A New Norris House

Auction of Home, Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 12:12:00 +0000

As mentioned, the New Norris House auction has begun again... but this time with no minimum bid.

This process will again be a sealed bid auction and is being overseen by the State of Tennessee Real Estate Asset Management (as a State owned property built by the University's College of Architecture and Design).

The flyer below indicates the most basic information about the sale and the home itself, but more detailed information can be found here at the state's website.

For information about the auction process, please contact Frank Baugh via phone or email.
frank.baugh@tn.gov or (615) 741-5821

For information about the home itself, please contact the NNH team directly.
newnorrishouse@tennessee.edu.

Auction of Home Beginning again - NNH Still available!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 May 2014 12:23:00 +0000

Friends, the New Norris House did not sell last month and is still available for purchase.

In the coming week we will announce further detailed into the new auction process that will take place with no minimum bid.

Please stayed tuned for further details.

For information about the auction process, please contact Frank Baugh via phone or email.
frank.baugh@tn.gov or (615) 741-5821

For information about the home itself, please contact the NNH team directly.
newnorrishouse@tennessee.edu.

Norris Dam State Park Spring Wildflowers

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie Friedmann) — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 16:32:00 +0000

One of the best aspects of living in Norris is being so close to Norris Dam State Park -- it takes less than ten minutes to drive to the dam from the New Norris House. And although I haven’t tried it, you can walk from the community path on our property to the community center and get on the Norris Watershed Trail System which links to the state park’s trails.

Map from Outdoor Knoxville

I’ve spent many evenings exploring the meadows along the Song Bird Trail below the dam and hiking around the historic mill on Clear Creek. The Andrews Ridge trail system has views of the lake and is ideal for trail running, but my favorite place to explore is the River Bluff Trail on the west side of the Clinch River just below the dam. In just 3.1 miles, the trail passes through several plant communities as it climbs and descends the ridge across north, east, and south facing slopes. The many microclimates found along the trail are home to an impressive variety of spring wildflowers. The park even hosts wildflower walks every year around this time.

Here are a few examples of the many wildflowers you can see along the River Bluff Trail this time of year:

Cutleaf Toothwort, Dentaria laciniata

Yellow Trillium, Trillium luteum

Strange flowers of the Little Brown Jug plant, Hexastylis arifolia

Fernleaf Phacelia, Phacelia bipinnatifida

Trout Lily, Erythronium americanum

Not sure the species of this fern as its fronds were just unfurling from their winter sleep!

Olde Wood Limited Article

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 19:37:00 +0000

Check out coverage from our new friends at Olde Wood Limited below!

http://www.oldewoodltd.com/wide-plank-flooring-blog/green-spotlight-a-dam-a-city-and-the-new-norris-house/

Greywater and Rain Water Systems Tour for State and Local Officials

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie Friedmann) — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 16:07:00 +0000

Last month a group of state and local environmental officials visited the New Norris House to learn about the results of our ongoing data collection. Members of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the Norris Water Commission (NWC) attended the tour led by Profs. Tricia Stuth, Dr. John Buchanan, and Valerie Friedmann.

During the tour we highlighted several of the water quality and quantity benchmarks we have been able to achieve such as a 61% reduction in city water use compared to the average US home and the on-site infiltration of almost 24,000 gallons of greywater in one year. The members of TDEC and the NWC were particularly interested in the implications of the greywater infiltration bed. Dr. Buchanan of UT's College of Biosystems Engineering summarized the impacts of such on-site greywater treatment:

"We want to separate people from their waste water, and we've been doing a good job of that. But if we can be more sustainable by putting water back in the landscape so it can recharge the ground water and not focus so much water at a point discharge or waste water treatment plant, then it's much more sustainable. Much more doable over the long term."

Members from TDEC and the NWC were quick to point out that many communities in the region are experiencing strain on their waste water infrastructure due to aging pipes. Practices such as on-site infiltration at the individual or neighborhood scale could help alleviate these strains. However, there are many challenges to implementing distributed treatment facilities. One challenge is the region's topography. Many of our developed areas, including the site of the New Norris House, are located on hilly terrain. We used a terraced bed approach to provide a level area for infiltration.

Terraces were constructed to provide level areas on the existing 25% slope

Another challenge is the regulatory process. We worked with both State and City of Norris officials through the entire process of designing, building, and monitoring the greywater bed. At the state level we have a permit for an experimental greywater treatment bed that expires when we sell the home. To be permissible in the City of Norris, the NWC revised the water and sewer code to allow for greywater treatment for a trial period.

Groups involved in permitting and building the rainwater and greywater systems

Pages from the City of Norris Codes with revisions for the New Norris House experimental greywater bed

It will be interesting to see what happens to both the rainwater harvesting and greywater infiltration systems with the auction of the home in the coming months. Stay tuned for updates!

One year in Norris

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie Friedmann) — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 16:51:00 +0000

This month marks one year for me as a resident at the New Norris House. As a previous resident of various apartments near the center of Knoxville, one of the most interesting aspects of living in Norris has been the increase in time I’ve spent outdoors and the animals I’ve happily encountered along the way.

One frequent visitor is the brown snake. I’ve seen several of these (or maybe it is the same one?) around the landscape this summer. They are friendly snakes and don’t mind to be picked up and relocated away from the main walkways to the terraced gardens.

Brown snake, Storeia dekayi

While weeding the perennial bed this nest of small eggs was discovered. I had noticed several dozen juvenile five-lined skinks in the area. A little online research indicates that these are five-lined skink eggs.

Five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) nest

A juvenile skink found nearby sunning on top of the retaining wall.

Everyday, hundreds of bees, flies, dragonflies, and butterflies visit the rainwater and greywater beds and the meadows and perennial beds. The black-eyed susan’s and purple coneflowers are a favorite as well as the nodding onions and the passionflower vines, which are frequented by big, buzzing bumblebees.

The animals seen on a regular basis in the New Norris House landscape are not rare or threatened in East Tennessee, but every time I see one of them it brings a sense of joy and wonder to my day. However, it seems that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find these animals in many urban and suburban residential yards. Additionally, there is a growing body of research indicating that humans, especially young people, are not spending enough time outside engaged with plants and animals.

Fortunately, landscape methods, such as pesticide-free gardening with native plants and establishing small patches of native grass meadows as a lawn alternative, can create habitat for these and other species in urban and suburban yards. Native plantings are easier to care for than many non-natives because natives have evolved defenses against local predators and adaptations to thrive under local weather patterns. The reason native plants attract so many beneficial species of wildlife is also because they evolved together – with the plants providing food and shelter in return for species-specific relationships with the animals that pollinate or spread their seeds.

The New Norris House landscape is an example of how alive a suburban residential yard can feel.

A New Norris House and Brooks+Scarpa

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 16:43:00 +0000

The New Norris House team is in Denver this week to receive the Committee on the Environment's Top-10 Green Award.

Saturday morning fellow Top-10 winners Brooks + Scarpa will sit down with the NNH team and representatives from the AIA to discuss their two winning residential projects. A part of this discussion, a brief article was published today giving a short background on both projects.

Check it out!

http://www.aia.org/practicing/AIAB099153

(image by Ken McCown)

AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top-10 Green Award

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:04:00 +0000

We are very excited to share that the New Norris House Project has been named by the AIA's Committee on the Environment (COTE) as one of the Top-10 Green projects of 2013! This award is one of the most prestigious in architecture in the US, and recognizes “exemplary and innovative built projects that establish a standard of excellence in sustainable design, demonstrate its benefits, and educate both the profession and the public.”

This is enormous honor would not be possible without the tireless efforts all those involved!

Check out the variety of coverage below:
http://www.architectmagazine.com/awards/projects-you-should-know--the-2013-aia-cote-top-ten-green-projects.aspx

http://www.wired.com/design/2013/04/10-greenest-buildings-2013/

http://www.ecobuildingpulse.com/awards/cote-top-ten-green-projects/2013-aia-cote-top-ten-green-projects.aspx

http://www.ecobuildingpulse.com/awards/2013-aia-cote-top-ten-green-project--new-norris-house.aspx

http://www.aiatopten.org/node/280

From Wired:
"These features are being seamlessly integrated into the design and not being treated like gizmos," says Hosey. "They don't jump out because they're being folded into the design." An example of that is the New Norris House which was constructed from wood reclaimed from a hundred-year-old barn and fitted out with super efficient heating systems, but just looks like a modern home, which might be the biggest win green design has enjoyed so far."

AIA COTE Jury Comments:
"One of the things we appreciate about this little house was that it was one of the few projects that really looked at the manufacturing process holistically and actually how a residence could be delivered on site in a really economical way and in a way that conserved energy. We appreciated the prefabrication dimension and also the historical references to the older Norris houses in the site that surrounds it. This type of residence could be replicable so it could have a far greater influence than just a single house."

"It’s a house that performs pretty well and is pretty affordable and solves some of the combinations of problems we are looking at with regard to affordable housing."

Thanks for your interest!

Auction of Home Approaching

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:45:00 +0000

The New Norris House was completed in August 2010 and since that time has been the site of a 2-year evaluation and research period. At the conclusion of this study during the Fall of 2013, the University of Tennessee will sell the New Norris House at auction. All proceeds from this process will feed directly back into the College of Architecture and Design’s Design Build Evaluate Initiative, providing seed-funding for future projects such as the New Norris House.

More information will be posted soon, but to indicate your interest in this process, please provide your contact information below, or shoot us an email at newnorrishouse@tennessee.edu. We would be happy to discuss these details further with any interested parties. Thanks for your interest!

Winter Passive Performance: The Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie Friedmann) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:40:00 +0000

As mentioned in the previous post, the project team performed an experiment to observe the NNH's ability to resist winter temperature fluctuations with all heating and cooling systems turned off. Samuel recorded the data, and I recorded the experience of three winter days and nights with the heat turned off!

We selected a 72 hour window with relatively low winter temperatures for the East Tennessee region. According to weather.com the high and low temperatures for Norris for February 19, 20, and 21 were:

	High (°F)	Low (°F)
02/19/13	53	37
02/20/13	44	25
02/21/13	52	28

I only allowed myself to check the high and low temperatures posted for these days, and I did not use a thermometer to check the actual temperature of the home's interior. Most of my experience was during the evening, night, and morning hours as I am at work during the day.

Day one: Tuesday, Feb. 19
On day one I was ready for the challenge. I had really piled on extra blankets the night before and waking up to a chilly room was actually very refreshing. Getting ready in the morning was brisk but invigorating. I did not feel cold at all on the morning of day one.

When I got home the evening of day one, it did feel much colder in the house. I wore extra clothes and a hat, but did not feel like the cold was much of a nuisance. Also, I checked the eMonitor App on my iPhone and was please to see how little energy had been used all day with the heat off.

eMonitor app shows realtime information on electricity usage

Day two: Wednesday, Feb. 20
Wednesday morning the house felt cold but not unbearable. I used the dryer to warm up my clothes and pondered my dependance on electricity.

When I got home on Wednesday night, I really wanted to turn the heat on. Wednesday night was the coldest according to the weather forecast and my determination from day one was already wearing off! I took an extra long shower to warm up and again thought about my dependance on electric heat sources. (I should note here that our hot water is partially heated by solar hot water panels, but is also supplemented by an electric water heater.)

I used the pocket door separating the mudroom and living area to prevent
heat loss when opening and closing the exterior door

Day three: Thursday Feb. 21
According to weather.com this should have been the coldest outside temperature during the experiment, but it did not feel as bad as the night before. This might be because of other factors, like having been under blankets all night, the presence of sunlight, or knowing I could turn the heat on that evening!

When I got home Thursday night and turned the heat on I set it to 70° F and the fans to high. It took only about 5 minutes for me to feel the difference. After about 30 minutes I turned the fans to low and turned the heat down to 68°.

I have found that since this experiment, I have been keeping the heat set to a maximum of 68° or 69°. Previously I had turned it up to 71° or 72° on cold nights. I also noticed that to make up for cooler ambient temperatures, I used the dryer more to heat up clothes and blankets and took much longer showers during the experiment.

I will be interested to see the data from this experiment and learn how cold it actually was in the house. While I imagine the NNH performs much better than average homes in terms of maintaining comfortable temperatures, human perception seems to be the real variable here. I'm thinking of my grandparents (from Maine) and how they would probably laugh at me for complaining about 25°!

Winter Passive Performance

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:39:00 +0000

Earlier this week the project team began a seasonal experiment to test the passive performance of the envelope to resist exterior temperatures fluctuations over the course of 72 hours (3 days). To complete this study, the heating and cooling systems are completely disabled for the duration of the period (though the ERV remains in operation to supply code required minimum ventilation).

Earlier forms of this same test have shown interesting returns, generally showing the envelope is able to maintain a steady temperature range. Observations from June remained outside of the comfort zone entirely, however, though night temperatures clearly dropped into the comfort range. Effort by the resident to purge warm interior air in the evenings could have altered this, though high humidities in the Southeast-US often negates such efforts.

We'll keep you posted as to what we find this time around!

Hello snow!

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie Friedmann) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 02:09:00 +0000

A winter storm swept across much of the southeast today leaving a blanket of snow on the New Norris House. Here are a few photos from this beautiful, snowy afternoon:


Wooden side door looking warm and welcoming

Aluminum bed-edging making its mark

Sunset colors

Stone path to the woods

Rainbow chard in the raised beds

Pump and watering can at rest for winter

Stay warm out there!

Presentation at TN ASLA Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie Friedmann) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:39:00 +0000

Last week, the New Norris House made an appearance at the TN Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects Annual Conference in Nashville, TN. The presentation was geared toward landscape architects, and focused on our landscape design and water harvesting and treatment systems.

We began with an overview of the original town plan, including the greenbelt that protects the community's watershed and the network of walking paths that link individual homes to the town center.

We then looked at the original Norris cottages and landscapes and discussed how we could re-interpret the efficient, technologically advanced homes and the productive, functional landscapes of the original Norris plan into 21st Century standards.

I showed the planting plan, and how we reflected the towns water-guarding greenbelt with our own site-scale native grass meadow, which is designed to capture and infiltrate storm water sheet flow.

We then looked at the locations and functions of our integrated rainwater harvesting and treatment and greywater treatment systems.

Now that we have a year's worth of data on the water systems, I explained what we are learning. Our data shows that we have been able to reuse about 1,990 gallons of greywater for landscape irrigation per month. Over the course of the previous year, we were able to infiltrate almost 24,000 gallons of greywater into the groundwater table, keeping that water out of a waste-water treatment facility. We are also monitoring the infiltration rates of our greywater. In the graph below the red, green, and dark blue lines represent data from pressure sensors located in the greywater bed. The spikes show an increase in atmospheric pressure, which indicates water entering the bed. Each spike represents an influx of water into the bed, so we are most likely seeing showers and loads of laundry here.

We also looked at data on the rainwater quality and quantity. Our monthly pre- and post-treatment rainwater samples are showing that our treatment system is able to produce water that is safe for human contact per EPA human health criteria.

In terms of rain water quantity, we have been able to provide over 800 gallons of treated rain water for use on the home each month. That's almost 10,000 gallons a year! However, due to the size of our cistern and weather and use patterns, we are only using about 40% of the rain water that falls on our roof in the home. The other 60% (about 15,000 gallons) is used for vegetable garden irrigation or is infiltrated into our terraced rain gardens.

With our low-flow water fixtures and rainwater supply, we have been able to reduce the New Norris House potable water consumption by 68.5%. If all of the approximately 700 homes in Norris were able to reduce their municipal water demand by New Norris House standards, we could save over 25million gallons of water a year. That's 34 Olympic-sized pools!

One question asked after the presentation was what I thought was the biggest lesson learned from our data analysis. I think that what we are learning about the successful infiltration in the greywater bed is most interesting. Due to our clay soils and location on a slope, I am very pleased to see how well this bed is performing. Also, the greywater bed is one of the least expensive landscape features we designed, so it could be easily reproduced on other properties. Way to go, greywater bed!

DIY Network features the New Norris House!

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie Friedmann) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 03:40:00 +0000

The New Norris House is featured on the DIY Network as part of a series on space-saving, sustainable design! Check it out!

Photo credit: Jason Kisner / diynetwork.com

Residency Year Two

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie Friedmann) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 03:18:00 +0000

It's hard to believe but August 2012 marked our one year anniversary of occupancy at the New Norris House! The upcoming year of residency and evaluation has just begun, and I'm excited to serve as the 2012-2013 resident. My name is Valerie Friedmann, and I have been part of the New Norris House team since the spring of 2010. I am a graduate of the University of Tennessee Graduate Landscape Architecture Program, and I am now teaching design studio in the UTK MLA program. My role at the New Norris House has mainly been in the design and implementation of the home's landscape and integrated water harvesting/reuse systems. During the evaluation phase, my role is to oversee the monitoring and evaluation of the water systems, monitor and maintain the landscape, and of course, blog about it!


Hey, that's me collecting some water to take to the lab!

For my first post as the new resident, I wanted to write about what I'm enjoying most since moving in. To me, seeing the native grass and perennial meadow take shape over the past few weeks has been astounding. Late summer is always beautiful in East TN, as the fields and roadsides turn golden and red and purple. Our design intent at the NNH was to bring the charm of a field left to meadow into our residential landscape. Aside from beautiful early fall color and texture, our meadow provides habitat and sops up stormwater runoff.

Broomsedge and Rudbeckia blooms

The late summer texture and color of Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) complement the colors of the home

As the meadow grows, the plinth is starting to feel like an outdoor "room"

Swale in May, just after plugging with grasses...

...and after 4 months

For more info on the techniques used to establish our native grass and perennial meadow see the previous post Meadow Planting Day and landscape photos.

On September 13 we gave a presentation of our first-year's data analysis to the City of Norris Recycling Commission. Look for next week's post for details on how much energy and water we saved last year!

Reflections

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 19:58:00 +0000

It’s hard to believe that our year of living in the New Norris House is over. During our time there, it was a bit like living in a lab; our energy and water usage were monitored, and we tested the design and systems installed in the house. Although we’ve moved out, there are several things we grew to appreciate while living there that will stay with us.

Natural light
We loved the natural light that filled the house during daylight hours. The roller shades over all the windows block direct sunlight and help keep the house cool, but don’t block the light entirely like blinds or curtains would. Even on cloudy days, the skylight in the living area let in enough light so we didn’t need to turn on the kitchen or loft lights until dusk. The skylight and kitchen window are two features in the house I miss the most.

the windows, skylight, french doors all let in plenty of light (source)

Design
Initially, we weren’t sure how scaling down to 768 square feet would work—would we be able to fit our things in the house, and would it feel too small? We discovered that although the footprint of a living space may be smaller, it can be more functional than a larger space because of its design. The house’s layout provided small private areas (bedroom and bathroom) with a large open living space where most of our time was spent (the kitchen and swing space). The house has ample storage, with cabinets in all rooms and bookshelves in the swing space and loft. While the loft space didn’t make the footprint of the house seem larger, it provided a separate area for relaxation.

a small footprint of great design (source)

Rainwater use
The rainwater cistern and filtration/purification system was explained to us when we first moved in; rainwater is collected from the roof into a cistern, then purified and used in the house for washing clothes and filling the toilet tank. I was a bit skeptical about how well the purified rainwater would work in the washer, but it did the job just as well as fresh water. The washer water had a leaf-like smell to it, but was noticeable only when opening the washer door to transfer items to the dryer. After being in the house for a few months, I found myself looking forward to rain, knowing it would keep the cistern full and provide water inside. Before living in the house, I hadn’t given any thought to repurposing rainwater; the firsthand experience of being able to reuse water has made me more mindful about how much fresh water I use daily.

rainwater on the back porch railing (source)

After moving into the house, we were asked if we thought our quality of life would be affected by living in a smaller and energy efficient space. Living in the house affected us positively, with design and systems we wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. Much like the original residents of Norris who were introduced to electricity in their homes 75 years ago, we had the opportunity to experience the latest in energy efficient and sustainable systems, in the same community where electricity came to Tennessee. While the house looks a bit different than the first Norris cottages and the use of electricity has expanded to support computers and telecommuting, the experience we had there was educational, helping inform us about design and energy choices we can make wherever we might live in the future.

Greywater Monitoring Update

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 18:37:00 +0000

As part of our water system evaluation, monitoring efforts have recently been expanded to include a greywater (water from the bathroom sink, shower, and clothes washer) component. Here we will not be monitoring quality (as we are with rainwater), but rather soil saturation of the greywater bed. To state regulators, this is a primary concern. Discharged greywater must stay below the surface level, and this is what we seek to gain further insight about.

The greywater beds function by layering gravel, mulch, and soil around a perforated 5-gallon reservoir (bucket). As greywater enters the bucket, it is allowed to slowly saturate the sourounding bed. We have designed the bed to hold over 150 gallons of greywater.

Greywater bed (top, in green) accepts all greywater from the home. A section through the bed itself (below) provides details about how the bed is built up from the subsoil.

What we are interested to learn is how quickly the bed saturates and how quickly it will drain into the subsoil.

This is where our friends in Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science come in. Working with Dr. John Buchanan we have recently installed a sophisticated monitoring system and have begun analysis of the data. The monitoring system consists of two components:

1. Piezometers: Slotted PVC pipe cored 2' into the beds and surrounded with filter sand. Inside of the piezometer is a pressure sensor, which will tell us the water level as it moves up and down within the bed.

2. A new datalogger: The system is wired to a datalogger that automatically logs water levels within the bed every 2 minutes.

Initial Analysis:

As you can see from the graph below, the water level within the beds fluctuates quite a bit between the 3 testing locations.

NOTES

-The values to the left indicate water level. Currently, the graph is displaying an electrical signal being output by the pressure transducer. This still needs to be analyzed and interepted to determine actual water level.

-To that same effect, each port needs to be adjusted for the physical elevation of each installed pressure transducer. They are at roughly equal levels, but this will certainly affect the numbers we receive.

-Port #1 (dark blue line) see hardly any greywater at all (as it is on the upslope of the bed).

-Port #3 (green line) shows a water level increase directly correlated to input (bucket- red line), but the space between the two lines clearly shows there is more saturation potential.

-Rainfall (light blue) indicates a possible relationship to the saturation within the bed, but not as much as initially suspected. This will need more data (and more consistent weather).

More to come soon! Thanks for reading!

Heat wave

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 13:33:00 +0000

The past week in Norris has been sizzling hot, along with many areas of the country that have been experiencing excessive heat and drought-like conditions. We’ve had heat advisories almost every day for the past four days; temperatures have been in the low 100s, and humidity has hovered around 30% during the hottest time of the day. According to Norris Dam TVA rain gauge data, June has received only 1.9” of rain; typical rainfall is around 4” to 5” in June. (Click here for UT’s Climate Data resource page where you can explore links to weather information.)

hot temperatures and hot peppers from the garden

The heat and lack of rain have had an impact on some of the trees and shrubs that were planted last fall. The dogwood and witch hazel trees, along with the hydrangeas, are exhibiting signs of distress—signs that I didn’t pick up on, but can now see (thank you to Valerie for pointing them out). They’re getting extra water until temperatures reach normal levels again.

witch hazel and hydrangeas

The meadow that was planted in May is holding up well. Some areas (like the sloped sections in the backyard) were a bit drier before the heat wave started, so I was already watering them. The rest of the meadow plants will be watered every few days for the next couple weeks.

meadow in backyard (with Emmet chairs courtesy of Room & Board, and fire pit)

The garden soil is dry, but that hasn’t slowed the garden plants down at all. The tomatoes, peppers, and chard are healthy and producing quite a bit. Carrots are big enough to be pulled, there are several eggplants that will be ready soon, and zucchini plants are blossoming. Unfortunately, the cauliflower was overtaken by bugs that ate through all the leaves, so I had to pull those out. I’m guessing that the organically rich soil has made a difference in the garden; without such good soil, perhaps the garden wouldn’t be faring so well during the heat.

eggplant

zucchini plant in bloom

abundance of tomatoes

The good news is there’s a 30% chance of thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Even if it only rains for a short time, it will bring relief to the dry earth and help replenish the cistern as well.

Turkeys and deer and snakes—oh my!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 27 May 2012 18:48:00 +0000

Not long after moving to Norris, we were driving around town and saw a rafter (or gang, if you prefer) of wild turkeys walking through a field. As a newcomer to the area, I did a double take—were we really seeing turkeys?? I’ve seen them again on several occasions and while it doesn’t come as much of a surprise anymore, it’s fun to spot them and their distinctive walk.

Norris is home to all kinds of wildlife; the city and the Norris Watershed area are considered a wildlife sanctuary (see map). An aerial view of the city shows how much green space there is throughout the town; this remnant of early city design provides space for animal habitats to coexist with the people who live here. We’ve noticed at the house that as the grasses are filling in and the garden is growing, there are more butterflies, dragonflies, and bees in the backyard.

many trees and green spaces in the city of Norris

In addition to the wild turkeys, we’ve seen deer, rabbits, squirrels, opossums, raccoons, hawks, bats, snakes, and vultures. We’ve smelled skunks, and have heard frogs, crickets, cicadas, and many songbirds. This is only a small sampling of area wildlife; the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Watchable Wildlife Information site has links to different wildlife types, wildlife programs, species lists, and publications.

eastern bluebird (source)

The trees around the house are full of birds that start their singing early in the morning and continue until the evening. The time of day could be tracked by the singing and chirping of the birds alone. The early hours are bursting with song, midday is a quieter yet constant chatter, and late afternoon the cawing of crows almost drowns out anything else. From the kitchen window, I’ve seen Eastern bluebirds (they have the most brilliant blue coloring), cardinals, blue jays, robins, hawks, crows, house finches, pileated woodpeckers, sparrows, and wrens. This list is short since it’s limited to the birds I can identify; there are many more species in the area.

hawk with snake, seen from kitchen window

The Norris Dam recreation area is close by and a good spot for watching birds or wildlife. Because the Clinch River flows through here, different types of birds and wildlife live in the area; you might see herons, ducks, kingfishers, trout, and turtles. The 2.5 mile Songbird Trail follows the river, and is a good place for an easy and peaceful walk close to many birds. We’ve always enjoyed the trail on the walks we’ve taken there; it’s a bonus to have a protected area like it practically in our backyard.

Sponsor Spotlight: Room and Board

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie Friedmann) — Sat, 26 May 2012 03:05:00 +0000

We've been looking for the perfect chairs to make the gravel plinth more inviting, and we finally found them!

Thanks to our gracious sponsors at Room and Board, we are getting two Emmet Lounge Chairs! These chairs are made in America by Loll Designs. The chairs are 100 percent recycled high-density plastic, making them a perfect fit for the sustainable goals we strive for at the New Norris House. Check back soon for pictures of the chairs in use!

For more than 30 years, Room & Board has focused on the simple idea that good design should be beautiful, affordable and long-lasting. We work closely with American artisans to offer furniture and accessories-even custom pieces-that fit the needs of modern life. We're proud that more than 90 percent of the products we sell are handcrafted in the U.S. to give customers the best combination of quality and price. www.roomandboard.com

How does your garden grow?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:55:00 +0000

The garden was planted a little over a month ago, and I’m amazed at how fast things have grown. Since this is the first garden I’ve ever had, I don’t have a point of reference for plant growth patterns; I suppose they’re growing at typical rates that just seem fast to me.

The arugula is ready for harvesting, so last week we had a peppery arugula salad with pear, prosciutto, goat cheese, olive oil, and honey. It was great to be able to pick a few dollars worth of produce that started out from a $2.00 seed packet.

The red cabbage and cauliflower leaves are as big as my hand; they’re in the front of the first box. Carrots and rainbow chard, also in the first box, will probably be ready in two to three weeks.

There are five tomato plants, and one has about six tomatoes growing on it. The others are starting to bud and should be bearing fruit soon. One of my favorite scents is a tomato plant (or a tomato fresh off the vine); I find myself lingering by the tomatoes when I water the garden, and will rub one of the leaves to help release the scent.

I’m excited about the fennel. A single organic bulb is around $4.00 at the grocery store, so growing it in the garden saves money. The fronds look like a miniature forest right now.

The cucumber plants are flowering, and one of the pepper plants has flowers and the start of a promised mammoth jalapeno, according to the plant name tag.

The zinnias are getting taller, and are even more vibrant than ever.

I use a watering can and water from the cistern at the bottom of the raised beds to water the plants. Reusing rainwater in the garden means less fresh water is used outside (as long as the cistern contains water; the hose has been used as backup a couple times). I’ve come to enjoy being outside watering and tending to the garden--it’s calming and has made me pay attention to the soil, the progress of plant growth and the condition of leaves/vegetables, and insects that inhabit the raised beds. It's a whole new ecosystem to learn about and explore!

Meadow Planting Day and landscape photos

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie Friedmann) — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:18:00 +0000

This weekend we planted the first half of our native grass meadow. The plan goes like this: 1) to suppress weeds, spread cardboard and staple to the ground with landscape staples 2) mark the plant locations on 2' centers 3) dig, dig, dig 4) plant, water and wait.

This is a slightly experimental meadow project. We are in a residential area, so the typical preparation of burning the plot of land to be planted with meadow grass seeds was out of the question. We will keep you posted on the (hopeful) success of this project!

Digging through the cardboard. It rained that morning which helped make the cardboard easier to cut through.

We are planting the meadow on the steeper parts of the site to help control erosion.

The volunteers are making great progress installing River Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) in the shadier parts of the site. Isn't the cabbage getting big?

River Oats planted along the shady plinth edge.

Before leaving for the day we made sure to water everything, including the vegetable garden we planted a few weeks ago. Phil is using harvested rainwater to fill up the watering can.

The tomatoes in the raised vegetable beds are doing great.

The plants in the greywater bed are HUGE and it is only May. I think they must be happy.

Thank you so much to all the volunteers that came out to help this weekend! We planted over 400 plants and couldn't have done it with out you!

Water features

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:45:00 +0000

One of the rooms in the house that hasn’t been mentioned often—yet gets daily use—is the bathroom. With the bathroom being the top water user in the house, the water features installed here are helping conserve water in several ways.

The New Norris House was built with a rainwater cistern and purification system which delivers harvested and treated rainwater to the toilet tank (and to the clothes washer and outside hose bibs as well). Systems like this aren’t common in the U.S., and the system here is being used under a special permit. According to the EPA, one toilet can use 27% of a household’s daily water, and older toilets use between 3.5 to 7 gallons of water per flush. It makes sense to use rainwater instead of fresh water for flushing given those numbers, since fresh water is a finite resource and harvested rainwater, a naturally replenished resource, works just as well.

rainwater cistern (gray container) and purification system (blue cylinders)

The toilet also has the water saving feature of a low flow/dual flush system (Kohler Persuade model). Either .8 or 1.6 gallons are used per flush depending on which button is pressed. This means the rainwater isn’t used up quite as quickly, but if we lived in a house with standard plumbing, this toilet would be using less pure drinking water for flushing as well. Because I’m living in a house where the rainwater is harvested, treated, and reused, I’ve become more aware of water usage and potential ways to adjust no matter where we live next.

Another bathroom water feature that’s probably more common is low flow fixtures. The shower head and sink faucet are both low flow. “Low flow? I don’t like the sound of that.” Admittedly, neither of us are huge fans of the lack of water pressure with the low flow shower head, but because it can cut water consumption by half, it also makes sense to have it installed in the bathroom. And, to save energy on heating costs, the water is heated with a solar water heating and tankless system.

Besides the water features, the design of the bathroom is worth noting. The same design principles used in the house were applied to the bathroom as well; it’s small but makes efficient use of the space. The room is almost 10’ long, with the stall shower at one end, the sink in the middle, and the toilet at the other end. At its widest on the shower end, the room is 3.5’ wide and at its narrowest on the toilet end is 2.5’ wide. Like the bedroom, it has a pocket door to maximize space. For storage, there is a medicine cabinet, a cabinet under the sink, small shelves on the side of the sink, and a shelving unit above the toilet.

Although it’s a small room, I’ve learned quite a bit about conserving water and energy from living in the house. You can also learn more about our project at www.thenewnorrishouse.com.

A Tour for the Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Eric Bennett) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:21:00 +0000

One of the goals of the New Norris House is to have a positive impact on the local community. We recently hosted a second grade class from Norris Elementary. The kids were really excited to see what they are learning in school being applied in the local neighborhood. After taking two groups through the home and landscape, our tour was unfortunately postponed due to weather.

We were very impressed with how much the kids already knew about living sustainably. They had some great questions and it was a pleasure to hear them share about what they were learning in school. The teachers at Norris Elementary must be doing a great job! Hopefully we will be able to reschedule soon!

If you have a group that would like to tour the home and landscape contact us at newnorrishouse@tennessee.edu

Very Local Produce

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie Friedmann) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:36:00 +0000

Clearing the community path and separating seedlings

Nothing feels more like Spring than planting a garden, and at the New Norris House that's exactly what happened this weekend. Mary, Eric, and I spent some time doing general yard maintenance, and we also planted the raised vegetable beds. The beds were designed and built by students last summer, and we used stockpiled dirt from the house foundation excavation to fill the beds. We also added any vegetative waste produced from clearing the invasive plants, and let the soil sit all winter long. Now it is a beautiful, rich soil filled with worms and ready to produce!

We planted rainbow swiss chard, red cabbage, cauliflower, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, carrots, fennel, arugula, gourds, and cucumbers. We also planted zinnias for cut flowers and to attract pollinators. In a few months we should have a huge harvest. Keep your fingers crossed and maybe we can add a County Fair Biggest Vegetable Award to our accomplishments!

We began by properly spacing all the plants before digging any holes

See the rich, dark soil under the hay?

As part of our efforts to collect and re-use the rainwater that falls on our site, our vegetable beds will be irrigated via a 200 gallon cistern located at the low end of the beds. The irrigation cistern is currently full of rainwater and ready to be used. We're looking forward to a summer of sustainable farming - right in the backyard!