VS
The Progress
A Look At The Property
Location, Location, Location
The old addage is a good addage and we wanted to ensure that we took heed of it. The parcel is far enough from town to give us a secluded, mountain feel while still allowing us to reap the benefits of having a close proximity to the ski slopes and Breckenridge town life. At 8 Miles from the slopes, this land parcel is a perfect fit.
The Sun Shines Down On Us!
So we are close to one of the most prominent ski towns in the world, the view is stunning and the neighborhood is laid back. So far, so good. The question remains however, will we be able to harness the power and warmth of the sun during Colorado's shortest days? After plotting the coordinates in Google earth, we were able to study the sun patterns during those short December days! Check out the video below!
Colorado is much too beautiful a place to not take advantage of the view...
So, the incredible views that helped us fall in love with this plot of land are to the north. Our windows will need to face directly to the south in order to take full advantage of the winter sun.
We've elected to modify an aspect of the earth home's thermal mass. We have elected to remove a portion of the rear thermal mass tire wall in order to enjoy the view. We sketch it up and brainstorm how we replace this loss in thermal mass...
Beauty is Born from Necessity
We had seen the Thermal Storage Tanks while researching different types of energy collection and the photo of them was pinned neatly to our Pinterest wall. They are the answer to our loss in thermal mass and they are absolutely awesome! These allow us to experience the view and to add yet another sustainable practice to our home, increasing our understanding of modern technologies.
How do they work? As the picture below illustrates, the sun heats the water during the day and then at night, when the air in the home is cooler, the heat dispels into the room. Awesome way to harness the sun's energy!
Continuing Education
One of the most valuable aspects of embarking on a project that tests you at every point, is that education that comes along with it. It's necessary to keep your mind open to new possibilities and to constantly test your theories. The more we learn, the more our project grows and is molded into the project that has the most impact.
Throughouts these first few months of this project, we have learned so many amazing things. We've learned about what can be possible and it is very exciting!
Now with the very thick IRC code book now on hand, Damian is on his way to becoming a Homeowner Builder. With this distinction, we will be able to pull the permits necessary to build the home on our own. Depending on ourselves and our community to do most of the physical labor, will drastically cut downt he cost of building this project.
NOW WHAT!?
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Were educating ourselves about earthships...
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We're continuing to educate ourselves on the values and technology of sustainability...
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We've found an inspiring piece of land...
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We're learning the building codes...
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We're continuing to have enrolling conversations that are building our community...
Now we need YOU to push the project forward.
We can't do this on our own. We need our community for that.