What is that wall around the dog run consist of and what will the floor\ground in that area be?

It looks like that is also where the only "people door" around there to enter the house from the outside is?

We incorporated a people door into the side of our garage and it is the most used door in the house. All of our friends know that is the door we use to come in and out (when not driving a car in) and they use it as well.

That's TBD -- since it was kind of a last minute add on. There will need to be a separate dog door.... and yes that's a man door.

The back of the garage is into the hillside or I'd have a door back there... So what happens is the front of the garage is at ground level -- but the two bedrooms above it are 2 story - but they end up at ground level on the back side and have sliding glass doors out to a patio area. You'd have to see the crazy ground this is being built on to really see how it all works -- but there's three or 4 completely separate elevations. The garage is one level - the living space (kitchen etc) is up about half a story - our bedroom area is up another half a story - and the junior suite is on the same level as the two guest rooms above the garage even though it's behind the living areas "up the hill". The ground has a big ass draw through it - and we used that draw as a means to access the house and build the shop etc.





http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/a...ey/file-27.jpg

GW - Food for thought - You might factor into the interior designs strategic view points for Stella to keep watch on the perimeter of the property. Might sound silly but Labs (and other naturally protective breeds) need that. I didn't give that enough though when designing out place. If they can't visually confirm certain perimeter areas they'll get a little over-active to outside noise when contained inside. There's a couple "dark" areas around our house that lead to Rev demanding to go outside to inspect since he can't visually confirm.

It's 1.6 acre lot.....







http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/a...d5fad5fd93.jpg

We didn't have enough roof for our solar soooo.......
(obviously with your views, not something you would want to look at)

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL267.../408537348.jpg


Also, you said this is to be the forever home and yet it's multi-level? What are your thoughts/plans for the inevitable bad knees and busted hips?


Jeff-

For the dog run area having a low masonary perimeter wall capped with steel fencing and a "jail" style door might work well for the dog and be visually appealing from motor park area. Then install a dog door in the mudroom exterior door for convenience.

Installing a perimeter invisible fence has been one of my better moves. Being able to let the dogs out when ever they want and not have to worry about them breaching the perimeter is good peace of mind. And after a couple months they don't need to wear the invisible fence collar to obey the perimeter.

http://www.sportdog.com/in-ground-fencing

Rev and Tucker seem very content to stand watch for hours at a time at the front of the house.

A) That kind of solar install ain't going to happen!



B) The drawings don't produce well enough to show details on here via JPG's -- but there's a 3 story elevator going from the Shop - Main floor - Upper floor (bedrooms).

Funny, I said the same thing for over a year. I lost. Now, instead of a beautiful forest view out the back, I have power station.



Knew you had the magic conveyance but thought it was more of a main house lift, didn't realize it could service the whole tri-plex. :headspin:


BTW, I'm sure everyone is going to enjoy all that you are willing to share on this adventure. Especially the hiccups.


Jeff-

I'm 100% positive that SV Corp -- the folks that own most all of town and this whole plat... would NEVER let us put that kind of deal on the property. If we could get it on the south facing roof yes - but not freestanding like that. And with 5 and 6 feet of snow --- frankly it just doesn't work worth a dang in the winter. Our living room floor is at 6272' feet above sea level.



So re: Sharing the build.


Sieg and I had talked about this earlier --- and frankly it wasn't really something I was going to do. I feel a bit funny about sharing what I have already. I think it kind of gives the wrong "impression" and I know that there's lots of guys here who are just saving up for wheels -- and here I am showing off this house with an elevator...

But the other part of me says -- well hell -- we're all sharing whether or not we're having a car built at the Roadster Shop or Ironworks etc -- or doing it at home in a single car garage.... and I personally enjoy ever damn one of them. So I don't know....

The only reason I started at all was because Jody asked the question - being funny I know - but to me -- THE SHED part of the build is the most interesting and then of course it leads to all the other questions about how it fits in etc.

So I'm just rolling with it as it relates to "CARS".... and shop etc.

Many here may have seen them already, but if not, here is a review of solar shingles.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...solar-shingles

TAX SHELTER: Recently solar shingles have become price-competitive with bolt-on panels, and are getting much more popular accordingly. On top of that, federal, state and local incentives can bring the cost down considerably more. Pictured: solar shingles from the Dow Powerhouse line.

Dear EarthTalk: I’m getting my roof redone and have heard about solar shingles. Are they available—and are they practical for the Northeast?—John Denson, Glastonbury, Conn.

Solar shingles are photovoltaic cells designed to look like and integrate with conventional asphalt roof shingles. First commercially available in 2005, solar shingles were much more costly than traditional “bolt-on” photovoltaic panels, and thus were used mainly by those wanting to go solar but maintain a traditional roofline. But more recently solar shingles have become price-competitive with bolt-on panels, and are getting much more popular accordingly. Eco-conscious home and building owners might find solar shingles especially attractive when they are re-shingling anyway since the solar shingles also double as functional, protective and weatherproof roof shingles in their own right.

The biggest name in solar shingles is Dow’s Powerhouse line, which uses cutting edge Copper Indium Gallium Selenide solar cells (aka “thin-film” solar) to turn sunlight into electricity via a supplied inverter box. The Powerhouse shingles generate 12 watts per square foot and are “grid-tied,” meaning they’re designed for structures already connected to the power grid and can send excess power back to the grid. They are wireless, snap together and can be installed by regular roofing contractors just like (or alongside) conventional asphalt shingles (an electrician needs to set up the inverter box).

Dow reports that a typical residential cluster of 350 solar singles on a roof could slash one’s household electric bill by 40-60 percent. Such an installation can cost a homeowner over $20,000, but federal, state and local incentives can bring the cost to half that in some areas. Powerhouse shingles are currently available (from Dow-authorized contractors) in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Texas and Washington, D.C.

Another leader in solar shingles is building products manufacturer CertainTeed. The company’s Apollo line of grid-tied monocrystalline solar shingles and roofing tiles offers efficiency similar to larger “bolt-on” photovoltaic arrays at around the same price (and incentives similar to those for Dow may also apply) but with less bulk: Each Apollo tile is less than an inch thick and will integrate with, replace, or lay on top of existing asphalt roof shingles or tiles and generate 12 watts of power per square foot.

CertainTeed says a typical installation will save homeowners 40-70 percent on their electric bills. Their Apollo products are available across the U.S. but the company recommends using one of their authorized roofing contractors to make sure they are installed properly.

Now is an especially good time to go solar—shingles or otherwise—because costs have started to come down and the federal government is still offering 30 percent tax credits with no cap on the purchase of solar electricity equipment. Twenty-seven states and several cities offer additional incentives that can get pricing on solar gear and installations down even lower. For more information check out the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE), a free online resource provided by the North Carolina Solar Center and IREC with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.