Sometimes property owners don’t need full architectural services, sometimes they just need a little advice. I love helping people in this way. We don’t have to break the bank to get a project started on solid footing (pun intended). *See the bottom of this post for more details on consulting services.

And on that note, here’s my first case study! This project has barely begun but I thought ya’ll might find it interesting.

Existing Camp at Long Falls Dam Property

Long Falls Camp

Existing Condition:

This is a 3-season cabin in the woods, on the water. There’s a long (.25 mile) driveway downhill to get to the house. The ground is damp around the house, looks like a high water table.

Rickety posts support the structure but the floor, wall, and roof framing seem to be solid and level (yay!).

The interior is divided up badly so that will have to be gutted and rebuilt. Thankfully it’s small so there’s not much to demo!

There’s a good layer of cavity insulation between the wall studs. There’s also a layer of plastic behind the wood paneling on the walls. Like it or not, this plastic sheeting will act as a vapor barrier in any area where it’s not ripped. I don’t love this so am happy that it’s ripped in a few places.

The roof has a layer of rigid insulation on top. The ceiling also has plastic behind wood paneling.

There’s no electricity. It would cost $80k for Central Maine Power to run electricity to the site. Not an option.

There’s no running water.

Client Goals

This family of four will live here year round. They want to:

- protect the building from rot

- make the space functional with two or three bedrooms and a bathroom

- take advantage of passive solar heating (aka. the sun)

- better insulate and air seal

- figure out running water and electricity

My Recommendations

We worked through the options together and here were my final recommendations after one site visit:

Foundation and Structure

My first thought was of the foundation and the potentially high water table. The building will have to be temporarily moved out of the way to give space to install a durable foundation.

We were looking at replacing the rickety posts with deep posts (Technoposts go about 7’ down, I believe) OR frost walls (those go down 4’-6’ in our region, climate zone 6). In the ended, we concluded that it would be the best use of resources to build a full story under the existing house. Frost walls will extend at least 2’ above grade (wood frame above that) and will enclose a new ground floor. The existing building will then be placed on top of that. It’s a big move but it should pay off.

Interior Layout

We’re thinking the main living space on the first floor, bedrooms on the second floor, and another sleeping area in the open loft. It will be designed in a way that makes future expansion relatively easy.

The new first floor will have lots of glazing (windows) on the south side. And on the existing building (now second floor), we’ll widen some existing southern windows. They’ll probably need awnings or shutters to block the high summer sun but let in the low winter sun.

Building Location

I recommended, if they’re going to move the building anyway, they should locate it as close as they can to the water on the north side. For the view! And to give the greatest space for a clearing to the south. Gotta let that sun in!

And of course they have to think about the driveway, parking (let’s use the new south clearing), and snow clearing.

Insulation, Siding, and Roofing

For wall insulation/ siding I recommended adding 1.5” of rigid insulation over the existing T1-11 siding. Then strapping. Then new siding. In this case we avoid the possibility of a “vapor sandwich” because any moisture trapped between the interior plastic (vapor barrier) and the exterior rigid insulation (usually hydrophobic) can drain down the channels between T1-11 sheets!

For roof insulation, the client had the great idea of blowing cellulose insulation into the empty rafter bays.

Utilities (Water and Electricity)

The client intends to dig a well. They’ll need electricity for the well pump.

For electricity, the client contacted a private supplier called Cipps. I’ve never heard of them nor worked with them but they get great reviews! They quoted $30k (rather than CMP’s $80k) to run power to the site. This is now an option. OR the client could rely on solar panels and batteries. But one battery tends to hold only enough power for 1 to 3 Maine winter days. Plus it take some environmentally harmful mining to build the battery. The client intended to have a propane fueled fridge, washer/dryer, and wall heater so they should have relatively low electricity demand. They’re going to calculate their electricity need and make a decision from there. (Yes, propane isn’t great for the environment either but with off grid living, we have to pick our battles.)

Air Sealing and ERV

The client is interested in properly air sealing and mentioned a blower door test which made me so happy. But with this kind of build, it’s hard to get super air tight without spending a bunch of money. I recommended they are careful about air sealing during construction and, when they move in, get the blower door test. At that point they can take some time to plug any easy air leaks.

If they do have a tightly sealed house in the end, they could install a through-wall ERV. Or they could be strategic about when and how much to crack a window! (Of course, they’d have to pass the window cracking tricks on to any subsequent owners/ inhabitants so no one gets sick.)

Heating

For heating, we talked about heat pumps, wall heaters, baseboard heaters, radiant floor heat, and woodstove… the client is going to research their options a little more and I’ll provide support as needed.

Getting on the Right Track

There are many more decisions to be made but this site visit got the client on the right track!

As they proceed through the build they may email, call, or meet with me to keep the ball rolling. At some point they will need drawings and they’ll either secure a spot on my waitlist or I will help them find a drafter/ designer/ architect who better suits their needs.

My goal is to help people who need some direction but aren’t ready or able to fully commit to the project, yet.

*I Offer Consultations!

I like to think of consultations as quick and easy meetings to help people assess where they’re at and determine what their options are. These sessions are pretty flexible and require little to no drawings, meaning they won’t break the bank.

Who Can Benefit From a Consultation?

Maybe you’re a homeowner on a tight budget, trying to figure out what needs to be done and how to get it done on your project. (As in the case study below.)

Or perhaps you’re opening a small coffee shop and need to figure out how the consultants work together and how to get permission from the town and state. Also, what’s the realistic timeline?

Or what if you have a design in hand, from the lumber yard but aren’t totally sure about it. You want a professional design opinion.

Or maybeeeeee, here’s a curveball, you want to start a business in the construction industry and aren’t sure where to start.

I have experience. And answers. And when I’m not sure about something, I know where to turn.

So now I have a question for you!

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Long Falls Camp Case Study