Update: Marsh Hill Studio 54 Still under construction

Front view of the house, cedar shake
and a metal roof finished by Scotia Metal Products. 

The wolf can huff and puff on our sturdy little house while we two little piggies will be sipping on our 'special' hot chocolate, toasty and happy, looking over the Atlantic Ocean. Both buildings are soundproof; no ants, bugs, wind, water, or moisture will penetrate our walls. We decided to go with a new building material called ICF, made in Surrey, BC, instead of stick wood construction, which is the traditional way of building most homes. Canada pioneered this style of building, utilizing Styrofoam blocks and poured concrete, which helps regulate the home's temperature and is better suited for extreme weather conditions.

Amazing how time flies when you’re building a home and how the bank account dwindles! Our studio spaces and Euro-style home are starting to look more like a house than a bunker! Read previous blog entries for the start, including clearing land and beginning construction.

In-floor heating tubes.

Demiliec Closed-cell 2 lb spray foam ceiling insulation for the airtight, leak-proof roof.

In-floor heating with insulation over the tubing and ready for concrete pouring.

ICF block building started in MAY 2011

 
ICF Quad lock resembles Lego, and then concrete is poured into the blocks to create airtight, soundproof, bugproof, and waterproof walls.

The walls are made from ICF Quad-Lock styro form blocks filled with concrete in two stages. We opted for in-floor heating under concrete floors for ambient heat throughout the main house and studio/garage space. 

Two ways to open windows and doors called tilt and turn...
European-style windows from Polytech Products Ltd.

Windows were a big deal for us, as we wanted to capture the incredible views while also getting natural light throughout the spaces. This type of window from Polytech Products is made in Cape Britain , NS. Each order is custom-made and made from plastics/poly rather than glass, creating a heavy-duty surface that withstands the intense Atlantic winds while maintaining an airtight seal. Windows open in two ways: from the side, opening into the home, and also from the top, but closing tightly at the bottom. This allows airflow while the winds are blowing, preventing them from whipping everything off the walls and tables. It's a sure way to get the dust off the tabletops!

I decided not to have a fireplace but rather to use the available space to hang artworks. I am not that fond of cleaning fireplaces and all the hoopla that goes into having a wood-burning fireplace. I always find that fireplaces make the home too hot, and then I need to open windows, defeating the purpose of the fire's heat. It's romantic, but I can get over it! 

The Blue Metal roof is corrugated and
matches the blue fascia on the studio/garage space.

We examined various roofing systems, and since our roof is sloped yet flat, we sought something that is both practical and affordable. We settled on the practical barn-type blue metal roof with the matching blue metal fascia, which saved us about $3,000.00 compared to the traditional fascia style. 

The first row of freshly cut eastern cedar shakes from New Brunswick

Cedar shake corners are just getting started...

We were fortunate in our timing to take advantage of some fantastic deals on cedar shake, as the building of houses in the eastern USA has nearly stopped. The freshly cut cedar shake has to be used immediately, as it dries into shape once applied carefully by builders. This siding will last longer than the years we will be alive, and it can withstand the harsh conditions of the Atlantic Ocean winds. We also decided to not paint and go with the natural greying of cedar shake, allowing a fusion of the house to blend visually into the natural landscape. The land all around us will eventually have bushes, wildflowers, etc., that fill in the spaces of the scrappy alder bushes that used to cover the hillside.

Back of house and studio space. Notice the roof lines that slant.

Building our own home has been an enormous learning experience, to say the least, and thankfully, we have creative builders who were willing to work with us, taking on the challenge with only a few details to get started. John Brannen and Jordan Maerz have indulged us creative folk to design with them a practical, heavy-duty, and yet funky building that reflects who Jim and I are as two creative beings. We have been open to all their expertise. We are thrilled about how it’s all coming together to create a truly unique building that has piqued the curiosity of locals in our small town of Seaforth, Nova Scotia. 

Art studio & garage building

View lines from the hillside neighbors... our building fits into the landscape.

Our hillside neighbors are thrilled as we designed the buildings to fit into the landscape rather than on top and to keep it from blocking their precious views as much as we could muster. Our cedar shake will turn grey, and the blue roof blends into the water view, so they will not see much of anything from the presence of our buildings.

Moving into our new home will certainly NEED a housewarming party... have a remarkable fall...Minaz Jantz