# Pictures of my home part 3



## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

After we built our new house in 1980, the portion that is log in the photo, I added on in 2005. This house when built by me and my dad, had only one bedroom, and at first had no bathroom, though years later we did get indoor plumbing and power and a phone. When I added on, I incorporated a very unique energy effecient building concept of my own design. The house is now super easy to heat and very quiet from outside noise. The overhead has 30 inches of insulation. For the record, this house was NOT free! I paid out the butt. The addition cost half as much as the price of the land and house, which I bought from my folks in 1991. My folks originally paid $8,300 for 20 acres. Enjoy the photos!


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

When I look back on my humble beginnings, I can't help but say that I loves my new house on the property! It's modest, but that's just fine! Please note the fact that I built the porch on large boulders to save money I did not have for concrete piers. The rocks look so much better too!


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

A view from the rear of the house. Hoodoo creek runs to my right.


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

That's billy in the yard. Looking toward the Hoodoo creek.


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

This is where I came from as a child on the same property! http://www.tractorforum.com/f241/vintage-glimpse-13881/ Takes a bit of time to get the pictures up.


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## johndeerefan (Jan 13, 2009)

Nice job. I guess you didn't want to tackle peeling logs again on the addition?

I wish my house was set in evergreen trees like yours. I think that makes a cabin have a more rustic appeal to it.


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## kau (Sep 15, 2003)

Looks great Chris. I forgot, how many total acres do you have?


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

kau said:


> Looks great Chris. I forgot, how many total acres do you have?


20. Our driveway is a quarter mile long as it come off a county road, then through about 300 yards of forrest service land. Because we pay for forrest service access, the road is ours to gate off at the county road. Rally gives a great deal of privacy. You hear the Spokane International railway of in the distance, but no road sound at all. The county road is dirt. We have 650 feet on the Hoodoo creek. Here in a bit I'm going totake a few of our dogs down there for a swim and snap some pictures for you all.


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

johndeerefan said:


> Nice job. I guess you didn't want to tackle peeling logs again on the addition?
> 
> I wish my house was set in evergreen trees like yours. I think that makes a cabin have a more rustic appeal to it.


A few concerns went through my head. The first was that it was very hard to seamlessly tie the addition in with logs. The other was that when this house was built, let alone the other, was the heat issue. The first few years we had blankets hanging over the doors and plastis sheathing over the windows. In the winter months, we had to move into the basement near the woodstove. Believe me when I say that this old place has come a long way since those days!! So my second concern was heating, and this addition incorporates a unique framing system I employed, as I got so tired of the inherent flaws of todays framing techniques in terms of energy effeciency. Many steps have been taken, but so many more steps could be taken. Last concern was the very fact that we never had power until 1985 and my folks never had a lot of money, so this house as well as the single room cabin, both had very small windows. Combine that with the interior of a sort of dark log home, and it was a bit depressing for my wife. It rains a great deal up here in Idaho, and the days are cloudy until around July! We decided to go conventional building from the perspective that I could bring in some drywall and larger windows and really brighten things up. Me and my dad built the original portion of the house, and he always said that I lived under his roof. The addition was built at every phase, by me alone. Not one single person has ever touched any part of the building of the addition, and so hence, now I tell my dad that I live under my roof! I'll put some more pictures of the inside of the place up here soon, so you can get sort of a feeling why I went the way I did. I'll also go into detail further about the methods I used to build the plce as it's a bit unconventional and a bit time consuming at the onset, but really makes a difference on those cold winter nights and those hot summer days!


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

Ooops! Try again


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## TeamGreen (May 18, 2009)

You have a very nice place.. i am very interested in hearing bout your "mods" to normal framing issues.. I hate how framers just set your main floor walls on the floor sheeting and siding just covers up the seam. I can feel the cool air come in under the walls. I would like to go with a high heal on the trusses if i get to build again. thus allowing for more insulation in the attic..


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## TALHA (Jan 19, 2011)

Very nice ... I am experiencing the same fate with you.

I work hard and I won...

Beautiful place, I wish you a happy life...


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Hey TractorBeam,
Great place you have there. Love the open fields and the green forest all around you. You've done a great job on your house. Thanks for sharing the pictures and a bit of your history.
Way to go!
Cheers
Bill
Ps, How you making out with the english springer spaniels? Beautiful looking dogs! I have an english setter in my flock, and she's wound up tighter than a drum..... more energy than I'll ever have!!


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

pogobill said:


> Hey TractorBeam,
> Great place you have there. Love the open fields and the green forest all around you. You've done a great job on your house. Thanks for sharing the pictures and a bit of your history.
> Way to go!
> Cheers
> ...


That's the way our five are. Just like bouncing a handball of the walls as hard as you can!:lmao:


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## jc56 (Jan 16, 2012)

Nice.......looks so private.Good job on building your own house man.Enjoy looking at your pictures.It's neat to see different parts of the country!!!jc


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## Sawdust53 (Oct 29, 2011)

Beautiful place! Most of my family live in the Rockies. Conversations with them always tend to end up on the subject of weather and heating the house. My wife and I are building on the high plains of eastern NM so our heating concerns aren't as important as you and all my kin. What did you do to lessen the heating burden? We will be building with structural insulated panels. A little more up front but in the long haul it'll be worth it.
I love all the green in your pics. Our view is mostly brown! LOL


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

Sawdust53 said:


> Beautiful place! Most of my family live in the Rockies. Conversations with them always tend to end up on the subject of weather and heating the house. My wife and I are building on the high plains of eastern NM so our heating concerns aren't as important as you and all my kin. What did you do to lessen the heating burden? We will be building with structural insulated panels. A little more up front but in the long haul it'll be worth it.
> I love all the green in your pics. Our view is mostly brown! LOL


I've built a couple of the panel (foam homes) and they do cost alot at the front, but really save on labor putting them up and heating. We built a first gen "Inercept" brand home when the panal concept first begane in the very early 1990s, and there were numerous problems, but the second one I built in 1999, had most of the kinks worked out. We use wood to heat and this allows "US" to control how much it will cost to heat our home, plus we have over 20 cords in store......... Heat in the bank!


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