Monthly Archives: February 2016

Cleaning the Spa Water

The spa water was getting dirty. There was sand on the bottom that did not seem to be getting to the filter.  So I bought a small Intex vacuum kit to suck up the dirt through the filter system. Unfortunately … Continue reading

Posted in Maintenance and Repair, Spa | Comments Off on Cleaning the Spa Water

Toilet Drain Adjustment

No wonder I feel bogged down.  Installing the offset toilet drain took me several hours across two days. Not predicting well how much standing drain pipe I needed, I cut a little bit of pipe at a time using a … Continue reading

Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on Toilet Drain Adjustment

Bogged Down in the Bathroom

Sometimes I just feel totally bogged down. While Dave has been busy spreading composted manure he got from a local horse farm and potting/topsoil from a marijuana growing operation–they deliver it for free–on the gardens and flower beds, I have … Continue reading

Posted in Planning, Plumbing, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off on Bogged Down in the Bathroom

Ultra High Efficiency Toilet

Our next inspection will be the plumbing rough in so I’m working on the master bathroom. I had purchased all the faucets and fixtures except for the toilet. When I was at the Sustainability Fair in Fort Collins, I heard … Continue reading

Posted in Energy Efficiency, LEED Project, Plumbing | Comments Off on Ultra High Efficiency Toilet

Friends Visit and Suggestions

We had a wonderful time visiting with some old friends from Indiana for the weekend. I talked their ears off about the house projects. It was so nice to have someone knowledgeable to get their reactions and suggestions. Steve has … Continue reading

Posted in Design Style, Planning | Comments Off on Friends Visit and Suggestions

Concrete Bricks as Thermal Mass

While painting the kitchen block wall I started wondering what kind of block is our inner south wall made of anyway? At one point I heard this type of block called “slag block” and in Arizona where there are many … Continue reading

Posted in Green Building Interests, Trombe Wall | Comments Off on Concrete Bricks as Thermal Mass

One Thing Leads to Another

When I woke up this morning I had no idea I was going to be painting a wall. But I cleared the dining room floor for scrubbing and sealing and decided I better wash the block wall before I put … Continue reading

Posted in Maintenance and Repair, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off on One Thing Leads to Another

Winter List for 2016

I updated the to-do list a couple of weeks ago. But lists are getting tiresome–too many items repeat from season to season. Here is what I hoped to get accomplished this winter. Finish membrane on ceiling Install battens on ceiling … Continue reading

Posted in Planning | Comments Off on Winter List for 2016

Resealing the Stained Concrete Floor

As a preparation for installing walls, and to just make the spaces more pleasant, I decided to clean and reseal the concrete floor. This project is also on the winter to do list. I hauled in the SoyCrete stain and … Continue reading

Posted in Maintenance and Repair | Comments Off on Resealing the Stained Concrete Floor

Compare Energy Star 2008 to Energy Star 2016

So I know you are wondering, how efficient is an eight year old Energy Star appliance– especially compared to today’s standards? I wondered myself. Energy Star minimums have decreased over time. I happened to have downloaded the clothes washer excel … Continue reading

Posted in Appliances, Energy Efficiency, LEED Project, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off on Compare Energy Star 2008 to Energy Star 2016

Energy Star Washer and Gas Dryer

I noticed that our older washing machine was leaking every time we did a load. The leak seemed to increase in volume and I had wanted to replace this older washer with a more energy efficient one for our LEED … Continue reading

Posted in Appliances, Energy Efficiency, Maintenance and Repair, Reduce Reuse Recycle | Comments Off on Energy Star Washer and Gas Dryer