We realized last night that we’ve now been in Dash Landing for 90 days.
And according to a lot of smart people that’s the best time to sit down to “reflect” on a new project. Take stock. Assess outcomes.
So here’s where we stand :
- Every time the roof unloads at 4:00am (yes, it’s always 4:00am), we’re glad we spent the extra time planning how the various roof lines and entrances would intersect. The amount and velocity of snow coming off the metal roof is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The whole house shudders and it sounds like we’re living under the “L” during rush hour. And we’re glad we don’t have to shovel it.
- Knock on wood — the forced air geothermal heating system is working out just fine, thank you. This will go down as one of Maine’s colder winters in recent memory and the house has been always been toasty. The initial engineering estimates put the annual heating / hot water costs at $810. It’s tough verifying that number because it flows through our electrical bill, but by using our Flying Point Road electrical bill and doing a little math, we think we’re in the right neighborhood.
- The walkway between the garage and the house is a non-issue. It’s one thing to ask Rob to separate the house and garage to keep the overall “scale” down, it’s another to realize that you’re now going to have to walk outside every morning to get into the car — nevermind the fact that you’re going to have to always use an entry key. But we’ve grown to like the walkway and a keyless entry pad makes life infinitely easier. The only small downside is that the snow on the cars in the garage never melts. And we’re going to have to insulate the upstairs workshop sooner rather than later. (Someone here gets a little whiney about a 20 degree workshop…)
- We’ll need to adjust one of the curbstones that lead to the house. Looks great and just the right height, but it’s directly under the walkway roof drip line. Frozen stone + constant water = slippery. We think if we just tip it up enough for the water to drain, it’ll solve the problem next winter.
- The sliding door in front of the laundry area was a huge improvement. We should have made the change earlier.
- We’ve got settling. Everyone was quick to prepare us for it, so it hasn’t been a surprise. Cabinets, counters, moldings, etc. — joints and caulking are opening up just a bit. We’ll wait until the summer and fix everything all at once.
- Driveway sensor. Who knew that such a small thing would be so nice? One of our design requirements for Rob was that we wanted to see people coming into the driveway. (Not possible on Flying Point Road) He delivered on that request, but another friend also suggested a driveway sensor. It’s buried next to the driveway, connects to the security system and chimes whenever a vehicle goes by. Awesome. And don’t get us started on the dog shower / shoe drainer.
- We’re not big entertainers and our holidays tend to be spent at Sugarloaf. But we’ve been having a few old friends over to dinner and the house really entertains well. The relationship of the entry, the kitchen and the dining area is just about perfect. And the bedroom and office are far enough away that we don’t worry about cleaning them.
Bottom line – Couldn’t be happier.
A House In A Field 
Steve & Deb – Your new home is absolutely beautiful! May you enjoy this peaceful setting and find great happiness here for many, many years. Charlene
Like reading your comments on the breezeway and the snow coming off the roof in winter – we concur. 🙂 This winter has been a lot snowier and colder so it’s been a lot of new experiences – the snow coming off the roof has been kind of neat. ice accumulating on the ground under the gutters, on top of our plants has not been. Not sure if you’re planting plants around the perimeter of the house but be mindful of where the snow and ice comes down.
I can’t tell you how much time we spent planning out this exact subject. Walkways, planters, generators, woodpiles — all of it. The only thing getting covered up is the propane tank, but that’s a 2x fill up per year.
And don’t forget — no ice damn worries. “Evah.”
Beautiful home!!! Thank you for sharing your journey! Not sure if you will receive this message as so many years since initial post, but wondered if everything continues to “wear” well, or if there’s anything you wish you had done differently in terms of the design? Thanks!
Thank you. Believe it or not, we’re still getting a question or two a month.
And the simple answer is “not much.” In fact, we were just having this discussion in regards to a ski house we have here in Maine. It’s a nice place, but the designer just didn’t think through basics like where snow loads unload off the roof, light switch locations, room layout, etc. Conversely, Dash Landing is just “thoughtful” in terms of the details that matter. If hard pressed — here’s the best we could up with for design changes : 1) We would have elevated the dog shower in the mudroom by 12″ – 18.” 2) We might have made the garage just a little bigger. It’s not talked about in the blog, but there’s a workshop on the 2nd floor of the garage that I now wish was a little bigger. 3) We would have taken 6″ – 12″ of space from the 1st floor bath and given it to the laundry area. Like many of us, washers and dryers are now just a big “chubbier” than they used to be.
But that’s about it. The house lives great and has been perfect for us. Thanks for reading the blog!
Thank you! It’s nice to hear the design is living well. My husband and I are in the process of designing a new home and we love the idea of a dog shower! Helpful to hear your thoughts about having it elevated a bit. Thank you!