The Building
Click on this link for the cottage floor-plan.
The 1,292 sq. ft. building was constructed in 1993 as a ‘pre-engineered’ structure. This means that all of the exterior and interior walls and the roof trusses were built in a factory then delivered to the site. The cottage shell was erected on site by the factory’s assembly crew.
Instead of piers, the cottage sits on a fully enclosed, concrete block foundation on uneven bedrock. This provides a sizeable and lockable storage area under the cottage. Warmer cottage floors are another benefit of this design.
The exterior is maintenance free vinyl siding, the windows are low-E argon filled Mason Windows. The 2 x 6 exterior walls, and the ceiling and floor are fully insulated. The patio doors on the south and the garden doors on the north have insulated glass panels. The two metal entrance doors on the east side of the cottage are also insulated.
The 2 x 4 interior walls are insulated to provide room-to-room noise reduction. In the colder months, by shutting the doors to perimeter rooms, the kitchen and living-dining areas (60% of the space) heat up more quickly and maintain this warmth for a longer period.
Sun Volts Unlimited installed the solar system in 2001, the ‘AC Cottage kit # 4’. At this time 120 volt A/C wiring was also installed throughout the cottage. The solar kit provides adequate electrical power for basic household appliances such as ceiling fans, interior and exterior lighting, an exhaust fan over the stove and a small vacuum cleaner. No electricity is required for the 30” propane, 4-burner kitchen stove or the Consul ‘Safe-T-vent’ refrigerator. A Vermont Castings air-tight wood stove is used for heat.
 Cottage delivery |
 First wall being installed |