Saturday, January 29, 2011

Foundation In and Walls Going Up

The footing has been poured and five levels of Faswall have been installed. That includes the stem wall and the first 16 inches of the house walls. Conduit is in place for electrical wiring and outlets and we are waiting for the first concrete infill of the Faswall blocks. The contractor, SAR Construction, has done a very neat and careful job so far, and each row of Faswall is straight and level. They have taken care to ensure straight and even walls, including fastening plywood to the Faswall at each corner for extra support during the concrete infill.


Rebar in place

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Having a Dream

Randy and I have dreamed for some years now about having a passive solar home. We bought 2.47 acres on a south slope in central Washington and sat on it until we could both retire, sell the house in western Washington and move. We designed a basic house and turned it over to Winter Sun Design to have it designed into a code-worthy home. On November 29, 2010 the western Washington  house sold and on Dec 1 we were living with our kids and grandkids in their small central Washington home. On Dec 2 we had  a signed contract with our contractor, SAR Construction, Inc. Soon the excavation started.

Our new passive solar home will be built with Faswall block. The Faswall material is ideal for this environment and will help keep us cool in the summertime and warm in the winter. It will give us strong, fire-proof walls and a quiet interior.