Finally Bought Some Land

[j44ke]

Jorn, Why the rock garden area of the roof? Guessing it has some purpose, or just asthetics?
Thanks

That's stone ballast on top of the porch roof. The load bearing capacity of that area is less than the main structure, so there aren't any planting structures there. However, to offset the lifting/peeling action of wind, the membrane has an added layer of rock on top. Not necessary except when it is necessary. And we get a lot of wind so it is necessary. Hard to imagine the membrane could release after feeling the strength of the adhesive that holds it down, but there is a lot of worst-case-scenario prevention built into the house.

[j44ke]

Don't know if it'd work, but can the bluebird houses be placed up there?

Yes, but they'd have to go on a weighted tripod arrangement. Not really anywhere to bolt into and better not to puncture the roof membrane. Plus we'd likely have to tie it into our lightning rod system. So possible but the ground is easier as long as the bears behave.

[j44ke]

Thanks Jorn for the comprehensive update. On the roof plants - noted. The constant transformation is the appeal.

On your cabinetry - it is getting increasingly hard to find good craftspeople. Pre-Covid we had our kitchen replaced with an Italian factory made install that took 5 months to arrive. The first installers up and left as soon as they saw the boxes. The second guy was a pedantic German migrant in his 70s who reveled in the challenge. His installation work in an 1870s DC row house is some of the best carpentry I've seen. It was certainly money well spent!

Glad you're enjoying the house. Your photos have certainly provided inspiration for us as we look at our next project in Portugal.

Portugal! Kirsten Dirksen on YouTube might be interesting to you. She can be annoying but the people she interviews are interesting. And their house projects are often amazing. This is one my wife and I identify strongly with, especially when the owner talks about how the mountain controls whether her kitchen cabinets open and close properly. We have our own mountain.

[j44ke]

As usual, absolutely beautiful, Jorn.

When the time comes for you to go PV, give me a shout. We're fully covered now and couldn't be happier. Energy costs in our area also went up and between that and regular outages due to winter storms and summer fires we are chuffed to be off-grid. You've certainly got the footprint to do the same, depending on what your energy needs are like.

Thanks! I will definitely check in. Friends across the Hudson from us just signed up for an installation that will handle everything, but it sounds like there is a multi-month waiting list before work begins. I we they and everybody is looking at their utility bill and thinking no time like the present.

[72gmc]

Jorn, has your house been featured anywhere (other than here)?

[j44ke]

Jorn, has your house been featured anywhere (other than here)?

The architects responsible just published a book on the houses they've designed for sites in the Hudson Valley, called "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a House". Our house is one of the thirteen.

[davids]

I may have to ask for details of your sedum plantings. For next year once our new walkways are finished and we can finally fill in the landscaping in that corner of our yard.

That roof is beautiful!

[j44ke]

Jorn, has your house been featured anywhere (other than here)?

The house just got featured as "House of the Month" in the December issue of Architectural Record. I think both the photographer and the writer of the text did an excellent job. These things are so often laced with passive-aggressive animus, but this is clean as a whistle. The photographer did insist on removing a lot of personal effects from the house, so it is a lot more minimal in photos than it is in real life. No shoes at the door, no rugs, no doohickeys, no whatnots, no thingamabobs, and absolutely no macrame.

The link is somewhat irritatingly limited to one free viewing per household so crowd the family around, eh?

https://www.architecturalrecord.com/...-new-york-home

[72gmc]

The photographer did insist on removing a lot of personal effects from the house, so it is a lot more minimal in photos than it is in real life. No shoes at the door, no rugs, no doohickeys, no whatnots, no thingamabobs, and absolutely no macrame.

Of course! It's not often that a home looks anything other than unnaturally clean and uncluttered in a photo feature. I suppose it's the best way to see the features of a house, but it could be informative to also see photos that show how the house is lived in. If the residents agree.

[mnoble485]

Jorn,
Great write up but they left out the tractor, critter cam, chainsaws….

Mike

PS You guys did a great job and like many here I enjoyed the ride along.

[Ras72]

My-o-my, what a difference 5.5 years makes! I followed this from the very beginning and inspired my wife and I to do something similar. Taking us a bit longer than expected but we'll get there.
The last line in that article is telling - 'to design a house we didn't know we wanted'. Hiring a firm to provide such a great design is money well spent.
Congrats to you both!!

[robin3mj]

Great press, Jorn! Loved seeing the staged photos and that shot of the house disappearing into the landscape is fascinating.

I don’t know that we’ll ever have the opportunity to build a house but in my eyes it’d be one story (retirement home) and L or U shaped in order to have a partially wind-protected deck, and aesthetically very much like yours.

[j44ke]

Thanks all. Nothing is perfect but this house is fun to live in. And a learning experience to build. Whoo boy and howdy. I get the shakes just thinking about all the learning.

I was telling my wife the other day that now the building is done we can get on with the repairs.

[Corso]

"and absolutely no macrame."

Nice...

Congrats, it's perfectly stunning- a sincere thanks for sharing your journey with all of us!