The one thing we missed most during our travels was having our hands in the earth. In the fall of 2013, we bought an older 1850’s home with a quarter-acre lot/garden in town. Inspired by the concept of regenerative design and permaculture, we’ve taken a few steps to make this home more resilient (things we hope to do in gray).
Land/site:
- Built two compost bins
- Started raised beds
- Planted six blueberry bushes and eight fruit trees (apples, asian pears, plums, peaches)
- Planted hazelberts, sea buckthorns, raspberries, blackberries, a mulberry tree, and an elderberry tree.
- Plant cherries
- Add perennial vegetables and other edible landscaping.
Energy
- Took space down to the sheath (first floor main house).
- Added 7.5-9 inches of blown in cellulose insulation (first floor main house).
- Put in radiant-heat barrier (first floor main house).
- Added a SW facing window .
- Replaced leaky old windows with new double-paned argon windows (first floor main house).
- Lined and capped our chimneys
- Installed a wood stove.
- Installed LED lights
- Installed an efficient wood stove
- Pull the first floor kitchen, bathroom and washing machine into main footprint of the house. Stop heating back ell entirely.
Materials:
- Restored existing wide-planked wood floors that were original to the house and hidden under layers of linoleum and carpet.
- Used a plant-based, VOC-free and non-toxic oil finish for the floors.
- Used zero-VOC paint in bedroom.
Favorite Resources:
- The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Ben Falk
- Integral Urban House
- Gaia’s Garden