Finally Bought Some Land

[AngryScientist]

this is very exciting. congratulations.

the prospect of building a house to your specs and desires is really supremely cool. if it were me, i would look into super efficient constuction, with old style flare. i would definitely want a mass stove, where you can lite a small fire in a fireplace with the flue gas travelling through stone walls, cozy stone benches and metal fixtures to keep the house warm with minimal fuel input. lots of natural light. a cool roof.

awesome man, keep us posted!

[j44ke]

So this is the house we tried to buy originally but the owners wouldn't move on the price at all. We visited it on a windless 90F day, and when we got inside and opened everything up, there was this cool breeze and the house was very comfortable. No air conditioning. Just the thermal design of the house. Worked very well.







What we want from the architects is the same level of energy smarts, aesthetics and creativity but not the same house. Their design is focused on the site itself, and the energy requirements, the light, the shade, etc. so what they come up with will likely have a different appearance but (hopefully) the same or sharper level of acuity as the house that started us down this path. In two weekends, we'll go out to the land with them and spend the day talking about all the possibilities and limitations in situ as the first step.

Thanks for the encouragement here. It helps keep me thinking on the right level.

[davids]

You lost me with the shed.

Your aesthetic is very, very modern. I think you'll end up either (1) building something cheap and ugly that you'll want to disappear or (2) spending way too much on a lovely outbuilding you don't need or want.

Pitch a tent. A really nice one will cost 1/4 of the price of a minimally acceptable shed and will be useful when you camp.

[j44ke]

You lost me with the shed.

Your aesthetic is very, very modern. I think you'll end up either (1) building something cheap and ugly that you'll want to disappear or (2) spending way too much on a lovely outbuilding you don't need or want.

Pitch a tent. A really nice one will cost 1/4 of the price of a minimally acceptable shed and will be useful when you camp.

[caleb]

Pitch a tent. A really nice one will cost 1/4 of the price of a minimally acceptable shed and will be useful when you camp.

Wall tent on a platform floor with an awning on the front will be more comfortable than an Airstream, for a lot less money.




Sheds and trailers have a tendency to stink and mold in wet climates over the long run.

[Badonkadonk]

I can help you with this problem.

please elaborate, like, immediately

[Badonkadonk]

.

hi, that's INSANELY cool

the fam and i have been occupied renovating an old house on 185 of the most glorious acres of VT i've ever seen. i've owned it since November and I'm not sure I've physically experienced more than about 15 or so of the acres. takes TIME to learn land and really see it under a range of conditions. oh man oh man you're gonna have fun!!!

[Badonkadonk]

i will add a vote for a good outbuilding though i haven't figured out what i want yet. there has to be a place to store:
- snowmobiles
- atvs
- side-by-side / UTVs
- trucks
- tractors
- plows
- zambonis

etc. you get the idea.

also throwing in a vote for a natural swim / skate pond when you get the opportunity, and to figure it into your site planning

[Markco]

Looked at doing a metal building but SO said we needed more curb appeal.IMG_1864.jpg

[Ras72]

Jorn,
Congrats! Land and potential home designs look amazing. I'm subscribed!
I long for the day to build this:Modern scandinavian house in Canada | Residence Design

[j44ke]

My gut says Davids is right - focus on the tent. Maybe as advanced as the one Caleb has pictured, but a tent seems like the thing. And definitely a platform. That will make my wife happy, and they are easily built.

I think the bike/dirigible storage design is going to take a while. Details matter.

Those Scandinavians know their blackened timber! Cool idea - the wood is seared essentially, which makes the surface bug-proof and protects it from weather. Nice kitchen too.

[j44ke]

hi, that's INSANELY cool

the fam and i have been occupied renovating an old house on 185 of the most glorious acres of VT i've ever seen. i've owned it since November and I'm not sure I've physically experienced more than about 15 or so of the acres. takes TIME to learn land and really see it under a range of conditions. oh man oh man you're gonna have fun!!!

You need to cut some trails. And get a gator.

[ElvisMerckx]

Have you considered a shipping container conversion? Much more solid than a tent, and you can repurpose it as a guest house, workshop, or shed once the house is built.

[jesseth]

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.

I would be very leery of going the Bone Structure route. Steel & spray foam do not a healthy house make and their portfolio is mostly renderings at this point. A solid thermal bridge coated in toxic plastic won't end up energy efficient or resource efficient, no matter what the claims.

If your goals are energy efficient and offset fabricated, use fabricators with experience with Passive House design & construction. For more appropriate fabricators to talk to once your architects have your schematic complete I would put Bensonwood / Unity and Eco-Cor first on your list. Both good friends, with many years of real projects up and going along with very sophisticated systems and ecologically minded material selection and performance.

Bensonwood is as sophisticated as they come, their in-house traditional style masks what they can do for outside designers (Gray-Organschi, Kieran Timberlake, etc). Just across the way in S NH: Bensonwood Collaborations

Eco-Cor has invested heavily in sophisticated Swedish panelization equipment, and is deeply committed to non-toxic and low embodied energy products. Eco-Cor

Just to add to the pile...

[j44ke]

Bensonwood looks like an interesting company.

[RanOverMyTongue]

Congrats. I live in the woods (pinyon-juniper forest) and our lot is surrounded by thousands of acres of BLM land. You get spoiled quickly- camping in Moab always seems so friggin noisy I think I'm in a city. Buy a good chainsaw and learn how to take care of it, consider a workhorse 4-wheeler with trailer and plow, and of course, trail-building tools. Grow a beard, buy some flannel. Learn to maximize your trips to town, the crap you forgot can wait until tomorrow's trip. Or until Tuesday. As you design the house, remember that everyone on this forum wants a ride-in ride-out bike shop with bench, stereo, tv, kegerator, and heated fooor, and we are counting on you to step up. We will be stopping by to inspect before you know it.

[j44ke]

Congrats. I live in the woods (pinyon-juniper forest) and our lot is surrounded by thousands of acres of BLM land. You get spoiled quickly- camping in Moab always seems so friggin noisy I think I'm in a city. Buy a good chainsaw and learn how to take care of it, consider a workhorse 4-wheeler with trailer and plow, and of course, trail-building tools. Grow a beard, buy some flannel. Learn to maximize your trips to town, the crap you forgot can wait until tomorrow's trip. Or until Tuesday. As you design the house, remember that everyone on this forum wants a ride-in ride-out bike shop with bench, stereo, tv, kegerator, and heated fooor, and we are counting on you to step up. We will be stopping by to inspect before you know it.

Aye aye, Cap'n. And thanks for the PM advice too. Much appreciated.

[DCT]

Jorn,

Ideally my room will have a nice view. I'll buy the Egyptian linens and tequila.

Sincerely,
DCT

[znfdl]

I would be very leery of going the Bone Structure route. Steel & spray foam do not a healthy house make and their portfolio is mostly renderings at this point. A solid thermal bridge coated in toxic plastic won't end up energy efficient or resource efficient, no matter what the claims.

I contacted Bon Structure and there costs are out of whack, a finished building, not including the lot nor site work is $300-500 per square foot. Our on-site built including site work will be $200 per square foot. People keep on saying that pre-fabricated houses are less expensive, but.....

[Badonkadonk]

anyone here ever put up a barn on the cheap that's not terrible to look at? currently lost in pre-fab metal, post and beam nonsense, steel truss stuff. how can i buy my dream Can Am Maverick/Defender if I ain't got nowhere to park it??