Over the last 5 years, I have had the wonderful opportunity of building a number of cutting edge projects that others had never before seen to that point. I had built ICF homes before suppliers, inspectors, and other builders ever knew what ICF stood for. Then, after being called crazy and lots of other things, I started mastering the art of SIP's and working to make sure the connection points were addressed in the quest to build the tightest house possible. Recently, I was able to prove to the world that I could build a house that was advanced framed, around 160k and that it would be tighter than any other house in that price range. It has been very fun and rewarding in deed to build this variety of houses.
Since I seem to never pass up a challenge, I am now interested in building homes with straw clay, Earth Shelter houses, and anything else that comes my way. The biggest problem is having enough time to do all of the projects that are before us. But, I am getting that figured out.
Recently, I was asked by a client, "What is your favorite house out of all of them that you built?" This was a great question and one that the client asked in front of the homeowner's in the home that we were touring. What was I going to say? I bet there are people out there who wonder how I was going to answer that, especially with a Hybrid Alumnist present.
This was my answer: "Please have a seat because this is going to take some time to answer. That is a very good question, consider this: I am not a parent, and I have no idea what it is like to raise children. But, I am quite certain that I have a pretty good idea that if you asked a parent who has several children, their reponse to a question of "which one is your favorite" would be something like what my response would be to the question that started this posting. Imagine if you will, that I have 19 children who are scattered all over the State of Michigan and are off all ages. Each of these children has at least one trait that makes them special. Each of these children also have traits that may make them farther advanced than the others, but all were raised to lessen their load on the planet, be sustainable, and most importantly provide a safe and enjoyable life to anyone that comes in contact with them. Of course, I am talking about the Hybrid Homes that I and my Team have built all over the State of Michigan."
Would I dodge this question of which home is my favorite? Could I even answer a question like that without just saying, they are all my favorite? Well, it is true, I love them all and every house that I have built or remodeled has a piece of me in it. I am very proud of every house I have ever been involved with. I leave each project with something special that I personally built or installed and that let's me leave with a feeling of confidence, acheivement, and pride that only comes from putting your all into doing something well.
I continued, "I know this still hasn't answered your question of which is my favorite. That is definately a tough question because we have so many projects at so many different stages. I can tell you what I like about each place that we have finished recently and then tell you which one of those project I think is the most sustainable based on the homeoowner's lifestyle. And that is what I will do."
(side note: any homeowners of ours that are reading this, do know that I feel strongly about every home and that I love them all equally)
"When I built the first Hybrid House in Shelby Michigan, we were so far ahead of anyone else, that we had to pave the way. That house has split stone from the land, is all ICF, has miles of tongue and groove pine in it and will forever remain closest to my heart, because it was my first. Together with the homeowner, we built that house from the ground up, and did it for such a low price, it made me rethink how projects are priced. It uses very little propane to heat the house and is in a location that is incredible. This house kickstarted the green movement in Michigan because it got people's attention!"
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Another house that will forever be near to my Heart is the house in Onekama, Michigan. This house blew green building in Michigan out of the water! When you talk about blood sweat and tears, this project were all those and more! One of the things that happened there was when the township blind sided us with a notice of violation reagarding the wind generator that we had just put up. The meetings were almost every week for about 6 monthes. I had locals calling me a renegade and others calling me a hero. In Onekama for a 6 month period, I could not walk into any of the stores or restaurants without getting evil stares, or pats on the back. This was such a tough time because no one was there to help with the finances it took to survive this unfortunate ordeal. Onekama helped define the person I am today and although I am not there right now, the house we built there remains and is a symbol of prosperity and advancement. This house was the main attraction of the Michigan Energy Fair for two years in a row and it has won every award there is to win! Governor Granholm went to the house to see what all the hype was. This house was built at a time when everyone in our state was wondering what Green was. This house paved the way for all those in this state who are either working towards a more sustainable business/lifestyle, or who poppped out of the wood work to jump on the green band wagon. The Onekama house is one of my prized children who has acheived amazing things! This house has a wind generator and also a solar hot water system."
Another house that will forever be near to my Heart is the house in Onekama, Michigan. This house blew green building in Michigan out of the water! When you talk about blood sweat and tears, this project were all those and more! One of the things that happened there was when the township blind sided us with a notice of violation reagarding the wind generator that we had just put up. The meetings were almost every week for about 6 monthes. I had locals calling me a renegade and others calling me a hero. In Onekama for a 6 month period, I could not walk into any of the stores or restaurants without getting evil stares, or pats on the back. This was such a tough time because no one was there to help with the finances it took to survive this unfortunate ordeal. Onekama helped define the person I am today and although I am not there right now, the house we built there remains and is a symbol of prosperity and advancement. This house was the main attraction of the Michigan Energy Fair for two years in a row and it has won every award there is to win! Governor Granholm went to the house to see what all the hype was. This house was built at a time when everyone in our state was wondering what Green was. This house paved the way for all those in this state who are either working towards a more sustainable business/lifestyle, or who poppped out of the wood work to jump on the green band wagon. The Onekama house is one of my prized children who has acheived amazing things! This house has a wind generator and also a solar hot water system.""
Once a person achieves success in a project, it usually means that their star will burn out, because of the work it takes to go through an ordeal like the Onekama Project, and not wanting to go through the same kind of things again. I knew this and I tried so hard to make sure that the follow up house to the Onekama house would be more advanced, or at least as cutting edge as the Onekama House was. Que the Vineyard Project. The Vineyard Project came at a time when we were mobilizing out of Onekama, had just finished some green remodeling projects and were ready to get back to business. It also meant that after about 4 monthes, we had to go back on the road and start all over in a different community. What I found out on this project, is the power of a Team of people instead of just building a house with two people. I was happy with the over all progress of the house but learned many more things on this project that would help me develop into a better leader. There were areas that we improved on with this house and in the end, this house turned out amazing! One of the most amazing things to happen, is the addition of 3.3kW of solar voltiacs on this home which provides over 85% of the electricity used in the home! With the addition of this PV and the solar hot water system, this made the Vineyard Project our most sustainable project to date! It will most likely win many awards like the Onekama House did, but it was most definately an answer to the question, what would we do next. I am very proud of this house, not only because of it being one of the most sustainable homes on the planet, but because it answered the lingering question inside me, "Will I have it in me to build another house like Onekama?"
Once a person achieves success in a project, it usually means that their star will burn out, because of the work it takes to go through an ordeal like the Onekama Project, and not wanting to go through the same kind of things again. I knew this and I tried so hard to make sure that the follow up house to the Onekama house would be more advanced, or at least as cutting edge as the Onekama House was. Que the Vineyard Project. The Vineyard Project came at a time when we were mobilizing out of Onekama, had just finished some green remodeling projects and were ready to get back to business. It also meant that after about 4 monthes, we had to go back on the road and start all over in a different community. What I found out on this project, is the power of a Team of people instead of just building a house with two people. I was happy with the over all progress of the house but learned many more things on this project that would help me develop into a better leader. There were areas that we improved on with this house and in the end, this house turned out amazing! One of the most amazing things to happen, is the addition of 3.3kW of solar voltiacs on this home which provides over 85% of the electricity used in the home! With the addition of this PV and the solar hot water system, this made the Vineyard Project our most sustainable project to date! It will most likely win many awards like the Onekama House did, but it was most definately an answer to the question, what would we do next. I am very proud of this house, not only because of it being one of the most sustainable homes on the planet, but because it answered the lingering question inside me, "Will I have it in me to build another house like Onekama?""
While we were building the Vineyard Project, we started a few other projects. The Watercress Project started about the same time as the Vineyard Project and it provided an outlet for the creative juices that flow threw my veins. This house was also to be an answer to the Onekama House in regards to that lingering question inside of me. Starting from the beginning, this project had challenges, most notably, the size of the lot and the two streams that came out from under where the house was to stand. What was so unique about this house, besides how sustainable and energy efficient it is, is that we had a chance to reuse items in it and also to use the trees from the lot inside the home. We had a larger Team on this project than any previous project. We had an interior designer, among others, who was there to direct what we did inside. I was able to talk them into using trees inside the cottage and together we found ways to use the cedar, cherry, and maple lumber that we harvested from the building site. Although, this house is not in a real good position to use renewable energy, it is still very sustainable and a place that is absolutely custom and amazing! There are approximately 30 custom features in this house, including custom built-ins, custom bar, custom handrail system, and so much more. This place is right on a lake and will forever stand as a symbol of sustainability, art, and harmony in a setting that is just out right incredible."
While we were building the Vineyard Project, we started a few other projects. The Watercress Project started about the same time as the Vineyard Project and it provided an outlet for the creative juices that flow threw my veins. This house was also to be an answer to the Onekama House in regards to that lingering question inside of me. Starting from the beginning, this project had challenges, most notably, the size of the lot and the two streams that came out from under where the house was to stand. What was so unique about this house, besides how sustainable and energy efficient it is, is that we had a chance to reuse items in it and also to use the trees from the lot inside the home. We had a larger Team on this project than any previous project. We had an interior designer, among others, who was there to direct what we did inside. I was able to talk them into using trees inside the cottage and together we found ways to use the cedar, cherry, and maple lumber that we harvested from the building site. Although, this house is not in a real good position to use renewable energy, it is still very sustainable and a place that is absolutely custom and amazing! There are approximately 30 custom features in this house, including custom built-ins, custom bar, custom handrail system, and so much more. This place is right on a lake and will forever stand as a symbol of sustainability, art, and harmony in a setting that is just out right incredible."I have to add, that I did not go into such great detail with the client I mentioned above, but I did make sure to let him know that I was very partial to all of the houses, including the 7 that we have going on right now. He was, however wanting to know the answer to his question, "Which house is your favorite?" I did tell him what house I thought was my, as some may say, favorite, but, for that answer, you will have to stay tuned to this blog................................
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