End of the Story

With the sealing of the concrete, the house is basically finished.  (Yes, I know - the joys of home ownership are never ending.)  There will always be things to do, and I still have some boxes in the garage that need unpacked, pictures that need hung, shelving that I bought that goes into the garage, etc.  But, those are just minor details.  So unless something major comes up (& I doubt it will), the story is come to an end.  I hope you have enjoyed the adventure.  I certainly have.  And, a big thank you to Valerian Homes and all the sub contractors that built the perfect home.  There is not one thing that I would change!

Patio

The guys from Valerian Homes came by Tuesday and sealed the concrete at the front entrance, the man door on the side of the garage and patio.  By Thursday evening everything was dry enough to walk on, and I put the new patio furniture out.  It is absolutely right sized for the space, and the chairs are very comfortable!  Sara at Fishel's in Portland did an excellent job helping me pick it out.

(How did I go in/out of the house for 2 days?  I used the overhead garage door.)

Pieces of Renee

I continue to unpack boxes and am now finding the treasures I kept.  Many are pieces of art that Irene did.  Her last major piece was a stained glass panel she wanted to use outside at the Merlin house.  She had drawn the design, gathered the glass and had much of it laid out before she died.  Fortunately, Charlie, my neighbor, consented to build a frame for it, and Kate Smith agreed to finish the piece.  Rex Hart, my finish carpenter, came by today and helped me hang it.  The original idea was to hang it in the bedroom window.  But, that would not work due to the window treatments.  Thus, we implemented Plan B.  The result is below.

I am very pleased with the outcome!

Cooling Down

Our home in Merlin was a 2 story.  We opened all the windows on cool summer nights, and the chimney effect sucked the hot air out and the house cooled down.  Since my new home is a one story, I wondered how effective opening windows would be.

Yesterday was an 84 degree day, and I baked dinner in the oven.  The house warmed up to 74 degrees.  I opened all the windows last night about 9:30.  This morning, the outside temperature was 44 degrees, and the house had cooled down to 65.  Any cooler and the heat pump would have run.

I was very pleased with the way the house worked.  The air conditioning will probably not run much this summer - another money saver!

Things Are Blooming!

The landscape materials are growing & blooming nicely.  Also, the hydro seeded lawn is just now starting to show through the mulch.

Close up of the dogwood tree in bloom.

Some of the plantings behind the retaining wall.

Grass (Well, At Least Green!)

The front and rear lawns were hydro seeded today.  I talked with the gentleman who did it, and he said that my plan to mow it with my old Sears push reel style mower was a bad idea.  This grass needs to be at least 4 inches tall and will need to be mowed only once or twice a month.

He recommends a high wheeled weed style mower.  So, I will be doing some research along those lines.  I won't need to mow for at least 2 months; so, there is time to do it right!

Front yard

Backyard

Energy Efficiency

The main goal of this house was to reduce overall operating expenses (mortgage payment, utilities, insurance).  Thus, I am keeping a spreadsheet of monthly utility costs.  Utilities do not bill at exact 30 day periods; thus, I calculate a "30 Day Equalized Amount" so that I can easily compare changes.  The first 30 days total gas and electric cost was $107.94.  The second 30 day period dropped to $91.35 due to warmer temperatures.  Thus, my two month average is $99.65.  The Energy Trust of Oregon estimates an annual monthly utility cost of $76.  I would like to beat that.  We'll see!  So far, I am very happy.  I was on an equalized payment plan at the Merlin house of $214/month.  So, I am definitely savings money!

Last Inside Project

The last inside project (for quite a while) was finished today, installation of the bookshelves that Russ Harrop built for the office.  Two units are over the workbench and one is over the computer desk.  As you can tell from the photos, I have room for expansion of books!  I'll probably find more in boxes in the garage!

The shelves over the computer desk are high on purpose.  I am hopeful to get a new 27" iMac, and I will need the height to accommodate the higher monitor. 

The good news is that with the addition of the shelves I was able to unpack 7 boxes today!  No boxes are stored in the house.  Now, to attack that darned garage full of them!

Entryway

The entryway is finished!  Jim Grant of Grantwood (he built the display case in my office) built a custom alder bench for it so I have a place to take off my shoes and put on slippers (or flip flops in warmer weather).  It is way cooler than the folding chair I had borrowed from the shooting range!  That goes back tomorrow.

The Kitchen

The sun set and I was able to take some kitchen photos this evening.

The south side of the kitchen.

The north side of the kitchen.

The prior post should give you some relationship of the kitchen to the living/dining space.

Some Photos

Here are a few photos of the finished product.  The master bath is just too small to photo, and my office is not totally finished yet.  These are the main areas.

This is the master bedroom.  I ordered a new Pendleton bedspread which just came today.

The dining area adjacent to the living area looking into the kitchen.

The living area from the hallway leading to the bedroom/office areas.

Energy Trust Rating

The Energy Trust of Oregon sent me their rating on the house.  They rate the average monthly energy consumption at $76/month.  Given my first bills were in the winter months, and energy consumption will drop markedly in the Spring/Summer/Fall, I think this rating is very achievable. They list the annual energy savings at $913 when compared to a conventional house built to current code.  This is a 34% reduction in energy use.  The carbon footprint is estimated to be 34% less than a conventional house as well.  While I do not know the total additional cost of the energy efficiency built into the house as much of my additional cost was in upgrades to appliances and finishes such as flooring, cabinets, bathroom fixtures and shower, etc, based on an annual energy savings of $913, I would guess the payback to be somewhere around 10 or 12 years.  Again, I am more than pleased with the final result.

Energy Consumption

The first utility bills came in and I am very pleased.  I use natural gas for hot water (on demand system), the clothes dryer, and cooking.  For 27 days, the bill was $10.21, and $7 of that was the basic charge.  So gas usage was $3.21.  The electric bill for 34 days was $109.47.  The per day cost worked out to be $3.60.  Pretty darned cheap I'm thinking!  We'll see how the next several months work out.

Landscaping

The landscaping is finished except for the hydroseeding of the lawn.  That will wait until the end of March or first of April depending on the weather.  So, when you see dirt in these photos pretend it is grass!

Here is the front of the house.  My lot line follows the right edge of the mulch; so, the grass will go into the circular area by the steps.

This is the left side of the back of the lot.  It is not that wide; so, it is just a path and mulch with plantings.

This is the right side and back of the lot.  The stick you see in the foreground is a Turkish fig tree.  The other 2 in the foreground are a plum and pear.  Six blueberry bushes are behind the raised beds, and I will plant asparagus there also.  Herbs are also planted behind the retaining wall.

This is the back side of the house with the water feature.  Once the grass is established, I believe it will be a show stopper!  The Harmony Gardens guys did a superior job!

People Have Been Asking

Several friends have asked how I like my new home.  (It's no longer a house but a home.)

From the first night, it felt like home.  The layout, flow, and livability of my new home is perfect for me.  Everything is "right sized".  No area or room is too big or too small.  You may work a floor plan on paper and think it is OK but then question things when construction starts, but this worked out perfectly and I would not change a thing.

One of the "little pleasures" I truly enjoy every morning is the shower.  It is larger than the Merlin home shower, and Redwood Glass did a perfect job with the design of the glass wall and door. The hardware they used matches all the metal in the house perfectly.

The landscape work continues.  Ron believes they will have it finished before the end of next week except for hydroseeding the yard.  It is going to be dramatic when finished.  Pictures of that to follow at the appropriate time.

Door Bell

Several months ago I had a special door bell made for the house.  It has been in storage and now is hung.  When gonged, it is fairly loud.  Hopefully, it will not disturb the neighbors too much!

Here is a picture of it installed.

And a close up showing the detail of the pine cone and pine needles.

I was going for the Northwest look, and believe that this is it!

Day #169 - D Day Plus 3!

I would have liked to have posted this a few days ago, but I had cancelled the Internet at my rental and service was not installed at the new home right away.  So, here is the update.

First of all, I moved in on January 25, 3 days ago, and the house fits me comfortably.  The spaces all work and flow well for the size of the house.

The energy audit was conducted the day before I moved in.  There are 5 phases of rating, 1 being the worst and 5 the best.  Only houses using solar get a 5.  I was shooting for a 3 but working to get a 4, and we did.  The house is officially a Phase 4 Energy Trust of Oregon home.   Now, we will see how low the energy bills are!  One good sign is that the house is very comfortable with the geo-thermal heating set at 65.  And the air coming out of the unit is much warmer than a conventional electric heat pump.

I was not quite happy with the furniture arrangement in the living and dining areas, and Cris from Gates Furniture came and helped me with that yesterday.  In 10 minutes she had things sorted out, and things flow well now.

There are still things to be done.  The landscapers are working hard to finish, and I will probably find things that need a small tweak here and there.  And I am buried in boxes!  I did get the living/dining areas, kitchen and master bedroom emptied of boxes, and that was an accomplishment!  The next room to tackle is the office!

And I must say that I am glad I chose Valerian Homes as the contractor.  I don't think any other builder could have done better.  And there was not one second of pain or heartburn though the whole building process.  From start to finish it took 166 days.

This is not the end of this blog, but there will be a "time out" until the landscaping is all in and the grass has sprouted.  So, check back in 2 or 3 months!

Day #160 - Darned Close!

I was in Las Vegas for a week; so, I was anxious to see the progress that has occurred.  The exterior paint is almost complete with just a couple of small areas that need finished.

Lots has happened in the interior.  All the door hardware is installed, the back splash is in the kitchen but needs grouted.  I picked that out today, and it will be finished Monday.  This photo did not turn out all that well unfortunately.  It looks much better!

The kitchen is coming together.  The cabinets and pantry are finished and in place.  The range will be installed after the grout is finished.  The range hood is awesome!  Commercial grade.

(Yes, I should have moved the box and my coffee cup!)  The LED tape lighting under the cabinets is fantastic!

All the faucets are installed in the kitchen, baths, and utility room, and the geothermal heating/cooling system is operational.  The thermostat was set at 65 degrees, and the house seemed very toasty.  This system should be wonderful!

Talking with Alan, he said the final inspection and energy test by the Energy Trust of Oregon are both scheduled for Tuesday, and I am to get the keys Thursday!  The moving van is scheduled for Friday! Talk about excited!

Day # 150 - The Office

The office is now finished except for carpeting.  Jim Grant installed the built in display case.  The case will be used for some of those special treasures that I would like to set out.

MWM installed the Formica counter tops on the work surfaces that Russ Harrop built.  The Formica is lighter so that small objects don't "hide" on the work surfaces.

MWM also installed all the counter tops in the bathrooms and utility room.  They are about 2/3 finished with the kitchen.  Their fabrication and installation is excellent, and I am well pleased with their work as well as Jim Grant's.  MWM should be finished tomorrow.

Day #148 - Appliances

I haven't updated for 9 days as what was going on was mostly inside painting and sealing the wood trim and doors.  Appliances were delivered today, and the microwave and refrigerator were installed.

The refrigerator is a Kitchenaid that is 42 inches wide but only cabinet depth.

Painting will continue inside tomorrow then counter tops are scheduled for Wednesday.  We are targeting January 24 as the move in date.