Let the Designing begin!!

We got possession of the new house and lot on August 14th.  And as of this week, we have hired an architect to start the design process.  This is the fun part for me.  I get to rip out picture after picture from magazines and books, send our architect links to all of my favourite design websites, etc.... And I really think I am going to like working with this guy.  His name is Michael Sczesny and he is a partner in a new firm with 2 other architects.  He has been in the industry for over 20 years and has some pretty cool projects under his belt (The Selkirk Hotel at Fort Edmonton Park for one!).  He is super keen on incorporating as much green technology and sustainable materials as possible and also staying within our budget (a big selling point for Ben).

We are hoping for a spring 2011 ground breaking and to be in the house by late 2011 or early 2012.  Mike has a great contractor that he works with exclusively and he too is very keen and excited about our Green Home project.

In the mean time, I think that we are going to try to rent the house for the next 6 months.  The previous owners replaced the hardwood and carpet throughout the house and outside of an abundance of floral wallpaper it is in quite decent shape.  It is a big house and would be great for someone looking for a short term lease, is rebuilding their own house or someone on a sabbatical here in Edmonton.  If you know of anyone who fits that bill--let me know!

My next few posts will be about some of the technologies we are going to incorporate in the house, so bear with me as I do my research into ICF, radiant floor heating, passive solar energy and on-demand hot water heaters!

 

Cheers all, Natasha~