Old Fashioned Lifestyle

Well, we are getting close on the house.  The flooring is going in this week.

Here are a few pics.  It is clearly still a construction site, but you’ll get the idea…

kitchen and dining room

This picture is taken standing in the kitchen, looking into the living room.  The wood on the ceiling in the kitchen, and the red wood on the wall came from the barn we took down.  We brought the outdoors in with this house!  (We also used exterior lighting in the living room!)

back porch

This is perhaps my favorite part of the house – the back porch.   In the summer, this will be in the shade.  Ahhh.   And the view from the porch?  Spectacular!

back porch view

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We were able to reclaim some old brick. Because of the condition they have been in for the past several years, they have a large variety of shapes and colors. I am so excited about these bricks – they will really add a lot of character to the house.

reclaimed brick

Right now, our plan is to use them in the cove behind the wood stove and behind the cook stove in the kitchen.

Our new house is coming along. Our contractor (read – - overworked husband) says we will be able to move in in two months. So, I figure we will be in by Christmas!

We have found a lot of reclaimed material that I am really excited about. We dis-assembled a barn about a month ago and found another barn that someone else had already disassembled.

I got a pretty cool picture of the barn we took down. I think I will frame it and put it somewhere in the house.

barn

The house will have a story to tell, even though it is brand new. We have the story of the barn wood, and we will have the story of the brick (more on that tomorrow).

Here are a few pics of the material before it goes onto the walls and ceilings.

barn wood

red barn wood

I took my Ecological Footprint today.  I am using up twice my fair share.  If everyone lived like me, we would need 2.2 planets.

 On the otherhand, I scored a “10″ while the average American score is 24. 

It is shocking.

What else can I do? 

The “worst” area in my score was in Food.  I scored 4.2 there.  Next were Shelter and Goods/Services each coming in at 2.7

The biggest impact I can have now is to buy locally more often (seems challenging in my new town) and cut back on what I consume.

Do me a favor.  Take a moment to take the quiz.  Then blog about it…. and comment here.  What can you do to improve your impact?

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Consumerism.  It has always sort of been a thorn in my side.  As I have posted - I am even considering taking the lead of Consumption Rebellion and swearing off the purchase of anything new for a year. 

It is easy to ignore the cycle of consumerism and feed oursleves emotionally and otherwise with all the pretty things.  But to pause a moment and think about the madening cycle.

Items are produced in a way to allow for a low price.  This means

1. Laborers are paid a minimal wage. 
2. Shortcuts are taken in quality of material and production methods – to produce the low price.
3. The consumer buys it all up.
4. The item breaks in short order.  After all – look how it was made!
5. The item goes to the landfill.
6. The consumer goes back to the store, and buys the same product again.
7. And on, and on.

This cycle can also be known as cradle-to-grave.

Isn’t it time for a new cycle?  A new concept?  How about MBDC’s Cradle to Cradle?

This organization is promoting the concept that when a product is all used up, it can be all used up again – never finding a way to the grave (landfill) – only back to the cradle again.  MBDC certifies products that are cradle-to-cradle.  Next time you need something….. check here first!

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Have you ever heard of such a thing?

I just read about them in Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies.

Then, I found a few companies that are producing these countertops. They look great! I’ve ordered some samples… and I can’t wait to get them.

paper countertops

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The foundation is in for our new “green” home – and it is decision time.  Over the next month we will be in Mexico – so I am scheduling posts about our home building decisions and research.   Today….  Stoves and Fireplaces

Our primary heat source will be radiant floor heat powered by a solar panel.   We believe the solar panel will provide 60 to 70% of our heat (both water and heat for the home).  In addition, we would like to put in a stove.  There are three primary options when it comes to stoves:

•  Wood burning
• Propane or Gas
• Pellet

Wood burning stoves provide a quality of heat that is hard to match…. and gosh darnit… I just like wood burning stoves.  They are messy, and they do produce some greenhouse gases – which is a drawback.

A lot of people like Propane or Gas fireplaces.  They provide the flame and “romance” of a fireplace with a simple push of a button or flick of a switch.  There is no mess and no need to chop wood.  But, I just don’t like them.  They seem like a waste to me.  They are not an efficient heat producer – and so…. what is the point? 

Which brings me to pellet stoves.  I have read that they are the most efficient source of heat, and that they emit a minimal amount of greenhouse gas.  In addition, some of them can now be fed corn rather than pellets.  Worth a look.    However, we asked around and a family member that has a pellet stove said that the price of pellets have gone WAY up, and it has become very costly to heat their home with the pellet stove.

So, I don’t know.  I’m stuck.  But, I am drifting slowly back to a wood stove.

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I am inspired and in awe and – - – what else can I say?

I ran into a blog – Consumption Rebellion.  A challange was issued – to go an entire year without buying anything new.  It is a great site to browse through for anyone that cares about the earth.

I never thought I was a materialistic person.  I’m not really into the latest fashions or filling my kids lives with plastic toys.  But…. nothing new for a year?  I’m not sure how I could do it?  I never realized how much I do buy – and justify….   “I need this for a craft” etc.

So – when we get back from our trip to Mexico – I will embark on the challenge I found at Mamas on the Compact.

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As we have been exploring building materials, we discovered Earthen Plaster as an alternative to paint (and possibly sheetrock?) It is so beautiful – and natural looking. And, it has the benefit of being VOC free. This is one step closer to a healthy home.

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We are at the stage in our construction in which we need to be paying attention to picking material.  While I really wanted to build a straw bale house, we didn’t really have the time to give it the research required.  My hubby promises me that when we build a barn, we can do that one in bale.  So – while we are doing stick built construction, there are still many decisions to make.

Unfortunately, many of the “green” choices are contradictory in nature.  We all have to decide what is the most important to us.

• Should we choose material produces locally – so that energy is not used up shipping across the globe?
• Should we choose material that is harvested or grown in a sustainable way (such as bamboo)?
• Should the material be produces without harmful chemicals?

We have decided to use reclaimed materials for much of our home.  Some of the siding, some of the flooring, and some of the framing (beams) will be constructed with recycled material.  This is available regionally – and it does not require any *new* trees.

One of the materials we have settled on is reclaimed limestone from prarie homesteads:

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