Yum Yum Farm

Harvest

2009-09-21T18:56:00.005-05:00

These are some of the beautiful peppers we harvested from our garden this fall. This is actually a sweet pepper that resembles a hot pepper. The Yum Yum Farm garden was considerably more productive this year than last year, for a number of reasons. First, our weather was much less violent this year. Second, we've done some substantial amending of our worn out soil. Several truckloads of compost, plus a cover crop of medium red clover added much needed nutrients and organic material. We also started the majority of our veggies inside this year, so were able to control their environments from the time the seeds germinated. Crops this year include 3 pepper varieties, 2 onions, 6 heirloom tomatoes (Green Zebra, German Pink, Gold Medal, Beam's Yellow Pear, Italian Heirloom, and Cherry Roma. German Pink is the favorite so far, although all are scrumptious, and all are varieties available from the Seed Saver's Exchange, in beautiful Decorah, Iowa), "Bright Lights" Swiss chard, lacinato kale, leeks, arugula (have you seen the price of arugula in Whole Foods these days?--Barack Obama), green beans, 2 potato varieties, 2 eggplant varieties, garlic, and a ton of herbs. Enjoy the pictures, while we enjoy the food!

Oh Yeah, the Blog part 2

2009-09-17T20:34:00.002-05:00

Gentle readers,
Maintaining this blog during the process of building our home was a joyous exercise that I rushed home every night to complete. Turns out living here is more fun than maintaining a blog about living here. Nevertheless, I am not throwing in the towel, and will endeavor to visit this electronic diary more frequently. Tonight, I took pictures of a harvest of 5 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes, haricots verts, an assortment of herbs, and a lovely array of peppers. Since our last posting, the seedlings have matured and nourished us for some time now, and continue to provide a seemingly endless stream of delicious, gorgeous fruits and vegetables. Hopefully, this will help reduce our health care costs in the long term.

Sadly, we mourn the loss of Mary Travers today. One of the first things Joanna and I did together was to take in a Peter, Paul and Mary show in 1995. I've had a weakness for their brand of folk music for a long time, and to this day, one of our favorite pasttimes is enjoying a sprinkling of their sweet harmonies mixed in with the raunchy rock and roll that populates most of our music library.

Updated pictures will follow soon.

Oh yeah, the blog...

2009-04-07T20:01:00.006-05:00

Here's the "farm" part of the Yum Yum Farm. The very healthy young tomato plants are hogging the frame, but they're not the only thing we're growing this season. Behind them under the grow lights are leeks, thyme, marjoram, onions, a variety of peppers, kale, basil, red basil, eggplant, sage, oregano and...I think that's it. This grow light contraption is about 10 years old, and we use it to get a head start on the growing season, and to allow us to grow varieties that aren't easy to find at the garden centers. Most of our seeds come from the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. Please support this wonderful organization. If you're a gardener. If you're an Iowan, it's well worth a day trip to see this beautiful old farm in a beautiful part of our beautiful state. In our outside garden we've already planted carrots, lettuce, arugula, chard, and (last fall) garlic. We have some herbs, hollyhocks, and perennials that hopefully survived the brutal winter out here on the frozen tundra. Actually, it wasn't that bad. They should be fine.

So much for living in the middle of nowhere. This crowd of large pickup truck drivers (I mean the pickups are large--the drivers were a variety of different sizes) convened up the road from the Yum Yum Farm for the spring farm machinery consignment auction at Duwa's. This is a really interesting event, even if I don't understand what the people with the microphones are saying. They all kind of sound like Dan Aykroyd singing "Rubber Biscuit", which makes me walk around smiling to myself. I particularly enjoy the old tractors, which are well represented at this event. This takes place spring and fall, and draws a huge crowd. In fact, the large pickup trucks are parked all the way to our farm, which, we've discovered, is .8 mile from this spot. It was hard to find a bargain this particular day. Oh well, what do you want? Ruuuuubbber biscuit?

Yikes! This water is not supposed to be visible in this photograph. After a particularly rainy couple of days on still-frozen ground, the creek to the south of our property decided to emerge from within its banks and check things out. Fortunately, this receded pretty quickly, and hopefully had the effect of depositing some useful, nutrient and mineral-rich stuff on the field. The area the water covers is actually just south of our property line. It's never quite reached our farm, but I think this is the highest it's been. Fortunately, the weather has been fairly mild through this early spring. A little on the cold side, but we can live with that. We are anxious to see the aforementioned veggies start to thrive though. We're getting awfully hungry after the long, cold winter!

Harvest

2008-11-24T19:21:00.007-06:00

Across the road the tractor is ready to haul the wagons full of corn down to the grain elevator. Despite this year's challenging (a polite term) weather, the projection for this year's corn harvest is 172 bushels per acre. This is good.

We're looking to the west from the area of the dining table, which features a couple of very old furnishings from Joanna's family. These are in the vicinity of 100 years old, and belonged to Joanna's great grandparents, Joseph and Malvina Reagan. They were included in the purchase of the family home in Maryville, Tennessee, in 1910 or 1911. Special thanks to Aunt Wanda for contributing these sturdy pieces to the Yum Yum Farm house!

Yuri does a little harvesting of his own! He has served as our organic rodenticide since moving to the Yum Yum Farm. This gift was presented to us just as we were to receive guests. Fortunately, they, too, are outdoorsy people, and shared in our pride at the impressive conquest of our courageous warrior. We're not exactly sure what this ill-fated mammal is (was). It doesn't look like a little mouse (because they wear big white gloves). We think rats are more plump than this character. Any thoughts?

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

2008-11-11T19:07:00.004-06:00

Recent cold weather has reduced the Yum Yum Farm to this--a few lousy herbs on the dining porch. Some farm! Astute observers will notice the title of this blog is only partially accurate. It's just that "parsley, chives, basil, rosemary and marjoram" doesn't sound quite as musical. We are still enjoying sage and thyme from outside though, as well as a yummy curly mint plant, which we savor from time to time in various forms, most notably, Joanna's out of this world mint chip ice cream. A sturdy oregano plant gives the farm a Mediterranean feel (do you believe that?) well into the winter, especially if it's buried under some leaves. Now if we could just figure out what to do with those pretty blue berries on the junipers. Any ideas?

Breaking the Wind

2008-11-09T16:55:00.006-06:00

Hard to believe we've lived at the Yum Yum Farm for nearly a year now. We still have a few firsts--our first November 10 through December 24. Then it's really a year. One lesson learned during last winter was that the entry porch is completely exposed to the strong and very cold winds from the north and west. This made firewood storage difficult, as the overhang did little to keep snow off the porch, and winds frequently blew with sufficient force to relocate the tarpaulin covering the wood to the western counties of Illinois. So, we bought the north porch a winter coat of its own, which you see pictured here. Turns out you can purchase heavy canvas tarpaulins, in (roughly) the sizes of the spaces between posts and floor and ceiling, in a dark brown that (roughly) matches the brown on our house. What a country!

Here's the view from the other side looking toward the northwest. This should keep the firewood dry. If I had it to do all over again, I would've hung these tarps on a hot day in August rather than a cold windy day in November. They caught the wind like sails, nearly flinging me into the side of the house. And handling the metal hardware and tools used to hang them--don't get me started! Despite these challenges, the desired effect has been achieved. These may also have a modest impact on our energy consumption by keeping the cold wind away from the front door. We'll see.

Note also the 2 benches, positioned now for (ugh!) boot removal. These are Aldo Leopold benches, named for the naturalist and writer who designed them. I built these over the summer for seating, and to loosely associate our farm with someone whose concepts and practices of land management we aspire to emulate. Leopold was born in Burlington, Iowa, and is perhaps best known for his "A Sand County Almanac", published in 1949, a year after his death. From the author's introduction to his work: "That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics. That land yields a cultural harvest is a fact long known, but latterly often forgotten." (Leopold, Aldo, "A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There", Oxford University Press, 1949, pages viii-ix.). You really need to read this book.

Say "Cheese"!

2008-11-06T20:19:00.007-06:00

Getting us to smile for the camera is like pulling teeth--without anesthesia. Nevertheless, it's probably a good idea to document our existence from time to time. Fortunately, our next door neighbor, before we moved to the Yum Yum Farm, was Sandy Dyas, a gifted photographer celebrated for her gorgeous landscape photography, and very cool documentation of musicians, especially in eastern Iowa. Sandy spent an afternoon at the Farm recently, and these are a few unretouched examples of that session. You can learn more about Sandy and her amazing portfolio at www.sandydyas.com

The real star of this shoot is, as always, Yuri.

Autumn Leaves are Falling...

2008-10-28T19:46:00.004-05:00

Wow! The mighty Mississippi sure looks pretty from our east deck! Just kidding. Yes, this is the mighty Mississippi, but it's looking pretty from Hanging Rock at Effigy Mounds National Monument just north of McGregor, Iowa. We took the opportunity on a particularly lovely autumn day to hike the 7 mile round trip to Hanging Rock to take in this spectacular view. We're looking south toward McGregor, and, to the far left, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. This area of northeast Iowa, northwest Illinois, southwest Wisconsin, and southeast Minnesota, is known as the "driftless" region, because glaciers got lazy and neglected to drift into this area. Lucky for us, as it's left some spectacular scenery! We love to take day trips to this part of the state, and say "Iowa sure is flat." We hope we've been able to dispel that myth with this blog!

This view really is from the east deck, looking south. The H windows on the dining porch are taking in a cool easterly wind, and reflecting on the bluff in the distance. Note the denuded field mid-frame--those were the soybeans. The yellowish stuff just this side of the trees is a field of beans planted late due to, you guessed it--flooding. There's a creek inside those trees, which ran quite high this spring and early summer, delaying planting in the bottomland. The line between beans and no beans is the southern boundary of our property. We've been taking a lot of pictures lately, as the color pallette is at its most varied at this time of year. The green strip of grass-looking stuff extending into the bean field is one of our "waterways", so planted to reduce erosion of the scant topsoil remaining on Yum Yum Farm. Future posts will expand on conservation and restoration measures we're taking to keep our dirt healthy. Strange hobby, isn't it?

The wood stove is back in action after a warm weather hiatus. This particular appliance is our best friend during that part of the year when the mercury disappears from the thermometer. This is our first opportunity on the blog to show this part of the room in action! Note the limestone hearth, cut from the quarry depicted in Grant Wood's "Stone City Iowa". Damn, this thing was heavy! We are especially enamored with the striations in the limestone, which we didn't realize would be so prominent. The floor is really developing a warm patina. Or maybe the stove is making me think everything has a warm patina. Whatever the case may be, this gives a good sense of what makes the Yum Yum Farm house a cozy place to be when winter's winds are howlin'.

Long Time No Blog!

2008-10-16T20:20:00.003-05:00

Hello gentle readers! We've not communicated with you since January, and for good reason. We've been consumed with the myriad responsibilities associated with a move into a new home. Additionally, this has been a very eventful year in eastern Iowa. From caucuses in January to floods in June to lounging around through a gorgeous autumn, the blog has taken a back seat to, well, everything else. Now that it's dark at a reasonable hour, we've actually got time to kill sitting in front of the computer. So look forward to more updates from the Yum Yum Farm in the near future.
The Yum Yum Farmers, Joanna and Geoff, enjoy a Yummy lunch on the east deck with architect and dear friend, John DeForest. John spent the first weekend in June with us, experiencing his masterpiece. John brought with him the best weather we'd experienced to date. About a week after his departure, eastern Iowa, including nearby Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, were inundated with unprecedented flood waters, from which we're still recovering. While the Yum Yum Farm was in no danger of flooding, the fields in the distance would normally be a deeper shade of green at this point, but incessant rain pushed the creek in the timber out of its banks, delaying planting. As of this writing, these beans are still 2 to 3 weeks behind their normal maturation and harvest schedule.

Yuri's World

2008-01-09T19:35:00.001-06:00

Please find pictured below the real man of the house--Yuri. This beautiful king of the Yum Yum Jungle is demonstrating the comfortable features of the Case Study bed in the bedroom. Note the Artemide Tolemeo reading lights on either side. It struck us recently that these exist, and we've not yet used them. So, one of these days, when the boxes are all unloaded, we're going to attempt to retire early and spend some time reading. In bed. We hope to accomplish this before the Social Security checks start arriving. Yuri continues his tour by directing our attention to the slatted wall that separates the bedroom from the living room. These boxes can be lifted off of the wall and repositioned to suit our needs. Right now, we're still figuring out where to empty our pockets at the end of the day.
Finally, Yuri concludes his tour with a view of the other side of the slatted wall. He is spending time with Ice Bat and Ugly Dog on the Blu Dot Couchoid Sofa. This is a sturdy and comfortable piece, covered in "vegetarian" leather (our name). It's not really leather, but it really seems like it. We became aware of Blu Dot furniture some time ago, and journeyed to Minneapolis about a year ago to try it out at their headquarters, and at the Walker Museum. Their motto resonates with us: "Good design is good". Indeed.
More...

Yes It's Good, Livin' on the Farm

2008-01-09T19:35:00.000-06:00

The title of this post is from a song, like so many of the others. Do you recognize it? Just curious. My apologies for the lengthy delay between posts. Since we last visited, we have moved in to the Yum Yum Farm house! And I'm actually getting comfortable typing "Yum Yum"! We moved in on Christmas eve, with a full(ish) moon lighting up the snow in all directions. It was a (I don't say this very often) truly magical evening. Another beloved relative, Doug, trekked an hour to the west to spend the holiday with us. He has befriended Ice Bat and Ugly Dog.

Here's that snowy landscape I was talking about. This view is looking to the southwest. This is the direction from which warm air will flow into our area. Someday. Actually, we find it quite pretty. But we do feel for people like John Edwards, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Bill Richardson. This environment has definitely tested these candidates.

Cheers to the Yum Yum Farm! An earlier post featured our canine friend Piper frolicking in the clover. Pictured here are Piper's human companions, and our friends and dinner guests, Rachel and Richard. We've been lucky to share the joy of the design and building process with them over the last couple of years, and have bounced ideas off of them for their valuable, informed feedback. Here's an interesting tidbit: if you are fortunate enough to live in an area where Cultural Revolution yogurt is available, take a look at the picture on the plain yogurt container. The spoon on the container belongs to Richard and Rachel, and is being held by Joanna. Please...no autographs.

Little Boxes, Little Boxes...

2007-12-19T21:03:00.001-06:00

And they're not made of ticky tacky, they're made of maple plywood and FinnForm. This feature was inspired by an article on the Google headquarters that we saw in Metropolis magazine. Turns out our friends (we hope they're our friends, because they probably know more about us than we know about ourselves, right?) at Google use stacked plywood boxes as bookshelves and general storage cubbies in their "office" spaces, and we thought it looked very cool and practical. Enter the amazing John DeForest, who designed these boxes to hang on that slatted wall that separates bedroom from living room, for bedroom storage. These boxes (with the exception of the 2 with red FinnForm) can be moved around to suit our needs (or whims). Remember that our house features a walk in closet/dressing room off of the laundry room, so we won't be keeping our wardrobes in the bedroom, and this arrangement allows for storage of things like books, alarms, and the nifty new windup emergency weather radio--necessary in our area as we may be out of the audible range of tornado sirens. Speaking of Google, if you don't recognize the reference in the title of this post, Google Malvina Reynolds.

This Little Light of Mine...

2007-12-19T20:40:00.000-06:00

Or should I say: "these little lights of ours"? Tonight was the first time we were able to flip switches and turn on the permanent lights, in their permanent locations. It was also the first time we were able to turn on anything in the upstairs. Some temporary fixtures have been lighting our way in the basement for several weeks now, but we won't get into that. This lovely little fixture will help us find our way down the stairs to the basement. Note Dan's custom closet just to the right, which is immediately inside the front door, and will house coats, hats, gloves, keys, expensive jewels, large amounts of...oh, wait a minute, this is on the Internet, isn't it. Nevermind. Just kidding.

This shot makes it appear as if we're preparing for a major rock concert in our living room. That would be cool. This is taken from the loft, looking to the east, and featuring 2 of the 3 tracks that are positioned on the ceiling, and the ceiling fan. The rock star lights don't have their bulbs in yet, but we did try out the fan, which is quite quiet (I love those 2 words together) and effective. The Modern fan is more than just a pretty face. It will play a big role in controlling the interior climate, pushing warm air from the wood stove throughout the house in the winter, and disposing of warm air through the upper windows in the summer. It kind of looks like the prop from a WWII-era plane, don't ya think? The track in the foreground is just above the desk on the loft, and will illuminate that space, and the west side of the living room, and, I suppose, anything else we want to point the lights toward. You look mahvelous! These lovely lights above the lovely bathroom sink with the lovely Chicago faucets will help build our self esteem by making us look better than we really look. These are Prudential "Snap" lights, which is a new style this year. The mirror should be in place tomorrow, so then we'll really know how well these lights work. Other details out of the range of the viewfinder include the toilet, installed today, which works! This is one of those things we don't like to talk about on a rural property, so we won't. We're just glad it's there now, after all this time without it!

These Places Are Sweet Too!

2007-12-12T19:38:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Brookester, and her Yum Yum Farm Blog observers in Ohio for their comments! We thought we'd take this opportunity to show just a few of the many buildings that we find inspiring. While our house doesn't really look like these buildings, we are influenced by the way that they interact with their environments, and create interior spaces that are either fun to be in, or provided protection from the elements while bringing the outside in. Or the inside out. Or, blurring the distinction between the two. One of the requirements for our house was that it respect its context, which is why it has a fairly traditional midwestern vernacular appearance on the outside. But, we are fans of modern architecture, and the creative use of space in modern buildings. Our friends in Ohio correctly recognize that the Yum Yum Farm house is small, but we (esp. John DeForest) have managed to pack a lot of utility into this modest space. You'll have to trust us, that it feels bigger when you are inside. As we mentioned in an earlier post, we are frequently asked if we are doing anything "Green". The mostest greenest thing we're doing is building a house that is not bigger than what we need! Take a look, and if you get a chance to visit these places, we encourage you all to do so!

The first is nearest (literally) and dearest to our hearts. This is Cedar Rock, in Quasqueton, Iowa, by Frank Lloyd Wright ca. 1950. This was built as a summer home on a bluff (that's the Cedar Rock part) overlooking the Wapsipinicon river, for Lowell and Agnes Walter. It is possible to walk out of nearly every room in this house to the lovely yard beyond. The "garden room", at the far right, is completely surrounded by glass, which allows views of the yard, woods, and river. It includes radiant (or "gravity") heating, which runs underneath the painted concrete floor, a bathroom design borrowed from a Pullman sleeper car (from the days when people travelled by train), and the original house plants from the time of construction. Following the Walters' passing, they bequeathed their house to the state of Iowa, with a trust for its maintenance, and it is now an Iowa State Park, maintained in beautiful condition, and free for anyone to visit.
Charles and Ray Eames built their home below in collaboration with Eero Saarinen (his John Deere world headquarters was featured in an earlier post) in California. This is one of the Case Study Houses (#8, I think). We love the playfullness of this home, and it reminds us of the feel of the Yum Yum Farm House. We like to listen to music loud, and just generally enjoy ourselves, and from what we've seen, the Eames' felt the same way. We had the good fortune to see a presentation by their grandson (Eames Demetrios) recently, highlighting his grandparents talent, creativity, and joy. Their home, too, allows easy access to the exterior, features bright colors, and has an open floor plan.

Philip Johnson's 1949 "Glass House" in New Canaan, Connecticut, is perhaps the most extreme example of a home interacting with its environment. It is beautiful in its simplicity, framing the stunning landscape while providing shelter, anchored by the sturdy brick bathroom/chimney core, and steel beams. Perhaps not suitable for raising a family, it appears to be an amazing place to relax and take in the gorgeous landscape on a rainy, or snowy, or windy, or sunny, day. This is on the "must see" list.

Finally, this is the Edith Farnsworth house, by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, in Plano, Illinois. This is located in the flood plain of the Fox River, and it so literally interacts with its environment that the river has run through it on occasion. We're not fans of that. But this design is another extreme example of blurring the lines between inside and out, in a particularly pretty setting. We're not too well versed on which architect influenced the other, but Johnson's work appears to be a logical descendant of his earlier home, though his work, even on his own property, is eclectic. He seems to have been adept at channeling and reinterpreting other masters. Mies' earlier and later work is characterized by the lines and materials seen in the Farnsworth house.

Like much of what we've written about on the blog, these are simplifications by someone who is no expert! But if you're interested, much is written about, and many pictures are taken of these gorgeous structures. We hope that someday it will be possible to check out a book from the library that features the Yum Yum Farm house!

Like A Rock

2007-12-08T18:07:00.000-06:00

Many posts ago, we featured the Grant Wood painting "Stone City, Iowa". The picture below was taken at the quarry depicted in that painting, which operates today as Weber Stone Company. This lovely slab of Stone City limestone is about to be lifted into the back of the truck, and transported to the Yum Yum Farm to be used as our hearth. This is a 3' by 4' smooth cut bedface slab, which will be placed on top of the finished floor on the east side of the living room. On it will sit our Lopi wood burning stove. Why wood, and not, say, corn, you ask? We made the determination that wood is a good option for us, due to the abundant supply of said fuel on our property. In fact, we spent a couple of days, chainsaw in hand, cleaning up a very small area of dead, damaged, and fallen trees along one of the creeks on the farm, and yielded the better part of a cord of wood. Unfortunately, this wood is now underneath a blanket of snow and ice, and it looks like it may be some time before this solid water liquifies. As it turns out, corn is not quite as economical as it was when corn stoves first gained popularity. Seems that corn not only fuels stoves these days, but it's also propelling cars in the form of ethanol. So this year's crop brought record prices. Corn also tends to suck a lot out of the ground in which it grows, and since wood is so available on our property, we figured this is the best option for us. More on the wood stove when it gets installed.

By Popular Demand

2007-12-05T20:30:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends! Finally, after nearly 7 months of building and blogging, we have some frank commentary on our blog from our dear friend Anonymous. Perhaps Mr. (Mrs., Miss, Ms.?) Anonymous is the same Yum Yum Farm fan who admonished us to "be nicer to snakes" in an earlier post (we have been nicer to snakes, by the way). You've had enough pictures of the ceiling? Fine. But please, allow us to show just one more, featuring the careful and expert job done by our friends at Cullen Painting. Here it is, and it speaks for itself. (Geez, now I'm like all self-conscious!)

And now for something completely different...a finished floor! One of the challenges we're facing toward the end of the Yum Yum Farm house construction is lighting. The days in Iowa at this time of year are about 7 minutes long (you would think that would limit the mudslinging among presidential candidates!), and without all of the lights installed, it's difficult to accurately capture the lovely textures, colors, and patinas of the finished surfaces. We were thrilled this evening to walk in and see the newly sanded and refinished main floor, which is gorgeous! You'll recall that this floor is a reclaimed subfloor from an old farm house near the Amana Colonies. Gray's Hardwood Flooring finished the floor with a product called Osmo Floor Oil, which, like old fashioned finishes, soaks in and protects the wood, rather than just creating a plastic layer on top. In the likely event that we scratch or scuff it (we're not the most graceful people in the world, nor are the four-legged members of our family), we can simply sand or buff out the scratch, and re-apply the Osmo. We can't wait to lie down on it, and take more pictures of the ceiling!

Look, Up In The Sky!

2007-11-24T19:28:00.000-06:00

This certainly brightens things up! This shows the maple plywood applied to the ceiling, looking southeast from up in the loft. Many of the pictures that we gave John in the earliest stages of design featured cabins and houses that liberally utilized light colored woods on walls and ceilings. The feel is at once modern, clean, and warm.
Here's an up close and personal look at the maple ply on the ceiling in the dining porch. We especially enjoy this material here, as it mimics the colors of the landscape, and reflects the outside light. The holes in the ceiling will contain recessed or "can" lights, and the lovely Louis Poulsen pendant light will be hanging over the dining room table at the far end of this room.
Finally, we have contributed something to the Yum Yum Farm House! We picked up this shelving system last weekend, and installed it yesterday. What you're seeing is the south side of the wardrobe room, just off of the laundry room. This has been set up in this manner to reduce the amount of cat hair on dark colored clothing. Stay tuned for more details to appear in rapid succession over the next couple of weeks!

La Cage Aux Moumings

2007-11-14T19:09:00.000-06:00

"The Wall" just seemed too obvious!

This is the slatted wall that separates the bedroom from the living room. The two openings will be fitted with plywood boxes for storage or display purposes, and the BluDot Couchoid will sit in front of it. The slatted wall recalls the interior of a barn or other outbuilding, and will create a "lantern" effect when lights are on in the bedroom. It contributes to the openness, which will help with heat circulation, and to make the space feel larger. These slats match the wood that will cover the ceiling, hopefully in the next few days!

Here's the view from the bedroom side. The framing on this side will remain exposed, but the manner in which the slats were beveled will allow storage boxes to be hung on the wall, and moved around as the need (or whim) dictates. You may be wondering if this arrangement will compromise the privacy in our bedroom. Not if you don't look!
This view looks in the bedroom door, and shows how the slats continue around the corner to define the bedroom "box". Cool.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Yum Yum Farm House

2007-11-09T19:59:00.000-06:00

While there is obviously still some work to be done, these photos give a pretty good sense of the finished home. Imagine our delight as we crested the hill and saw the painted house for the first time!

A Breath of Fresh Air

2007-11-07T20:05:00.000-06:00

This will be a one-photo post so you can zoom in. These little circular things allow air to move across the underside of the roof, to prevent condensation. This is a somewhat more complex method than what is usually employed in home building. Earlier posts showed gray styrofoam channels attached to the underside of the roof, but above the insulation. These vents are the openings that allow the air to flow through those channels, and keep the roof dry, and mold-free. This is the same thing as the vented soffits on most (perhaps your) houses. Look underneath your roof overhang, and you'll notice that the panels underneath have small openings. Those are a different version of what you see depicted here. We can all breathe easier now.

In Living Color

2007-11-07T19:30:00.000-06:00

This is the first part of the Yum Yum Farm house to receive its finish color. This barn red has been applied to the north side, or the main entrance. I suppose this is the "front" of the house, because it's where we enter. But the south side feels kind of "front" like too. Whatever.

It's suddenly become very chilly in Iowa, as it often does at this time of year. It is, fortunately, still warm enough to apply paint, once the frost goes away, and the air temperature warms up a bit. The forecast calls for warmer weather the next few days, so we should be fine. You'll notice in the photo below wires for the porch light, door bell, speakers, and electrical outlet. For cryin' out loud, this porch is better equipped than any room in our current quarters!

This isn't the greatest picture, but it's as close as we could get to the main floor bathroom, which had its tiling completed today. The grout was just finished, so we couldn't walk into the room. Around the corner to the left is white tile surrounding the Zuma tub. The dark tile will be a dramatic background to the various materials that will be used in this room, including a safety glass shower wall, corrugated galvanized steel as a shower surround, and the rugged old sink you've seen in previous posts. There's even some wood in there somewhere!
Here's that lovely old bathtub from Ohio, in its permanent (almost) location. This pedestal tub will delight our guests in the downstairs bathroom, and we'll enjoy it too! We've found some gorgeous reproductions of hardware (faucets, shower head, curtain ring) that will complement this very nicely. It was necessary to move this in before all of the basement doors were hung, as it's a rather bulky fixture. While much work still needs to be done in the lower level bathroom, it can all be accomplished by moving the tub around a bit before it settles into its permanent home.

Lines

2007-11-01T20:27:00.000-05:00

This is cool. This is essentially the finished house, without the paint. All of these different lines would probably make an interesting study in perspective in an art class. The vertical lines under the porch will be painted barn red, and the horizontal cedar siding to the left will receive a stain called "Oracle Sun". I wonder who came up with that name.

Still to come are the porch lights, and the concealed speakers.

We've Got Gas!

2007-10-30T20:20:00.000-05:00

While it's not much to look at, this addition is very significant. The black circular thing in the middle of the photo is the lp (liquid petroleum, or propane) connection to the house. Lp gas will be used for the furnace and the cooktop. Our water heater is electric, in anticipation of the addition of a wind turbine in a few years. This type of fuel is common in rural locations where natural gas lines are not present. We will also utilize a small, efficient Lopi wood burning stove, set atop a one piece limestone hearth cut from the historic quarry at Stone City, Iowa. For those of you familiar with landscaping materials, Stone City is adjacent to Amamosa, hence, "Anamosa" stone. Stone cut from this quarry was used as the skin of the new(ish) Disney theatre in southern California, and many other significant buildings around the continent. So we figured it would be ok for our house.
One drawback of lp gas is that it requires a storage apparatus, which needs to be located in a conspicuous location so it can be refilled. But hey, wouldn't it be fun to decorate it? We've considered a few options, including a Yellow Submarine, camouflage, a "Have a Nice Day" smiley face, Extra Strength Tylenol, and probably others that escape me at the moment. Guess what? That's right...we'd love to hear your ideas! How about trying that "comment" link, and let us know what you think? We're not sure if we can even paint it, since we're renting it, but we'd love to hear your ideas! Maybe a Yum Yum Farm logo?

Oh Cedar!

2007-10-30T20:04:00.000-05:00

We put this picture first so you can click on and enlarge it. This is the cedar lap siding being applied to the kitchen "bump out" on the northeast corner of the Yum Yum Farm house. If you zoom in you'll notice that the siding is precisely mitered at the corner, rather than having a trim piece to finish it off. This takes great care and precision, and yields a really cool horizontal wrap around effect. The framers (Jensen-Sedlacek, from Parnell--you remember, the suburb of North English and Williamsburg) are carefully completing this work. The portion of the dining porch below the windows will be covered in the same manner. Go ahead and zoom in, and you'll see faint red lines on the Tyvek above the cedar. Our craftsmen have carefully measured and snapped chalk lines for each and every board for precise placement. We're not worthy!

Bienvenido a la casa de Yum Yum! Here's the long awaited front door, a lovely maple surrounded by side and top glass "lights". This is a Dutch door, or as I call it, a Mr. Ed door. Notice the seam across its midsection. This is one of those 2-section doors that will allow us to open the top while the bottom remains closed, so Mr. Ed can stick his head in and report on the goings-on-about-the-farm. Another mix of modern and traditional!

Southern Accents

2007-10-29T20:33:00.000-05:00

The influence of the Yum Yum Farm House has spread far and wide, as evidenced by this structure at the wonderful Museum of Appalachia, in Norris, Tennessee. But seriously, this is a good example of how the house mimics a traditional shape found on farmsteads throughout the country. What were we doing in eastern Tennessee, you ask? Well, thanks for asking! Joanna's aunt Wanda, who resides in nearby Clinton, Tennessee, many years ago came into possession of three pieces of furniture that originally belonged to her (Joanna's) great grandparents. Turns out aunt Wanda and uncle Bob are moving, and didn't have a good spot for the lovely old pieces. So, Yum Yum Farmers to the rescue! Not only did we have a wonderful visit with Wanda, Bob, and Joanna's cousin Paige (remember the earlier post: "This House is Soooo Rad!"), but we now have a comfy chair, rocker, and loveseat with more than a century of history in the family! You'll see them in future posts. We can't wait for our beloved hosts to visit us and the heirloom furnishings in the Yum Yum Farm house, which is now in its final stages of construction.

How could I forget? Watching cautiously as the furniture is removed from the house is the newest member of the family, Barney. The entirety of our family has a weakness for felines, and we are honored to celebrate his arrival! Since the kitties in our family don't travel very well, this is probably the closest he'll get to a visit to the Yum Yum Farm. Welcome to the family Barney!

Break on Through...

2007-10-23T20:44:00.000-05:00

Interior work continues on the Yum Yum Farm house, including the Doors (you get the reference in the title now?) in the lower level. Note the light cast on the center door. Is it a flash? Is it a candle? No! It's a light bulb, operated by a light switch--another step forward! These maple doors are what you will see throughout the house, on both levels. To orient you (or orientate, if you prefer), this photo is taken from the end of the central hall in the basement, looking north. The center door leads to the stairs, and the door to the laundry/dressing room is just beyond to the right. On this side of the door are two others. The one on the left is the mechanical room, and on the right, the guest room. Right now, the guests that have been enjoying the lovely downstairs accommodations have been of the eight-legged variety, and, like the bull snake in an earlier post, capable of devouring a grown man in a single gulp!

Look at this lovely old farm building. This is a great example of the Yum Yum Farm house's traditional look, rendered in modern materials. The board and batten siding is Hardie Panel, a cement siding that has been applied to resemble old barn boards. These will be painted barn red to complete the traditional look, but will hold the paint better than wood. The nice big window up in the haymow is one of those amazing H Windows, featured in a number of earlier posts. This window allows light to enter the loft office space, and opens like an awning to let the hot summer air escape, and seals more tightly the stronger winter's northwesterly winds blow.

A Warm Outer Layer

2007-10-18T20:07:00.000-05:00

The Yum Yum Farm house is getting its skin applied this week, just in time for some cooler temperatures to arrive. The siding is James Hardie's Hardie Panel; a cement fiber board. When all is finished, this will resemble a traditional board and batten barn siding, painted barn red. Exceptions are the dining porch, and the kitchen "bump out", which will be finished in horizontal cedar siding. Long lasting materials means less time with paint brushes in our hands.
And here's another look at the architect's rendering, now that completion is drawing near. Despite the fact that John is from Seattle, he neglected to include all the rainfall that has visited the Yum Yum Farm this year in this drawing.

In The Sweet, Sweet Summertime...

2007-10-14T19:46:00.001-05:00

As a chilly October night descends over eastern Iowa, I thought I'd share some fond remembrances of the Summer of Yum, that have made this process so enjoyable for us. One of the happiest visitors to Yum Yum Farm was our beloved neighbor, Piper. Piper lives with her human companions Richard and Rachel on the other side of our duplex (which they have named La Casa d'Amore). Piper spends a lot of time in the gardens behind our house, so she felt right at home here, in the future Yum Yum Farm kitchen garden. She is in a thick growth of medium red clover, a legume we planted to fix nitrogen in the soil. This has since been tilled in and planted with buckwheat, which was also tilled in and replaced with Austrian winter peas. These were soil building hints from our Amish friends. We'll see how it works next summer. Richard, Rachel, and Piper are wonderful people (or beings!) who are dear friends, and we will miss them very much when we move to the country. Piper seems to have a clear preference for the new garden, however, and will certainly insist on regular outings to visit her friends on the farm!

This lovely piece of pottery enjoying a sunny day is our downstairs bathroom sink. Since we chose not to include a utility sink in our laundry room, we wanted the bathroom sink to be more utilitarian than the typical small sink formed into the vanity countertop, so we found this design, which is actually a small kitchen sink. This will sit atop a pedestal that is being fabricated to resemble the larger unit in the main bathroom. Chicago Faucets will mount on the wall behind this sink, and should still be working many years from now as the pages of this blog turn yellow and brittle.
We were so impressed by this UFO as it hovered over our backyard, that we decided to adopt it as our pendant light over the dining porch table! Soon, this lovely fixture will be spreading a pleasant light over the dining table, but its flat profile will only minimally obstruct the view out the windows to the south. And, it's pretty cool looking! This is Louis Poulsen's PH 4/3 pendant, if you're curious.

A Natural Beauty

2007-10-14T18:53:00.000-05:00

The floor on the main level is now complete, and while this photo may not provide the most expansive view, it is quite clear, and if you click on it, it will expand allowing you to see the wood in greater detail. Just do it! This is taken from the west end of the dining porch, looking north into the bedroom. The salvaged floor covers the living room, dining porch, bedroom, and alcove between bedroom and bathroom. We are thrilled with the appearance of this material. It is at once rustic, elegant, old, and new, but mostly, just beautiful. Thanks to Bob and Dave K. (good to see you after 20 years, Dave!) of Gray's Hardwood Flooring for their care and craftsmanship.

Here's another view, looking west from the living room into the bedroom. The framed wall you see between living room and bedroom will be covered by wood slats with small reveals that will allow light to filter through, creating a type of "lantern" effect. The slats will be cut in such a way that plywood boxes can be hung from them, for storage and displays. The method of attachment will allow us to move them around according to our wants and needs, or just leave them where they are.
This picture shows our sample piece of flooring, with the finish applied. We will be using a product called Osmo (you're welcome, Osmo staff), which soaks into the wood, rather than creating a clear coat on top of it. I'm not going to waste too much time talking about specifics of the finish, because I really don't know much about it. It sure looks pretty though! The floor as depicted in these photos has been milled, but has not received its final sanding, or, obviously, its finish. It will be covered for a while, as other work progresses inside. There will be much activity over the next several weeks, as cabinets, trimwork, outlets, switches, plumbing fixtures, tile, lights, appliances, etc. will be installed. I hope blogger can keep up with us!

Everything Old Is New Again!

2007-10-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

Imagine our delight when we stepped inside to see the first part of the salvaged wood floor installed. One of our challenges in maintaining this construction blog is to convey the richness of the materials, location, and landscape through digital means. So if it's not clear in the photos, you'll have to trust us that this flooring is really gorgeous! I'll let the photos speak for themselves...

Making the Grade

2007-10-11T20:27:00.000-05:00

Bob from Iowa City Excavating rides into the sunset while doing the finish grading around the Yum Yum Farm house. By the way, typing "Yum Yum Farm" is really awkward. Try it. Anyway, the dirt (or "spoil") from the original excavation has been sitting around, growing weeds, and providing king of the mountain competition facilities since the construction commenced in May. Bob has used the spoil, some of which is topsoil, to backfill against the foundation, level the drive, create a grade on which the garage/barn will eventually be constructed, and to make a flat area outside the basement walkout for our outdoor enjoyment. He has also expanded the drive next to the main entrance, as you can see in the foreground, to facilitate vehicle turnaround.

Here's that future garage site. This is just off the northeast corner of the house, and will probably not have a garage on it for a while. These building ideas take shape slowly in our minds, and go through several incarnations before we settle on something. Any ideas? Here's a look at the grading work behind the house. Bob had the very good idea to use some of the spoil to create a larger flat area directly behind the house, which sounded very useful to us. Our guest room will be located just inside the basement doors, so a nice level backyard will allow vehicles to pull up right next to the basement to unload luggage and guests. It could also be a great surface for more gardens, a badminton court, picnic table, or just a nice place to kick back and enjoy the bull snakes!

A Shining Example

2007-10-03T20:59:00.000-05:00

Go ahead, click on this picture. The chimney just over the peak of the roof will give you a little wink! This photographic miracle was accomplished by accidentally being in the right place at the right time. Kind of like the house--last night, the tornado sirens went off rather unexpectedly, and the super duper triple ultra pinpoint 24 hour doppler radar indicated a tornado to the southwest of Yum Yum Farm, heading toward it. While there apparently was a brief touchdown to the west, and some strong wind and rain, damage was minimal, and the location below escaped with only a lawn chair blown off the deck. We got nervous when the storm tracking software zoomed in so close that we could actually discern our little gravel road, so we didn't know for sure what we'd discover today. So, either the Yum Yum Farm house is incredibly sturdy, or the rotation didn't touch down around it. Nevertheless, the newly completed standing seam roof kept it dry. Nice work, Leon!

Here's a view of the shiny roof from the southwest (or the tornado's point of view). If you're ever flying in to Cedar Rapids from the south or south west, there's a good chance this will be visible. So have fun picking out this shiny-roofed building from every other shiny roof on every farm you fly over! Something about this view makes me want to put a pond right off the back of the house, and a ladder up to the peak of the roof. Yum Yum Water Slide!
This is the last part of the roof to be attached. The overhang above the east deck will keep weather off of the sliding door to the living room, and the kitchen window, and will conceal outdoor speakers. It also unifies the kitchen "bump-out" with the plane of the rest of the house.

Work will be accelerating now, with painting, floors, cabinet installations, piles of clothes, junk mail, and dirty dishes soon to follow!

On This Harvest Moon

2007-09-27T20:49:00.001-05:00

The Harvest Moon, as you know, is the full moon that occurs closest to the painting of the Yum Yum Farm House interior, which commences next week. In some cultures, however, it is the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. Whatever.

This picture was taken from the east deck on a beautiful September night.

This is the view out the other side of the house within minutes of the last photo. In fact, if you were sitting at our dining room table, if it were in the house, you could look out the east window to see the Yum Yum Moon, and out the west window to see this lovely sunset. This is a particularly pretty time of year, as far as views from the dining porch are concerned, because the sun is setting due west of that part of the house.
This is likely to be the last view of the house we'll have looking like this. The drywall is complete, sanded, and ready for the finish surface to be attached or applied. The sloped ceiling pictured here will be painted black, then covered with strips of maple plywood in a staggered pattern, with narrow reveals that will create the illusion of depth behind the pretty wood. This is recalling narrow openings you would see from an interior view of a barn roof, realized with more modern materials. The west wall, with the window, will have a light texture, and a finish color that is attractive, and allows the different materials to make their statements without detracting from them.
Here's a fun little trick we played with the camera, and some of the finish materials we'll be using. From top to bottom; a piece of Sheetrock, a strip of scrap wood, and a sample of our floor. The Sheetrock is painted with the wall color, the scrap with the trim color, and the floor is the floor. These were placed against a piece of wall, then we zoomed in to get a sense of how this color combination would work with the salvaged wood floor. This photo is a bit dark, but can give a sense of the process. In case you're interested, in natural daylight, we were very happy with the colors. While they may look a little plain here, remember, they are a part of a pallette, that includes salvaged flooring of vertical grain douglas fir, maple plywood, Anamosa limestone, FinnForm, stainless steel, and the various colors of the furniture, and the landscape that is visible through the ample glass space. Next week's posts should show better views of this.

Everything But the Kitchen Sink

2007-09-26T19:43:00.000-05:00

Dan at Heartland Custom Woodworking has just about finished all of our cabinetry, and it's gorgeous! His craftsmanship and the level of finish is top notch, and we couldn't be happier with the results. Kudos also go to John DeForest who designed these beautiful cabinets. Thanks team! In the picture below, you'll find the following: at the bottom or front of the photo is the kitchen island, which will include storage space, the cooktop and ventilation system, and a small counter eating area. On top of it is the media cart, which will hold A/V equipment, and be located in the living room (or bedroom, since it has wheels!). The tall unit at the back will be on the north wall of the kitchen, with the refrigerator placed to the left. The large opening just to the right of the tall, thin cabinet will contain the two ovens. I put this picture first so you can expand it to examine the detail (for some reason, only the first picture on each post expands. If you want to see any pictures expanded, let us know in the "comment" section, and we'll place that picture in its own post. If you ask really nicely. Note the detail in the cabinet doors. Dan took care to match the grain of the wood on adjacent pieces, with such skill that the entire unit appears to have been cut from one piece of wood. The red on the side of the A/V cart is the red FinnForm, that you saw in an earlier post. If you were paying attention.

This is part of the desk/bookshelf that will enclose the loft on the east and south sides. What you see here will constitute the south "wall" of the loft, with space on top for office machines, etc., and below for books, files, nieces and nephews playing hide and seek, cats...
Here's the front view of the cooktop island. We've chosen to forgo handles and, instead, use cutouts that will never loosen, break, attack our funny bones, or simply look outdated (thanks John!). There is also a certain playful quality in these cabinets, which, we feel, reinforces our requirement that the Yum Yum Farm house be fun! Once again, note the continuity of the wood grain on the face of the island.

2007: An Architectural Odyssey

2007-09-26T18:41:00.000-05:00

This is the south elevation of the beautiful John Deere World Headquarters in Moline, Illinois. It's about an hour or so east of the Yum Yum Farm, and during our visit with our amazing architect, we wanted to see at least one of the Upper Midwest's architectural masterpieces. The Deere headquarters certainly did not disappoint! Designed by Eero Saarinen in 1959 (or so), this steel and glass structure sits in a beautiful wooded area, full of oaks and, of course, deer. The deer, we discovered, are not actors, but were so impressed with Saarinen's design that they decided to make the surrounding woodland their home. Sadly, the architect did not live to see this building completed. He died in 1961, 3 years prior to its opening. You may recognize him via his other buildings, which included the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and the TWA terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Jamaica, Queens, New York.

This photo of an office on an upper floor shows the interplay between the rigid geometry of Saarinen's building, and the gentle dance being performed outside by the colors and forms of trees, sky, water and sun. The extensive use of glass in the structure brings the outside in throughout the entire building (think Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, or Phillip Johnson), creating a very pleasant work environment and adding a lightness to a very sturdy structure. Those lucky enough to work in this building are conspicuously proud of it, and their company's commitment to maintaining it in a manner true to its original design is impressive and laudible. Guess what color our tractor is going to be?
"I don't know, I think it would look great in green and yellow. Rust is so...1961." Here's that amazing architect I mentioned earlier, John DeForest (right), visiting with our tour guide, who generously gave his time to show us around this beautiful facility. This was the first building cloaked in Corten steel, which, if I remember correctly from eavesdropping on the conversation pictured, is steel, coated with nickel, and coated with steel. The outer steel rusts, but creates a type of protective coating over the other layers. Or something like that. This process has given the building a patina that blends in well with the surroundings in any season.

Remember that remark about bringing the outside in? Well, they literally did it here in the west addition, constructed in 1978. Architect Kevin Roche, who took over the original project after Saarinen's passing, created this addition which honors the original, and then some! While admiring this atrium, our tour guide noted the boulders, where they keep the spare key to the building. Just kidding.

A Hot Tin Roof

2007-09-20T20:42:00.000-05:00

Perhaps one of our more adventurous cats will find him or herself on this hot tin roof someday, but for now, we're just happy to see it! By the way, did you know Tom Williams (you may know him as "Tennessee") attended the University of Iowa. It's true!

Leon and crew made great progress today, and anticipate finishing attaching the standing seam metal roof to the Yum Yum Farm house tomorrow, save for some trim pieces. This type of roof is a more expensive option than the more common asphalt shingles, but judging from all the old standing seam roofs on old houses in Iowa City, it should have a very long lifespan. It also works very well aesthetically, which you will see when the siding is attached to the house. We are asked frequently if this will be noisy in the rain. While this is definitely the case in pole buildings with metal roofing attached to steel purlins, ours is attached over a thick plywood substrate, which is over a thick layer of insulation, which will be enclosed by drywall, and finished with maple plywood. Don't think we'll be hearing many raindrops.

Here is an excellent view (if I do say so myself) of the method by which the standing seam roof is attached to the building. I think it speaks for itself. Nevertheless, I'll keep commenting. The manner by which the panels interlock and conceal the seams makes a very durable and long lasting seal. It will not require maintenance for a very long time, and should not require replacement in our lifetimes. Unless there are some very significant medical breakthroughs.

A Great Cover Up

2007-09-19T21:11:00.000-05:00

We've been cautioned throughout the entire building process that when the drywall goes up, the house will feel smaller. Au contraire! (I think that's how it's spelled) The Yum Yum Farm house feels bigger to us, and we think it has to do with the various spaces being partially obscured, but still apparent enough to know they're there. When we were able to see the entire building, it felt spacious, but we could see everything. Now the spaces are defined, and you need to move around to see them, and when you do, you find yourself having a very different perspective. This is a view from just inside the front door, looking to the southeast. We're not sure if the steel structure on the left is permanent, or not. Plenty of room for our music collection, I suppose.

This photo is taken from the point of view of the kitchen sink. Do you suppose a kitchen sink could actually have a point of view? If it does, we hope it enjoys its perspective on the living room and loft areas. The loft will soon be encircled by a built in desk and bookshelves, which will be the office area. The sloped ceiling area is to be finished with maple plywood, in a beautiful pattern which will speak for itself in an upcoming post. The remaining un-drywalled area is the bedroom, which will have its own special wall treatment, also to appear in an upcoming post. The suspense is killing you, isn't it?

Shelter From the Storm

2007-09-18T20:55:00.001-05:00

One of the most dramatic elements of the Yum Yum Farm is the view of the sky. Since it sits at a high point in the area, there is a dramatic view of all things celestial. On clear nights, the Milky Way looks close enough to touch, and deer scatter when Orion the Hunter comes into view. This evening a warm front and a cold front were doing an energetic dance over the farm, but fortunately, it fizzled out into a cool breeze. Certainly, it's obvious that we are gushing about this project, but when we get to experience the interaction between the land and the heavens, it's truly transcendent. It makes us feel like giants and atoms at the same time!

Now we're really having fun! This is where the Modern part of the Yum Yum Farm house is becoming apparent. This picture is taken from the kitchen, looking west and up toward the loft, and the small storage area to the north of the loft. Soon, the ceiling will be finished with beautiful maple plywood, with slight reveals reminiscent of a barn roof. We anticipate drywall to be finished tomorrow (except for taping), with the standing seam metal roof being installed concurrently. This is getting so exciting, we need to get the blood pressure monitor out!

Dems Endorse Yum Yum Farm in '08!

2007-09-17T21:01:00.000-05:00

Indianola, Iowa-On this picturesque farm field in south central Iowa, six presidential candidates, Iowa's junior senator, and his wife pledged their enthusiastic support for the Yum Yum Farm. That's how we interpreted it anyway. We had a wonderful time at Senator Tom Harkin's 30th annual steak fry (despite our vegetarianism) with 15,000 of our closest friends. Joanna's parents (Pat and Steve, introduced in a previous post) had the opportunity to shake hands with their senator, and presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. We thought it would be appropriate to make some mention of the second biggest story in Iowa, and wanted to share a photo of the six candidates with all of you. In all seriousness, we are among the many Iowans that take a great deal of pride and honor in the process of the Iowa Caucuses, and I will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of my first caucus (where I supported the late Illinois Senator Paul Simon--and his bow tie) this January. Or December. From left below: Senator Barack Obama, Governor Bill Richardson, Senator Hillary Clinton, Ruth Harkin (Mrs. Harkin serves on the Iowa Board of Regents), Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Chris Dodd, former Senator John Edwards, and Senator Joe Biden. We think they should be campaigning at the Yum Yum Farm. If you agree, please let them know your vote depends on it! And we'll be careful what we wish for!

Start Spreadin' the News...

2007-09-17T20:33:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know that song refers to New York City, but Joanna's family is from the same state, so, close enough! We were delighted to have our New York (Syracuse) relatives pay a visit to the Yum Yum Farm. Our nephew Gerard enjoyed his first visit to Iowa, which included a visit to historic Kinnick Stadium, where his team, the Orange (shouldn't it be the Oranges? Or perhaps something that you might actually find in Syracuse?), found themselves down 35 to 0 at the end of the game. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all. Enjoying a picnic dinner below are, from left to right, Steve, Joanna, Geoff, Gerard (now a Cubs fan, apparently), David, and Pat. Note the installed windows, and east deck, which has already been the site of many toasts to the Yum Yum Farm house, now entering the detail stage!

Here's an interesting detail. This is looking up toward the roof from the entry porch. We know this as the bluegrass porch, 'cause it looks like the kind of place where a jug band might sit around playing bluegrass music. If any bluegrass bands out there would like to play on our porch, please let us know! The dark gray things that are situated between the insulation and the plywood create channels where air can circulate and keep the space dry. Brilliant!

Here's the view through the east window from the loft. The corn is beginning to dry, and will be harvested very soon. We've seen a whole corn growing season on the blog now, and it looks like a record harvest this year. The growing season for the Yum Yum Farm house is a little bit longer, but this week, drywall and the standing seam metal roof are under way. It won't be long now!

We All Live in a Yellow Yum Yum Farm, Yellow Yum Yum Farm....

2007-09-12T20:16:00.000-05:00

The Yum Yum Farm house is bundled up for the cold weather, which has paid an unusually early visit to our area (global warming? What global warming?). The ample space between our rafters has allowed a nice thick layer of insulation to retain warmth during those chilly Iowa winters. 2x6 framing not only strengthens the house, but allows for more insulation in the walls, which should help to reduce the amount of energy necessary to heat our house in the winter, and to maintain comfortable temperatures in the warm weather. Next up, drywall (or sheetrock, or gypsum wallboard), and the rest of the interior details.

Variation on an insulation theme: This is a view of the insulation in the basement mechanical room. The plastic covering over the insulation is present throughout the lower level, and though we've not specifically asked why, we imagine this has something to do with keeping moisture away from the wallboard that will cover these walls. If we're wrong, feel free to post a comment saying so. But do so nicely--we're sensitive that way!
This is, perhaps, the most important insulation in the house. At least as far as our feet are concerned. This is the underside of the dining porch, which will allow this room to be a four season room, rather than a three season room. And with Joanna's amazing cooking, it will be a well-seasoned four season room! Concealed behind the yellow fiberglass bat insulation that you see here are four heat ducts that will carry warm air into this room. These ducts are also individually insulated, so heat loss will be minimal as the air travels to the heat registers in this room. Additionally, this room will experience substantial solar gain during the winter months, as it is oriented to take advantage of the sun's low trajectory across the southern sky at that time of year.

Evenflow

2007-09-12T19:44:00.000-05:00

This is water coming out of a hose. Big deal you say? Darn right it's a big deal! While our well was completed last year, and set up for temporary use at that time, we've not been able to access our free water until now. Our pressure tank is now in place, and we are ready to have the necessary water treatment equipment installed. The University of Iowa Hygienic Lab tested our water for E. coli, fecal coliform bacteria, and nitrate levels, and all were within acceptable levels. In fact, there was no trace of any of these undesirable things. Further testing by water purification businesses revealed that our water is hard, which means we'll need to don helmets while showering. Just kidding. It means there's a fair amount of lime (like limeSTONE, not the kind in your bottle of Corona), and a small amount of iron, which means we'll have a softener, and a reverse osmosis (this is where I get lost) system to keep deposits from forming on our plumbing fixtures, and to make it taste good. The good news is that the water doesn't have a sulfur smell or taste, and the flow is strong. Stop by for a drink!

We're all decked out! Deck the halls! On deck--our new deck! These are all stupid ideas I had for titles of this post, which is why they didn't get used. If you have any ideas, I'll revise the post. In any case, this is the east deck and sliding door off of the living room that we've been so anxiously awaiting. We anticipate spending a lot of time here--coffee in the morning, contemplative moments for lunch, and stargazing at night. This deck is sheltered from the prevailing winds by the house, and affords a beautiful view to the south and east. We'll be enjoying soothing music from exterior speakers concealed in the overhang over the sliding doors.

Windows 2007

2007-08-22T19:24:00.001-05:00

The long awaited and much anticipated (you were anticipating them, weren't you?) H Windows are now in place, bringing the lovely Iowa countryside into the Yum Yum Farm house. This view is taken from the southwest, looking up to the dining porch, bedroom, bathroom, stairwell, and, up above, the loft. Despite the many lovely, sunny pictures we've posted, it's actually a muddy mess around here. In fact, the lower level windows are now in place, but it's raining like a...it's raining a lot right now, so we'll have to take and post those pictures later. We're grateful that our home is based on a "lakeside cabin", which it may be if this weather pattern persists. In all seriousness, we could not be happier with these windows, and the way in which they bring outside in, and lend an expansive feel to the modest footprint of our home (way to go John!). The placement of the south dining porch windows will allow substantial sunlight to warm the living space in the bitterly cold Iowa winter months, but, as you can see, minimize the amount of direct sunlight during the dog days of summer. Woof woof.

This is the view from the dining porch, looking to the southeast. Ours are awning-type windows, which open out from the bottom, pivoting at the top. The larger panes on top are stationary, so they don't have screens--a deliberate decision which permits a (nearly) unobstructed view to the valley and bluff beyond. This location can be very breezy, so the lower opening windows permit sufficient, but controlled airflow into the house.

Although these two professionals are making it look easy, they're hoisting a window into place that weighs something north of 400 pounds. These are the framing subcontractors who've returned to install the fenestration (yes! I've been waiting to use that word!). Jensen-Sedlacek construction from Parnell, a suburb of Williamsburg (stop laughing--I could've said it's a suburb of North English) did a superior job framing the Yum Yum Farm house, and we're very happy the Amelons chose them for our project. Nice job!

Superior Lake, Superior Windows

2007-08-21T21:27:00.000-05:00

The long awaited journey to pick up our H Windows has finally arrived! Ashland, Wisconsin, is located on the southern shores of Lake Superior, about an hour or so east of Duluth. About 20 miles to the northwest is the small town of Bayfield, where we took a ferry to this location, Madeline Island. Madeline Island is part of the Apostle Islands National Seashore, and is beautiful. We will certainly return! Located just south of Bayfield is the Big Top Chautauqua, a 900-seat tent at a ski area that this year features artists such as Willie Nelson, Bela Fleck, and Iowa's own Greg Brown! Perhaps you've heard broadcasts from the Big Top on NPR.

The H Window Company, Ashland, Wisconsin. I think I should've been closer to the sign.

Our windows, ready to be loaded on to the really big rental truck, in the parking lot of the H Windows factory in Ashland. Not only do the people at H Windows make wonderful products, they're very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. These windows are gorgeous, innovative, and built like tanks. Very pretty tanks.

Embryonic windows galore inside the H Windows factory, awaiting delivery to delighted homebuilders around the country! For those of you in Ashland reading this--we made it home, and thank you for your craftsmanship, and sharing the process with us. Your windows will have a good home!

Future Farmers of America?

2007-08-21T21:12:00.000-05:00

Anna gets a laugh at someone's expense. Our niece is enjoying her first visit to the Yum Yum Farm house, and certainly appears to be enjoying herself. If she laughs much harder, she may fall backwards onto the partial wall where the large sliding glass doors will stack up when the dining porch is open, and the media cart will be located. Late afternoon sun is flooding the dining porch behind her.

Our Ohio relatives enjoy a picnic dinner on the east side of Yum Yum Farm. Our rainfall is unusually high this year, and the corn seems to be very happy. From left, Greg, the author, Maddie, Anna (dressed more comfortably now), and Brooke smile for the camera. They have contributed the beautiful pedestal bathtub that will reside in the lower level bathroom, that appeared in an earlier post. FYI--our skin is not actually the color of Oompah Loompahs. It was a colorful sunset reflecting on our faces.

The Comforts of Home

2007-08-10T18:08:00.000-05:00

We were pleased to see that this shiny new water heater has the highest energy efficiency in its class (if that's the right way to put it). Ours is an electric water heater, which is good, because one of our mid-term goals is to add a wind turbine, which generates electricity, not LPG. The various PVC pipes you see serve a few different purposes. At the top left are the venting pipes that connect to the furnace, and, I think, have something to do with venting exhaust fumes, and bringing fresh air into the house. I'm not quite certain how this happens. At the top right are drain pipes from the upstairs bathroom and kitchen. There is also one in there somewhere that vents radon gas out of the house. Whatever.

This is the north wall of the main floor bathroom, located directly above the previous picture. The small, flexible pipes (or tubing) are the means by which water is transported these days. On the far left, they will be supplying water to the shower, and to the right, they'll feed the big old sink shown in a prior post. The small white circle in the floor is the location to which the toilet will attach. We're hoping the plans will ultimately make this room a bit more private than it is now. The stairwell to the basement is visible through the wall framing.

Calgon, take me away! We have lived for some time without a bathtub, so we are especially thrilled to be including two in the Yum Yum Farm house. This is the Zuma tub in the main bathroom. It may not be clear in this photo, but this is deep enough to drown in. The bright spot to the right is, you guessed it, a window, looking to the west. Pardon me, but I'm starting to daydream--about a long hot soak on a chilly autumn night...

Norm Abram, Eat Your Heart Out!

2007-08-09T21:14:00.000-05:00

Dan from Heartland Custom Woodworking shows off the kitchen island in progress in his workshop. Dan does beautiful work, and is in the midst of creating all of the cabinets, closets, etc., that will provide storage space in the Yum Yum Farm house. If you Google "Heartland Custom Woodworking", you'll find contact information. We are delighted with his craftsmanship, and his embracing our use of different materials and styles. Needless to say, he has our highest recommendation!

Remember the earlier post "Hunt for Red Finn Form"? This is one of the locations where the Finn Form is being used. This is a side view of the entry hall closet, which will be located just inside the main entrance. The visible side here will be against the north wall, and the open area below will have a rolling cart to sit on when removing shoes or boots, and it will open to contain gloves, scarves, and the like.

Down the Drain

2007-08-09T20:44:00.000-05:00

"We're #1 in the #2 Business". So proclaims a local business that will clean out the tanks in the photo below. Yes, these are the septic tanks, and this is the place to where all the dirty business will flow out of the house. The next step in this process is to create the leach field, which is a series of tubes (much like the Internet, according to Alaska senator Ted Stevens) set in gravel and sand, which will allow liquid flowing from the system to slowly percolate and be cleaned by some sort of bacterial magic. We're in the process of determining what will be the best plantings to place over the field. Here's what we know so far: trees and other things with deep moisture seeking tap roots can plug the perforated tubes that comprise the field. And, we don't want to be operating heavy equipment frequently over this area. I'm thinking a bunch of Little Bluestem might be a nice way to cover the area. Any feedback from botanical experts, or anyone who's had experience in this area?

The Heat Is On

2007-07-25T20:59:00.001-05:00

Here is our new high efficiency furnace. That's what it says anyway. It's a Heil. The Energy Guide that comes with all appliances places this unit very close to the most efficient in its class. We'll let you know how that goes.

One of the questions most frequently posed to us when others discover we're building a home goes something like: "are you doing anything green?" Fair question. There are a lot of things, some obvious, and some obscure. We'll start a list, and add to it as the project progresses.

Reclaimed flooring (we've touched on this one earlier)
Reclaimed bathtub. The lovely refinished pedestal bathtub from our beloved family in Ohio will soon be placed in the lower level powder room.
The master bath sink, we are told, was from a University building, possibly the biology building on Iowa Avenue. We don't have positive verification of this, but it sounds plausible. Anyway, it's old, beautiful, sturdy, and it came from somewhere not too far away!
H Windows. Stay tuned for more on H Windows. Or Google them--ours are being manufactured right now. We'll be picking them up in Ashland, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Superior, in a couple of weeks.
Standing seam metal roof. Our roof will outlast us, we're told.
House siting. Our house is oriented to the sun such that its heating effect will be limited in the summer, and maximized in the winter.
Not a McMansion. Easy to maintain, but with freedom of movement, accomplished by an open floor plan, and generous utilization of "outdoor rooms". High quality, energy efficient windows will bring the outside in, but will keep it out when necessary. A small footprint disturbs as little of the land as possible. Saves excavation costs. And looks really tall if you lay on the ground outside the basement.
Highly efficient and clean burning (mostly) Lopi wood stove. A lovely Modern fan will distribute the heat in each room thanks to the open floor plan. Except the bathroom. We don't really want that one to be too open.
Energy efficient kitchen appliances.
The best contractors in the area. A tight, well constructed, well insulated home will last for many years requiring minimal maintenance. That's why we chose Amelon Construction!
Hardie Panel cement board siding. The siding on the Yum Yum Farm house will look like barn siding--vertical boards and battens, but will be comprised of long lasting cement board (or whatever it's called--Google "James Hardie" for more information, if you want).
That's enough for now--I'm using a lot of electricity trying to think of what to put next. I'm going to reduce my carbon footprint and go to bed. Good night.

I'd Like to Thank...

2007-07-25T20:42:00.000-05:00

Twenty years ago, the young man on the right conducted what has turned out to be the most important job interview of my life. It went something like: "You like to mow lawns? You like to work hard? Can you start this afternoon?"

Twenty years later, Dean and his mom enjoy a warm, sunny afternoon on the entry porch. Both have been great resources for us as we've developed Yum Yum Farm, and become familiar with the community in which Joanna works, and we are about to live. Dean graduated from the local high school, which can be seen way off in the distance to the east (not in this picture though). We owe so much to the generosity of this family, and continue to learn so much from them. Can't wait to have them over for dinner, which will be served in the lovely room with a view at the top center of the photo.

Fields of Opportunities

2007-07-14T19:11:00.000-05:00

Here we are enjoying a picnic dinner at Yum Yum Farm with our dear friends Anne and Bishop. We are saddened that they are moving to the Puget Sound area, but thrilled that we are able to share this experience with them. They, too, are building a new home on a beautiful site in Washington, and they currently live in a home built by the Amelons. It's gorgeous, and, of course, very well made! This photo is looking east, adjacent to the raspberries that we got from our dinner guest's garden a few years ago.

The sun sets on Yum Yum Farm as the dinner party winds down. Alas, tomorrow is another work day, and we must take our rest. Sunsets out here are nearly always a soft, fluffy pastel drawing. Weather permitting, of course.

This House is Soooo Rad!

2007-07-14T18:47:00.000-05:00

Upon setting foot inside the Yum Yum Farm house, Joanna's cousin Paige immediately began to alert architectural impresarios around the world to what was happening in our little town. Actually, I think someone called her. In any case, we were honored to have Paige visit our new home, where she became the very first person to sleep in our house. We haven't even done that yet! Paige enjoyed a comfortable midsummer night's slumber in the loft, while we slumbered in our truck-top tent. The picture below is taken from the future back yard, south of the dining porch, looking up, obviously. Paige and Joanna are inspecting the fine craftsmanship of the newly framed house. Paige is a writer, travel and otherwise, and you can find out more about her and her subjects at http://www.paigerpenland.com/.

Here's that comfy loft we were talking about. Joanna will market her company's products from the office located here, and guests who don't mind ascending a slightly steeper than usual staircase will enjoy sleeping up here. The loft will feature a nice big window looking to the west, though it's covered for now, pending arrival of the windows. Speaking of windows, they are being manufactured as we speak (or type) in Ashland, Wisconsin, on the shores of beautiful Lake Superior. They are called H Windows, and you can learn more about them here: http://www.hwindow.com/

Worth a Thousand Words (to us, anyway)

2007-07-10T21:42:00.000-05:00

E-L-E-V-A-T-I-O-N

2007-07-05T21:30:00.000-05:00

Our framers finished the eaves today, which are constructed of cedar. This is the west elevation of the house. This thing is getting pretty tall, and it looks like these details might have been somewhat scary to construct. That's why I'm a gardener.

This is a closer view, taken from the northwest corner, showing the entry porch roof and eave details.

A Room With a View

2007-07-05T21:01:00.000-05:00

We've now walked around the loft for the first time. Joanna is especially taken by the space--and it's a good thing, as this will be her office! This wonderful room will also be a guest room when necessary, and will feature some storage space. Joanna is looking to the west in this picture, and there is a matching window on the east wall which affords a beautiful view into the long valley beyond.

And here's that lovely view to the east now! The boards that obscure the view out the window are temporary bracing, and will be removed. This is the view that one will have when sitting at the desk in the loft. Just slightly less colorful at certain times of the year. We might even get to watch some fireworks through here!

This is now the full skeleton of the house viewed from the west. This shows the finished shape, so scroll back a bit to see the architect's drawing, and you can fill in the blanks. This should all be covered soon, then on to the inside!

Gimme Shelter

2007-07-03T21:13:00.000-05:00

This is really starting to take shape. The roof joists have been placed on the south elevation, and the trusses cover the dining porch. This photo creates the impression that the 3 joists on the left are supporting the rest of the roof. In fact, there is a very large ridge beam, supported by the structure above and below the window openings on the top (loft) level. This beam was featured in a previous post. It appears to be very heavy. We ate breakfast on it.

Here's an interesting detail of the window on the east elevation that will sit above the living room. While we had a great deal of trust and respect for the individuals involved in the design of this dwelling in the conceptual stages, each phase of construction awes us with the knowledge, creativity, and intelligence involved in putting this project together. Kudos to John, Curt, and everyone else involved!
This stage is really fun from a photography standpoint. We could continue posting cool pictures of framing and shadows ad nauseum, but we'll leave it at this! The photo below shows that there will be a flat ceiling above the dining porch, which will continue into the living area for a short distance. This is a feature that draws the gaze out toward the view, and, when going inside, adds drama to the high space in the main living area. This is a Frank Lloyd Wright kind of thing. For those of you who've visited Wright's Cedar Rock, the feeling entering the Garden Room was very inspiring to us. If you don't know Cedar Rock, Google it, or ask us to take you there!

Good Moon Risin'

2007-07-02T21:04:00.000-05:00

Had we been sitting at the dining room table last Saturday night, at the right time, this is the view we would have had out the window to the southeast. Though we don't have a lot of experience with moon rises at the farm, we're hoping this is par for the course.

This is where you'll be entering the Yum Yum Farm house. This is the framing for the main entry porch, on the north side of the house.
This very sturdy looking beam, or collection of beams, will support roof joists, and sliding doors that will enable the dining porch to be closed off from the rest of the house. This requires a crane to hoist it into place. The beer bottle at the lower right helps to put the size of the beam in perspective. Or something like that.

Lofty Plans

2007-07-02T20:43:00.000-05:00

Now this is getting interesting. This protruding element on top of the framing is the part of the loft that cantilevers over the living room. This is the perch from which Joanna will keep watch over Yum Yum Valley, and formulate brilliant marketing plans for all of the wonderful products from Kalona Organics. This photo looks southwest and shows the loft hovering over the bedroom and bathroom. Between the two is a small alcove that will house a custom made cabinet for our towels and linens and things.

This is the view that one will see upon reaching the top of the stairs, coming up from the basement. This is the kitchen window, looking east into the valley. The kitchen sink will be right below this window. Note the engineered lumber used as studs in this area. Comments?

This view is looking north from the dining/sleeping porch into the bedroom. Note the framing for the loft floor overhead. This will remain exposed, and will be a sort of canopy over the bed. Lighting will be mounted to the face of the loft, which is at the top of this photo.

The Next Level

2007-07-02T20:20:00.000-05:00

We must apologize for the time we've allowed to pass since our last post. You must be on the edge of your seats, breathless with anticipation! Well, here it is--the beginnings of the main level. This view is taken from the same place where the first picture on the blog was taken, but not zoomed. We've been taking photos from this same spot, so we can do some sort of time-lapse thing when it's done. The most striking thing about the construction as it progresses is the view, and the way it is framed by the windows. The far right part of the house is the dining porch, and it provides a gorgeous vista to the east, south, and west. We can't wait to eat here!

Here's Joanna enjoying the view now! This photo is taken from the kitchen, or so.

Here's a view, soon to be obscured, to the northwest. The window on the left is the bedroom, next is the bathroom, and the last is above the landing in the stairwell (to the basement).

I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes

2007-06-25T21:35:00.000-05:00

EEEKKKK! Here's one of the things that we forgot about in our move to the country. Joanna valiantly fought off this giant Anaconda while I bravely zoomed in to photograph its attempts to devour us. While the picture may be deceiving, this was easily the size of my truck. But seriously, can any of you reptilophiles (is that a word?) identify this creature for us?

Here's a cool look at a more refined basement, with evening sun shining through the west windows. This is taken from the guest room, looking toward, from left to right, the mudroom, bathroom, mechanical room, and the stairs.

Now that the first floor is in place, this is the view from the dining porch, looking south. Without windows, of course. We can't wait to break bread with you at this location!

Stone City, Iowa

2007-06-23T13:29:00.000-05:00

This is Grant Wood's "Stone City, Iowa". Our wood burning stove will sit on a limestone hearth cut from the quarry depicted in this painting. This quarry is still operating as Weber Stone Company. Despite Wood's unique and (in my opinion) beautiful abstractions of the Iowa landscape, descending the road into Stone City looks and feels very much like this depiction, even 77 years later.

Glowing Endorsements

2007-06-23T12:40:00.000-05:00

We've been meaning to do this for a while, and now the persistent rain is allowing us to catch up. While we are still beginner bloggers, we'll do our best to direct you to information about the amazing people, companies, products, and concepts involved in the construction of the Yum Yum Farm house.

First, our architect. We became aware of John DeForest through the book "Good House, Cheap House." While we did contact some other architects, we immediately felt comfortable with John's personal and very professional approach. He has been a wonderful guide through this process, and we never cease to be amazed at the ease with which John translates our ideas into a home, and contributes ideas that we would never have imagined. John has had assistance on our project from his intern, David Fuchs, who, at this early stage of his career has added much to the Yum Yum Farm home. Both are a joy to work with. You can read about David, and the rest of the DeForest Architects team at the site listed below. In addition, there is a link to a very nice article about a home John designed in Seattle. Check it out!

John DeForest, AIA, (Principal) is a native of Seattle and received degrees in architecture from Yale University and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. As a founder of dA+ and parent of two young children, he is especially interested in the challenge of designing creative, comfortable, and inspiring spaces for growing families and businesses.--From the DeForest Architects website: http://www.deforestarchitects.com/index.html

Our general contractor is Amelon Construction, and we have worked specifically with Curt Amelon. Without exception, we have received the same response from everyone who has discovered that the Amelons are building our house. Something like "you've got the best." If you are building in the Iowa City area, plan ahead, and contact these wonderful people. As if being good at their craft weren't enough, they're all engineers. Curt is pictured with us in the very first photo on the blog, participating in our ground breaking.
Amelon Construction, Inc. Contact Duane, Dean, Curt, Dave & Jeff Amelon 2953 Black Diamond Road S.W. Iowa City, IA 52240 Telephone: 319-683-2369

More to follow!

Rainy Day, Dream Away

2007-06-23T12:14:00.000-05:00

Now this is starting to look like something! This is a view from the driveway, looking southeast. The two windows in the basement are for the bathroom and mudroom, left to right. This shows for the first time the main level dining porch, which extends out over the basement walkouts to the south. This gives a good sense of the main level floor space.

Here's a view of the basement under the dining porch. The door on the left will go into the mudroom, and french doors on the right will open into the guest room. This view is looking north-northeast.

A view to the south from the point where the steps up to the entry porch will be located. The idea is to preserve as much of this view as possible upon entering the house. The dining table will be at the far left corner of the main level.

Dem Bones

2007-06-23T11:42:00.000-05:00

Here's a sneak peek into the basement. This is approximately where the mechanical room and bathroom will be located, and looks beyond to the guest room. Taken from the west looking east.

"Son, I don't know about this Modern architecture." Our first guests, enjoying the open floor plan, but understandably concerned for our comfort during Iowa's long winters. Dad supports the door frame to the laundry room while Joanna serves as tour guide for Joyce, standing at the (future) bottom of the stairs.

This is an interesting detail of the floor joists underneath the main level shower. Rot-resistant wood under the bathroom--brilliant!

Workin' On A Building

2007-06-23T11:23:00.000-05:00

This is the sill plate, securely attached to the foundation with some foamy/bubbly sealer stuff in between to keep out the drafts.
This is a sneak preview of the next post. The lumber lying on the ground in a UPC symbol pattern is actually our back basement wall. From left to right, it features a french door, window, and single door. The first two are part of the guest room/art gallery/dance hall/great room, and the latter leads into the mudroom. This week's weather has provided ample mud for us to track into the mud room, and it seems to be taking it very well. On a more serious note, the town of Marengo, which is a bit northwest of us, is experiencing its worst flooding in 40 years.

Some Assembly Required

2007-06-18T21:14:00.001-05:00

Here we have a bunch of wood chosen specifically for our home. This particular pile features all of the engineered lumber, which, as I understand it, will be supporting things.

This closeup shows some very long laminated beams that have a more finished surface. I would guess that these will be exposed, but I'm not sure where. Any comments from our design/construction friends out there?

As is evidenced by the photos, it rained quite a bit today, so framing didn't start. Good news for the corn; not so much for the house. Framing is to commence tomorrow, so we should be able to show these boards in their permanent locations soon.

Patience is a Virtue

2007-06-17T18:43:00.000-05:00

Well...still nothing new to report. Framers will be starting tomorrow (weather permitting, which, if the forecast is correct, it will not), so we thought we'd take this opportunity to show some of the items that are patiently awaiting installation in our home, but currently reside in various storage spots around Johson and Washington counties.

Remember the picture of that old house north of Amana a post or two ago? This is the interior, showing the subfloor that will become our finished floor in the process of removal. We've seen a finished piece, and believe it or not, it's gorgeous. The planks will be 5 to 5 1/2" wide, and will cover nearly all of the main floor and the loft.

These 2 pictures feature the very substantial old sink that will be in our main bathroom. We picked this up several years ago from Iowa City's Salvage Barn, an organization that rescues good materials and fixtures from old houses and buildings being razed or remodeled. We were told (although it's not been confirmed) that this sink is from the University of Iowa's Biology Building, and was removed during the remodeling process. We figured it was so cool that we had to have it. Not knowing what to do with it at first, it resided in our back yard growing herbs. It eventually occurred to us in the early stages of designing our house that with a little TLC, this could work really well in the main floor bathroom. So we had it refinished over the winter (by Bathcrest, and Premier Automotive--they did the base), and it turned out beautifully. It will be complemented by beautiful Chicago Faucets, mounted on the wall behind. These are before and after photos.

Finally, this is our other beautiful old bathroom fixture, contributed by our beloved Ohio relatives Greg, Brooke, and family. The renovation is also courtesy of Bathcrest and Premier Automotive in North Liberty. The blanket is to keep it from breaking the window on the truck. This lovely old bathtub will be enjoyed by our guests (and us) in the downstairs bathroom. By the way, if you've randomly stumbled upon this blog, and haven't figured it out yet, this project is taking place in east central Iowa.

Knee-High by the...11th of June!

2007-06-11T21:03:00.000-05:00

The old adage about corn being "knee-high by the 4th of July" is obviously outdated. Henry A. Wallace, native Iowan and Vice President under Franklin Roosevelt, began hybridizing corn at the age of 12, while his father was a professor at the Iowa State University of Science and Technology (the one in Ames, not Iowa City), and befriended a student experimenting with peanuts by the name of George Washington Carver. A wonderful biography of Wallace was written several years ago by former Iowa senator John Culver, whose son Chet is our current governor. (They're Democrats, if you were wondering). The jacket of the book features Iowa artist Grant Wood's portrait of Wallace against a farm field, which I am mimicking (poorly) in this photo. The other, more relevant photos show that our nascent house has been backfilled, and is anxiously awaiting a frame to be built upon it! The view from a distance had been obscured until today, and this is where we've marked a spot from which to take pictures and create a time-lapse series. This is the point from which the very first ground breaking photo on the blog was taken.

Amana, Amish, and Another Floor

2007-06-05T21:43:00.000-05:00

I'd like to take this opportunity to clarify a common misconception: Amana and Amish are not the same thing. The old house in the photo is north of Amana, and is being dismantled by a great couple of people who refer to themselves as Tri-Coastal Salvage. Beth and John dismantle beautiful old buildings and sell the gorgeous, sturdy materials for reuse in new projects like ours. This is a circa 1920 farm house, from which we are utilizing the subfloor for our finished floor. The wood has been milled by an Amish craftsman, who has shaped the boards into 5 and 5 1/2" tongue and groove flooring. We are told it is old vertical grain douglas fir, and we have no choice but to believe it! It is beautiful, and we are extremely fortunate and grateful to those who have lovingly rescued it and crafted it into the Yum Yum Farm house floor.

Now, just to be clear (and please comment if I get this wrong): The people who settled the Amana Colonies were known as Inspirationists, from Ebenezer, New York. The Amana Colonies consist of 7 distinct, but related villages, that are probably best known outside of Iowa for having produced the Amana Radarange microwave ovens, and other household appliances. This is quite different from the Amish, who live in northern Washington County, primarily in Kalona, but also toward and around Riverside, Wellman, Frytown, and Joetown. Outside of our area, Amish are known for devout lifestyles that shun many modern conveniences, such as Amana Radaranges and other household appliances. Get the picture? Please note that these are ridiculous simplifications of very rich cultures, which we hope to expand upon in future posts.

We're Floored!

2007-06-05T21:18:00.000-05:00

We now have a basement floor, and are ready (almost) for framing. The various things sticking up out of the floor will facilitate the elimination of waste water from the house, and the venting of radon gas out of the basement. Radon gas apparently occurs in abundance in Iowa, which is not something you'll generally hear about at our lovely welcome centers. The good news is, there are ways to eliminate it from your living space. The lower left photo will be the corner of the mudroom. Mother Nature, as you may have noticed, has provided an ample supply of mud so that we may test the limits of said room. So far, so good! Of more interest is the foam insulation that separates the basement floor from the foundation wall, to reduce the transfer of winter cold to our lower extremities. Nice!

The Hunt for Red FinnForm

2007-06-02T18:40:00.000-05:00

The hunt for this exotic building material took us to beautiful Chicago yesterday. This is a plywood called FinnForm, made in, you guessed it--Finland. FinnForm is a beautiful, sturdy product, that, appropriately, drew blood not once, but twice from Joanna's hands. I felt sorry for her, but hey, somebody's got to sit inside keeping an eye on things! Just kidding. FinnForm is one of the materials that will be used in the construction of interior storage such as closets, cabinets, and carts. One of the ways that we're staying within our budget is to do some of the transportation of materials ourselves. We're sufficiently tired of remodeling our current residence that we don't care to so much as look at a hammer, but the locations of some of the building materials are allowing us to gain a little something culturally, which explains the smiling picture of jazz legend Dave Brubeck. We had the good fortune to see Mr. Brubeck, who turned 86 in December, at the Chicago Symphony Center. We have enjoyed his music for some time, and one of the most joyous visions we have of ourselves in our new house is listening to his music filling the room with a fire crackling in the wood stove. Or a breeze coming off the porch. Or a gentle rain falling...you get the picture. Frank Lloyd Wright compared his architectural accomplishments to symphonies, and as we progress through this adventure, we can definitely see the similarities. We're in a rainy pattern, so not much to report. However, we may have a new basement floor!

House...Interrupted

2007-05-27T20:48:00.000-05:00

It's been some time since our last post. A busy week and some much needed rain slowed progress a bit, and kept the documetarians away from the farm. But look at this! The trenches are filled, and some pipe looking things are sticking out of the floor! These are the bottom-most connections to the various drains that will occupy the bathrooms, laundry room, and kitchen. Next step is a lovely concrete basement floor, then on to the framing! The black stuff along the foundation is a waterproofing material, and the pink stuff is rigid foam insulation. This will hopefully keep our footsies from freezing in the mud room during those lovely Iowa winters.

"Concrete Wall in Verdant Field"

2007-05-18T21:13:00.000-05:00

The forms have been removed and we now have a foundation! The first photo will give you an idea of what our house would look like following a tornado (I can say that because I am not superstitious!). This is a stunning spring in Iowa, with an ideal mix of light, soaking rain, sunshine, and warm but not hot temperatures. The corn sprouted today, and the fields in the distance will be tinted green in the next week. The second photo is looking to the southeast, where a number of young whitetails were eating foliage and trampling corn sprouts. How cute. The last photo looks directly south to where the basement will "walk out". The concrete slabs to the left will support a load-bearing wall down the center of the basement. This photo is taken from approximately the bottom of the (future) stairs. For those of you in Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Hawaii, Washington, and other points less chilly than here, these walls (and the footings on which they rest) are at least four feet below grade to avoid heaving in the winter. And while winter can really suck here, we had a gorgeous snow cover here that made a great surface for nordic skiing. And hypothermia.

A mighty fortress is our basement.

2007-05-17T21:13:00.001-05:00

The foundation was poured today. So what you see here are the walls of the basement, mostly. The basement walls will all be as tall as the tallest walls in the pictures, but will be partially wood framed. These are the areas where windows and doors will be placed. Please note the background as these posts progress. The corn that was planted earliest is about 3 to 5 inches high now. Ours was planted on the day the excavation was done, last Friday, and had not yet sprouted as of today.

This is the goal!

2007-05-16T18:58:00.000-05:00

Hey, look at this! We just figured out how to turn this from a .pdf into a .jpg! Who would've imagined!

This is John's (our architect) rendering of the east and west elevations, from the top. So, the bottom picture is what will be visible from the road, and the top picture is the side facing the valley. To orient the house on the site, the photo at the top of the blog is taken from the point where the driveway meets the road, and the house site is just to the right of the white pickup truck.

2007-05-16T18:29:00.000-05:00

These are the footings, which were poured today. The lowest part of the footing is the south side of the house, which is where the basement will walk out to the south, underneath the dining porch. Notice that these are quite low, due to the part of the world in which we are located. Hopefully it won't freeze that far down. Next: foundation walls.

2007-05-15T20:17:00.000-05:00

This is really the groundbreaking. Friday, May 11, 2007. The photo on the left is the completed excavation. The view is to the northeast. The photo on the right shows the excavation in process, looking to the south. The bucket is close to where the basement walkout will be located. In our part of the world, winters are quite cold, so the footings need to be quite deep to prevent frost heaving. This looks deep enough, don't you think?

2007-05-15T20:02:00.000-05:00

In the beginning...
This is our groundbreaking, complete with golden shovels. May 5, 2007. We have determined that this blog is an easier way for us to share the progress of the Yum Yum Manor with all of you, and to keep your inboxes unclogged. We welcome your questions and comments. No obscenities please. Unless they're celebratory. Then, please abbreviate, or use the old cartoon method: Sufferin' succotash! That house is *#$%^& great!
As this goes on, we'll note our inspirations, cool companies that are making the furniture, appliances, windows, doors, etc. Check back frequently, as progress is happening daily. Anticipated occupation date is some time in September. 2007, we hope.