Energy and a New Begining

It has been a very long time since I updated Local Fruit! - so long that I don’t even know if the links are still connected.  But here we go with a quick update that should have occurred several years ago.

The very green house in old Folsom was completed in October 2012, and when we moved in we started tracking utilities.  Before construction began, we projected that the intense insulation and solar system would reduce our energy usage by 30%.  We would have been happy with an actual savings of 25%.  However, the actual hard dollar savings between our prior home and the new home-both homes of comparable size-was well beyond our goals.  The actual savings in dollars was 67% for electricity and 71% for natural gas.  The savings in kWh and Therms was equally impressive.  The outstanding energy reduction results are a compelling case for the use of advanced framing techniques and superior insulation methods in construction. 

The down side of building such a solid and well insulated home is that when it warms up in the winter, the upstairs zone is overly warm.  I find it occasionally too warm to sleep at night.  In the winter I like to sleep under the weight of a comforter, which means I get too warm at night.  When it is coldest in the winter and the furnace heats the downstairs zone to 68-70 degrees, the upstairs will warm up to 72-74 and stay there! So last winter when we had a good freeze, lows in the 20’s for a week, my bedroom window was open 4-5 inches all night, every night. During a normal winter the house is very comfortable, but a during a really cold spell it is actually too warm.  Such a warm little house! When I am a little old lady who is cold all the time, maybe I will finally close that window…

We planted what little area we could plant. The historic district lot is small at only 50’ wide which allows for a small and easily manageable patio and garden.  Located by a river and greenbelt, the views are borrowed from nature as are the wildlife. The landscape area outside the fence is deer territory; they regularly trim the bushes and have twice eaten the grapefruit tree down to stubs.

Back to Local Fruit!   This blog started as a way to share the experience of building an energy efficient home in a cool historic neighborhood in a fun California town.  Stay with me as I expand the Local Fruit!'s  footprints to add vineyard tales in northern California, especially El Dorado and Amador counties.  The Local Fruit! adventure will continue in 2015!

The New White House in Old Town

White House

 Hello and welcome to Local Fruit. The entry this week is just for fun!  The house is taking shape and is wrapped in white moisture barriers – Tyvek on the exterior walls and a roofing under layer on the roof surfaces.  It is all white right now, and very visible from across the river.

View from the parking garage toward Sutter St.

This photo shows site work at the old rail yard which is being redeveloped in Historic Folsom.  Combined with the City of Folsom’s renovations on Sutter Street and the facades being rebuilt, the old merchant district is beginning to sparkle again.  The City is celebrating with a grand party on May 7^th, 2011.  For news, go to http://www.folsom.ca.us/depts/redevelopment_and_housing/redevelopment/sutter_street_revitalization_2010/default.asp .

View of Lake Natoma

Negro Bar at Lake Natoma (Folsom Lake State Park)

Rainbow Bridge & the old truss bridge (American River)

These photos were taken from across the American River and provide a glimpse of why we enjoy Old Folsom so much.  The area has character: history, wildlife, and plenty to see and do. Within the Historic District are charming neighborhoods, a state recreation area with river access and bike paths, restaurants and funky retail shops.  There is plenty to see and do, with street festivals and events throughout the year.

Fresh Dirt!

Hello and welcome back to Local Fruit. I am happy to say that we finally have something to show that the project is moving forward at last. It has been almost three years since we bought the lot and began designing an energy efficient house in the Historic District. We submitted the design to the City and the Historic District Commission fourteen months ago and then submitted drawings for the plan check phase again in August. Once we moved into temporary quarters this summer we have been eagerly waiting to see tangible changes at the lot.

So back to the week’s progress... the site work of grading and sewer is complete. Future site work include constructing utilities and retaining walls.

A week ago several issues lay before us: locating the City sewer line and getting the grade correct on a narrow sloping lot. Well, last week the excavation company graded the lot and dug the sewer trench. After locating the City sewer main, they constructed our sewer connection, had it inspected, filled in the trench and patched the street. This seemed to happen quickly and with minimal disruption to the neighborhood traffic. The lesson here is that with something as important as a sewer line you want to have the ground work done right the first time. There is no second chance with a sewer line.

The grading has been a challenge because the lot slopes about 10’ from the southeast corner to the northwest corner. The garage pad is the high point, and right now the pad really dominates the parcel. We plan to reduce the excess pad and return the slope to almost the natural grade. I can’t imagine trying to navigate around the high pad as pictured with garden equipment or a green yard waste can.

Another challenge has been getting two City-owned trees removed. Two years ago the City arborist spent time identifying the trees and informing me which City-owned trees were diseased and unsafe. In fact he said that that the City would remove two of the trees because they were a hazard to people and property; however, due to the budget crisis the City now has no staff to trim or remove trees.

Instead the arborist expected us to remove the two City trees. This work was NOT in the budget! We agreed to remove the City’s trees because we did not want the risk of a diseased tree with a weak crotch dropping a limb and hurting someone. (That phrase always makes me want to giggle- pants have weak crotches; trees should be strong!) The photo shows the stump of the maple tree cut down today. I don’t even know how it survived this long with so much of the trunk missing.

The past few months we have been doing fun stuff on Fridays, like picking out flooring, cabinetry, and solid surfaces. We evaluated window bids (Anderson vs Milgard) and began to evaluate HVAC systems. We often take time to pull out the plastic yard chairs and sit on the future porch or in the future dining room…just looking at the future view.

We expect to break ground about the same time and the rainy season arrives. But I have cute new mud boots, and I am ready!

Fresh Dirt: Pre-Construction in Old Town

Welcome back to Local Fruit. Those of you who know us understand that our family has been on the move this summer. We sold our home in July and look forward to a change in lifestyle. Having lived in Folsom for twenty-two years, we like the nearby Historic District and often just walk the neighborhood to enjoy the eclectic architecture and local color. One of the great things about a historic district is the character of the area; another is the diversity of the people living in the area. The Folsom Historic district is no exception.

In November 2007 we found one of the few vacant parcels in the Historic District. The lot is narrow, only 50’ wide, which was the standard back in the 1850’s when land in the area was first being mapped and divided. Because of the close proximity to the river, gold miners in the area created a settlement that eventually became the town of Folsom. Our particular parcel was once agricultural and owned by Portuguese farmers who provided fruit to the young town. It still has fig trees, persimmons, citrus, pecans, and walnuts. Nearby are many olive trees and grapes that grow along the road.

Not only is the location of this parcel attractive due to the proximity to the river, restaurants, parks, city library, and light rail, but the soil itself is attractive to the gardener in me. There is an orange tree on the lot that had been damaged and neglected by the previous owner. I trimmed and cared for the tree for several years to bring it back. The generous neighbors have helped me water the tree (there is no water to the lot), and now it has its first crop of fruit in the past three years. Once on an early spring day, I was watering the tree and I noticed a sparkle in the soil. After looking closer, I could see small flecks of minerals in the rich soil that sparkled in the late afternoon sunlight. From that space standing by the tree, I could see the arches of the Bridge crossing Lake Natoma through the trees. I thought I even saw the sparkle of water reflecting from under the bridge. How cool would it be to build a two-story home near the river parkway and actually be able to see the bridge and water?

So for the past two and a half years we have owned this narrow lot with the idea of building a home. Using home design software, the home took shape on my computer and we located a builder who built an energy efficient (LEED Platinum) home in the Folsom Historic District. The builder is a really good guy, and he walks and talks efficient ratings; he also learned the idiosyncrasies of building in the Folsom Historic District.

The main goal of this project was to create an energy efficient home that significantly reduces ongoing expenses while also doing our part to enhance environmental sustainability. Other benefits include the lifestyle perks of being closer to the river and within walking distance of all that the community has to offer. Both my husband and I are energy geeks; we want a home that is energy neutral. The home design includes serious insulation, photovoltaic solar panels, and very efficient appliances. The detached garage includes a granny flat that could generate enough income to pay for property taxes if we ever decided to rent it out. We have eliminated pool maintenance, landscaper service, and even the window cleaning service. Yes window cleaning; the old home had great views from three stories up and neither of us are too keen to do ladder work.

The project is finally on the verge of become a reality. The orange tree will be fenced off this week to protect it during grading, as will a fig tree. Yesterday I trimmed the fig in order to reduce its drip line in an attempt to save it during construction. Several orchard trees (fig, persimmon and cypress) will come down to make way for our new home. Although I feel guilty about taking down a few trees, I am eager to see dirt and plan the garden beds for next summer.

We may be about the only crazy people to actually start a new construction project in this economy. It may be self serving, but if we can stimulate our local economy and help put people to work, why not do so? Assuming we break ground in September, the house should be ready in April, in time to prepare for a summer garden. Both building a home and the prospect of finally working the rich soil are exciting to me!

I will be sharing our experiences and photos of the progress over the next year. You may learn about green construction, energy, or the local color of our diverse and eclectic old town.