Today was a special day - the official "topping off" of our new building. The construction team, foundation staff, and architectural team braved the frigid temperatures to sign the final structural beam and watch it get hoisted into place on the foundation's building.

It was fitting to top off on the coldest week of the year - we broke ground last summer during the hottest! Each team member signed his or her name, and we added a few other names of people who are integral to the building but couldn't be there today. That way, hundred of years from now, whoever reclaims the materials from our building will know who was involved in the beginning.

Here is a link to all the photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30332040@N04/sets/72157612572243146/

This Log House - Entry 2

You have to give the designer-builders of the 19th century a lot of credit.

Barry and I studied and calculated how to place the new-old house to achieve the greatest possible solar gain, only to discover that John Miller (no relation) had already done so when he sited the original house 160 years ago. So we’re building right where he put his foundation, expanding the footprint only a couple feet to accommodate a bigger log house and placing the log structure on a daylight basement to take greater advantage of the south-facing slope. Mr. Miller’s foundation stones will be used to face a retaining wall.

Whoever designed the house we’re re-assembling put only a few openings on the north and west sides – and more on the south and east sides – to maximize energy efficiency in the winter by reducing the chilling effect of the prevailing northwest winds and opening the house to the sun. A south-side porch shaded the windows in the summer, when the sun is high in the sky. That is passive solar design, whatever they may have called it in 1850.

So “green building” decisions made by previous generations have given us lots to work with. Modern technologies and research have given us even more.

Successful blending of 19th and 21st century technologies and materials requires attention to detail and willingness to revise what seemed to be perfect plans. The skills of conscientious craftsmen are essential to make the pieces fit. We found them, and we’ll be happy to name names.

Next: a firm foundation

Topping Off

Readers of this blog are invited to join us at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14 for a brief "Topping Off" Ceremony as the last piece of steel is erected on the building at 3rd and Court Streets.

Topping off ceremonies are an ancient tradition in the building business. If you'd like to join us, we'd love to have you come sign the final beam before it's installed and make your mark on our historic building.

This Log House - Entry 1

Green buildings come in many forms. This is ours.

A bit of background: We purchased the get-away land we love in Upper Tulpehocken Township, up against Blue Mountain, to enjoy and preserve the woodland and with the intention of restoring the original 1850s log house on the property. After twenty years of weekend visits and good intentions, we had finally started to bring the house into the 20th century (you know, adding plumbing and electricity and removing the live-in varmints), when it unaccountably burned down. We soon decided to build green on the same site.

After a lot of study, inspired by the ideas in Sarah Susanka’s “Not So Big House” books -- and with valuable suggestions from Bill Vitale at DesignWorks and Neal Hess, designer at George Longenecker & Sons, a nearby construction firm -- Barry and I designed a pretty neat (if I do say so myself), modern passive solar house. But then a not-to-be-missed opportunity to buy adjacent mountain land for preservation came up, reducing the building budget. The same week, we heard that a sound, 24x28 foot, 2-story log house of almost exactly the same vintage as our original, and just five miles away, was scheduled for immediate demolition if a new site could not be found. Sold! The house was disassembled a few days later and, after sitting in pieces on our lawn this summer, is rising again – in modern “green” form.

Next: working with the site – and decisions made 160 years ago