Two Hunny's

It's high time I show you us, Tom and Krystal, a.k.a. Tommy & KLee. I find it helpful to have faces to put with names. Granted, this photo was taken almost 5 years ago. We are much more gray-headed now, my hair is longer (a return to how I've worn it all my life), but we also look pretty much the same. Ask anyone! ;)

Off-Grid...

... Off the Grid... terms heard and read frequently these days. What is a grid? What does living off-grid mean? And why do it in the first place?

Living off-grid is by no means new, even though it is fairly new in the consciousness of most since being popularized by television and celebrities. Think about the settlers of this land, Native tribes, and numerous other peoples around the globe; none of them were tied in to utilities. Being off-grid is not out of the ordinary anymore- Home Power Magazine reported in 2006 that the number of families living off-grid has jumped 33% each year for a decade. Importantly, the phrase does not refer to 'being off one's rocker', although there are those who feel folks actually choosing this manner of living are just that. :-) Nor is it to be confused with being 'off the map' , 'under the radar', nor any other extreme notion referring to a desire to completely disappear from the company of society.

The grid does refer to any one of several public utilities- electric, water, sewer, gas. Being off-grid, then, is living without reliance on any one or more of said utilities. A truly off-grid home is able to operate independently of all traditional utility services. This is our personal goal (more on that later.)

The answers as to 'why' are as varied as the folks you could ask. Many reasons are similar, some unique, a few honestly strange. Too each his/her own! The top two reasons are saving money and reducing carbon footprint. Others include unavailability of utilities to rural land, financial hardship to connect, survivalist philosophy, spiritual connectedness.

"All very interesting, but what are your reasons, Tom and Krystal?" Alright already, hold your horses! Our main reasons, detailed below, are: financial freedom, environmental responsibility togetherness, and health. However, many of the above mentioned reasons play a small part, also.

Financial freedom: We want to retire from the city work-a-day world, live simply and inexpensively, raise what we eat-eat what we raise, be mortgage-free and have no utility bills. Being off-grid allows for these. Such living is a wealthy life, even if one may be cash poor. This concept, unfortunately, was mostly lost with our grandparents generation.

Environmental responsibility: Traditional utilities are wasteful, incredibly destructive to the environment, and pose a danger to health. We feel a personal responsibility to live in harmony with nature as much as possible, within reason, not "ruining the earth." For each person this is different based on ability, practicality and willingness. We are able to choose a rural life and going off-grid. We have been doing what we can in an urban environment and encourage you to, also. It's fun to utilize low-tech ways to be self-sufficient, especially for children!

Togetherness: Trying to make a living is so busy and stressful! It eats up tons of time and energy and makes us feel isolated from one another. We love spending time together caring for the animals, working on projects, serving our God, gardening, cooking, to just be. Tom retiring to our very own ranch would be a dream come true for us both!

Health: Clean air, fresh water, natural home-grown food, animal husbandry, gathering our own wood for heat and cooking, exercise engaging in such outdoor activities, less stress, pure enjoyment of life as we were created- what could be more healthy, both physically and mentally!!!

As briefly mentioned earlier, our goal is to be 100% off-grid. Although each alternative system we install will be discussed in future posts, most likely individually for lots of detail and information (more than you may even want to know on some!), here is a list:
super-insulated, active solar, straw bale home thus reducing needs for heating and cooling; wood, both a renewable and sustainable resource, for heating and cooking; greywater system instead of septic; 'dry' toilet; photovoltaic solar array for generating our own electricity; possibly wind turbine for power generation on stormy days; solar and wood heated water; rainwater harvesting; composting for renewable/sustainable fertilizer needs; using less electricity in general; well or spring water. That just about covers it!

Architect On Board

Ferry County requires anyone building a home with alternative methods, like our choice of strawbale, to have the plans submitted for a building permit to be drawn and wet-stamped (signed) by an architect. Further, this architect has to be licensed in the state of Washington. Last but not least, it is much preferred he/she have experience with strawbale. They certainly don't make it easy for a person to build an environmentally-friendly house! And we sure don't feel like being 'pioneers' to the extent of fighting about it.

The search began several months ago when I first learned of the requirement. We found Kelly Lerner, of One World Design in Spokane, WA. She has extensive experience and knowledge of strawbale construction, is a published author on green building, and is an award-winning designer, recognized around the world, quoted and highlighted in numerous books and articles on strawbale. Two weeks ago we had a telephone consultation with her to compare notes, so to speak. Thankfully, she understands our vision and is excited about it. We love her approach to design and building, that of being in harmony with your natural surroundings. We are delighted to welcome Kelly on board as our designer/architect and look forward to learning from her! I can't believe we have the help of such a talented lady. Do visit her website to see just a sampling of her amazing work. I can only imagine the wonderful things she will bring to our wonderful little house!

Kelly will be joining us in Republic for a couple days of our Fall trip, to talk about house and site plans. Although, I already created a house plan, a pleasant past-time of mine since childhood, and a general site plan.

Following is an article which expounds our main reasons for wanting to build with strawbale. Therein you will find links for more detailed information and a nice YouTube video. Enjoy!

Why Build With Straw Bales?

Straw bale construction lends itself well to an owner builder project. Some of the applications well suited for straw bale include: a cottage, office, garage, studio, and an art barn. You don’t have to limit yourself to these smaller projects. Thousands of people have successfully built their own straw bale house. As a world leader in straw bale education we want to help you every step of the way.

I’ve created a great introductory video on why to build with straw bales. You can watch that by clicking the play button below. Please read on for more reasons to build with straw bales!

Here are 7 great reasons why you should consider building your next house with Straw Bales:

Reason #1 Energy Efficiency.

A well built straw bale home can save you up to 75% on heating and cooling costs. In fact, in most climates, we do not even install air conditioning units

into our homes as the natural cooling cycles of the planet are enough to keep the house cool all summer long.

Reason #2 Sound Proofing.

Straw bale walls provide excellent sound insulation and are superior wall systems for home owners looking to block out the sounds of traffic or airplanes in urban environments.

Reason # 3 Fire resistance.

Straw bale homes have roughly three times the fire resistance of conventional homes. Dense bales mean limited oxygen which in turn means no flames.

Reason # 4 Environmental responsibility.

Building with straw helps the planet in many ways. For example, straw is a waste product that is either burned or composted in standing water. By using the straw instead of eliminating it, we reduce either air pollution or water consumption, both of which impact the environment in general.

Reason #5 Natural Materials

The use of straw as insulation means that the standard insulation materials are removed from the home. Standard fiberglass insulation has formaldehyde in it, a known carcinogen. Bale walls also eliminate the use of plywood in the walls. Plywood contains unhealthy glues that can off-gas into the house over time.

Reason #6 Aesthetics

There is nothing as calming and beautiful as a straw bale wall in a home. Time and time again I walk people through homes and they are immediately struck by the beauty and the “feeling” of the walls. I really can’t explain this one, you’ll just have to walk through your own to see what I mean.

Reason #7 Minimize wood consumption.

If built as a load bearing assembly, the wood in the walls can be completely eliminated, except for around the windows. The harvesting of forests is a global concern and any reduction in the use of wood material is a good thing for the long term health of the planet.

Even infill bale homes can reduce the use of wood by using engineered lumber for the posts and beams. The engineered material uses smaller, faster growing trees in place of larger, slower growing species.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Morrison is the founder and owner of A. C. Morrison Construction, LLC, a company specializing in straw bale construction. Andrew has a passion for straw bale construction that is matched only by his desire to teach his knowledge to others. Andrew is the creator and builder of the Straw Bale Village, a community of 15 straw bale homes in the National Historic Landmark City of Jacksonville, Oregon. He is a skilled, licensed General Contractor (CCB License #161204) with experience in designing and building both conventional and straw bale homes. Andrew has owned A. C. Morrison Construction, LLC, since 1996. Andrew received a BA degree from Hampshire College in 1995 for Glacial Geology. He also has a degree in construction technology. Please visit his professional web site at: www.StrawBaleConstruction.net

Jammin' Morning

I've been wanting to make freezer jam for a few years now. Between forgetting about it and feeling a lack of confidence (although unwarranted according to expert freezer jam-makers), I've just never learned. Until yesterday, that is!

Thanks to my sister, one of the aforementioned experts, I was encouraged and assisted to take the plunge! We went together to purchase half flats of fresh berries in season and the other necessary ingredients, a whole two (pectin specifically for freezer jam and organic sugar), not including the jars. Although the plan was to make it together at her house, I wasn't up to the task of packing all my supplies plus the new puppy, so I stayed home and 'jammed' by myself. ;)

I've truly been missing out all these years. Freezer jam is so easy to make it's almost silly! I made three batches- Boysenberry, Berry Blitz= boysenberry, blueberry and raspberry, and Berry Delight= boysenberry and raspberry, for a total of 15 half-pint jars of jam. (Yes, I named them, you know my obsession with naming anything!) It only took one hour. Oh my goodness, are they ever delicious!!! Tom says he can easily get used to having fresh jams around. Guess I'm stuck now. But it's a happy spot to be stuck! :)

I strongly encourage you all to take the plunge this year, too!!! For a great video on the process, go to Ball's Fresh Preserving website. There you'll find lots of luscious recipes. Enjoy!

P.S. The leftover berry puree makes fantastic smoothies, just add to yogurt! And extra whole berries can be frozen for jam making later, or whatever else!

Sunset Climate Zone 1A

Here is what the Sunset Western Garden book has to say about the climate zone in which our land is located:

" Zone 1A: Coldest mountain an intermountain areas

Marked by a short growing season and relatively mild summer temperatures, zone 1A includes the coldest regions west of the Rockies, and a few patches of cold country east of the Great Divide. The mild days and chilly nights extend bloom of summer perennials like columbines and Shasta daisies. If your garden gets reliable snow cover (which insulates plants), you can grow perennials listed for some of the milder zones. Along with hardy evergreen conifers, tough deciduous trees and shrubs form the garden's backbone here. Gardeners can grow warm-season vegetables as long as they're short-season varieties.

Winter lows average in the 0 to 11 degrees F (-18 to -12 degrees C) range; extremes range from -25 to -40 degrees F (-32 to -40 degrees C). The growing season averages 50 to 100 days."

Boy, do we have our worked cut out for us- learning what veg to grow, and consistently. I think a green house is definitely in order! :)

716,126,400 Lbs.

July 23rd, 2009 is an auspicious day in our family's history... We are now the proud stewards of 40 prime acres in Ferry County, Washington!!! Everything was signed, notarized, paid and recorded as of yesterday. In a jumble of tears and laughter with butterflies fluttering in my stomach, I relayed the telephone conversation to Tom. Can't believe he could understand a single word uttered! Then it was telephone calls to family and friends with the good news. Mrs. Minor, the dear lady we bought the land from, is thrilled for us, as well, and wants to follow along on our journey.

When Tom got home from work, one of the first things he said was: "I wonder how much dirt we own now?" That's a veteran dirt mover for ya! So, just how much?- 3 ft. deep, 1/4 sq. mile, at 3,699 lbs. per cubic yard... 716,126,400 lbs. of dirt... 358,063 tons. That's a lot of dirt! As well as trees, water, wildlife, big blue sky!

This is a major turning point. No more if's. Now the heavy work begins. We have a telephone meeting with a state certified sustainable architect/designer next week to go over our needs and move forward getting our house plans together for the building permit application. Exciting!!! In mid August, Tom will go for a weekend to survey for lay out the driveway from the front 40's easement to our future building site, the south meadow. We hope to have some preliminary work done- timber and road cut. Then, the end of September likely, we'll go camp on the land for a week, get a feel for it, design a site plan to submit with the plans for a permit, also Tom will put finishing touches on the driveway.

There's those butterflies again!

Photos (not the best, but they're all we have at the moment), also property line starts at the base of the hill (dilapidated building is not on our land!), all views are from the county road:
- above is view of length of property from north to south (left to right) with the spring and draw in the center.
- below is south section with meadow at top of hill (future building site)
- bottom is the north section with another meadow at the top.