May can be a beautiful month. This year it was cold but the weather has been sunny and somewhat dry. The windchill typically makes it pretty cold so dressing for exterior work means putting some effort into layering! Most of the work that I had to do was on the south side of the house so as long as the sun was shining and I was wearing dark clothing, I actually felt warm. I have many projects scheduled for the summer so getting a head start was a necessity. My first project was adding the shade structure to several windows on the main level. The WUFI model showed some overheating in the middle of summer without the structure in place. Before we installed the clapboard siding, I attached vertical ledgers (I call it a vertical ledger board) so I could secure braces that would be used to attach the shade structure. I deviated from the designers plans a little. The planned structure would have involved scaffolding and several sets of hands to install. It seemed like I could make
This is a blog about building a more sustainable lifestyle in Newfoundland. We built the Flatrock Passive House in Flatrock, Newfoundland. As it stands, this is first performance house built to the PHIUS standard in Newfoundland. Construction is complete but the project is still moving forward. We are currently exploring and devising options that deal with food security. We recently completed a vegetable garden and root cellar and are currently working on a winter greenhouse!