My Story

I have always had an interest in houses and construction. I am the daughter of a carpenter recently turned restaurant owner so I grew up around construction sites. My dad built our family house (on weekends and after work) and it took 4 years. When my dad first started the "yard" was 5 acres of trees. Slowly it took shape and I visited the construction site all the time. I think that experience has made this whole project easier. Any normal person would probably be freaked out.

I work in the renewable energy field and have an interest in energy efficiency. I hope to make our house as efficient as we can afford. About two days after we closed on the house I called and scheduled an energy audit. There isn't much for them to look at, but we need to have an audit before we can take advantage of 0% interest loan for energy efficiency improvements. We had a serious debate about what to do with our original 1860s windows which were historic and pretty, but probably contain lead paint and definitely have significant heat loss. I was fighting to keep the windows and re-glaze them and add new storm windows, but in the end I lost the fight and we agreed to get new windows. Yes, they will cost a fortune and we won't see a payback, but I think I will like them.