One choice -- the site of the building, was determined by nature -- geography, geology and topography. The Beaufort County Health Department's Environmental Health Section had to survey site conditions to determine where construction would accommodate the location of a septic tank. No improvement permit, no construction. In 2006, before having any idea of what kind of structure might get put up, Duck Creek property was reviewed and a specific allowable location for future construction was identified.
WHAT TO BUILD?
Hank Wall has never given me bad advise. Now, we once shared a lunch that ended up costing me $1,500, but that was a small cost for the wisdom he imparted and the good work that his crew did in building a closet in the "Craftsman" home we used to live in on Dixie Trail in Raleigh. That small job was after he and his company, Wood Wise Design, rebuild the back third of the house -- remodeling the kitchen, laundry room, bedroom and bathroom. It was all accomplished on time, on budget and while we continued to live in the house (the refrigerator and freezer were moved onto the front porch, microwave and toaster oven were in a corner of the living room with paper plates and Dixie Cups our dishes for about four months). Long before other builders were clued in, Hank developed a reputation for that went beyond fine craftsmanship. He knew about the materials he used, what went into them and the fact that many people were affected by them. He worked with those who had physical disabilities to design and build rooms, such as kitchens, that accommodated individual needs -- the height of counters, appropriate fixtures and the width of doorways and other spaces -- for comfort and ease. Whether it is a simple renovation like a closet or a bigger project, Hank brings a very basic focus -- how can what we live in work with the lives we lead to in efficient, healthy and sustainable ways. When it came time to figure out what to build, Hank was the first resource. He suggested Tightlines Designs, a firm started by architect David Maurer.
TightLines Designs describes itself as "a socially responsible architecture firm whose mission is to provide eco-friendly, quality affordable housing design solutions. From single family community development to elderly and supportive multi-family housing, we are committed to creating great places to live." David Maurer, who describes himself as a marathon runner and fly fisherman, is the creative force behind the TightLines Designs concept. "TightLines Designs originated to meet the growing need for quality small home designs that are community oriented, sustainable, historically appealing, and accessible. TightLines Designs is committed to designing quality homes that tread lightly on the environment, minimize energy costs, and are beneficial to the health of families," is how the company describes its mission on greenhomeguide.com. "We are proud to be part of the community of businesses who have joined with ENERGY STAR® to provide home designs that are energy efficient and reduce pollution. In addition to ENERGY STAR, we highly recommend participation in a green certification program to further ensure that new homes conserve energy, natural resources, and maintain optimal indoor air quality."
A home designed by TightLines became the first certified green home built by Habitat of Wake County in May 2010. A recent article in the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot described TightLines this way: "An architectural firm based in Raleigh, N.C. that provides designs for environmentally friendly and affordable homes. ... TightLines project manager Craig Bethel said the company typically does Victorians or bungalows to blend in with a neighborhood's existing homes." It was October 2012 that we initially connected with TightLines about how the firm might be able to work with us. Lindsay Locke, then the director of business development, directed us to the web pages with the various designs that had been developed and suggested calling back when we were ready to develop plans.
The description of the company's approach and the designs that were posted on the TightLines website gave us the confidence that the designs would be unique and the people there would be imaginative -- not force us to fit into a rigid, predetermined image of what we "should" want. In December, we had our initial meeting -- most of our time was with Craig Bethel -- who very quickly understood our objectives, concerns -- including a limited budget -- and ambitions. It was another seven months -- mostly spent pondering timing, finances and plans. By July 2013 the concept had become the "Bath House Project."
Craig made it all simple. Look at one of the plans we thought would fit our needs -- and what modifications we'd like to that plan to match our desires -- which were fairly modest -- an open kitchen and screened porch. He worked through engineering issues; flood plain concerns; best choices for foundations; and more. As he explained the various details -- and there are plenty -- he would always prepare us with "just bare with me" and then proceed to provide a very understandable explanation of a complicated detail. Journalists could learn a thing or two.
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| TightLines Design "Winslow II" |
Why a porch? Part obvious practicality: Enjoy the outdoors without an invasion of uninvited alternative species visitors. Another part -- sentimentality. From late spring to early fall, the porch in the back of the
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| Poughkeepsie, N.Y., by Laura Loth |
When we renovated the Dixie Trail house in Raleigh, we put a good-sized screened porch on that quickly became a favorite spot. Today, the listed value of the house is 355 percent more than what we paid for at the end of 1986.
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| 308 Dixie Trl., Raleigh, N.C., 1996 |
It's one thing to have a plan -- but it's just a piece of paper. Executing the plan -- in this case building the house -- is a means another set of choices. How and where to finance the whole thing. More choices. But, in this case, an easy one. When we purchased our first house in Raleigh -- 308 Dixie Trail, we went back-and-forth with the seller on the price 10 times. On the ninth exchange, we made our final offer -- telling the real estate agent, that even if it was one penny more -- we'd walk away. And we meant it. The seller met our offer -- with one condition. It was early December, and to meet some tax issues, we had to close by the end of the year. With all of the holidays, it seemed doubtful that it would happen. But the good folks at the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union came through with the necessary inspections, surveys, and paper work, in a flash. We closed with time to spare. So, after deciding on the kind of loan we wanted for the Bath Project, the application was turned in at around 4 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon. At 9:30 the next morning, I got the call our loan -- 15-year, fixed-rate -- was approved. The quick work on the loan application left Nancy threatening to go to creditscoredating.com ("where good credit scores are sexy!") to seek future options.
NEXT: Picking a builder and getting started.
