Designing the downsizing

 

I can take absolutely no credit for the process of designing our downsizing. That Herculean effort has been shouldered by my talented wife. Heather has spent hours and hours visioning our SEED home and Birdsong Studio 3.0. Much like the approach that Steve Jobs took in designing the iPhone, she is not only thinking about the aesthetics of the spaces but how they will functional and more importantly, feel. 

She has also taken on the role of project manager, working closely with our partners at SEED Homes and the Town of High River. Communication is super important and even when the flow of information is going back and forth effectively, inexplicable bumps happen throughout the journey. It's a process that is peppered with good days and challenging days.

Layout of our new home in High River

Trust is foundational. We trust the team at SEED Homes and value their expertise and enthusiasm. They have embarked on a new venture that has the potential to positively impact the planet and contribute to an affordable housing crisis that is impacting our country and the world.  The response they have received since launching the concept earlier this spring has been immediate and visceral. They have offered a solution to a problem that has been brewing for decades. We are deeply grateful to be on the front end of this effort to provide an environmentally sustainable option for downsizing and quality living.

After meeting with SEED Homes CEO Stephen Morgan yesterday, we know that the engineered screw piles will be placed on the property in the last week of July. These will support both buildings and the decks that will provide a bridge to the xeriscaped yard. Xeriscape is a type of landscape design that uses low-water-use or drought-tolerant plants that require little to no supplemental irrigation. Heather has an incredible gift in landscaping design and execution. Her gardens, both in Fort McMurray and here in Okotoks, evolved over time and were both beautiful and sustainable. 

Our home is scheduled to roll out of the SEED Homes manufacturing facility in south Calgary in the first week of August and will get placed on the screw piles. It will all unfold from there, literally. Special hinges have been developed that will allow the home to reveal itself in a matter of hours. As I understand it, the SEED Homes team will only need a couple of days to put everything together on site. 

Birdsong Studio 3.0 will be placed several weeks after the home.We have embraced the notion that we will be without a painting space for much of the summer. Our clients have been very understanding of our reality. Our hope is that we may be able to settle into our creative space and start producing again in early September.