"You'll be able to heat this place with a candle"

We tarped (does this qualify us for bailout funds?) Sunnywood for the winter back in November, since the post and beam structure currently has no infilling. Here it is, complete with the nifty tarp door Joe built into the east side. So the silver tarp, on the high side, is facing magnetic south,* more or less: this is where most of the glazing will go. More than one person has said to us, upon hearing the details of our design, (particularly the 18-inch-thick cordwood walls), "You'll be able to heat the place with a candle!" Well, we have been inside the house when it was slightly above zero and extremely windy, but sunny. And even with only tarps for walls, it was comfortable enough inside to shed gloves, hats, and an outer layer or two, and eat lunch comfortably. (And also cheerfully bright!) So when I think about adding 18 inches of cordword, mortar, and sawdust insulation, I think maybe those people were right. It appears that our siting and orientation will prove very effective. I also think the earth berm that Nick-the-excavator decided to build behind the house, on the north side, was a wonderful idea. It helps block the north wind tumbling down the slope. There's this wonderful little microclimate around the house, in part because of the berm.

*Wrong: we actually corrected for the magnetic declination and so used "true south." Thanks to my good friend Steve for questioning me on this.