Thor-ish-ness

Bill really knows how to wield a hammer, just like Thor, the god of strength. Thor rides in a cart pulled by two goats, so we wonder if the dogs would be willing to help out a bit. Maybe not.

Siding and knee braces

Siding is going up! This gives a big hint on one of the house colors, too. Neighbors, don't worry. It is an accent color used in spots, not all over. ;-) Bill has learned enough about water damage to other people's homes over the years to prime the plywood on all edges before it goes up. It takes extra prep time, but it's worth it.

He has also been working on knee braces. Not for a cyclist's knees, but to support the overhangs in a beautiful way. The length of the overhangs have been designed to provide passive solar. That means that they protect the house with shade in the summer and let maximum sun in during the winter. The position of the sun, the orientation of the windows, and the length and height of the overhangs all work together to help us need less heating and cooling.

Knee braces waiting to be installed after the siding is up

Lots of fine carpentry work!

Tilt your head to the right and you can see how these will look when installed. Got it?

Gliding toward board and batten siding

Bill is working on board and batt siding, similar to this photo of someone else's house:

We will have stucco from the foundation up to about four feet and then board and batt above. Squint at the photo and then scrunch your nose and perhaps you will see it. You now, similar in parts to the photo but different. ;-)

Choosing a color palette

“Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways. ”
                                                           ― Oscar Wilde

We certainly love color, so it was fun to sit down and choose colors for the house. There will be five total colors (are the neighbors getting nervous yet?) and we think it will look great. We will keep you all guessing, but we will say that there's not a purple in the bunch!

Gift wrapping

Bill told me today, "I left you a wrapped gift in the front yard." I don't think we will be unwrapping this one anytime soon.