Building our new house
In early 2007, we began building our new Round House here at Sacred Groves with a vision to expand our residential community on this beautiful land.
We purchased 3 round structures from Oregon Yurtworks--a big house with a large round Great Room that has become the heart and hearth of the Sacred Groves community, and 2 yurtlettes, private bedroom-cabins for new residents. We are modeling a "small is beautiful" lifestyle with small personal spaces, sharing kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, living room. We are enthused about the joys and challenges of community living, committed to the spiritual and personal growth required for sharing life in this way.
This blog, which has the most recent entry at the top, tells the story of the construction of the new house, starting with the foundation built Spring 2007. Carpenter and Groves resident Tere Carranza has managed the project from start to near-finish.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Austin's last day
Summer is here! The past two days have bloomed with bright sun and discreet shadows. Surely a sign the seasons are turning. And Austin won't be working on the job site for awhile after being with us for a month. Austin is Therese's nephew, son of her sister Cherie. Therese was at his birth and, since he lives on Bainbridge Island, she has watched him grow up from a tiny boy to a handsome young man. His chosen lifestyle at this point is so aligned with Therese's that people have wondered if he was her son! His last name is Charvet too. Anyway, he's been a great help on the project, its been wonderful to get to know him in a new way, and now he's leaving for a big adventure-- he's going to spend the next 6 1/2 weeks on a wilderness leadership course in South Carolina!. I'm gonna miss his presence, his humor and his curiosity, but he'll be back on the site in early August with many stories to tell. Good Luck Austin!
Austin and Eddie stripped, de-nailed, and stacked the form material; Eddie painted the foundation with an asphaltic dampproof sealer; and they moved huge beams and the rest of the material around. There are still more grunt-type of jobs to do - and Eddie will take up the mantle of willing youth...
This week I anticipate exciting changes in our new house site. Josh and crew return with their earth moving equipment - and will finish the septic system hook-up, install the foundation drain, and start the backfill and grading around the house. I'm very curious about how the reality will match up with my expectations.
AND - Therese is back from California - her sister Andrea is improving daily - we are all so grateful for her recovery, and for the outpouring of heartfelt prayers and well-wishes by so many folk! Thank you thank you thank you!
more pics
posted by Tere # 6:55 AM 