The billiard room floor is poured with #3500 mix concrete to be died and stamped in a slate pattern. The radiant heat pipes are evident on the rigid insulation base with a 6-inch, on-center installation pattern.

The first-floor bedroom in the cottage shows the Tamarack Technologies air vent through the wall. The Techbuilt wall systems perform at R-30 for the walls and R-50 for the roof. The Crane siding adds another R-5 for an R-35 wall system. Blown insulation (Cocoon by U.S. GreenFiber) from the second floor is shown in the loft before a tiny hole was covered.

A small cavity, overlooked initially and marked with an X, is filled. The hose pressure is enough to move the product handily.

This brick well surround caps a stone well that's more than 200 years old. A black iron grate leaning against the wall will protect the top from large debris or a fall.

The main house basement floor profile is a 24-inch stamped bluestone in #3500 mix concrete.

The radiant heat in the basement will use a small circulating pump and the residual water in the storage tank. The temperature is preheated with the geothermal desuperheater and likely will use the electric element to balance needed output and efficient energy use. Some balance is required for domestic hot water, as the valve capacity of the 11-gallon-per-minute design load will challenge the tankless heaters to keep up.

The interior of the 1860s cottage was sheathed with 1x random boards. These were left in place as much as possible. A soft mesh was applied to hold in the blown insulation.

The crew from Eastern Insulation was thrown a curve with interior skip sheathing. The blown cellulose has a mild additive of starch and water to firm the product once it hits the walls.

A 1 1/2-inch hole bored into the interior sheathing provided access to the smallest cavities. A clever form was held in place until the cavity was full.

The crew from Eastern Insulation (easterninsulation.com) caulked all window perimeters and foamed the sash pockets for a thorough air sealing before blowing any insulation. This home has a 92 HERS rating, far beyond the Energy Star performance standard.

While this installer fills the wall cavity, a second crew member vacuums the excess back into the system. The dual hoses leave nothing unfilled and less as excess on the floors.

Concrete stamping (24-inch slate pattern with two accent colors) adds interest to the floor and durability to the surface. This floor contains radiant heat in the billiard room.

The cottage basement includes (from left) a high-efficiency water storage tank, Manabloc water distribution center, well-water intake and the geothermal control center.

The entire cottage basement ceiling (floor structure) was replaced and raised 2 feet. Window heights also were raised 2 feet. Inverters for the solar arrays are visible on the left wall.

The geothermal heat loops were nicked during the excavation for the waste-water system and needed to be fused by the tradesmen Integrity Heating & Air Conditioning.

The cottage living room frame while looking toward the kitchen.

The cottage stairs were laminated with new oak treads and pine risers to preserve the existing stair geometry.

The cottage stairwell induces some drama when viewed from above.

The cupola is complete with new Simonton windows in a 2-over-2 pattern. The five-color paint is reminiscent of the Victorian era. The copper roof has mellowed into a traditional green.

The second-floor front wall of the cottage is drywalled and readied for spackling.

The Techbuilt steel stud and foam addition gets rocked. A dab of glue and standard screws make this installation simple.

The left wall is blown full while the installer gains on the right wall, fitted with a mesh form that will remain in place. The slightly sticky insulation clings to the stapled form.

A rotary "wall-buffing" machine removes the excess blown insulation until the surface is level with the stud wall. What looks like snow is the drifting excess.