Over the last couple weeks a lot of progress has been made toward completing the home. The builder finished the stairs with a matching custom-built pine railing. I installed the home made bathroom vanity I’ve spent the last several weeks finishing. … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Cost Saving
Ikea Cabinets
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This gallery contains 3 photos.
The kitchen design is modern yet comfortable and spacious. I opted for a simple corner kitchen augmented with a multi-purpose island that can be moved in-a-pinch if more space is needed. The counters will be clad in beautiful full-thickness oak … Continue reading
DIY Beam Chandelier
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This gallery contains 13 photos.
CAUTION / DISCLAIMER: If you are not comfortable with basic wiring I recommend against tackling this project. I am not responsible or liable should you fail to wire the fixture correctly. I came across the perfect chandelier a couple weeks … Continue reading
Energy Modeling
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This gallery contains 2 photos.
Over the past couple of weeks I have been working with Mark Blake to feed all of the house specs into the RESNET modeling software. The model spit out a fantastic HERS score of 44 and says that it will … Continue reading
Sweat Equity
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I am what some folks would call an “extreme do-it-yourselfer” and can tackle just about any home project. However, living nearly three hours away from this project has demanded I balance my desire to chip-in and tackle big portions of the … Continue reading
Energy Star Home Certification
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When I started the project I hoped to go for Passive House Certification or perhaps LEED certification. However, I quickly learned that both of these certifications were quite costly and required an enormous investments in time to ensure the right building … Continue reading
Reclaiming Barn Boards
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We came across a 1700s era farm house and barn last week that was being torn down to make way for condos in Bedford, MA. It was quite sad to walk a now baron and decimated property where a once … Continue reading
Getting Ready to Build
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As I prepare to build my dream home from researching to interviewing builders, I realized there are very few resources available which explain the gap between “thinking about building a house” and “breaking ground”. While I still have a long … Continue reading
Cost reduction ideas
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I recognize achieving green design while minimizing cost requires compromising in some areas. Some of the random ideas I’ve jotted down: Reduce and simplify the footprint Go small – target 1500 square foot 24×28’ footprint Reduce walls and doors – … Continue reading