The property at Wagon Wheel is starting to transform, just like the gradual changing of the leaves around Bozeman. As we near construction start, cohousers are continuing with preparations around the site during the beautiful fall days we’ve been blessed with.
🌲🌳 Tree harvesting
While we’ve made good effort to preserve some of the larger trees on the land, there were a few specimens that were not in good enough shape to work around. However, these towering spruce trees and a sizable ash tree have been responsibly harvested and the lumber and large timbers will be put to good use in the neighborhood! Thanks to the hard work of community members and friends, we’ll be able to utilize the wood slabs for a nice bar-top in the common house, as well as some natural play structures for the outdoor kids area.
👷♂️👷♀️ House demo
The house on the property is slated for demolition this week. It was cared for by the previous owners for decades, so we can’t help feeling a little bittersweet about its removal. Thanks to the determination of several hard-working folks over the course of a few weekends, we’ve been able to salvage windows, doors, paneling, and decking for future use within the community, along with organizing donations of other useful items.
While this sweat equity will save us on some future project costs around the neighborhood, there are other beneficial impacts as well.
- We’re helping divert trash from the landfill (Construction and demolition generates more than twice as much trash as household waste!)
- This will reduce our carbon footprint (11% of global carbon emission are from construction and demolition a.k.a. embodied carbon. While energy efficiency and renewable energy reduce carbon over a long period, demolition is a one shot deal with a huge carbon price tag.)
