Winter Is Upon Us

What??? Where did the last four months go? With Thanksgiving holiday just a short 10 days away, I look at the project development these past months and wonder where it all went? The economics of it all have been front and center as the latter part of 2009 has rolled out. CD development was put on hold as I opted to postpone the development of the project until spring of 2010. This was received well, as we still have much infrastructure, material selection, and finances to finalize.

The past month has seen the hiring of Rocci Brown Excavating to see overall road infrastructure put in place prior to winter setting in. This has consisted of reshaping the road, laying down 4" inches of base material, revisiting culverts, placing rock check damns, and putting forth a foundation for road integrity for the next few decades.

Yesterday, I returned from a week long trip to the USGBC's Greenbuild convention in Phoenix, AZ. This trip was special in many ways, as CM Paul Wilson took the opportunity to travel and meet me there to take part in a number of Green workshops, walk the approx 1800 vendors sporting green wares, and enjoying a few eats while out on the town. The time was well spent, as both Paul and I felt that we made a huge stride in selecting the main heat source for the home, the rain harvesting company to design / supply water catchment components, the surface material for the flat roofs and possible green roof materials, as well as storage tank supplier to boot.

The winter months ahead will see us finalize the DD so we can develop the CD's for a spring start-up. We will work with vendors to develop various design applications for the project and review a host of materials we need to still look into. Windows, roof, interior finishes, are just a few last ideas.

We met up with Planet Reuse, a material reuse broker, at Greenbuild. We have entered into a working agreement with PR to review our existing plans to identify any material options for us that we can utilize from a deconstructed project (ie. timbers, flooring, siding, etc).

Going forward, Paul Wilson will be visiting our home in Kansas (yes, we moved from MT in July) to sit down and review the LEED H criteria and make decisive points / scopes of work that can be applied to the DD phase, with remaining points to be applied during the construction phase.

Back with more as we move forward.

Tim

Construction Documents Underway

This past week the project site was visited by local Ravalli County Sanitarian, Dan Hooton, and CM Paul Wilson to discuss placement / approval of the necessary Septic Permit. After the proper test hole monitoring time-line, Dan have given his full endorsement for a standard septic system to be installed just to the north of the build site. This is good news for the owners, as no increased costs will be incurred for the build-out of an engineered system and the location falls within a previously burnt portion of the property, thereby no native / undisturbed portion of the property will need to be used. We are looking to utilize the drain field chambers of 'infiltrator systems' for the buildout of the drain field (www.infiltratorsystems.com).

Mike at Tamarack Construction is busy developing Construction Drawings for eventual commencment of excavation and project construction. Present timeline indicates a breakground date of end July. The next month will be spent defining exact materials to be used within the structure, down to the specific finish details. It is over this time that we will highlight manaufacturer products of choice and supply viewers with direct link to their site.

Stay tuned.

Tim

Start Your Engines

Just today I spoke with GC Paul Wilson of Tamarack Construction is an effort to gauge how the project is going. We are in agreement that major infrastructure work is required as it pertains to vehicle access, potable water systems, sewage systems, and fire suppressions systems, to name a few. After both reviewing Morrison-Maierle proposals on the same, we have given the green light to commence infrastructure work leading up to the eventual ground breaking. Immediate scope of work will have M-M engineers doing a comprehensive field survey of the build site and corrresponding acreage keying in on drainfield and well location, as well as the overall status of the main and secondary roads into and out of the property. Once the surveys are in hand we can commence with contracting services to handle the physical work.

As this unfolds, I am working closely with Tamarack to define the design through the Design Development phase, identify material lists for interior / exterior applications, as well as various mechanical systems with the structure to see to its day to day operations. At present we are reviewing siding options. Once totally committed to Ever Log, we are doing our due diligence to investigate reclaimed barn siding as well as newly formed CRCFiberglass (a fiberglass composite siding alternative). In addition to this, and now looking at two flat roof scenarios, we are researching Living Roof options, as well as rain harvesting systems. Moving inside we are hoping to focus on local merchants for material needs. I have started to move off of a GSHP as I want to free myself of any mechanical maintenance headaches that might arise in this vacation build. As an alternative, I am speaking with Enerjoy about their highly efficient radiant panels that are user operated and have shown to be more efficient that GSHP's (http://www.sshcinc.com/). Working with Briggs Arch and Tamarack, we are working to insure a heightened level of energy efficiency that will preclude us from installing a dedicated air cooling system.

Pictures, material / equipment details, and possible film footage to follow.

All the best,

Tim

Design Development Critical Path, Defined

The past month has seen Tamarack Construction assert their place in the build by releasing a preliminary Critical Path to research / insure the scope of the project is being covered to avoid all possible oversight. This past week we were finally able to visit the home site, despite having to walk uphill shin deep in fresh snow. It was imperative that Paul Wilson, Tamarack Construction President, have a visual to better start to plan infrastructure necessities. Road work, utilities, water, and sewer are major parts of work that needs to start as soon as the snow allows (ie. first of April).

In conjunction with the ongoing infrastructure planning, I have been working with Paul to visit LEED Protocol to be implemented on the job, research on a possible last minute siding change (www.crcfiberglass.com) over the Ever Log system, and fine-tuning engineering / design needs moving into Design Development.

In the coming week, I will highlight the three areas I mention in the previous paragraph. For your immediate review, the initial Critical Path is as follows. Thanks for checking in,

Tim Southwell, AT llc

Southwell Critical Path for Design/Development
3-10-09

Site Plan
• Power
o Where on property now
o Transformers needed?
o Power supplier is Northwest Energy?
o Power needed for shop and residence
o Power needed for future structures
o Other power needs around property
• Well(s)
o More than one?
o Location identified?
o Are well logs available?
o Do we need to drill any more, if so, what are the uses of the well intended for?
o Have water rights been filed?
• Septic
o approved?
o Location
o Standard/Engineered
• Other infrastructure
o Rain catchment system
o Fire suppression
o Other?
• Roads
o Location of
o Desired widths
• Location of residence and shop
o Desired views
o Topography
o Site challenges

Residence
• Design and dimensions of structure
o Finalized?
• Interior Rooms/Floor Plans
o Any changes
o Uses of rooms, general info
• Structure
o What is the shell- foundation, walls, roof, windows
o Siding
o Roofing
o Exterior doors
• Mechanical Systems
o Heating
o Cooling
o Heat recovery ventilation
o Solar
o Geothermal
o Radon vent
• Interior Finishes
o We will discuss this at length in subsequent meetings
o What is the desired look of the interior – rustic, formal, etc.
• Establish Schedule for Site Visit
• Members of the Team
• LEED criteria and how it will affect this project

Welcome Our Newest Member

With the recent completion of the schematic design phase of the project, Sarah and I sat down and finalized our choice for the General Construction position. After reviewing the various submittals during the RFQ period, as well as a number of follow-up interviews, we are excited to welcome Paul Wilson and his crew at Tamarack Construction (www.tamarackconstruction.com). Well versed in both energy efficient projects (SIP diehard) and a determination to ooze customer service, it was the right decision for our project. Paul is presently being brought up to speed on the project with a flurry of emails by me. Recaps of the previous Charette meetings, overviews of our expectations on the project, as well as material ideas, will culminate with working side by side through the Design Development stage of the project, through to physical construction and completion. The flood gates are about to open as we identify materials, make concrete decision on moving forward, and start to document the exciting particulars of what goes into a Green Build.

Stay tuned for more...

Tim

New Year, New Direction

Over the past few months we have been working alongside Briggs Architecture & Design to continune on the design of the overall project. Things did bog down during the Holiday season, but that can be expected, and we all had a great time. We have refocused our efforts for the coming New Year, as first thaw will see us develop infrastructure, build the Guest House,, complete the Shop, and commence farming plot preparations. I recently took over as head of the Project Team as a means to funnel all communications / actions through my watch. This will enable me to better oversee the LEED auspice of the project, approve all budgeted costs with associated services, as well as learn a bundle along the way. Presently we are working with M-M engineering to structure a proposal for structural / mechanical services during the design development phase of the project. We have sent off initial schematic designs (below) to Ever Logs for a bid on log package, and will commence revisiting GC list for eventual hire. Tie this all in with expecting a new baby boy in less than a week, and you can see how busy we all are.

Picture above is the south elevation of the Guest House, complete with a full set of plans PV's on the south facing roof, lightshelf on the first floor allowing for positive passive solar gain, and a true Montana feel of log structure.

All the best,

Tim