What's up with that wacky rear foundation???

We have had a lot of questions about the design of the house given the unusual rear foundation.

There are as many theories regarding the rear of the house as there are theorists.  Here are three ideas that we have heard.

--We've heard that the zig-zags are part of a mysterious 'green' technology that enhances heating and cooling. Not so! The house is designed to be extremely energy efficient and we are utilizing a geothermal heat exchanger to heat and cool the cottage, but that choice did not affect the foundation design.

--Could the zig-zags be part of an advanced acoustic design that will transform John's playing of violin and viola? Not exactly! This is only true to the extent that one of the zigs holds a small music room for John to practice (to the probable delight of our immediate neighbors).

--Finally, the third theory asserts that the zig-zags are obviously designed to hold a series of complex windows. In fact, this is true! Ray, our architect does love windows and the angles definitely increase the surface area available for windows in the back. However, it is a little more complicated.

Actually, the design for the rear roofline of the house is based on roofs found on Scandinavian barns. These roofs swoop close to the ground on the north side of barns where they function like a wing, sheltering the house from cold northern winds and keep snow from piling up by lifting it up and over the house.

The rear of our cottage, shown here as an artist rendering, faces almost due north. The zig on the  extreme left side of the drawing holds the music room and porch.  The zags on the extreme right holds the master bedroom and bath. The great room is under the swooping roof.

Pilgrim Cottage: Poured Concrete and Concrete Block

The foundation construction would prove complex...

After the frames had been set, concrete was poured into them to establish the living spaces of the lower level which will be approximately 1000 square feet.  On the rear of the house, this solid foundation would meet a concrete block foundation that would outline a crawl space and provide support to the master bedroom, the living room and the dining room.  Masons, working with Dave Wiggins, began to set the block during the latter part of June.

Our three year old grand-daughter joined her Pa Pa for a visit to the site with her best friend, Murphy.  Maddy and Murphy romped through the giant sand piles while John and I inspected the very precise work

Once the perimeter was established and the electrical and plumbing were set, Dave and his team poured the lower level floor. While the concrete initially looked like West Texas mud, it is actually colored concrete which will be polished to create the lower level floor.









John and Dave stand in our first completed "room," a storage room on the lower level.