Architect Laura Lee Intscher began work in June 2005 on her eco-friendly Vestal home. The 3,200 square feet, four-bedroom, two bathroom house is scheduled for completion in late spring or early summer 2006. It will be able to heat and cool itself without any gas, oil or other fuel, aside from the occasional wood fire lit in an efficient masonry fireplace. Once the house is finished, Laura will move from Owego to the site with her husband, two daughters and her architecture firm. "My new focus is on eco-friendly and healthy construction, and I hope that this project will show all kinds of new ways to build and think about design. I have been giving tons of tours and informal talks at the site, and hope to continue educating the public about straw bale architecture and ecological building in general."

In August 2005 our natural plaster workshop was taught by Tim Rieth of Seven Generations Natural Builders. In one weekend we managed to give our 22' x 12' structural straw bale shed a first coat of clay, sand and straw plaster, and in some cases a second coat as well. It was a great success, and thanks go to all the participants and Tim our talented and patient instructor. Special thanks to my summer apprentices Brian Leonis & Annette Guiffrida and my apprentice Jennifer Hoch who helped prepare the building for the workshop and helped with the workshop as well.

The installation of the horizontal closed loop geothermal system went at lightning speed. It took a couple days to prepare all the trenches (5' deep in our location, and 3' wide). The site where they were located was pretty tight. The objective was to have them at the bottom of the sloped site - to limit drainage issues in relation to the house, and to also work the trenches around existing trees.

For project photos and a fuller description of the construction process, go to Secret Base Design.