Li'l Enercept House on the Prairie (pics)

[Cal]

Figured out how to make it rain every few days. First off you need to have some major road construction; hiway 73 to Kadoka is being torn up and is often closed because of mud, and secondly you need to have a building project going on.

This is the SIPS house package we bought from Enercept in Watertown SD, going up pretty fast as long as the crew has the weather on their side. It maybe doesn't look exactly like I thought it would....sort of like a Rehab Center , but I'll be glad to get the family moved in....eventually. Western Bennett Co, just south off of 18.




The carpenter's old school bus sitting there is really starting to grow on me, hope the Misses will let me find one and back it up to the house after they leave.






Found a 3 generation picture sorting new pairs that my wife took back during calving.

[SHAWN]

Wow that is quite a setup and view, very happy for you. I hope the weather is a little more coopertive. Shawn

[Jinglebob]

Yup, you got a good view. Good thing the wind don't blow down in that country, or you might have to spend some bucks heating it in the winter.

[JF Ranch]

You are going to have a beautiful new home. It looks like you are building it on top of the hill. Will we be able to see it from the highway?

Thanks for bringing us the rain!

[Tap]

The high peak looks like the front of the Spearfish hospital Cal. But I like the looks of it anyway. Do you have grand plans for a tree belt around the house? It seems like people put homes up where they can see these days, and don't worry as much about shelter. I like to be up where I can see too. Looks good.

[katrina]

Wow Cal, You have a really beautiful house... I am jealous..
What are you going to do with all that room??? The mrs will have to put a bell on you so she can find ya.......

[HAY MAKER]

I agree with everyone else,that 's one nice house,looks like plenty room for the kids,how many square feet ?.................good luck

[Cal]

Thanks much everyone. This Misses did most of the pickin' and planning, that way if she doesn't like something she only has herself to blame .

JF, drop in sometime on your way by, it sticks out like a sore thumb from the hiway. Maybe we'll even get my dad to stop long enough to have a glass of tea.... and thanks.

Tap, we planted some trees on the North side, but by the time they make much of a shelterbelt we'll probably be receiving insufficient funds Social Security checks from the gov'ment. Spearfish Hospital...LOL

katrina, I think carrying a cell phone is even worse than having a bell around your neck! And when you finally do stop here....the secret password is :Beer Me! And don't wait so long that it changes to "Metamucil Me"!

HAY MAKER, I think it ended up being something less than 3700sf. I don't know where the Misses filed the plans and she's going to be gone for a few days.....and some things I kind of have selective ADD....so don't hold me to it. Hope your having good luck baling up your cane.

[Soapweed]

Nice house in the making, Cal. Maybe we can someday have a combination house-warming/Ranchers.Net reunion on the premises. And for entertainment we can have a cattle penning contest. Each team will be made up of three members. You can use ATV's, horses, cowdogs, or any combination thereof, as long as there are three members on the team. A cowdog will be considered as one of the team members. Should be fun.

I do like the looks of your new house. Now you will have to have more kids to fill it up.

[JF Ranch]

[lazy ace]

Very nice choice for housing. I wouldn't worry about heating it. I have heard they are very efficient. I am guessing you checked that out already. It is a very good system. Are you going with a heat pump for cooling and heating?

have a cold one

lazy ace

[mrj]

Cal, great looking place! I have been admiring those Enercept houses since the first one I saw at SD State Fair!. Unfortunately, we had built our house before that......and haven't been able to convince any of our kids that is the way to go!

And the eldest grandson wants out of his parents house nearly as much as they want him out, so think he may settle for the ancient and badly dilapidated double wide they will be moving out of, hopefully soon. The kid is going to be 23 years old next month, so it is definitely time! No bride-to-be in the picture to speed things along, much to his dismay....he's playing it pretty cool since he got burned by a cute little thing while in college last year. Hopeing he plans to return to college, but not till his dad is finished with presidency of SD Cattlemen, which will probably be another year and a half.

Son Barry and family bought a former church in Midland, long ago remodeled into a very cool home with a very high cathedral ceiling (fitting term, since it was a Catholic church!). We hear it is very well insulated, which is something I admire about Enercept. They plan to put it on a basement, soon as we can get the dirtwork finished and get one poured. Kim can't wait to start painting and remodeling work, so Barry is going to have to get in a hurry, or she will start working on it before the move, which he definitely is not in favor of!

Your house looks to be quite earth sheltered. That is something I surely wish we had known about before we built ours. We have a walk out basement....facing west. Though we do have quite a few trees, some along the creek a block of less from the house, and shelterbelts we planted to the northwest. Built by MidWestern Homes, in RC and hauled from there, each wall as a complete unit with windows, insulation, sheetrock and siding, then set up on the foundation with a crane. Sort of frightening to watch the process, for fear of a wreck! But it worked out fine, and is pretty comfortable, but we apparently do need to do some work on ceiling insulation as wind blew in through the ceiling into the bathroom last winter till I did some caulking. Always plenty of repair and improvements needed on 40 year old houses! We are re-doing dining room and kitchen floors and have a BAD case of sticker shock, but decided it has to be done, and the 40 year old carpet on d. room has really been in desperate need for about five years. Just couldn't decide, and it didn't look that bad when it was newly shampoo'd, either!

ANyway, have fun with your project........Looks like you should have room to hang one of those giant hammocks or a hammock chair.......or something just plain fun! I have read that those homes have fared well in hurricanes, too.

Maxine J.