Rooftop greening..............

In planter boxes made from surplus materials & lightweight soil, herbs & tomatoes are growing.
The trellises for the tomatoes are made from masonry reinforcing ties.

Outdoor carpeting protects the roof membrane from harm.

After the storm..............................

Jonquils are an early sign of Spring's approach.

Next come the dogwood blooms & azealias. This

view is from the master bedroom window.

John built this desk out of reclaimed wood & raw cedar logs.

Ok, the novelty's over...................

From master bedroom window..................

Towards foyer..........................

It's snowing down South...................

Creeks up again...............

Gate security.................

Snowlar power...................

Stairwell.................

Roof top.........................

Master vanity...................

View from creek.....................

View from fire pit.................

Chimney art.....................

Front entrance.....................

Gargoyle......................

Powder Room......................

Stove side..............................

Living Room.....................

Towards breakfast room....................

Breakfast bar.............................

Kitchen...............................

Dining Room.............

Master Bedroom

A time to heal.......................

Construction is now virtually complete, & it's time for the earth to heal. Recently these jonquils started blooming. Hopefully, the Spring will bring back the dogwood blossoms, & new growth will emerge everywhere.

Soon I'll post final photos of our new home, & this blog will come to a close.

Wax off, wax on....................

On the left is a wall with the original paint & drywall mud troweled on finish. It has a pleasant yellow, but chalky finish.

At the right, Rosemary has trowled on liquid wax with color added. After drying it has a wonderful smooth finish, & the wall is sealed from the "chalk".

Gateway to Earthwood.....................

The entry gates are in place. The center tree has a curved trunk that splits in the middle.

We'll install electronic openers that are solar powered.

The little critters at the bottom are from a Sante Fe trip.

On the right path....................

From the living roof you can see the garden paths.

These are made from wood chips from our trees that needed removal.

The gray area is a circular drive that will be asphalted soon.

Yes, asphalt is not a green material, but we're trying to limit it.

One man's cave....................

Using left over paneling, the "man cave" is being enclosed.

In the future plants will be brought in during the winter. There will be a central shower, so the plants will be watered when I use it.

Last ditch effort..................

To handle water runoff, we built a retention pond at the base of the driveway.

The stone remnants will help filter mud from the rainwater before it enters a ditch that leads to the creek.

When the landscaping matures, it will also aid in erosion control.

Home stretch...........................

The list of items to finish is dwindling. Here are some interior views. The furniture is only temporary, to give a sense of the spaces.

The doors to the dining room storage were once the front doors to a home I did renovation plans for. I'll add amber colored glass to conceal the items stored inside this closet.

The last major item is the floor, which will be bamboo, a very "green" product.

However, we need the central heat to be turned on in order to store the flooring at room temperature for a few days before installing it.

The master bedroom has 12 foot tall ceilings & a great view of the creek.

Yes, we wood......................

This stove is central to the home's public areas, & should heat most of it. It's good for about 1600 square feet of space.

We've been breaking it in during the past few very cold days.

Today I worked outside most of the afternoon, & the smell of smoke made me think Country's Barbecue had relocated nearby.

Re: moat control........................

I don't want to seem too paranoid, but I like the idea of entering by a bridge over a dry "moat".
This does limit access, & a sensor will tell us that someone is there.

The bridge will be steel & wood.

Strangers at the gate.........................

At the beginning of the driveway there will be a security gate powered by a small solar panel.

Here's an "in progress" look. A few touches still remain. At the bottom will be animal silhouettes we bought in Sante Fe a few years ago.

It's built of welded steel, & will be powder-coated in a bronze finish.

Bridging the gap.........................

Earth berms will be planted to partially conceal the house as you go down the drive. All dirt used on this project was originally on the site. Only some topsoil was brought in.

Last weekend Pete built this bridge out of leftover materials.

What's cooking...................

The kitchen cabinets are in place & soon the granite installers will be measuring for the slabs of stone.

The feel of the space is like a loft apartment. Look through the open door to the car porch, & you can barely see the statue of St. Sophia bathed in sunlight.

It's tough to get a good view of the shower room tile work, but this will give you an idea. There's a mosaic wainscot with a darker tile below.

Bringing nature indoors...............................

Dale & Bill, our finish carpenters use cedar scraps for blocking as they create box beams. These beams conceal the joints in the grooved plywood ceilings.

Stone masons bring the exterior feel to the interior. This is the wall behind the future wood burning stove.

Inside looking out.....................

Morris, our low VOC painter, is adding the wall texture & color at the same time. Paint is mixed with drywall compound & applied in one step with a blade. The texture is not very rough, but sufficient enough that the drywall didn't need need sanding. The finished walls have a mottled patina.

The paint is low VOC ( volatile organic compounds ) which means there are few to none toxic particles released to the interior environment.

The wood ceiling also received a low VOC stain. The wood is a grooved exterior siding material that comes in 4'x8' sheets. False beams will cover up any exposed joints. Most homes have gypsum board ceilings with messy sanding required. These ceilings went up very quickly.