In 2004 Charlie and I moved from Colorado to the mountains of western North Carolina. We bought a beautiful piece of land with a small stream, old-growth trees and great views. We have planted fruit trees and an organic garden. Charlie spent months preparing our building site. The trees that he cleared have been milled on our site to use in ceilings. We ground up the smaller branches for wood chips for our gardens. Other wood has been stacked to be used as firewood.
Because we are committed to living gently on the Earth, we have a photovoltaic (active solar) system. We will never have electric bills! We are using green building materials so that our home will be toxic free. The exterior blocks are 12 inch thick aerated autoclaved concrete, a pumice-like material made of cement, sand, lime and water. This energy efficient material creates thermal mass which keeps the house warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Because our house is oriented to the south, the sun warms our floors and walls in the winter. We heat mainly with a wood stove. We have six solar collectors on our roof for hot water and for our radiant floor heating system.
Other aspects of our home that make it green include the hardwood flooring made from recycled industrial pallets and cork flooring on our upper level. We used tile on the main floor for a thermal mass that provides passive heating and cooling. All our light bulbs are compact fluorescents. Our appliances are energy star. We have a catch water system for watering our garden, and we are landscaping with native plants and edibles.
Our architect designed our home using principles of sacred geometry called the Golden Mean, also known as the Divine Proportion. Simply put, the spatial arrangement of the rooms uses a mathematical proportion that imitates the harmony of nature. This proportion can be seen in a nautilus shell, a pine cone, the relationship of petals on a flower, branches on a tree as well as in the human body. It is important to us to have a home that honors nature and provides a peaceful, healing environment.
In 2004 Charlie and I moved from 
home will be toxic free. The exterior blocks are 12 inch thick aerated autoclaved concrete, a pumice-like material made of cement, sand, lime and water. This energy efficient material creates thermal mass which keeps the house warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Because our house is oriented to the south, the sun warms our floors and walls in the winter. We heat mainly with a wood stove. We have six solar collectors on our roof for hot water and for our radiant floor heating system. 
Our architect designed our home using principles of sacred geometry called the Golden Mean, also known as the Divine Proportion. Simply put, the spatial arrangement of the rooms uses a mathematical proportion that imitates the harmony of nature. This proportion can be seen in a nautilus shell, a pine cone, the relationship of petals on a flower, branches on a tree as well as in the human body. It is important to us to have a home that honors nature and provides a peaceful, healing environment.
