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Getting power

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Lisa and Mark became my covid family. Two of us have health conditions that made us bad covid risks, and we must be very careful about exposure. Shopping is strictly online and curbside pickup. We eat the abundance of fresh vegetables from their huge garden and work on projects at both their house and at Mirabel. The three of us drove all over Kitsap County while I was hunting for a lot. We immediately measured out space for the house and garage, walked off what part of the yard would be fenced, and talked about the 26' geodesic dome we planned to install to provide year-round fresh vegetables and fruit. They very kindly offered me the use of their lovely RV while I was building, but in order for that to work, at a minimum I needed power for it. Fortunately Andre Harness has a Rolodex the size of Manhattan. A native of Port Orchard, he knows everybody worth knowing. He introduced me to Kurt Bezoenik, electrician extraordinaire, who guided me through the regulatory maze of getting p...
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Initial clearing

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The previous owner, who owned the property for over a decade, had logged a good portion of the oldest, most valuable trees, mostly western red cedar. The county requires replanting, but they replanted Norfolk pines, which are now 6-12 years old, many buried behind bramble. I was so fortunate to meet André Harness, my realtor Becki's husband. He owns Harness Construction, whose motto is 'We make dirt look good.' He and his crew spent several days clearing brush, downed logs, debris, and taking down dead and damaged trees over about an acre close to the driveway.    Lisa and Mark were my eyes, ears, and project managers during February and March of 2020. They visited the lot almost daily to keep me updated, and they coordinated with Andre and his crew, who brought in some big equipment for clearing and grading. I intended to put my house on the market in mid-March, have a quick close, and be back in Washington by May 1st at the latest. The day my house was supposed to go on t...
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The land

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I decided to move to Washington in the autumn of 2019, after a 2-month, 36-state roadtrip in my Model 3. Just to make sure I could stand the winter weather, I VRBOed in Gig Harbor during January 2020. With my realtor Becki Harness' help, and often accompanied by my old friend Lisa and her husband Mark, I hunted all over Pierce and Kitsap counties for a suitable lot. After building the PLUSHouse in Oakland, a beautiful net-zero-energy house with a spectacular Bay view, I wanted to show that you can build the same high-tech energy-saving house for a lot less money. I found a beautiful wooded lot on a hill over Colvas Passage that fit my initial requirements perfectly. I also connected with Christian at Clayton Homes in Lacey. Young and enthusiastic about my project, he was willing to work with me on a modified version of a 1280SF home. I now had a pretty good idea of how to make this work.  In February 2020, I bought the beautiful lot and returned to California to pack up and sell t...
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Location: Wilson Creek Rd SE, Port Orchard, WA 98367, USA
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