Lisa and Mike-
Thank goodness you sent me the link to this thread or I'd be out of the loop. Maybe your graders can move the 50 pgs to the house forum?
I'm so incredibly proud of all you've accomplished, and glad you took the constructive criticism offered during this whole thread with a positive spirit. We're all rooting for you, even if some of us seem curmudgeonly-- we're all just hoping you avoid the ruts and pot holes that will detour your progress or cost you needlessly.
You're living proof it can be done. Skeptics, sit by your dish! Yes, it will cost more, but what's a recession proof home worth today? When you look at it that way, it's worth becomes clear. I worry plenty about those retired in new england with an oil furnace, and the families stretched to the breaking point with mortgages only to have runaway utilities putting that final straw on their backs. I worry about America. I want to do more than just worry. We don't do well as a people feeling helpless. It's just not in our genes.
Keyword of many in this thread has been pioneer, and that's exactly right. This is America's next frontier- solving our own energy problems and breaking away from what is monopolistic. Things will not change overnight unless we're doing it small scale in our own backyards. Standing ovation from me to you for leading by example.
It's taken me 5 days to read your blog because it's slacker time for me working on my own remodel. I'd be about to type-- solar tubes, you need those, and Tinman would do it for me- last month! hehehe You two have experience with house construction that far exceeds my own, and this project of mine is cutting teeth beyond the drafting board and finish work I know into the utilitarian territory I only know about in books. I consider myself to have a healthy fear of electricity just like you. One amp can kill you stuck in my head permanently. Best I make my mistakes low risk and hooked to the grid, before I get too ambitious or paint myself in a corner.
Tip for your brown thumb- head to the feed & seed store and pick up a soil test kit to see if anything is missing beyond your cow patty & straw plan. Prep soil for spring now, and even some winter growing plants can help nourish the soil. Legumes put nitrogen back in the soil for instance, and talk about romancing #98... practical cover crops
Clovers Lawns - Alternatives to Lawn Grass This might be a much lower maint plan for large parcel, divert cows away from your garden space, and since neighbors are using pasture space for free, having them plant it for their own cows is still a good deal even if they have to use bloat guard. Elegant solution for all.
Talk to the local farmers, 4h club and dept of agriculture- amazing how much they know (it's a whole other college degree). They laugh at me because I call soil amendments like lime 'plant vitamins'.
Check out this link...
The Three Sisters Garden- Corn, Beans, Squash If you're aiming for a larger harvest that covers winter too you can build a root cellar that's constructed similar to your berm home, only more economically by renting an earth compression brick making machine (I heard you got dirt? 3 cents a brick work for ya?
). Stick built outbuildings don't seem right considering your house. Storey books are VERY helpful BTW.
My holler is sister to yours in WV. The acreage is still very reasonably priced here, and the salt of the earth folks really stole my heart. My honey once pointed at the great smoky mtns and said-- 'Maw, how about right over there?' 'Yes Paw, but... it's a wee nip over budget'. Gatlinburg Tn isn't the likely place to welcome DIY windmills. NC real estate has also gotten too exclusive in price and the HOA crowd is flocking there. I also chose WV for growing zone 4 (maps available at USDA online if you want to see what's practical to grow in your area).
I'm chuckling about your library trips too because I once audited myself and found I had a $2,800/yr bookstore habit.
I behave & use the net more as an infinite resource without being forced to buy yet another bookcase. That said, I think your honey can check out newer battery technology becoming commercially available. The ones meant for cars take less time to charge, recharge more meaningfully with larger capacities, and have a significant shelf life that can pay for itself long term. Lithium ion technology (the same stuff in your cordless drill & laptop.
) just got leapfrogged by SCiB- super charged ion batteries.
Green Car Congress: Toshiba Launches New Li-Ion Battery Business; Plans to Enter Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Market A million PV panels and windmills won't yield results if the weak link in your system is the battery end of the equation. Check the math on that part, Mike. Your fuse blowing repeatedly- was it the charge controller? Curious because I don't have direct experience with the stuff.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/bu...=1&oref=slogin
Beyond that is a project MIT dudes are working on which won't be on a shelf for you tomorrow but looks promising for solar applications one fine day.
MIT Builds Efficient Nanowire Ultracapacitor Car Storage to Replace Batteries - Popular Mechanics. Maybe it's just me but over the years it seems that new technology in popular mechanics is often the last to be available commercially.
Your beavers are giving you a hint about pico/ micro hydro electric for the 24/7 creek on your property. Food for thought, but of course pay attention to local regs.
Keyword= pelton wheel, although others have devised other methods, pelton wheels are more common a home brew throughout the world. Rainy season in your man made ditch- DEC regulating that? Just an idea. According to my mad scientist buddies in Brookhaven National Lab, it takes a 25 ft drop for water to translate kinetic energy head pressure to KWH's of power for a whole house. Our terrain is very conducive to that, creative landscaping to divert water from downspouts already built into plans, and the abundant rainfall of WV is what makes it even more attractive an option for my energy equation. Onlookers- working with what you've got vs against it is THE best practice for any renewable.
Sorry this is so long. Brevity is not my gift, and your story is so inspiring. I'm a big fan of knowing all my options then hobble a KISS system from the pile, but for most it's TMI that only confuses things. Trying to communicate 20 angles of the same mountain makes me far less effective than your common sense diary. Easier for me to paint a picture or show statistics hehehehe. Kudos again. This link will be passed to quite a few.
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