A CRITICAL LOOK AT MY MOTHER'S HOUSE

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We were also a bit concerned that the main brick wall and the brick chimney would become thermal "wicks" and conduct heat to the outside. Consequently, we formed a thermal break in the front wall at the ceiling level by using block, filling the cores with vermiculite, and "doctoring" the mortar with insulation, as well. No simple solutions presented themselves for the chimney, but—fortunately—the area there isn't too great. Still, both of these exposures undoubtedly do result in some heat loss, and it might have been better to design them so they wouldn't penetrate the building's shell.

Finally, though most of the interior of the house is very well daylit, natural illumination falls a bit short in the kitchen area. In retrospect, we realize that if the wall at the east end of the greenhouse had a window in it, the kitchen would be much brighter in the morning.

The construction and design process of My MOTHER's House has been fascinating and instructive to those of us who were involved in the project. In the preceding paragraphs we've tried to lay bare our mistakes ... for your benefit.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A detailed information package for My MOTHER's House, from which this article was adapted, is available for $15 — plus $1.00 shipping and handling — from Mother's Plans, P.O. Box A, East Flat Rock, North Carolina 28726. It includes a 20-page booklet of building techniques and designs, drawings, and two different floor plans.

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