We got a break in the weather late on Thanksgiving Day and superinsulated the west curtain-wall. With rain and snow forecast for the next three days, we had to work late into the evening covering the insulation with a Typar shell.
These photos and those of the previous post depict our initial experimentation with the exterior superinsulation retrofit as a sustainable design strategy for small homes in cold temperate climates. The exterior footprint of the original house was 18' x 24'. An enclosed, wrap-around porch was later added to the east, south, and west walls. The porch was poorly built. All of the basement windows were boarded up. The north wall, which faces the road, was left unobstructed and a large picture-window was added - just about the worst location for a large window in our climate. To make matters even worse, the limited view and solar access provided by other first-floor windows was largely blocked by the wrap-around porch. The 3 and 1/2" exterior walls of the original house were filled with blown insulation. There was no vapor barrier.
The north and west walls of this house are subjected to severe winter winds as well as noise from the road. The ground around the house slopes up toward the road on the north side. Water leaks into the basement along the north and east foundation, and to some extent the southwest foundation corner, during rains and high water-table periods. For these reasons, we decided to begin our superinsulation retrofit by removing the west porch, placing a drain tile along the north and west foundation footings, and superinsulating these two walls. We saved most of the west porch building materials and will later reuse these materials for outbuildings.
With the closing date of our first home less than a week away (finally!), the most important thing on my mind today is this tribute to our final way-station -- our little apartment on Collins Pond in Caribou. I never did complete my “before and after” photo project, as promised, but here is the grand finale. The way the apartment looks before all chaos breaks loose. It was quite a plunge, I remember, deciding to move into this tiny (and somewhat dumpy) loft apartment with my new husband of less-than-one-year. We were moving, if not upward than at least forward, on our journey together, in the middle of nowhere, to jobs serving Maine’s most desperate, with no idea of what it meant when they said, “The winters are long, cold, and snowy…” I remember feeling a rush of excitement, fear, and determination as Jonathan and I chose this place over a more conventional, 2-bedroom apartment in a big complex. We were eating lunch at Tang’s restaurant (the only place within a 3 hour drive to order tofu), and asking ourselves once again, “Can we take it up a notch?” “It” means everything you can imagine to Jonathan and I when we ask ourselves this question – “It” means our love for each other, our commitment to a sustainable lifestyle, our growth on the spiritual path. It was quite a plunge, I remember. It would mean more simplifying, more downsizing, more negotiating, more honesty, and more work, as Jonathan and I moved from a spacious 2 bedroom flat and my cushy VA job to something else. Something with a lot less room and a lot more stress!!!!
If you’ve been following my blog, you know how it goes… First year was rough. The apartment was dreary, the weather was dreary, and so, too, were our moods. We weren’t making much headway on improving the new living space beyond the initial essentials we did when we first moved in (e.g., leveling the stove and refridgerator, replacing the toilet seat, and washing the windows). Jonathan’s job totally consumed him while I struggled to figure out what the heck I was supposed to be doing here. But we stuck to our plan…stayed faithful to the path…despite the sour moods and occasional meltdowns. Finally, summer rolled back around, Jonathan left the agency job, and I was somehow one of the last standing psychologists in the County! Year two was destined to be better!
And it was, without a doubt. Yes, the winter here is long, cold, and snowy. In fact, we are very proud to say that we survived the snowiest winter ever on record in Caribou, Maine (127 inches). But, somehow this one passed a little bit easier than the one before. The new colors inside brightened up the outside. Jonathan embarked, and re-embarked, and re-embarked again, upon his newly founded career as (simply boiled down) an independent scholar. Basically, he just keeps studying how to get better and better at It. Meanwhile, I’m getting closer and closer to understanding what my role is here. Helps when I find my confidence, that part of me that, for whatever reason, hides herself too often. So now, here we are again, asking ourselves, “Can we take It up a notch?” Gulp. Get ready. Set. Jump! The next plunge: buying our first home with 5 acres, in the County, no less! The vision is big, the consequences will hopefully be mostly (if not all) positive to Mother Earth.
So, stay tuned. I’ll try to keep a chronology of the renovations as we go, long before the grand finale/opening, I promise, slated for 2022.
Our boys met the Wallaby Rugby Union Team just before their 24 - 28 loss to the New Zealand All Blacks last night at Suncorp Stadium. It's a rough game, just look at Riley and the missing tooth.
I thought I would post some Family and Friends photos from our recent trip to Maine so you don't get a steady diet of Maine Wildlife Photos. I will also be posting in the near future some Australian photos to balance out the Maine photos which I have recently taken. Western Australia has been beckoning for some time now as we have friends there which we haven't seen for some 20 years. This trip should take place in the next couple of months so get ready for Monkey Mia. Since our return to Australia we have been renovating more of our home here in Sydney, I have been solving some teething problems with my new internet business which is becoming really exciting, real estate is in full bloom which all leads to no dull moments. I wouldn't have it any other way. Since returning from Maine I now know why I love Australia. Yes, more Family and Maine Wildlife photos are also on the way. Dean, Doreen and Steven we unfortunately didn't get photos of you guys because of our early return to Sydney and Dianne and I appreciated your sincere and courteous invitations. We will catch up in the near future and as discussed, Steven, you are always welcome in Sydney. Are you ready for the best looking girls the world has to offer?
Man does not live by Blog alone!
See no Evil, Hear no Evil, Blog no Evil.
I managed to take 1400 photos of Maine wildlife, landscapes and family while Dianne and I endured the coolness of Central Maine and Northern Maine. It rained for much of our trip but our spirits were kept dry by seeing Mom get stronger as each day passed after she went through a major operation while we were there. I will post more photos as the weeks pass and keep you informed more of our trip and of our Australian happenings. A bloggers dream - co-operative wildlife!
I didn't take alot of photos on the actual day but because we stayed a week in Queensland I managed to do some photography experimenting. Some of the results are displayed below. It was a great day with 50 of Belinda's family and friends gathered at "The Dome" for the birthday girl. There were two other parties going on in there at the same time but in separate rooms. The one behind the horse was where our party was located. Dianne took the picture before the guests arrived. There was plenty of action on and off the track and the pony pictured was one that I bet on, a Winner if I've ever seen one. Children were allowed at the venue but Flynn was a little young so he had a babysitter for the day. We have other photos that were taken by Bim's friends which came out great and will post them over time. We are off to the USA in a week so this blog will quiet down for a couple of months. Will see you all soon....Bob
Photos Taken From The Balcony Of Our Unit
Warning - What you do on my Maine Trip - I will blog about tomorrow!
