Pics of new garage!

[Shawn]

Here's the view of the pond from the deck and some inside shots, which are from the realtor and are poor quality and don't do it justice.

[Shawn]

[cwood]

That looks amazing!

Even has face framed kitchen....generally high end, custom feature. Interior looks very nicely in touch with the exterior yet totally up to date.

[Big-Foot]

Wow... Nice digs!!!!

Glad I won't have your energy bills though.... How many square feet again?

[Shawn]

Thanks for all the well wishes! We have a bunch of inspections coming up and need to sell our house, but they've been selling well in our development so I'm not too worried about it. The new property has just under 6 acres, and maybe a third of it is woods. For those of you who are familiar with Lancaster County, we are near the town of Lititz. Very quaint and has one of the nicest historic Main Streets you will find. The stone mill we are buying is just a couple miles outside of town along Hammer Creek and was built in 1855 to replace a wooden mill that had been built in 1792. It is surrounded by farms, many of which are Amish and Mennonite. I suppose I'm already sounding like a B&B brochure!

Once we get settled in, and if I can ever get beyond procrastinating when it comes to starting the wiring and get my build finished, I would love to host a get-together at the new place--we love making mass quantities of pulled pork! Maybe I should talk to Mark Dougherty at some point (he's less than 45 minutes away) about helping me finish up. With the weather we had this weekend, it is almost criminal not to have the FFR on the road. One thing at a time I guess...

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by Big-Foot

Wow... Nice digs!!!!

Glad I won't have your energy bills though.... How many square feet again?

Thanks. 4,000. We'll unfortunately be pumping lots of oil, but I'm hoping that the wood furnace is safe and functional so that we can supplement, especially during the coldest months. PA is certainly no Minnesota though!

[raceral]

Great job... I love everything about your project.. the kids , well, all their friends will want to hang at your crib.

[QSL]

that is one of the coolest houses i have ever seen. Congrats, simply amazing....!!!

[Hoosier]

I see geothermal HVAC in your future.

Ours works great and the heat exchange is in our pond.

[Shawn]

I would love to get a geothermal system some day.

[ClemsonS197]

Originally Posted by Shawn

I would love to get a geothermal system some day.

First, fantastic home. I thought you were renting a garage on some commercial building, then re-read it learned the whole building is yours. Very, very cool.

Second, geothermal has a 30% federal tax credit through 2016. Your pond looks big enough and would make the system substantially cheaper than wells if you're planning on upgrading in the future.

[Hoosier]

Pond size...

Mine is a fairly square shape with dimensions of 200' x 200' and about 12' deep at it's deepest. I was told by most of the experts that it was marginally large enough for my 4-ton unit. So far it has fit the bill well. Mine is a two stage unit and often runs at 2/3 capacity so that helps with any potential pond size shortfall. My home is an inefficient log home @ 2300 sq/ft.

I would have to assume your building would need two 3-ton units or better yet 3 - 2-ton units to serve the space. Pond size and depth are an important part of the calculation. Of course not all of your heat exchange would have to be in the pond if it proved to be too small or shallow.

[wonder106]

Shawn,
Thats a great old mill, in a grat location. I used to play in the feilds just above your new place when I was a kid.
Say Hi to your father for me. I know he was out flying with my dad today.
Good luck with the new place.
John

[ROB J]

I would of thought that space was more than 4,000 sq feet. My house is 4,000 square feet under AC, and your house looks far larger. Yep, cool place indeed.

[M DOUGHERTY]

shawn im in for the build
sounds like a blast
you do know my new to me shop is also a old stone mill built in 1797.
it is located in annville pa.
nothing nearly as nice as your place but still a cool place. It is awsome in the sping how cool those 2 ft thick walls stay.
later
Mark D

[Shawn]

Thanks, guys.

Mark, I did see that you got a place in Annville. I'd love to check it out, and we'll touch base once we get moved.

Rob, the 4,000 doesn't count the 4th floor.

John, good to hear from you. I saw my dad last night but didn't see your post until this morning. I'll tell him you said hi. Tell yours, too. Are you guys still into micro sprint racing? I always liked checking out the racing pics and trophies in you dad's shop as a kid.

Hoosier, I have not measured it yet and I have no idea how deep it is, but I'm guessing that the pond is probably between 1.5 and 2 acres.

Clemson, that's great to hear about the tax credit. Once the dust settles and we get underway there, I'll probably get some quotes. I'm not a fan of the existing oil heat. The central air they added to the place feels wonderful, though, but I dread seeing the bills!

[Finallygotit]

Shawn, that is a fantastic place and a great find. I can't wait to see your pictures; considering you said that the realtors pics weren't good. Just WOW!

[wonder106]

Shawn,
My brothers still racing Mini Sprints, and Midgets. I was alway more of a road race guy at heart. I just can't see turning left all the time.
I'll have to stop by some time when I drive the MKIII up to my parents, and see how your progress is coming along.
John

[Shawn]

Cool! Please look me up--I'd love to see your car.

[gus91326]

Holy crap! I gotta ask, any ghosts with the deal? Amazing house!

[Shawn]

Ghosts? Who knows, but I guess we'll find out!

[Shawn]

Closed the deal on Tuesday, had a moving company move the furniture and other big stuff that afternoon, and have been living in the mill since! Still have odds and ends to move and the Cobra isn't home yet, but we're getting there. It's less than a mile from our former home. The family totally loves the new place and the kids have been a big help with the move. After dinner last night, my one daughter and I caught 9 sunfish in the pond in about 20 minutes! Feeling very blessed this week...

[itstock]

Congrats on an awesome place!

[Bobs Cobra]

Great looking place! I am sure the the car will look great parked outside.

[happybigblock]

That is beautiful Shawn. I will chime in also with a vote to set up a wheel again and generate your power. We have a few of those setups here in Ct. Typically you will overproduce and just have to settle with collecting checks from the local power company on re-sold output. I like the potential for a drive-in living room too.

-Steve

[M DOUGHERTY]

congrats shawn
I cant wait to come check it out.
Ill be sure to bring my fishing pole, and my younger son to use it.
LOL
later
Mark D

[TD]

Glad to see things are going well for you, Shawn. Where are the pics of the kids and their fish?

[Shawn]

Thanks, guys. Mark, I stopped by your shop around noon on my way home from a work retreat in Hershey. Talked to your neighbor who was having a yard sale.

The sunny fishing is good, but you have to dodge the algae while casting right now. I'm hoping the colder weather will kill it off, and I'll start treating it in the spring.

Gotta get some pics of the kids and fish. Maybe today after my sos's football game.

[SeanHM]

That place is awesome. She would appreciate it architecturally and historically, but my wife would never live in a house that old. She says it too much opportunity to be haunted Congratulations. Hey, there you go. You could have the first annual Haunted Halloween Cobra Cruise!