| House/Property Features |
| Written by Tim Niemier |
|
oWOODSHED The wood shed is right next to the place where firewood logs can be floated up for cutting and splitting right on the ground before you wheelbarrow them up for stacking. This little high tide area is where I float up lumber to go on the lumber rack near the wood shed. oSHOP The shop is 16x28 with a big work bench and half of the roof fiberglass for more warmth. It is built right over the water with nice big decks with large doors at either end. This is where the power system is located. I really like the size because it has everything with out being too big and hard to keep organized or clean. oSOLAR HEATING Solar heating keeps the house nice and warm well into the night with the sky lights and green house kitchen. Some mornings I just start a little fire and let it burn out as the fog burns off before noon. oELECTRICAL The electrical system is powered by 3 solar panels that produce 12-15 amps 12v to feed the about 2000 amp hours of batteries. In the summer running a regular household refrigerator I have gone one week before switching banks of batteries. If the solar can’t keep up with the demand I have a charger and a small quiet 3000 watt generator. The batteries use a 3000 watt inverter that produces power for the house. I use energy efficient light bulbs that don’t use much electricity. The washer and dryer don’t use too much because the drier is propane. The water pump is 12v and doesn’t use much. oWATER The water system gets its water from the roof and is strained before it goes into the 2, 2000 gallon water tanks in the back yard. The 12v water pump keeps the house pressurized. The hot water is a French flash propane hot water heater that never runs out of hot water because there is no tank. oPROPANE The propane system runs with a few propane tanks in the wood shed just under the kitchen. The appliances that use propane are the water heater, clothes dryer and cook stove and oven which has a shut off for the oven pilot light to save gas unless you are baking. oDOCKS AND TIDES The bay in front of the house allows for you to get things to the house by boat and there is a dock near the shop. At low tide this bay is mud. The tide comes in quite rapidly and it is fun to watch. If the sun is out and heats up the mud then the water gets warm as it comes in and is quite pleasant to swim in. Like I said before there are birds or otters out in the bay and sometimes a bear that keeps to himself on the far shore all putting on the daily nature show. |
