Archive for December 5th, 2006

Onancock Christmas Homes Tour

The annual Onancock Christmas Homes Tour is this Saturday, the 9th, 2:00 to 6:00 pm. 8 homes in town are on the tour, including historic Kerr Place, built in 1800. Most of the other homes are Victorians from the turn of the century, but one is (maybe) the oldest house in town. Tickets are $15 per person, with all proceeds going to charity. You can buy tickets the day of the event at Kerr Place (Google map).

On Saturday there will also be a free concert of Christmas music at historic Cokesbury Church in Onancock, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. The roof of this church blew off earlier this year, but it’s now better than ever. The metal roof has been replaced with a historically accurate cedar roof that looks great.
If you’re within driving distance of Onancock, Virginia you should consider taking advantage of these holiday events. Great for anyone who likes to look at houses.

Onancock is a “quaint” tiny waterfront town on the rural Eastern Shore of Virginia. Make a day of it by eating at one of our restaurants (we’ve got 7) and doing some Christmas shopping at the unique shops in town. Stay overnight at one of the bed & breakfasts or the Charlotte Hotel.
My unfinished house obviously isn’t on the tour — but it probably will be next year.

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Solar Gain

Today’s high temperature was 37, with strong winds too. That may sound mild to readers in the mid-west, but it’s brrr cold for us. The wind rattled the vents in the kitchen and bathroom and I could feel a draft around them (I should stuff something in them until the ventilation fans are connected). And the heat won’t be installed until later this week.

Luckily, the sun came out mid-morning and the house warmed up quickly. The temperature inside got up to about 58 degrees, which was fine for working. That 20-degee heat gain is also a good sign for the (basic) passive solar features I designed into the house.

My east-facing patio doors pick up lots of morning sun, and my 4 big south-facing windows gain heat all day. My plan is to put tubes filled with water (like these) inside the south windows to gather the sun’s heat all day, then slowly release it into the house at night. The windows will get insulated covers to prevent the heat from just leaking back outside.

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