, some just want to clear a big route and nature be damned. Construction is disruptive regardless, but there are ways to keep the land around the house in a close to natural state if that's your thing.

3. Highly recommend living on site for a year before building. Yurt, camper...the more time you spend before you finalize the house site & break ground, the more you'll learn to inform those decisions.

4. No doors under eaves. Adds a whole other layer of snow issues.

5. Design the driveway with a place to put snow and a clear shot for the plow driver. No dead ends they'll have to back drag.

6. Foam insulation. Very tight air sealing.

7. Composite trim & decking. Unless you like yearly maintenance and biannual major service.

8. NY has great tax/rebate incentives for efficiency efforts; check em out.

9. Have fun!

[Matthew Strongin]

1. Screened porch. Better yet, 2. One for entertaining, one for sleeping out when it's hot or you just feel like it.

2. Not all excavators are created equal. Some will minimize damage/unnecessary tree removal, some just want to clear a big route and nature be damned. Construction is disruptive regardless, but there are ways to keep the land around the house in a close to natural state if that's your thing.

3. Highly recommend living on site for a year before building. Yurt, camper...the more time you spend before you finalize the house site & break ground, the more you'll learn to inform those decisions.

4. No doors under eaves. Adds a whole other layer of snow issues.

5. Design the driveway with a place to put snow and a clear shot for the plow driver. No dead ends they'll have to back drag.

6. Foam insulation. Very tight air sealing.

7. Composite trim & decking. Unless you like yearly maintenance and biannual major service.

8. NY has great tax/rebate incentives for efficiency efforts; check em out.

9. Have fun!

I've been telling my wife we need to do #3 ever since we started talking about buying some land. Not to steal Jorn's thread, but any tips on how to convince a city slicker with mountain tendencies to live in a yurt?

[echelon_john]

Make sure your electrical service is enough to power the hot tub and electric blanket?

I've been telling my wife we need to do #3 ever since we started talking about buying some land. Not to steal Jorn's thread, but any tips on how to convince a city slicker with mountain tendencies to live in a yurt?

[Matthew Strongin]

Make sure your electrical service is enough to power the hot tub and electric blanket?

Hot tub might do it.

[j44ke]

1. Screened porch. Better yet, 2. One for entertaining, one for sleeping out when it's hot or you just feel like it.

2. Not all excavators are created equal. Some will minimize damage/unnecessary tree removal, some just want to clear a big route and nature be damned. Construction is disruptive regardless, but there are ways to keep the land around the house in a close to natural state if that's your thing.

3. Highly recommend living on site for a year before building. Yurt, camper...the more time you spend before you finalize the house site & break ground, the more you'll learn to inform those decisions.

4. No doors under eaves. Adds a whole other layer of snow issues.

5. Design the driveway with a place to put snow and a clear shot for the plow driver. No dead ends they'll have to back drag.

6. Foam insulation. Very tight air sealing.

7. Composite trim & decking. Unless you like yearly maintenance and biannual major service.

8. NY has great tax/rebate incentives for efficiency efforts; check em out.

9. Have fun!

Good list. All are good points, but we are definitely doing #3. Maybe the aforementioned Airstream but more likely a platform with a tin roof and a tent.

There is going to be some vegetable damage regardless. Our approved septic design is full of trees right now, so those have to go I believe. But in about 70% of the land, cutting is verboten due to covenants & restrictions in the title meant to keep the town green and well treed. So we have an excuse for walling off sections from machines. But I know contractor-based destruction.

Matt - I think you have to show your wife (is she the yurt resistant one?) all the yurts on Cabin Porn. They aren't necessarily roughing it.

[Mabouya]

Since you have the creek, have you considered something like this? ;)

[rwsaunders]

Jorn...I think that I posted a link a while back but in case that I didn't, this is a great book for organizing your (and your wife's) thoughts about your home's function, space and spatial relationships. Even though the book is now 40 years old, the principles of the space planning and design process are well established and systematic and I know that you two will have fun with it or I buy the next round of espresso. Take a look too at the link to an example of a pattern.

Bookstore: A Pattern Language

a pattern language – the life of wahlet

PatternLanguage.com

[j44ke]

Since you have the creek, have you considered something like this? ;)

Beautiful building, but the contractor has gone out of business and the architect isn't answering his phone.

Jorn...I think that I posted a link a while back but in case that I didn't, this is a great book for organizing your (and your wife's) thoughts about your home's function, space and spatial relationships. Even though the book is now 40 years old, the principles of the space planning and design process are well established and systematic and I know that you two will have fun with it or I buy the next round of espresso. Take a look too at the link to an example of a pattern.

Bookstore: A Pattern Language

a pattern language – the life of wahlet

PatternLanguage.com

I have a copy sitting in the living room. Been reading it in between bicycle races. It is interesting to see all the organizing principles broken down and treated like well, a pattern or sequence or assembly, even (or perhaps especially) the form you are considering is breaking down that pattern and switching it around.

[vertical_doug]

The upside of living in a yurt for a year, is after building your dream house, the yurt can become the Vsalon guest yurt. Your property is in prime DCT, vertical_doug, Christian and other denizens of signature riding locations near Bish Bash, Mt Washington, and lots of dirt roads. I think we can all agree on this plan.

I wish you luck, it can be a real chore. I built a hand-hewn log home in mountains. I'd never do it again, but glad I did it once.

As someone else mentioned, resist the urge to overbuild.

I am not recommending this, but this home was featured on a BBC Country home series. It was built by Gluck+ in the Catskills. It seems like it would not fit into the area, but because of the outside reflective material, it blends right into the surroundings and is hard to see. The views 9m up are incredible. Since it was on TV, probably means it is for sale by now.

Tower House by Gluck+

[guido]

Tower House by Gluck+

Wow! This house is amazing! Thanks for posting.

[znfdl]

Needn't take all that long to build quality. Take a look at the video 1/4 down the page. Thinking about doing this on property I have outside Whitefish.

Quebec based Bone Structure offers similar services. Somewhat more established so should be faster.

Both would work with your architect.

Matthew: I am not trying to hijack this thread, but do you know anyone that has worked with Bone Structure, as this might be a good solution for a house that I want to build. Thanks.

[j44ke]

This should work.



Aerodynamics would improve if they closed the roof vents though.

I think I know where that Tower House is. I might have even met the owner. There are quite a few modern architectural builds stashed throughout Columbia County and Greene County (Catskills.)

We'll definitely have a gravel-based shindig when things get built.

[rec head]

Those are spoilers to keep the thing on the ground. The high speed photography doesn't show how fast they are really going.

When I checked out the Gluck house webpage my first thought was that it looks awesome. My second thought was about all the birds that are going to fly into it. Good luck cleaning that off the windows.

[mjbabcock]

Wow! This house is amazing! Thanks for posting.

Can you imagine the pile of dead Birds at the base of that house? Must sound awful in spring, with the constant "thud", "thud", "thud"