Last summer we walked our land with our architect selecting the trees that would be used to build the house. We were looking for trees that had specific dimensions and in some cases particular branching patterns. We were also looking for trees that were growing too close to their neighbors […]
The temperature for March 15 around Madison WI typically varies from 27°F to 41°F. Today it hit 80. It’s never done that before. All the more reason to build the most energy efficient, sustainable building practices house that we can. That meant working outside in tee shirts, although in the […]
It’s time for an update on building our house because things have been moving along swiftly this winter. Last summer we went over our 44 acres with Roald Gundersen and Della Hansmann from Whole Trees Architecture, selecting specific trees to be part of the house based on both their suitability […]
Guest post by Doug Hansmann In our new house, we intend to maximize our use of solar energy with both a comprehensive passive solar design and an array of four solar hot water panels installed in the back yard. A couple of months ago we migrated away from a deep […]
As Doug and I start to build our house, I find myself thinking about my parents first building project. When my parents married, my father built their first house out of two Sears pre-fab garage kits. His father and uncle helped him, and they did every bit of the work […]
When we got out to our land last Friday it had been transformed into a winter wonderland. Thursday we had been clearing and burning the tops and side branches of the pine trees that had been harvested over the last two weeks for use as un-milled rafters and joists as […]
For the past two weeks, two men and a chainsaw have been felling trees all over our 44 acres, winching them out of the woods with a tractor and pulling them down to the barnyard where they wait to be shaped into unmilled timber frame members over the next few […]
HOW LOW CAN WE GO? When we first started thinking about designing a new house some eight years ago, I said I wanted a passive solar design and a house that was so well insulated that we could heat it with a candle. Years of study have taught me that […]
Last summer (see my post Peeling Trees for our House) we selected the trees on our land that will be used to build our house, and Tuesday December 5, 20011, our construction foreman, Bryan Dalstrom started felling those trees so they can be prepped for construction, working with Kellen Anderson […]
Your roller coaster creeps slowly, slowly toward the top of the track, and for a moment, you pause before plummeting. It’s a moment in which you are eager for the thrilling plunge and yet, you may also be asking yourself whatever possessed you to get on this ride. There is […]
Digging in the Driftless 