Andy and Janet have been best friends, life partners, and husband & wife since 1983. We met at Kenyon College over the chemistry lab bench in 1977 and were soon inseparable. Through years together for grad school at Ohio State, Andy’s medical school at Wright State, and residency/fellowship training at MetroHealth Medical Center, we had a scenic tour of Ohio, got married, found jobs and had two great kids.
Along the way we’ve bought and sold several houses but always thought it would be fun to build one from scratch.
When we settled in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1998 we were very involved with our kids and establishing Andy’s medical practice. We were too busy to devote the time required to design and build a home. But now we are empty nesters and the time seems right to tackle this adventure.
Over the years we’ve become more environmentally conscious through our own interests and those of our children, so we decided to not just build a house, but to build the “greenest” house we could, while still incorporating space for our friends and family to share time and have extended visits. The USGBC LEED for Homes certification process gives us a framework against which to measure our efforts.
Part of the LEED for Homes mission is to educate others about what you are doing and what materials and technologies are utilized in your home. This blog is our attempt to capture our thoughts and plans, as well as our successes and inevitable failures as we pursue this goal.