House building, DIW-style

“Well, Phillip, homes are an extension of who we are, you know.”

“So, what in the world does living in an ark say about you!?”—I inquired, feeling baffled. Mike paused to think. Like Biblical Noah’s Hail-Mary pass at carpentry, Mike and Monique’s 5000 square foot, 120 foot-long ark-like home in the Gatineau Hills stood as an impossibly creative display of resolve, vision, and whimsical problem-solving.

“Well, I am the only one who knows how this house works because I built it myself,” he answered firmly, “and I built it to suit me. If Monique and I ever broke up I’d have to take the house because she couldn’t live here by herself! No one could!”—he laughed loudly.

Mike started walking towards the level floor work room. “Come this way, I wanna show my second generator.” The second generator was a custom-built, small-block, four-cylinder Merck engine that he and a buddy rescued from a boat and converted to propane. The engine was equipped with a 200 Amp 12-volt alternator that he had recovered from a military Humvee. Mike and his friend had rigged the generator to harvest the heat from the exhaust through an AVS pipe. The exhaust was then sent through a heat exchanger and efficiently delivered upstairs to warm up the living room and kitchen. As for the leftover fumes, a visit to the outside confirmed my hunch: an exhaust pipe sticking out of the side of his house sat ready to puff out the discarded noxious gas. “There is only one of those in the world!” Mike cracked while I scratched my head at the contraption.