Author Archives: ellen

One Day, Two Mirrors

Posted on June 13, 2018 by ellen

It is past time to have moved everything that is destined for the house into the house. These mirrors needed to come in and claim their space. I had the big couch against the long wall in the living room … Continue reading →

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Cleaning out the Garage

Posted on June 12, 2018 by ellen

Unfortunately the charge cord that came with the JuiceBox is only 20 ft. long. And the 30 amp outlet is in the storage cabinet at the far end from the garage door. That means that the car has to be … Continue reading →

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Installing a JuiceBox 220v 40 Pro Charger

Posted on June 11, 2018 by ellen

I decided to upgrade to a Level 2, 220v EV charger in order to charge faster during the highest solar production time of day. After researching various options, it appeared the JuiceBox delivered the most bang for the buck. Some … Continue reading →

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Solar Powered Volt

Posted on June 11, 2018 by ellen

Way back in 2003 we bought the first model of hybrid Honda Civic sold in the US. It was the only car we would ever buy that was featured in a car show! It was a 2003 model but it … Continue reading →

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Books Unpacked

Posted on June 8, 2018 by ellen

As part of the move the kids returned a couple of large bookshelves that they had brought from our Indiana house when they moved to Colorado. I had used our enclosed bookshelves to display my mom’s china and silver and … Continue reading →

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Moved To Germany!

Posted on June 8, 2018 by ellen

We had a busy May helping our daughter and her family move to Germany for her husband’s work assignment. They had to completely empty their house to rent it as they decided to keep it while they are abroad. Dave … Continue reading →

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Tesla Solar First Month Report

Posted on May 15, 2018 by ellen

On the occasion of our first utility bill after adding solar, we found a significant reduction in the cost of the electricity we consumed from the grid. As the Tesla engineers predicted the solar provided about half of our electricity … Continue reading →

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More ERV Controls

Posted on April 21, 2018 by ellen

I spent another day on ERV controls. It is unbelievable that these controls are taking so much time. I was gratified that I finally got the variable speeds to work with the Lutron Caseta wifi dimmer and the GRX-TVI control … Continue reading →

Posted in Electrical, Ventilation | Comments Off on More ERV Controls

New Toilets

Posted on April 20, 2018 by ellen

I was tired of looking at and trying to clean the old biscuit colored toilet in the back bathroom. It flushed fine with its 1.6 gallon flush–a water saver in its day. But the tank and the bowl were stained … Continue reading →

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UltimateAir ERV WiFi Control

Posted on April 19, 2018 by ellen

It has been just over a year since I last tried to hook up the ERV to a WiFi dimmer. But with my son’s advice and encouragement the deed was finally accomplished. He designed a circuit for me to convert … Continue reading →

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Solar is Up! Day One

Posted on April 18, 2018 by ellen

Yesterday the Xcel technician stopped by about 4 PM to install the solar meter. That completed the setup for our solar system. She gave me a hang tag that said the system was ready to bring online! After she left … Continue reading →

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If It’s On A List, Then It Must Get Done

Posted on April 14, 2018 by ellen

Sooner or later the list must get done. It is past time to come up with a Spring list and I’m looking at the items that I have paid no attention to for a season and feeling like I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Kitchen, Maintenance and Repair, Planning | Comments Off on If It’s On A List, Then It Must Get Done

Painted Garage Door

Posted on April 8, 2018 by ellen

I  was surprised that our garage door was so shy. I had to look long and hard for any photos of the door before it was painted. This is how it looked when we bought the house. There was always … Continue reading →

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Rustic Bathroom Door

Posted on April 2, 2018 by ellen

We are having guests at the end of the week. I thought it would be great to have a real door on the master bathroom now that the shower is also completed. I even used the shower before our trip … Continue reading →

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Winter Tent Worked

Posted on April 1, 2018 by ellen

I was distracted from building projects by preparing for our spring trip to the Grand Canyon with the family. We have a small RV that fits us and the grandkids just fine but the rest of the family did not … Continue reading →

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Passed the Final Inspection

Posted on April 1, 2018 by ellen

April Fools!  But we did have the inspector come out at the end of February and we are very close. We had three things that needed to be done to pass: first, finish the showers; second, caulk around the bathroom … Continue reading →

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Solar System Commissioned

Posted on March 24, 2018 by ellen

Commissioning was basically a test of functions. I had the Tesla app open on my phone so I could follow along with the tests. The commissioning was early in the morning so the system was not yet producing full power. … Continue reading →

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Tesla Solar!

Posted on March 21, 2018 by ellen

The solar photovoltaics were installed yesterday and “commissioned” today. I’m thrilled. This seems like another major step in the process of putting together a truly energy efficient home. And it is another case of purchasing a complete system with installation … Continue reading →

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We Get a Shed

Posted on March 18, 2018 by ellen

Here is something new. A shed purchased as a kit and put together by a store contractor. Our kids ordered it for us and had it built, although they will use it for a couple of years. And it certainly … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction, Landscape | Comments Off on We Get a Shed

More Tile in the Master Bath

Posted on March 12, 2018 by ellen

The master bath floor is finished. I just have to decide if I will use tile or baseboard in that room. I only have eleven trim tiles left. I could use them in the master but then I would not … Continue reading →

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