Sustainable Cracker

Building the Vineyard

2011-03-31T09:44:00.000-06:00

It has been awhile since I last posted, but I thought it would be good to get caught up. I'm roughly halfway through getting my trellis built. I've got all but 3 end posts dug and I will be transitioning my efforts to ground preparation.

Catch'n up

2010-03-23T19:50:00.003-06:00

I have been thinking about this blog and wanting to post updates for quite some time. To be honest, I have not even been to this site since my last post which I thought was some time in October. Turns out it has been a lot longer than I remembered.

Well, I have a good excuse... or at least a good story. On top of that, I've started to question whether or not this blog is even a prudent endeavor. By that I mean, is it wise to publicly share a home building project with the world. With Google Street View and Maps, I already feel like some lines could be too easily crossed. I want a certain amount of privacy for myself and my family. What I have decided is this: I will set some boundaries for what I am going to share. The intent of this blog is to "share the experience", but with some discretion on the details.

This "discretion on the details" is actually part of my excuse for the absence in posting updates. While I was negotiating with the owner, I realized that it was probably better to keep my cards close to the chest. I didn't think that the land owner had found this blog and was keeping tabs, but there is no sense in taking that risk during negotiations. I thought it was better to "go dark" until the deal was done. Coinciding with back-and-forth negotiations with the land owner, was another turn of events... I lost my job.

Now I imagine most of you realize what that means when you are trying to close on a property. I disclosed to my lender what had happened and they naturally killed the deal. In the end everything has worked out. We still were able to buy the property (with a little creative financing), and I started my own Java/Rails/Oracle/MySQL/Web strategy software consulting business. This really has been my excuse. I am very busy. Good busy. This sheds a bit more light in needing some time and again; discretion on the details.

So where are things today? Well, we closed on the property at the end of 2009. We just received the preliminary design options from the architects last week. We were blown away! They did a fantastic job. Our next step is to pick one of the three design options and start to make choices on space usage and design details. Actually, we probably have some other higher priority tasks.

The first will be to finish remodeling our house and put it on the market to sell. I've been remodeling the house pretty much since the day I bought it back in 1998. Specifically, I need to finish rebuilding the deck, which has been on hold since I almost took my thumb off when trying to reset the cellar door. The entire house needs a coat of paint, and the downstairs bathroom needs an updated floor and vanity. This is not exactly the best time to be selling a house, but our neighborhood, despite having 300 something active listings, actually has held it's value over the last 2 years.

Second, we may need to have some trees removed from the new property. We have two 92 inch diameter live oaks on the property. They are both being somewhat choked from light by an abundance of spanish moss and competition from at least three water oaks. Our architects warned us that the water oaks could be the first trees to come down in a storm. That option has been confirmed by a landscape architect (who is a family friend) as well as the County Planner. As much as I hate the thought of removing any trees, it may be that it is in the best interest of the trees we have if a little thinning is done. It should make all those reading this blog feel better to know that I am going to first seek the option of the county forester before taking any actions.

That is where things are today. I'm sure that I will remember some interesting details as I start to become active again with this blog.

Restrictive Covenants

2009-08-26T10:36:00.003-06:00

We are about 20 days away from closing on the purchase of the property. We did find a couple of conditions on the property that provide a "bargaining chip" for introducing some restrictive covenants on our property as well as the two adjacent lots to the east.

It's been a few years since I cracked open my Property Law book, but I've been trying to put together a list of ecologically or environmentally minded covenants. We really have two goals: first, is to preserve and protect the existing ecology as much as possible; second, is to protect the valuation of the land so it is not depreciated by an unwanted land use or eyesores. Rather than just specify no mobile homes, we are trying to put in a requirement that any construction on a neighboring house follow LEED design and building practices. There are some very aesthetically and architecturally pleasing modular homes available so we don't want to limit to site built. It also goes against our values to ask a minimum square footage.

We would also like for any potential buyer to commit to rainwater harvesting, so that the water table is not overcharged for irrigating the lavish lawns or gardens. We also hope to strength existing County regulations regarding the removal of native hardwoods by protecting trees 8" or greater in diameter.

What other provisions should we consider?

Seeking salvaged materials

2009-07-30T20:42:00.005-06:00

One of the inspirations for this project has come through a work relationship I have with Cedar Creek Software. The folks at Cedar Creek are part of a sustainably minded community in Ross, Texas. I've made several visits to their office over the past couple of years for meetings related to systems and software development efforts that my current employer has required. It's been a real pleasure to make these trips in part because of the community that they have created and share with others. Part of their mission is dedicated to keeping what I would call old-world craftsmanship alive. This includes rescuing old Amish barns in Pennsylvania and Ohio and finding new homes for them. Having seen their work first hand, it got my wheels spinning as to how I would really like to incorporate salvaged wood into a newly constructed home.

Aside from the benefits of recycling something that would otherwise be left to rot away, you also get a material that has literally weather the test of time. At the time of their construction, much of the wood from older barns and homes came from old growth native forests. Lumber today no longer comes from native growth, but rather trees specifically planted and grown for commercial harvesting. I have a real interest in using salvage wood for this reason. I also think it is important to use the materials that are native and therefore readily available to where you build. For our project that means either heart pine or cypress, which also happen to be the true hardwoods that the original crackers used.

Last month, I read the book "A Land Remembered". It's a book I would highly recommend to anyone interesting in learning more about Florida's early cattle pioneers. In the book, as the main characters of the MacIvey family discuss how they want their ranch built with cypress and not pine because the cypress was of higher quality. I'll take either cypress or heart pine.

If you are reading this blog and either have some or know someone with salvage cypress or heart pine lumber to sell, please drop this poor ol' cracker boy from North Florida an email - jeperkins4 "you know what goes here" gmail.com.

Rainwater harvesting

2009-07-24T15:28:00.009-06:00

While we already know that we'll need to draw water from the ground, we hope to install a rainwater harvesting solution to help us both reduce our well water needs as well as irrigate our garden and other plants we will have on the property.

The Florida Cracker-style house, characterized by metal roofs, is an ideal design for rain collection. Once you've collected the rain water, there seems to be a choice one has for storage: either above (in barrels) or below ground. At this point I'm leaning toward an underground solution, but I'm sure as I get further in my research (as well as compare costs), I be making a more informed decision.

For our family, the awareness and economy of our resources is going to be a big part of how we hope to change our lifestyle. In conversations I've had with different people regarding this project, I keep learning about more and more technologies that are available to take full advantage of sustainable living. Because I get so excited by these kind of solutions, I know that it will be real challenge for me to find a balance between all the available technologies and keeping things simple.

Photo by Elemental Stone and Waterworks

Lead poisoning in old homes

2009-07-22T21:45:00.005-06:00

We found out today that the child of one of our friends tested positive for high levels of lead exposure. Since we currently live in a 100+ year old home in Denver with a 1 year old, this is very scary to us. We live very close to a Whole Foods Grocery which has made it convenient and therefore easier to make healthy eating choices. We also buy our ice and use Brita filters on the kitchen water faucet.

I have no doubt that our house has lead paint. Both while my wife was pregnant and afterward, during any house projects I made sure they were gone for several days. Even with all those precautions, I know that there has been some exposure. Our tests came back negative, but it still scares you to know that you may not be safe in your own home.

We've done a number of other things since we found out we were having a baby; including turning off the wireless internet and trying to limit cell phone usage. When we build our new house, we will definitely be using low or no VOC interior paint. It seems like there are a lot of paint products on the market today that are zero VOC. Mythic and Freshaire Choice are two that I have seen advertised on various websites.

All this may make us sound kooky, but I'd rather play it safe. I guess it is obvious from this post another part of our motivation for leaving the urban lifestyle behind - the hope for our children to grow up in a happy healthy home.

Solar Design

2009-07-21T15:32:00.003-06:00

Spoke this afternoon with Chris Jones at United Renewable to discuss the solar considerations we are making for the property. I had a number of questions such as:

Is working with Co-op Electric Providers for a grid tie-back solution more or less difficult than working with big energy companies?
Photovoltaic solar panels versus integrated solar cells
Advantages/disadvantages of storing power onsite
Solar hot water heaters
State/Federal incentives? Overall costs?
What services does United Renewable provide?

I came away from the conversation feeling pretty comfortable that I had found a good resource to help us with this project. I'm always interested in hearing about lessons learned from other residential home owners who have installed solar.

I really enjoy the research aspect of this project. More than anything, I want something that will reflect my family's needs. If anyone has any recommended blogs to read (preferably from other home owners), please feel free to share.

The lot loan

2009-07-19T22:02:00.002-06:00

When we first contacted the realtor on the property in late April, we found out that financing had been pre-arranged through a local area bank. At the time they were offering 100% lot loans. We even got quotes on what the percentage rate and monthly payments would be. Now that offer has been accepted by the seller, we find out that those terms are no longer available. Considering all the upheaval in the housing market over the past couple of years, it should come as no surprise that terms would change that rapidly. This leaves us with the choice of shopping for another lender that might offer 15% down payment or stick with our current lender and come up with a 25% down payment.

I guess it is good to learn early on to get things in writing with some sort of lock-in agreement for some time period before those terms could expire. The silver lining to this whole experience is that we'll end up owning more of the land up front.

The land

2009-07-18T13:32:00.001-06:00

We found out this past Wednesday that our offer on the land was accepted. I haven't wanted to jinx the deal or get too emotionally invested into the property, so I avoided posting any photos. I guess it is now safe enough to post.

There are so many things that I like about this property. For one it is located on a privately owned spring-fed lake. I will admit that it is a little hard to rationalize buying a piece of lake given the per acreage cost of the land. Our parcel lines run into the center of the lake, which means that well over an acre of land is underwater. I don't have any thoughts or hopes of drawing water from the lake, but in a worst case scenario, it is nice to know that you have that resource available.

As you move up the land from the lake, there is a corridor of oaks, sweet gum and dogwoods. When we first visited the property in May, the difference in temperature between the shaded area toward the lake and the open portions of the property was quite noticeable. I imagine that we will end up trimming some of the dead branches out to provide a more clear view of the lake, but the canopy of trees certainly provides a grand view.

I like that from the lake the land rises. This part of Jefferson County is in the Red Hills Region of North Florida. Much of the surrounding landscape could be describe as gently rolling hills. According to a USGS Quad map, the high point on the property appears to be roughly 115 feet above sea level. I would guess that the drop from the top of the property down to the lake is roughly 20 feet. There is also a spillover across the lake, so we're pretty much assured that wherever we build, we won't risk too much flooding.

Past the trees, the land opens into a small grass pasture. We plan to utilize this space for the main house site. The area we hope to use for gardening and growing fruits and vegetables will be closer toward the highway and the entrance of the property. I would guess that somewhere between 3 to 4 acres of the land is open pasture. This should provide an adequate area to site any other buildings in addition to the main house and utilize the full sun for harvesting solar electricity.

Our architects spoke of "placing buildings on edges" and having the land participate in the drama of the architecture. I might be a little hesitant to build in the "fall-zone" of any of these trees; particularly when you consider what a category 3 (or worse) hurricane might be able to do. There are also solar considerations. Regardless of either, I want the architects to have creative freedom, so I'll keep those thoughts in check until we've seen their 3 proposals.

Offer on Land

2009-07-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

After several months of searching and travel, we've made an offer on a piece of land that has been tentatively accepted. The property is on a small private spring-fed lake. We have met one of the neighbors, and gotten a bit of the history of the property. The next step is to meet with our lender and find out about the appraisal process as well as shop for surveyors and environmental consultants. For piece of mind, we are considering a Phase I Environmental test of the property to make sure the land didn't have any cattle dipping vats or was used to mix or transfer pesticides or diesel fuel for the farm equipment.

Getting started

2009-02-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days I've spent a few hours looking across property listings on Trulia. I also spent about half an hour IM-ing with a friend of mine who is a local Colorado realtor to get advice about initiating a relationship with a realtor when buying land. She gave me enough information so that I'll be contacting a couple of realtors for meetings when I travel to Florida next month. I am hoping that I'll be able to schedule time to go out and look at a couple of properties.

It seems like the logical order is to find and buy a piece of land and then begin the process to initiate a relationship with an architect. Because I already know the basics of what I would like to build, I have already contacted architect Ron Haase. Mr. Haase is a professor at the University of Florida, a practicing architect and author of the book "Classic Cracker".

I'll go into more details in future posts as to the specifics I have in mind, but I found a quotes which I find appropriate to my dream:

"Folk building growing in response to actual needs, fitted into environment by people who knew no better than to fit them with native feeling" - Frank Lloyd Wright

Introduction

2009-02-15T14:14:00.001-07:00

For several years I've wanted to move back to North Florida. I grew up in Tallahassee as a seventh generation Floridian, and now that I have a six month old son I want him to share the experiences of life in the South.

My wife and I expect the move to be a big adjustment. Not only because we will be leaving so many good friends behind in Colorado, but also because we plan to find some land which we would build a house in the countryside. I am starting this blog to chronicle the journey from leaving our home in Colorado (downtown Denver no less) and moving into a new life in rural North Florida.

I'm a big fan of what I'll call Neo-cracker architecture. The house I have in my mind would be a contemporary adaptation of a cracker farm house with many practical self-sustainability features that we can incorporate. Ideally, that would income reclaimed hardwoods, solar/wind energy and enough land to grow many of our own foods.

Wish me luck!