On the home front...

For what seems like ages now we've been discussing about how to proceed with our little 6 acre paradise outside of Morganton, NC.  We would like to move there as soon as possible, but there are tons of variables (not the least of which is financial) that have been impeding that transition.  We've been researching options including (eek) living in a camper for a year or so while we build.  I'm quite happy to say that we've finally come to a decision and Belle Terre is playing a large role in it.

Rather than purchasing a camper or another temporary living structure, we're going to try to build a {very small} traditional house on the land next spring.  The thought is that we can move in next summer and formally begin our little adventure.  It will allow us to put our current house on the market sans dogs (it's slightly challenging to show a house when you have four of them!).   At the same time, we'll be able to save  money to build our {slightly larger} straw bale home.  After we move into the main house, our tiny house on the hill will become Belle Terre's permanent home.  It will serve as our production space/storage room/studio.

With that in mind, we met with a builder today (making this all feel very official) to discuss our options.   To prepare for our meeting, I drew up this 500 sqft sample plan:

The front of the house (at the bottom of the plan) has double french doors leading onto the deck and windows on either side of the door.  It faces down the hill and looks over our property.  It should create quite a pretty view.  If you have to spend significant time on the computer (as we do), its an awfully nice place to sit and do it.  

As a side note, floorplanner.com is very cool.  It lets you draw out a simple plan quite easily, add all kinds of items to it, and even to see it in 3D.

I also gave the builder this photo so he know what I had in mind for the exterior:

It's a very simple, rustic cabin feeling.  I pulled this picture from a site ages ago and unfortunately don't know the source, but many thanks to the owner for their contribution to our dream.  I've posted the rest of my collection of home inspiration photos at Pinterest.

So, that's our plan.  In the meantime, we can continue to both work and use our free time to focus on building our little soap company.