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We chose the name Self Reliance, which is inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay. We
chose that name because in his essay, he calls on Americans to challenge norms and conventions,
especially the status quo. We're hoping that that's exactly what we're doing with our design.
It's traditional and it's comfortable, but it's also questioning traditional American
living.
One of the main features of our home is our greenhouse wall, which is integrated into
the kitchen space. This is a really wonderful feature because while you're cooking, you
can just pull fresh basil right from the shelf, throw it onto your plate. Then as the plans
get slightly larger, you can transition them out into our huge deck where there's a lot
of space for where the planters are to continue to grow.
It's really important to eat locally in order to live sustainably. That's what we're trying
to promote here in Self Reliance.
To make our house perform the best that it could we started with the exterior envelope.
That's the walls, the floor and the roof. We have extremely highly insulated walls and
roof and a very good air-sealing method, so that there's no moisture or air getting in
and out.
We tried to keep our systems simple, affordable and reliable so that anybody could operate
and maintain this house. You wouldn't have to be an engineer. You wouldn't have to be
terribly computer savvy. It's for everybody.
Today is move-in day. We're getting all of the furniture unwrapped and we're putting
art on the walls. We're starting to make Self Reliance really look like a home.
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