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6) positioning of the house facing south, at the top of a hill, shielded in thesouth by a forestWe left as much as possible un-finished and natural so that it does not requirecontinual maintenance.R We decided not to paint the inside stucco on the straw bale walls since the naturalgray color was quite pleasing. The sponging we applied as the stucco dried left asand like finish which would have lost some of the natural texture with painting.R The steel beams and posts which remained exposed indoors were simply sandeddown to their natural metallic color.R Exposed metal brackets inside were allowed to retain their natural rust colors.R The reveal molding and window frames are a dark metallic and light silver. Thesetwo materials naturally contrast and need not be painted.Minimize the finishing in order to put as much investme nt into the quality of thedesign, foundation, framework, windows, insulation, passive solar heat collectorsand photo-voltaic systems.R Dont use standard wood, plastic or plaster moulding and base boards.R Plan the look into th e construction materials so that finishing is not required.R Use conventional building material instead of expensive specialty products. Forinstance, we used Fir ply wood with a water based verathane for the second floorflooring. This high grain wood look s interesting, provides a warm surface, and isrelatively in-expensive.Work & TravelI plan to work at home when and where possible.R Use high speed network technology to allow for communications, meetings andinformation and services exchange using the internet.R Minimize work for salary or contract pay by spending more time growing food ,taking care of children, and minimizing expenses through efficiency.R Select work which supports the local community and enhances the naturallandscape.272