Day 144 & 145: Rock wall and moving in

On Thursday and Friday, Trevor worked on construction of a rock wall along the north edge of the entry porch. The wall will facilitate drainage and add a few more square feet to the porch area. Here is a pic of the work in progress.

On Friday the crew helped us move in marking the official end of major construction and almost daily posts. There are years worth of projects ahead, and I will post them as they happen. It has been an incredible design and build experience. It will be a most memorable first Christmas in the peace and warmth of this wonderful passive solar home. We call it "casa del sol" (house of the sun). I wish you all a joyous holiday season. Thanks for reading throughout the year!

Day 142 & 143: Cabinet handles andt tile work complete

On Tuesday, Alan from Live Oak Design installed handles on the cabinets. Here is a pic of the peninsula.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Joshua completed the floor mosaic and vanity backsplash while I cleaned up in preparation for moving in. Below are pics of the tile work. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Day 140 & 141: Wood floor and other details

Last Friday, Joshua and I finished sanding the loft floor. On Saturday, Cindy and I cleaned up the house and applied a first coat of Osmo Polyx-Oil finish to the floor. Below is a pic taken from the spiral staircase. The floor is smooth and no longer gray and oxidized, but still retains much of the character from that old Oregon sawmill.

On Friday Justin completed some finish details like pocket door hardware, door strike plates and closet shelves. Below is a pic of the simple closet arrangement. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Day 139: Floor sanding and closet shelves

On Thursday Joshua and I sanded the loft floor. Even though douglas fir is supposed to be a soft wood, this salvaged wood is harder than oak because it is so old and dry. Joshua commented that this floor is harder than oak and maple floors he sanded in the past. Below is a pic of the floor in process.

Justin continued work on the closet shelves and hangar rod. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Day 138: Mosaics , solar water heating and HERS rating

Joshua continued work on the floor mosaic on Wednesday. Below is a pic of the work in progress. It's great to see it with the paper template pieces removed. He also started work on a backsplash for the vanity countertop.

My PV solar system rebate was filed with the New Solar Homes Partnership (NSHP) program. A verification by a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) professional is needed to verify compliance with California Title 24 energy efficiency requirements. Sharon Block of Block Energy Design visited the home today to verify the performance, orientation and shading of the PV solar array.

I continued work on the solar water heating system. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Day 137: Mosaic, closet and solar water heating

On Tuesday, Joshua continued work on the floor mosaic. Here is a pic of the work in progress.


Justin worked on closet shelves while I started laying out plumbing for the solar water heating system in the utility room. Thanks for reading. I enjoy reading your comments.

Day 135 & 136: More mosaic and wood floor patching

Last Friday, Joshua continued working on the family room floor mosaic. Here is a pic of the work in progress.

On Monday, we sanded the wood floor test patch samples from last week. The patches held up well so we proceeded to patch cracks, holes and large gaps in the wood floor of the loft. The pic below shows two of the larger cracks after filling. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Day 134: Another mosaic

On Thursday, Joshua began cutting granite material for another tile mosaic that will go in front of the large sliding glass door in the family room. Here is a pic of the work in progress.

Marty stopped by to do a few small items off the punch list. Joshua filled some cracks and holes in several pieces of the old wood tongue and groove loft floor material. He used a mix of Elmer's glue and sawdust saved from sanding beams. Once this filler dries we will test how it responds during sanding. More to come. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Day 133: Vanity, floor heating and occupancy certificate

On Wednesday, the folks from Marble City arrived to install the granite vanity countertop and sink. The granite matches one of our favorite colors in the shower.

I got the radiant floor heating system up and running today. This will be nice for those cloudy winter days when there is not enough passive solar heat gain to keep the home comfortable.


We received a certificate of occupancy today! After a few more messy projects are completed inside, we will move in. It is a great feeling to achieve this milestone. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment.

Day 132: Stella status

Stella status:
It's been a while since we have seen Stella. She is nearly full grown and has an adult bark.

She also has a new little brother named Jackson.

Day 131: Doors and hot water

Over the long holiday weekend, Cindy finished the entry door and interior doors with AFM Naturals Clear Penetrating Oil. The finish makes the doors look even more beautiful. She also installed hardware on all of the doors and weatherstripping on the entry door. Here is a pic of the entry door from the inside.

Today I got the heating system producing domestic hot water. Cheers to hot showers and clean dishes. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Day 130: More soldering and Thanksgiving dinner

On Wednesday I continued soldering the water and space heating system components together. On Thanksgiving, Cindy and I were able to cook dinner in our new kitchen. It was a very special occasion. A toast and thanks to all of you who helped us get this far.

Day 129: More soldering

On Tuesday I continued sweat fitting heating system components in the utility room. This will be my sole task until there is hot water in the storage tank. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Day 128: Water, electric and cooking

Over the weekend and on Monday, we made fine progress with final plumbing and electrical work.

• sliding door hardware installed
  
• water supply connected
• cooktop & oven hooked up
• electric boiler hooked up
• kitchen sink & faucet hooked up
• TOTO dual flush toilet installed

I'll close with a pic of the oven and a vid of the most important seat in the house. It was a monumental day having water running in the home for the first time. Now I need to get back to work on the heating system so we can have HOT water. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Day 127: Pump house and soldering

Friday was a light day compared to Thursday. Trevor poured a small concrete pad on which to rest a pressure pump. This pump will turn on to pressurize the home's water supply whenever a faucet or other water using device is opened. Trevor finished just as the rain started. Below is a pic showing the pad (right), the water storage tank (left) and the pressure pump (left, foreground).

I began soldering the heating system plumbing components. With several hundred joints, this job will take a few days. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Day 126: Countertops, plumbing and electrical

Thursday was very busy. The folks from Marble City installed granite kitchen countertops. The color is verde fantastico - they sure look fantastico. I like how the gentle curve of the bar edge compliments the curves of the sink. Here is a pic of the kitchen from above.

Other tasks from day 126:

• Erik installed some of the final electrical details
• I continued working on the water and space heating system installation
• Adam and Coady started installing plumbing fixtures

I'll close with a pic of the shower looking more complete with the handle and head. Thanks for reading. I enjoy your comments.

Day 125: Kitchen cabinets, heating and net meter

On Wednesday, Alan from Live Oak Design installed all of the drawers on the kitchen cabinets while I continued to layout plumbing for the heating system in the utility room. Here is a pic of the kitchen peninsula cabinets. They look fabulous.

PG&E installed the digital electric net meter which we are now officially spinning backwards. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Day 124: Shower completed, cabinets and heating

On Tuesday, Joshua finished applying grout to the the remaining shower tile joints. Here is a pic of the completed shower from the bathroom door. It looks amazing!

Alan from Live Oak Design continued work on the kitchen and bathroom cabinet installations. Below is a pic of the kitchen cabinets in progress - they look beautiful. It is exciting to see the finishes work out so well.

I continued to work on layout of the water and space heating system in the utility room. I'll close with a pic of that work in progress for the thermal geeks out there. I told Joshua that this is my plumbing mosaic art ;-) Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Day 123: More finishes and heating

On Monday, Joshua started applying grout between the shower tiles. The pic below shows a portion of the south shower wall with grout completed. As awesome as the shower looked on Friday, it looks even better today with grout.

Alan applied Osmo Polyx-Oil finish to kitchen cabinet doors. I continued working on the water and space heating system in the utility room. Thanks for reading. I enjoy reading your comments.

Day 121 & 122: Shower and kitchen cabinets

On Thursday and Friday, Joshua finished the shower tile work. Below is a pic of the completed floor. I'm trying to build a green home, but this tile work is going to make me take longer showers :-)


Alan continued to install the kitchen and vanity cabinets on Thursday and Friday while I started laying out plumbing for the heating system in the utility room. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Day 120: Shower floor and downspouts

On Wednesday, Joshua continued work on the shower floor tiles. All of the material used for tiling the shower is leftover scraps from local kitchen countertop fabricators. Joshua's art is to cut the stone and create a beautiful tile mosaic with the pieces. Here is a pic of the work in progress.

Marty, Georg and I installed downspouts. Here is a pic of the souteast corner.

I finally removed all of the tarps protecting the south wall lime plaster while it dried. Below is a pic of that wall from the southwest. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Day 118 & 119: Shower, downspouts and electrical

On Monday, Joshua completed installing tile on the shower walls while I cut triangular tile pieces for the shower floor. I sprayed salt water on the copper downspouts to accelerate patina development. Here is a pic of the southwest shower corner followed by a pic of the downspouts.


On Tuesday, Joshua started working on the shower floor. I continued spraying the downspouts with saltwater. Erik stopped by and installed a few outdoor lights and outlets. Below is a pic of the entry porch lights at night. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Day 117: More interior finishes

On Friday, interior finish work continued:

• Joshua continued tiling the shower walls
• Erik continued electrical wiring
• Raphael and I applied gypsum plaster to a wall in the utility room
• AT&T installed the phone line

Below is a pic of the exterior west wall with the finish grade. It is exciting to see the end in sight. Thanks for reading. I enjoy reading your comments.

Day 116: Final grading

On Thursday, Steve did final site grading. All of the walls have been backfilled with soil to the final height, and surface storm water drainage paths are complete all around the home. Here is a pic of the east wall showing final grading to compare with yesterday's pic.

Here is a pic of the kitchen peninsula cabinets from Live Oak Design in process.

I'll close with a pic of Joshua's shower tiling in process, WOW! Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Day 115: Site cleanup and interior finishes

Tasks from Wednesday:

• site cleanup in preparation for final grading
• kitchen cabinet installation began
• shower tile work continued
• electrical fixture, switch and outlet installation continued
  

I'll close with a pic of the east wall which I havn't shown for some time. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Day 114: Plastering completed

On Tuesday, Joshua, Trevor, Marty, Raphael, Georg and I applied the finish coat of lime plaster to the exterior of the south wall. This was a monumental day being the completion of plastering on the home. Below is a pic of Raphael, Marty, me and Joshua at the southwest corner. You can see that everyone’s clothing has taken on a yellow tinge. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Day 112 & 113: Exterior plaster

On Friday, Joshua, Trevor, Marty, Raphael and I applied the finish coat of lime plaster to the exterior of the east, west and utility room walls. On Monday the same crew applied the finish coat of plaster to the exterior of the north wall. The plaster has an integrated mineral tint, so painting is not required. I think the color and finish are beautiful. Below is a pic of the west (right) and north (left) walls. Thanks for reading. I enjoy reading your comments.

Day 111: Railings

On Thursday, Marty, Georg and I installed the salvaged railing pieces I cut yesterday. It is surprising how well the old railings go with the new staircase. Here is a pic of the loft taken from the kitchen followed by one taken on the loft looking west.


Joshua continued installing tile in the shower. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Day 110: Spiral staircase and downspouts

On Wednesday, we installed the spiral staircase that was made by Stocklin Iron in Santa Rosa, CA. Here is a pic of the staircase taken from the dining room.

Marty installed copper downspouts between the gutters and drains. Here is a pic of the downspout on the northwest corner of the home.

Other tasks from day 110:

• Erik the electrician continued installing outlets, switches and light fixtures
• Joshua began installing tile in the shower
• I started cutting salvage railing pieces to fit the edge of the loft

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Day 109: Interior cleanup and electrical

On Tuesday, we cleaned up the interior. We removed all of the masking materials and swept the floors. It is really nice to see the wooden beams exposed again (it has been a while).

Erik the electrician began installing outlets and switches. Below is a pic from the entry door looking at the south wall between the dining room and family room.Can you spot the one completed wall switch? Thanks for reading. I enjoy reading your comments.

Day 108: Ceiling paint and soffits

On Monday, Marty sprayed the ceilings with 2 coats of zero Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paint (he sprayed the ceilings on Sunday with zero VOC primer). Here is a pic of the ceiling over the kitchen.

Justin, Marty, Raphael, Georg and I installed corrugated metal soffit material around the perimeter of the home. We are pleased with the results. Here is a pic of the northwest corner soffit.

Green comments for today:

• Consider low or zero VOC primers and paints for improved indoor air quality compared to common products.
• Where appropriate, choose finish materials that are durable and recyclable. For example, my soffit material is galvanized steel. It should require little to no maintenance over the life of the home. The steel can be recycled or salvaged when the home is someday deconstructed (hopefully long after I am gone).

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Day 107: Kitchen cabinets and site cleanup

Friday was a nice light day after 3 intense days of plastering. Alan Dodd from Live Oak Design installed the bases of the kitchen cabinets.

Trevor and I did a bit of site cleanup while Joshua applied waterproofing to the shower floor. We pulled the masking tape and plastic protecting the soffit area to reveal our plaster work up top. We are pleased with the results. Below is a pic of the northwest corner and porch area (please ignore the temporary downspouts). Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.