A Dogtrot House and FC Faces Reality

Dogtrot houses get their name from the narrow corridor running down the center of the structure which effectively divides the house in two. The design is very energy efficient down here in the land of heat and humidity (okay, not NOW ...26 degrees as I write this).

The dogtrot corridor funnels breezes through the structure pulling air through the open windows of adjoining rooms and cooling the house.
This design still makes sense down here, although it is designed to work with windows open, not closed with A/C blasting.



I zoomed in a little to show the dogtrot more clearly. The house is vacant and sits on 100+ acres. I got that from the for sale sign on the fence.
If you got the money honey ... I would, if I did, believe me.


A maximum zoom shot from the roadside looking directly at the dogtrot and out into the pasture behind it.
Elevating the house here in the south allows for cool air to circulate beneath the structure ... we don't need much thermal mass storage, although countless houses are built on concrete slabs down here.
Termites and other rotters are also a terrific challenge to wood structures so getting the building off the ground helps to deter hungry cellulose chompers.

I seem to remember this house suddenly appearing on this ranch several years ago, so I think it was moved to the site. The local ranch that bought the property back then stocked the most beautiful brown beef cattle ... like a chocolate labrador they were.
I don't recall the variety, but they were purty.

This post took forever to write (not that it's contents would make you suspect that), because when I did a little search for Dogtrot info, I found this site.

I spent a lot of time there looking through the plans and following links.
Tres cool.
I love snug small buildings.
PFHQ is a small home by most modern standards, but we are talking really, really small at this place.

I feel a treehouse FC office coming on ...

(Here, dear reader, the strangest thing took place ... be patient with the abrupt transition, ... consider the source)

POOF!

From atop FC's shoulder, a tiny FC appeared and an irritatingly loud voice spoke:

"Hello FC, this is Reality ..."

"Huh?"

"R-E-A-L-I-T-Y, Bonehead ... time to face me!"

"Who are you kidding ?
You have 2.8 kids in college, a soccer team that is absorbing all your time, a new afterschool tutoring job, ... besides, what about that unfinished atlatl and the snake about to eat the tree frog walking stick?
They both sit unfinished in the shed, right next to the partially finished John Longclaw shield you are making for Junior's medieval fair.
Dude ... finish something!"

"Okay, Reality, you're really starting to piss me off, and I don't get PO'd easily, so this would be a good time to shut up."

"And weren't you going sell datil pepper seeds on PF? Where's the picture and advertisement in the sidebar?
I DON'T SEEEEEE IT."

"I'm warning you, ya' need to back off."

"Oh, and who was going to assume the job of starting datil peppers for friends and family now that your Dad has to give it up?
HE would have already had his seeds in a starting tray with bottom heat.
You haven't even done a germination test!
And another thing ... ACK! "

The little fellow was surprisingly easy to squash, I need to go now, gotta wash my hands.

Facing Reality wasn't that hard after all ... now where should I put that treehouse ...