Green Dream Stories are a testimony to staying curious. We put so much emphasis on planning, researching, working hard and staying on task, but so many of the breakthrough moments have come from being curious and being open to what you learn by listening. This whole project began with good goals (A low carbon family basecamp) and from the beginning the listening, communicating and staying curious have kept it moving forward. From hearing the question "why did they choose to build the old house here?" (rather than sticking with the original plan to build across the street) to slowing down to ask "Move the house, or repour a new concrete ...maybe there's a third option ? " staying curious has really paid off!
Janet, thanks so much for this observation. I hadn't quite seen this or reflected on it until you mentioned it, but how right you are! We're so fortunate to have people surrounding this project (designing, building, advising, following along--just like you) who bring that perspective...and help balance my tendency towards planning/task orientation!
To expand a little on the method for those who are curious, we separated the roof deck from the rafters by driving in some wooden wedges. After that we hooked one end of a large "come-along" to the chimney and the other end to a chain attached to the rafter set. Then, with the help of good old-fashioned force, we slowly cranked the rafters into place. We got a little over zealous and came in a bit far, but it was nothing a few whacks of a sledgehammer couldn't fix. And voila, one corrected gable end!
Hurray for unique and old (and hats and jackets - such a great way to think about this)!! Love the creative approach to fixing the tilt, which depends on knowing how old houses work. Similarly, that gorgeous Foundation tree could use a little TLC on its structure to keep her healthy and restore productivity (if that's a goal) - check out https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-prune-old-apple-trees/
Happy 2023 - looking forward to what's next! Kristina
Green Dream Stories are a testimony to staying curious. We put so much emphasis on planning, researching, working hard and staying on task, but so many of the breakthrough moments have come from being curious and being open to what you learn by listening. This whole project began with good goals (A low carbon family basecamp) and from the beginning the listening, communicating and staying curious have kept it moving forward. From hearing the question "why did they choose to build the old house here?" (rather than sticking with the original plan to build across the street) to slowing down to ask "Move the house, or repour a new concrete ...maybe there's a third option ? " staying curious has really paid off!
Janet, thanks so much for this observation. I hadn't quite seen this or reflected on it until you mentioned it, but how right you are! We're so fortunate to have people surrounding this project (designing, building, advising, following along--just like you) who bring that perspective...and help balance my tendency towards planning/task orientation!
Here's a behind the scenes shot of what winching a 240 year old gable end into place looks like!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L25VUE4aRqL74CuwNUxbcpi3MTgykt1H/view?usp=sharing
To expand a little on the method for those who are curious, we separated the roof deck from the rafters by driving in some wooden wedges. After that we hooked one end of a large "come-along" to the chimney and the other end to a chain attached to the rafter set. Then, with the help of good old-fashioned force, we slowly cranked the rafters into place. We got a little over zealous and came in a bit far, but it was nothing a few whacks of a sledgehammer couldn't fix. And voila, one corrected gable end!
Thanks Dylan! This is fantastic!
I’m so glad the tilt worked!!!
And that is so awesome about Foundation! Can you graft it to get seedlings?
Merry Xmas and happy holidays Brian!
Thanks Maria. Grafting is definitely in the future plan! Happy holidays to you too!
Hurray for unique and old (and hats and jackets - such a great way to think about this)!! Love the creative approach to fixing the tilt, which depends on knowing how old houses work. Similarly, that gorgeous Foundation tree could use a little TLC on its structure to keep her healthy and restore productivity (if that's a goal) - check out https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-prune-old-apple-trees/
Happy 2023 - looking forward to what's next! Kristina
Absolutely the goal! Thanks Kristina. Will check it out, and then probably hit you up for advice/help! :)