Sometime in between my last post in March 2022 and this most recent one, I built a 16' x 8' addition on our house. That is to say, I was one of several people involved in building the addition and ultimately did most of the work once the foundation and framing was done. I took lots of pictures along the way - and it has been a long way indeed - and some day I'll empty out onto … [Read more...] about A Clear Polycarbonate Shed Roof (and the right way to build a retaining wall)
My DIY Install of a Mini-Split Heat Pump
Heat pumps are super cool and a critical part of decarbonizing the building sector. We have a ground source heat pump (AKA geothermal) for our house. It is incredibly efficient because it is exchanging heat with the ground, which stays a relatively consistent temp year round. So, in the summer when we are removing heat from the house for cooling purposes, the heat pump works … [Read more...] about My DIY Install of a Mini-Split Heat Pump
Some Thoughts on Chicken Coop Design
There is really quite a lot that could be said about chicken coop design, far more than I want to write in a single post. So I will keep my thoughts concise and focus on the more interesting coop design considerations. The first point I'll make is that there are a few universal rules and best practices to follow. Features such as the height and width of roosts, pop door … [Read more...] about Some Thoughts on Chicken Coop Design
How I Built A Banquette
We have a very small eat-in kitchen and no dining room. There are two options for making the most of the space: custom seating and a custom table, built to maximize the utility of the room. Although the custom table is still in the works (an embarrassingly long project that I began about the same time as the custom seating and still haven't finished), the banquette has been … [Read more...] about How I Built A Banquette
A Tiny Wood Stove
After much research and hemming and hawing about how to heat our tiny 100sf "guest cottage" on our property, I eventually landed on a tiny wood stove. More on alternatives, why you might want one, and why I chose the Cubic Mini in a future post. Let's get down to the installation. Before getting into the details it is important to mention that these stoves are not certified … [Read more...] about A Tiny Wood Stove