What's New at Number Eight

It was exciting to see the crane roll up to lift the roof trusses.

Now it's really looking like a house.

For a while, the Beebe-Lungs had a moon roof.

And then a porch!

Monday at White Hawk

Sue and I checked out Greg and Marty's black locust posts.  

Marty is pulling the bark off, and then they'll use the posts for their grape arbor.  In the process, we discovered that black locust fiber looks like great basket-weaving material.  Someday when kids are big and hands are free, I'd love to try my hand at weaving baskets from local materials.  Greg says these posts will last fifty years, so they're a great local alternative to pressure treated wood.

Then we documented some more construction progress.  Rob and Rod up on the second floor

I think what Kerrie is doing here is making sure the house is nice and tight by adding insulation between SIPs, but set me straight if I got that wrong.

As a bonus, Rob donated scrap wood that we can use for White Hawk campfires.

I thought we were going on the Loop Trail, but Sue turned right back around toward home, proclaiming, "Outside!"  

Um, I thought the Loop Trail was outside.  She wants to be where all the people are.  She often takes me next door to the construction site, shouting, "See!"

I think this is my first-ever photo of all four White Hawk homes together.

On the way home, Marty tells me that we can glean greens from their hoop house before they clean it out for another crop.  Greg finishes up the debarking with a draw saw, explaining how it works.  

He has a great collection of old and very useful tools.

Construction Progress at Number Eight

In our last installment, Number Eight had a slab.  Now it has a second floor!

The SIPs arrive

Sue checks out the slab before the walls go up.

Rob and Rod put up a corner so tour folks can see SIPs close up.

Putting a SIP in place

Now it's really looking like a house!

From the south

Joe stood atop the topsoil mountain from previous construction to take this shot of the emerging second floor.

Here come the second floor walls.  These things go up fast!

Digging and Construction Progress

Everyone is digging, it seems.  Joe is getting ready for our asparagus to arrive.

Greg is digging holes for the black locust posts that will support his grape arbor.

And now, an exciting installation in our saga, The Birth of a Slab!  Plumbing roughed in, ready for insulation...

Insulation installed

The grid for the pex tubing
(Pex tubing is what the water will flow through in this radiant heat system.)

Kerrie and Rob install the pex tubing.  Kerrie does beautiful tile work, by the way.  To see more of Kerrie and Rob's work, see visit the Creative Constructions blog.

Time for concrete by Everhart & King Brothers.

Et voilà!  We have a slab.

Joe and I love the thermal mass of our slab next door.  It's cool in the summer, holds the heat in the winter, and keeps our utility bills low.  There's a lot to be said for living on top of a rock!

Catching Up

My photo album tells me there's lots to share, so here goes.

The moon at 6:42am on April Fools Day.

Biking on White Hawk Lane.

Greg and Marty's hoop house is full of greens.

Sue and I like to toss rocks into the seasonal streamlet that runs into the pond.

First crocuses at number 7!

The porch at number 7 is currently littered with toys, but we'll be clearing it out to make a stage for John Simon to play at our May 2 tour.

On Easter Sunday, White Hawkers and friends attempted archery for the first time.

Busy day on Monday!  The first shovelful of dirt got scooped up at 8 White Hawk Lane.

Then I had lunch downtown with Susan Cosentini of New Earth Living.  She's a creator of the Aurora Dwelling Circle currently under construction in Ithaca.  We consider our living options to be quite complementary, since the Aurora Dwelling Circle offers an urban, walkable, predesigned option, while we offer a rural, land-rich, open design option.  We look forward to working collaboratively to share the experience of community living.

By the time I got home, George Van Valen's crew had made a lot of progress!

Then students from the Cornell University Sustainable Design project came for a tour.  

Formerly the Cornell University Solar Decathlon Team, the group is now considering three kinds of projects:  international humanitarian, a local home or community center, or a prototype high-tech home.  

On Friday, the forms went up around the future foundation of number 8.

I'm pleased to announce that the daffodils are starting to pop!

Joe has been working on clearing and marking a trail around the village.  Much of the tromping down has already been accomplished by the deer.

Along the way, you can see springtime ramps

and White Hawk's tiny waterfall.

Today, plumbers Deb and Mike installed the sewer and water pipes that will be in the slab at number 8.

And this just in from Saratoga Springs:  Jules and Steven are busy prepping their home for showings.  Jules' new passion is vacuuming walls!  All fingers crossed for a quick sale.  After more packing, Jules, Steven, Emma, Devin, and Liam will become very familiar faces at White Hawk.