And the work continues...

Late last week the roof rafters went up. Stay tuned for more information on products like bamboo flooring and cool metal roofing!

Being Green.

Green has a lot of different meanings. Everyone ask, "so what does building green mean?" This is a complicated question. Building Earth Craft means that it will be certified by a set of standards that range from products used, to efficiency of the HVAC system. Regardless, I have found several things that embody, in my opinion, building green. Over the course of this process I will share those.

1. Recycling materials at the work site. - We have chosen not to have a dumpster on the property, and I will take the recycling off each week. This means drink bottles and cans from the framers. It also means boxes for the nails, caulk, plywood, and other products will be recycled as well. (my truck with week ones recycling)





2. Making choices based on waste. - I learned this one last week when Parker called me about our porch. The plan calls for an 8 foot 6 inch porch. Parker shared that this would mean cutting 18 inches off every piece of lumber used to build the porch. We decided on an 8 foot porch, loosing 6 inches of space but creating no waste.

3. The little things like covering topsoil count for Earth Craft. One of the measures is to make sure you secure the topsoil that you have displaced. For us, this meant covering the pile until we were ready for it.



Curt

It's been a long time...

It seems like a long time since the last posts because it is... We took some time to get our game plan together and to find a framer. Being one of the first Earth Craft houses in Spartanburg we were very careful and selective. Regardless, we have a great framer and we are moving right along as you can see by the pictures. We are having a great time learning about products and thinking about other ways to be green.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures.

Curt

Partners, Progress, and of course pictures...

When Molly and I started this journey it was our hope to be able to open the house up to people to show that green building was possible and that you could do it on a budget. And we are excited that Weaver Precast/Superior Wall has come on as a supplier. The walls are made right here in Spartanburg, and is a great start to our house. We are using the walls in the basement that we will leave unfinished for now. I really like the system because of the ease of finishing. You can see in the photos that their are already studs built in, a great asset for the do it yourselfer like me!

Learn more about Superior Walls here.


Curt

other details that might be of interest!

So here are a couple of the other details that might be of interests -

• we are building on a half acre lot on Mustang Drive in Spartanburg
• Parker Champion is our Earth Craft Builder
• our house plan is from South Living with minimal changes.

We have gotten started and have cleared a spot for the house. It pained us to get rid of any trees but we feel we did a good job of saving the most possible. The following post will include some pictures!

Curt and Molly

the lot, the boys, and the bulldozer

Welcome!

So here is the background for this project. My wife and I decided that we wanted to build an earth friendly or green house in Spartanburg, SC. We did a little research and have decided to build an EarthCraft Home. This blog will hopefully outline our progress, our findings both exciting and troubling, and serve as a resource for others.

We hope to use this space to highlight the process from a pictorial standpoint as well as a place to talk about products and company's that we are working with. Check back often and let us know if you have any questions.

Curt and Molly