Thomas Harding visited the ecologically designed arts and crafts cottage on Persimmon Lane, just outside Shepherdstown. The home marries energy and ergonomic efficiency.
Last year Ruth and Mike Raubertas moved from Fairmont Avenue in Shepherdstown to Persimmon Lane, about 10 minutes from Town. They swapped a 1950s Arts and Crafts-style home on a leafy street for an environmental dream home on three acres.
Mike Raubertas owns and operates Four Seasons Books on German Street in Town. Ruth Raubertas teaches piano and helps Mike with the store.
In fall 2002, Mike and Ruth purchased 2.9 acres of land on Persimmon Lane, next to the Pigs Animal Sanctuary. In January 2006, local builder Chad Gautier of Pinnacle Enterprises started work on the Raubertas’ home. Toward the end of the planning process, Chad brought in architect Lyn Welch, who helped make practical changes. Eight months later the work was complete.
The house has three bedrooms, a living room that opens up to a music studio, a study, two bathrooms, a large kitchen, a utility room, and a screened–in porch.
“We were looking for a cross between an Arts and Crafts style home and an English cottage,” says Mike. “We wanted a very livable home. It had to be domestic.”
“We had a number of goals in planning our home,” continues Mike. “We wanted to build a home that was energy efficient for both economic as well as moral reasons. We wanted to be able do homesteading and gardening. Ruth gives piano lessons at home, so it also had to accommodate a music studio.”
The house is truly a green home. Large south-facing windows and smaller windows on the east, north, and west of the house allow for solar heating in winter. A two–foot overhang helps prevent overexposure to the sun in summer. Ceiling fans are installed in many rooms to encourage air flow.
In addition, the Raubertases installed a geo-thermal heat pump. This is an electric heat pump that is supplemented by ground heat or cooling supplied by piping fluid through an underground looped conduit several hundred feet long. The ground temperature remains at a constant 55 degrees, thus reducing the amount of work the heat pump must do to maintain a steady temperature in the home. The water heater is tied into the geothermal system, thus using less electricity than a conventional system.
Mike and Ruth also purchased Energy Star appliances, compact florescent lighting, and highly rated insulation. All of this reduces energy use as well as fuel bills. I asked Mike if he knew how high his savings were. He immediately reached for a plastic filing box next to the dining room table and leafed through some bills. “We haven’t lived here long enough to give a full answer to that yet,” he said, “but right now, it looks like the appliances use around 40 per cent less energy than in our last home.”
Mike and Ruth even have what they call a solar dryer. “We decided not to purchase a dryer for clothes since we prefer to hang our clothes on a rack, and electric dryers use the most energy of any household appliance.”
Why was the environmental element so important? “I’ve been concerned about environmental issues for a long time,” says Mike. “One of the major problems we face is global warming. Another is our over-dependence on foreign oil. I got tired of people saying that we can’t do anything about these problems. We want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
I asked Ruth if she missed living in town. “We can’t walk to the stores any more like we did for 15 years. But it was time for something different.  It is different living in the country. I now notice the sunsets, the sunrises, the clouds, and the skies more. We see how the moon changes. We’ve also seen how the deer come at some times of year and not at others.”
Ruth also likes her new piano studio. She has more room now. Her students can go straight from the foyer to the studio. The piano sits nicely in a bay window with pretty views of the countryside. Sometimes the neighbor’s horses come up the fence, which delights Ruth’s young students.
When the double French doors are opened between the music studio and the living room, there is even enough room to host 30 people for a music recital.  It’s a huge step from the cramped space of the converted dining room that was the site of Ruth’s lessons for over 15 years in the previous house.
After walking around the house, I am struck by how well the house fits Mike and Ruth. The space, the amenities, the values.
I drive away being very impressed by how much thought the Raubertases have put into the design and construction of their beautiful home.  I remember Mike’s last words. “We built this house with purpose. It is part of living deliberately. And making choices with positive outcomes.”

Well said, Mike. And bravo.