21st Century Victorian Home NH

We had been contacted by the NH Homebuilders early in the year about their first ever Parade of Homes in October but had not signed up as we already had two homes for sale in inventory. Then on May 15 I attended a seminar with nationally known new home marketing expert Jerry Rouleau who was emphatic in his support for this type of event which is very popular in many parts of the county. After mulling it over for a couple of days, we decided to build a home especially for the Parade of Homes.

The immediate problem was the time line as it is very difficult to take a new home from design and permitting to 100% completion in 4 and a half months. Fortunately we had been working on some new house plans after affiliating with the Barry Arthur Hoeg, a New York Licensed architect noted for his residential work. One new plan we had on the drawing board features many current design trends including flex rooms, a drop zone by the garage entry, second floor laundry, ample storage, and compartmentalized baths. It is designed so a buyer can choose different exterior trim packages including colonial, folk Victorian, Art & Crafts, and French Chateau. Now for a building site. . . Again fate helped as we found a lot in a new neighborhood with an existing permit and the developer preferred a builder who would commit to doing the Energy Star rating. No problem! After meeting with him, we signed a Purchase and Sales Agreement on June 4 and were digging on the lot by June 13.

On June 14 I met with Kevin from Horizon Energy who is the Energy Star rater to get his input. That was followed by a meeting with Paul and Seth from the Jordan Institute which is the NH provider for the LEED for Homes pilot program. I was thrilled to learn that we could be the 3^rd or 4^th LEED certified home in the whole state. I was even more thrilled after meeting with them again on the 20^th to do the preliminary rating and sign the paperwork that we would be aiming for the Silver level certification.

Another bit of good news came on the 18^th when we found that our drilled well was providing 50 gallons per minute at 150’ which was enough for geothermal heat. Once the well rig left, work began in earnest as we began to excavate for the foundation. Here is where we are to date:
6/21 Poured footings for house
6/22 Poured house walls
Foundation drainage, damp proofing and inspection
6/27 Footings for garage
6/28 Poured garage walls
7/10 Started framing the house – late start due to material delivery around July 4 and rain
7/18 Poured garage and basement slabs

At this point the framers are finishing up and we are beginning the “roughs” on Friday with the rough heating (ductwork).

This timeline is condensed and I have left out the inevitable snags and minor problems that come with building. If you are interested in any more detail, let me know!