Renovating a building into a green home

Seegers6 · 12-06-2007, 01:46:20 AM

I want to share this with all of you. DH and I have always dreamed of renovating an old building into a home. The hardest part was finding the right place. Then finally one day out of the blue the right place at the right price presented itself. We are documenting our progress in a podcast that can be viewed on our website. While we can't afford to be fanatical, our goal is to show that you can do green to a great degree on a budget.

http://www.edificeventure.com

I am starting this thread for anyone that wants to discuss the project. Feel free to offer any suggestions or ask any questions. I love talking about the building!

Timedess · 12-06-2007, 02:36:50 AM

oh that is so cool! i would love to do something similar, but with the # of kids we have and financial situation, it isn't terribly likely anytime soon (we would need a place to live while renovating and certainly can't afford to upkeep two houses). i LOVE the idea though and look forward to watching you rprogress!

are you posting this on our sister site, organic grocery deals, too?

Seegers6 · 12-06-2007, 03:07:37 AM

Yes, I posted it on OGD first. I know what you mean about the finances. It is definitely tight. But we got a steal of a deal on the building and are determined to make it work! Plus we are trying to sell some more sponsorships to a kitchen cabinet store and an equipment rental store mostly as trade-outs for supplies. DH and I agreed that being creative with the project and the budget would be part of the adventure.
With 4 kids, MIL, 2 dogs, a cat and a bird, we are rapidly running out of space in our current home. So this is definitely motivation!

Timedess · 12-06-2007, 03:21:18 AM

i can understand that! good luck!

jujubee · 12-06-2007, 03:23:40 AM

I would encourage everyone to check it out! What they're doing is amazing and truly inspirational! :)

kdownie · 12-06-2007, 03:29:18 AM

Wow. What an amazing project and a wonderful thing to do as a family. Good luck to you!

Seegers6 · 12-07-2007, 07:26:29 PM

Thanks all for such a great reception to our project. My family and I have been working really hard to balance this project with everyday family life. With many ups and downs this is the rejuvenation, we needed.

The renovation in itself a lot of hard work but DH and I seem to always attract drama. This neighborhood is definitely not lacking in the drama department and we have landed right in the middle. So keep checking out the podcasts.

Jujubee, gush away and QOTH thanks for leaving the first comments especially on my blog. I was so out of practice on writing when we started the project. However, I am gaining more confidence with each new blog.
I will definitely ask for opinions and suggestions as we progress. Right now we are rapidly trying to finish the sunroom/greenhouse on the back of the house. It was apparently the boiler room before but only the foundation of this room was left when we bought the building. A lot of water was coming in through here and the structure will stop that. Unfortunately, the first snow here has presented some problems and yesterday the generator seized up. So off to get some estimates for hooking up temporary power.

Stay tuned we expect to have the Episode 3 done sometime before Christmas. For those of you who have watched the first 2, the 3rd one will better explain the situation with the wood recycler and the neighborhood and how it pertains to our project.

Question: Do any of you have a mulch plant / wood recycler in your town? If so how does your town react to it?

Penny

janastanley · 12-09-2007, 07:56:21 PM

Good luck, what an amazing project. Do you watch the show on HGTV, Living with Ed? THere are some great ideas on that show: Living with Ed - Ed Begley Reality Show on Environmentally-Responsible Living : Shows

queenofthehivemomof5 · 12-09-2007, 09:03:33 PM

I love your blog and podcasts! I literaly spend all morning on day this week watching and reading everything. Fantastic! The pod casts are really well done and the blog is well written. Only thing I can say is "MORE, MORE, MORE" I can't wait to see the next podcast. Its like watching a TV show on HGTV and you just want to see how its going to turn out. So I am anxiously awaiting the next episode!

I would love to do that or something like that....some day maybe!

queenofthehivemomof5 · 12-09-2007, 09:06:24 PM

Aww penny....thanks for the links and mention on your site for both HCW and OGD. That is really cool!