The House Plan

After exploring the land and learning about the valley for 4 years, we decided it was time to start the process to build a house. The first plan sited the house at the highest point the road reached where the view was the best. In retrospect, this was also the site that was the most exposed and had the feel of being perched on a saddle. This plan was not to be, however, since soil tests revealed the presence of a "slickensides" layer in the soil. This can result in movement of up to 1/8" a year. That might not sound like much but imagine what would happen to a pool if one end moves 1/8" and the other doesn't

Fortunately, an alternative site was easy to choose. It has the benefit of being more sheltered and not having the "perched" feeling. The soil tests came out clear so we started on what turned out to be a 2 year design process. After a year or so of design, we looked at where we ended up and decided that we had gone astray and some redesign was in order. Several months later we were back to what we thought was a reasonable design that worked well for both just Susan and me but could accommodate a horde of relatives.

The key aspects to the design are a large kitchen designed for someone who spends a lot of time cooking; a large shop for someone who spends a lot of time woodworking; a pool since the summers can get hot; a large garden area for both flowers and vegetables; and lots of common space, both indoor and outdoor, to accommodate lots of people.

Finally, we had complete plans (hah! we've already made minor changes) late in 2005 and the county gave us a building permit. Unfortunately, it was too late in the year to start construction. Our contractor did not think it was a good idea to start excavation just as the rainy season was starting. After scrambling to get the plans finalized, we had to wait another 7 months.