Progress Report

It is for the superfluous things of life that men sweat. Marcus Annaeus Seneca

Perhaps a more realistic if not downright cynical expression of the notion that God is in the details. But this morning the quotation from Seneca had resonance simply because the day presents a new phase in the development of the Hawley house. I've spoken with Ed Brady, Guild Stewart Brady, whom we've assumed (and hoped) from the start would be our contractor. Ed has already offered some suggestions that will be incorporated, to wit: a more robust wall section for added insulation and reduced structural transference of heat; an exterior bulkhead to a crawl space, itself with increased head height (thus avoiding the prospect of constructing a storage shed at a later date); and radiant hot water floor heating. The floors will be hardwood throughout, including the bathrooms and kitchen. Tile work will be limited to the master bath shower area and to the kitchen back splashes. Once Ed pointed out the virtue of seeing a room without baseboard heating units or the walls without vents and air returns, we were sold. And a preliminary site plan is evolving! Note that the plan is oriented with north at the top, that the Hawley Town Hall is the rectangle at the lower right hand corner,  and that while the driveway will begin at Pudding Hollow Road as shown, it will undoubtedly not terminate in the parking area shown but in something less obtrusive (click on image to enlarge):