On Sunday Hannah and I spent the better part of the day cleaning up the site. Picked up trash. and sorted out the paper and recyclables. Stacked and tarped all of the lumber. Gathered together firewood that didn’t make it off the lot (up for grabs). We went through the scrap wood pile for donations to the art teacher at Hannah’s school. We finished the day with a game of cribbage in our living room. Hannah won again.

I have been spending a lot of time this past week learning about framing, modeling the framing in Archicad, and putting together a materials list. Sadly, I have decided that I will not be using local rough-sawn lumber. There is too much of a cost difference: 60 cents per board foot vs 45 cents per board foot for kiln dried planed. Even with the added embodied energy and work of shipping and processing the KD wood is way cheaper. Another example of backwards economics.

The six trash bags here represent most of our trash so far.

Our stacked piles of lumber. Notice that the dirt pile is gone. In its place you can see there is a small pile of leaves; the beginnings of an effort to create soil.

Its easy to get to know your neighbors when you don't have any walls to your house. Our neighbors across the street gave us a pumpkin, although we didn't risk leaving out on our virgin concrete slab.