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An ‘EcoNest’ They Call Home
An ‘EcoNest’ They Call
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By Caroline Tremblay Photography by Kelly Fletcher
“O ur desire was that we wanted our home to be an extension of ourselves. We believe that a home is like a living organism,” says Jen Hudziec. Her house in New Hampshire — which she describes as rustic, holistic and cottagey — has the same kind of welcoming vibe she exudes in her work. Hudziec — who specializes in ritual, ancestral healing, spirit work and more — pictured what is now her home as a sanctuary, even before she and her husband began building it. “We were deeply inspired by the ‘EcoNest’ design,” Hudziec describes. EcoNest is an approach that employs natural building techniques, such as timber framing, light straw clay, and earthen floors. The idea is to create a “living” home. Hudziec’s is located on a forested piece of property in Stoddard, New Hampshire, spotted in the newspaper by her father back in 2005. At the time, Hudziec and her husband, who were not eligible for a loan, put $10,000 cash down on the land and convinced the owner to finance the rest. “Somehow, he found some trust for us and took a chance,” Hudziec says. The two-acre lot became the anchor for a big dream, but it would take several more years to get there. As soon as they purchased the property, Hudziec, her husband, and child moved in with her mother-in-law, who graciously provided them a haven while they gathered every possible penny.
“We saved for three years, and then when we started to build, we put up a tent, built an outhouse, and hired all of our friends,” Hudziec says. Friend Bryan Felice of Undustrial Timber Frames in Vermont acted as a design consultant and cut the frame for the house. With his help, they landed on an EcoNest-style dwelling just under 1,000 square feet that could be easily added on to. Each step of the process was a collaborative effort, with zigging and zagging in response to need, material availability, and the expertise they could tap into. “Our particular design is based on a breathable wall system,” Hudziec says. Though many who build an EcoNest home opt for a straw bale design, the timeline for her home was pretty tight as she was pregnant with their second child. “So we decided to go with a woodchip infill,” she explains. The walls of the home are 12-inches-thick and filled with woodchips, which act as insulation. “We wanted to have really deep windowsills, and we wanted the walls to look really thick like old European walls do,” Hudziec describes. She also envisioned rounded edges and arches instead of stark, squared corners. The wood chip approach allowed for all of that. But it did more than just meet her design hopes. “It also allowed for an air and moisture exchange to happen through the walls,” she says. The home has no HVAC system because the walls themselves breathe. “In that way, it really is like a living organism,” she says. The 17 tons of woodchips sourced from Greenfield, New Hampshire, were brought in and mixed with clay, borax and water to coat them with an insect-deterrent layer. Once prepared, the chips were poured into the wall cavity, held in place by lath, “just like they used to use in old, old homes,” Hudziec says. Truly homegrown From there, they handmade and added a layer of earthen plaster, as well as a layer of
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Left, the magical, storybook feel of the entrance at the timber-framed home of Jen Hudziec and Seth McNally, in Stoddard, New Hampshire.
Inset: Jen Hudziec with the family dog, Mocha, in the garden.
lime plaster, both of which require specific recipes. “Each batch of plaster can come out a little different depending on the ingredients,” Hudziec notes. Since that first plastering, they’ve added more layers to maintain the home’s integrity. On the outside of the house, in particular, there’s a fair amount of maintenance. “In Greece, the houses are white because of the lime,” Hudziec explains. For a home like hers, the same approach must be taken, and the exterior needs to be lime-washed every few years. The lime water re-calcifies the plaster, sealing up cracks and adding strength. “There is a little bit more upkeep involved than just a typically built home, but it’s also unique,” Hudziec says. In addition to the woodchips and plaster, most of the home’s other materials were either locally sourced or obtained second-hand. For instance, the floors and much of the timber came directly from their land. The windowsills are all bluestone, which they found on Craigslist. The roof on the original build was made with slate from an old barn, and the addition has slate made from recycled rubber tires. Even beneath all of these components, the house has a story to tell. “When they did the foundation, I laid rose quartz down, and then I laid stones in the directions of the house,” Hudziec says. Her aim was first to honor the land on which the home rests and then layer symbols of love. “Love is holding the home and then using all of the natural materials is just respectful of the planet,” she says. Seeing it all come together was a once-in-a-lifetime experience only made possible by the gener-osity and talent of those around them. “There was so much magic,” Hudziec says. It took a village
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TOP: The self-built timber frame home of Jen Hudziec and Seth McNally, Stoddard, NH. BOTTOM: Jen takes a break from gardening to give Mocha some love. Also pictured are Jen’s son, Gabe McNally and the yurt that sits in the corner of the backyard.
Nicole Colvin Griffin was responsible for the distinctive stained glass. Hudziec’s husband taught himself how to do all the plumbing, and his brother assisted with the roof. And her father wired the entire house with electricity. It came together not a moment too soon. “Like two weeks after we had our water and electricity set to go, our second son was born here,” Hudziec says. The couple now has three children and has since added onto the structure, but each new aspect follows the threads of the original vision. “There’s still bits and pieces that aren’t finished in the home,” Hudziec says. Every few years, they take on another little project.
“Even though I get frustrated with the amount >of time it’s taken, it’s also allowed us to live into the
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Jen Hudziec stands in the entryway of her home next to the hand crafted front door. The design is a merging of the symbol of the Vesica piscis. It represents balance, creation and the merging of the masculine and feminine principles along with the symbol of the triple goddess (the two crescent moons flanking the full moon). The stained glass was made by her friend, Nicole Colvin Griffin.
home to see what it wants,” she says. That exchange of ideas is an experience she’d never trade. From its open-concept spaces and loft to the inviting flowering trees and gardens outside, it feels like home. “It’s like European cottage meets high-end hippie — something like that,” Hudziec says with a laugh. Sleeping in her car during music tours in her younger years, she never imagined owning a home, period, never
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mind all of this. “It’s been such a journey,” she says. Her advice for anyone dreaming of a creative home is to think outside the box about how they want to live. “Because there’s just no rules,” she says.
BRONZESILVER Caroline Tremblay writes from Richmond, New Hampshire.
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