Sanda Everette

Well we are also one of the older folks. We bought our land on Washington's Olympic Peninsula...at first 26 acres, and eventually 39 acres in 1989 17 miles south of Port Townsend. Coming from CA, it seemed like a good deal. We hoped to start a small community. Unfortunately, we were not able to find work in the area and eventually went back to CA, after planting a small orchard.  We rented our beautiful cedar house and our tenants managed to burn it down. We took the insurance money and paid off the land. So 25 years later, after retiring, we began building a house and got our occupancy permit last year, for a unique double octagon in which we hope to do a small bnb. Soooo.... we would love to have some young or youngish farmers come partner with us...though as mostly glacial moraine or wetland forest, it is not great agriculture land... but is beautiful with small creeks and ponds.  I don't know what form ownership could take. The property is zoned 1 house/10 acres plus an ADU/ 10 acres, so there could be 3 more houses and 4 ADUs here. https://dragonbellyfarm.wordpress.com. Currently we have a 34' classic trailer for rent. As land is paid for, financial investment would need to go for building and for infrastructure...septic, perhaps improved well, etc. we don't want to subdivide and really all the potential house sites are on about 7 acres in the middle of the property.

We recently "finished" building our house....have occupancy permit anyway.  When we began, I didn't want to deal with building codes to consider any woodburning, plus concern for indoor air quality.  I am wondering if we can build a stove outside the house in an area we plan to create an outdoor patio between the two wings of our double octagon home, with the typical bench to enjoy sitting outside, but then add a vent, and maybe another bench, inside to share some of the heat there as well. (We supported the Kickstarter campaign and recently got the DVD sets.)  If this idea has already been discussed in another thread, please direct me.

Marilyn, I loved your post and your vision. I bet it would be cool in another part of the forum where more folks would see it. I am new to the forum myself and so far have only posted replies rather than starting a new thread, and one of them probably should have been a new thread.

I am not sure whether I should start a new thread or add to Bethany's. Please et me know if it would be better to start a new thread.

Since the house was already built with regular siding in mind, I'm going to use flat sheet siding with a faux stucco finish and trim will be 1x6 lumber painted dark, but the stone is the quandary here. I'm going to need some kind of veneer type finish just because the house is already built and I don't want stones sticking out 10 inches from the outside.

Like Bethany, I want to put a stone front that will sort of look like the bottom 2-4 feet of my house, but not actually be part of the structure. The house will have flat sheet siding, looking like vertical wood on the top and the bottom two feet is psedo stucco....on which I wanted to see a rock face. I am going for sort of a "craftsman" look on my unusual double octagon home. We live on glacial moraine on the Olympic Peninsula and have lots of our own rock. Unlike Bethany, I was not looking for a veneer type finish and have no concerns about the rock sticking out "10 inches from the outside" though I think half that is more likely. The house has a massive foundation with radiant floor heating...I blogged the whole construction process at www.dragonbellyfarm.wordpress.com. Granted this is not a tiny, earth type house. It was too late in my life for that dream. After telling my husband I wanted this since we began the design, he is now saying that building such a wall would cause moisture problems in the house.

I thought we could build it dry, but he says because I prefer the rounded stones to the jagged ones, that won't work, a combination, perhaps. We have done tile work so have some experience working with thinset and some with mortar.

Yes, thanks AnnaLisa and everyone else that I had an opportunity to experience. It was well worth the two+ hour commute from the Olympic Peninsula. It was cool that when I arrived, the empty chair was next to Paul and I got to have personal conversations....well not too personal. I am particularly grateful to have had the opportunity to meet Constance as she picked up up at the Edmunds Ferry dock. We got to drive back from 45th exit of 5 to her home thru Ballard and near the shore line and I got to see many parts of Seattle that I have never experienced before. She shared her amazing garden with us. I was truly inspired. I have never seen such large full fruited tomato plants before. If anyone ever needs to be camping out in our area, 18 miles south of Port Townsend, just let me know at www.dragonbellyfarm.wordpress.com (In case you haven't noticed, Jeffereson County is shaped like a dragon, and we are in the belly....there is also lots of local dragon lore). I hope to go back to Annalisa's this winter to get scion from her plum trees.

Constance Lee is going to pick us up at the Edmonds ferry dock, so we will be able to meet all you folks. Being recently here from CA, I may be a bit of a weather wimp, but I understand it is going to be rather stormy tomorrow with winds over 20mph. Does that work for an out of doors ...with cover potluck?

I would love to come and meet Paul and other area Permies. I was feeling sorry that I was not going to the Permaculture Convergence in Portland this weekend, and was surprised at all the people in this thread who weren't. I live at Dragonbelly Farm near Port Townsend. I may be able to drive over, but it might also be good to be able to get picked up at the ferry dock. Will anyone be coming through downtown Seattle and be able to pick me/us up? I don't yet know if my husband wants to go. I did also write AnnaLisa.