weathering rough cut barn siding

The siding has been on for almost 3 years now. It's not been treated and will weather naturally over the years with virtually zero maintenance. I'm guessing it will last around 50+ years? The house is beginning to disappear into it's surroundings. The Corten steel beams that support the raised porch have rusted up pretty evenly and will also be zero maintenance for the life of this structure and beyond.

passive solar thermal gain

The thaw this week produced a reflecting pond in the depression where the patio will eventually be built. It threw light to the underside of the loft for most of the day. A reflecting pond in front of south facing glazing would be a good set up to add thermal gain to the underside of a poured concrete second floor loft.

storage in the minimal kitchen

Most of my kitchen storage consists of open shelving for pots, pans, dishes, etc. Food storage is divided between a pantry to the right of the refrigerator and a chamber above the oven. Below the oven are drawers for utensils and cutlery in a repurposed tool cabinet. Garbage and recycling are in a pull out unit under the sink.