Every time I go to the local Safeway in Evergreen, I see someone I know. Today it was Sharon and Marissa Hughes. Sharon hasn't changed a bit in five years; Marissa, however, just graduated high school (early) and is beautiful and still conversant and engaging. They asked about Alex, our German exchange student who spent his and Dana's junior year with us. Sharon also asked if Dana was still a vegetarian....how do people have such great memories?! I was fortunate to even remember Marissa and her brother Marcus's name!
But, back to the task at hand. I promised houseplans, but I am having trouble uploading them. Check back later to see if I was successful. Our architect, Debbie McCarthy, has been working with Bob, our builder, for twenty years, and most recently is working with another builder designing million-plus-dollar homes. Naturally, we've had to rein her in on our project. But she has been great to work with, full of creative energy and ideas. "No, Debbie, I don't think we need a 200 sq.ft. closet in the master, perhaps we can get by with something a tad more cramped" and "I don't think a 9-foot entry door is required, Debbie....our tallest friend is only 6'4" and so on. But, seriously, she has been a great listener, and with the help of Drew, who oversees the engineering part of the design, we have come up with final plans. You will notice that we can do all our "living" on the main (upper) level, which also includes the garage. Drew's subtle name for this design is "aging in place." We appreciate the reminder......
The lower walkout will be our 'friends and family' overflow area.
The other aspect we hope to achieve is a relatively "green" home. We are using high efficiency insulation and windows, selecting more earth-friendly products when possible, and getting bids on geothermal and solar heat/hot water, as well as photovoltaics for power. Adding an EPA-rated wood burner will help with backup during blizzards. I don't know, maybe this environmental concept just makes me feel less guilty about having a second home. At least we can claim to be helping the economy by creating construction jobs, buying materials and appliances, and paying taxes to Jefferson County.
The lower walkout will be our 'friends and family' overflow area.
The other aspect we hope to achieve is a relatively "green" home. We are using high efficiency insulation and windows, selecting more earth-friendly products when possible, and getting bids on geothermal and solar heat/hot water, as well as photovoltaics for power. Adding an EPA-rated wood burner will help with backup during blizzards. I don't know, maybe this environmental concept just makes me feel less guilty about having a second home. At least we can claim to be helping the economy by creating construction jobs, buying materials and appliances, and paying taxes to Jefferson County.
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