Arcadia 3236, Expanded Development Stage:  Kit construction Bed/Baths:  2 / 2 Square Feet:  1224 Location:  Vermont Project Images The Story Enertia® Extreme homes have doubled East and/or West inner-shell walls, depending on the climate and siting. There is no air-flow space between the doubled walls, as there is on the North, because the purpose is not for airflow, but rather for protection against strong prevailing winds and extreme weather. The site for this Enertia® home is so beautiful. As always, the home will fit naturally in the landscape. As circumstances unfolded, the start date of the project coincided with the start date of an early Winter storm. But Vermonters are used to Winter and are undaunted. With the excavation complete, the footers are formed and poured between snowfalls. The concrete pumper had an amazing reach with it's boom arm. When the foundation is complete the homeowner and builder feel a great sense of accomplishment. (Shirtsleeves in VT in January?) The snow is falling intermittently when the kit arrives. With the subfloor completed, the kit begins to go up. For the first couple of days, everyone was so busy making good use of the "nice" weather, that picture-taking was temporarily forgotten. The West and East walls (top photos) are doubled in an Enertia® Extreme home, although there is no air-flow space in those walls as there in on the North(lower left). The angled timbers that form the gable ends are being set in place. All work on an Enertia® home can be done from inside the house, with no need to erect scaffold outside. The entire gable end is built with the Enertia® pre-cut laminated timbers. On the North and South, slots are pre-cut for rafters. The southern view from this home is spectacular in any season. The snow is gone, and this home blends into the natural beauty around it, but also stands out majestically on the hillside. This is an Arcadia 3436, which is an expansion of the standard 3236 with an additional 2' of depth in the Sunspace. The kit is completed, and a metal roof is being installed. The crew drives up with a trailer-mounted panel forming machine and turns a roll of metal into roof panels on site. Once the metal is shaped, clips are attached to one edge, and the piece is handed up and clipped to the previous piece. A hand clamping tool (lower left) and an automatic clamping tool press the "standing seams" together. The paint on the panels is so good that all the bending and pressing does not scratch it. Each panel is covered with a plastic film to protect it during construction (notice the footprints on the plastic). The last step will be to peel off the plastic. The views from the wraparound deck are also spectacular. We'll take a better look at those when the railings are completed. The windows have been installed, the roof is on, and inside finishing work is under way. The Arcadia has a largely open plan. The openness and tall ceilings give this small house a big feeling. The North side entry is through the builder-added mudroom into the kitchen/dining area. The living room is on the East end. The large windows behind the couch look out into the Sunspace. The Sunspace is tiled, except for he grated area. The view from this Sunspace is enchanting. At the peak of the Sunspace are the air circulation pathways into the attic. At the West end of the Sunspace is a circular staircase to the lower level. The finished view of the North and South of this home are beautiful, even on a cloudy, rainy day. Maybe next time we visit the Sun will make an appearance.