-
Recent Posts
Archives
- September 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
Categories
- -Chronological Recent Posts
- Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope
- Appliances
- Bathrooms
- Central Vacuum
- Condensing Modulating Gas Boiler
- Construction
- Deconstruction
- Design Style
- Distractions
- Electrical
- Energy Efficiency
- Family Room
- Finishes
- Fireplace Boiler
- Floating Walls
- Green Building Interests
- House Systems
- Inspections
- Kitchen
- Landscape
- LEED Project
- Living Room
- Local Products
- Maintenance and Repair
- Master Bedroom
- Mini Split Air Conditioner
- Moisture Intrusion/Expansive Soil
- Monitoring
- Moving
- Planning
- Plumbing
- Project Team
- Radiant Cooling
- Radiant Heat
- Radon Mitigation
- Reduce Reuse Recycle
- Solar
- Spa
- Tile
- Tools
- Trim
- Trombe Wall
- Ventilation
Cloud
-Chronological Recent Posts Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope Appliances Bathrooms Central Vacuum Condensing Modulating Gas Boiler Construction Deconstruction Design Style Distractions Electrical Energy Efficiency Family Room Finishes Fireplace Boiler Floating Walls Green Building Interests House Systems Inspections Kitchen Landscape LEED Project Living Room Local Products Maintenance and Repair Master Bedroom Mini Split Air Conditioner Moisture Intrusion/Expansive Soil Monitoring Moving Planning Plumbing Project Team Radiant Cooling Radiant Heat Radon Mitigation Reduce Reuse Recycle Solar Spa Tile Tools Trim Trombe Wall VentilationBy Date
Monthly Archives: November 2012
Manual J Calculations
Manual J is a product of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America for determining the heating/cooling load to size equipment for a home. They have a spreadsheet available on their website that requires filling in all the product info for … Continue reading
Posted in House Systems, Planning, Radiant Heat
Comments Off on Manual J Calculations
Radiant Heat Intro
This new slab floor and our goal of energy efficiency point towards even, warm floor, radiant heat instead of the existing baseboards. Since hydronic radiant heat requires a lower temperature than baseboards, it is capable of incorporating several different heat … Continue reading
Posted in Energy Efficiency, House Systems, Planning, Radiant Heat
Comments Off on Radiant Heat Intro
Another Sewer Installment
Figuring out the sewer layout has been a bit more difficult than anticipated. One of the most difficult is communicating the completed design. The diagrams of each plumbing layout just didn’t have enough accurate information. All the tees are actually … Continue reading
Posted in House Systems, Plumbing
Comments Off on Another Sewer Installment
More Sewer Fun
The previous post accounts for the biggest open question about the plumbing in the master bathroom–do we need the dry vent for the toilet? Well, what would it hurt anything right? In the family room bath the toilet is at … Continue reading
Posted in Construction, House Systems, Plumbing
Comments Off on More Sewer Fun
Sewer Simulations
What? Now we have to replace the sewer to “code”? Yep, that is a permit’s requirements. These fussy cities, what do you do? Umm, figure out the code? I was able to download the codes after feverish searching on the … Continue reading
Posted in Construction, House Systems, Plumbing
Comments Off on Sewer Simulations
Permit Possibilities
I went to the city To buy a fat pig (permit) Home again, home again, jiggidy jig. I have been very pleased by how helpful the permit office in Arvada has been to me. I have visited a few times … Continue reading
Posted in Construction, Inspections
Comments Off on Permit Possibilities
Repurposed Materials
Mark Benjamin, of Crown Jade, recommended this very imaginative business in Denver as a source of the R-15 insulation I needed for the perimeter of the foundation. Repurposed Materials is mostly dedicated to reusing industrial materials in new, imaginative … Continue reading
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Reduce Reuse Recycle
Comments Off on Repurposed Materials
Into the Void (Our Caisson Foundation)
We were very pleasantly surprised to find that the rear wall that holds back the earth bermed north side of the house has a caisson foundation. I had never heard of this type of foundation, and it is not generally … Continue reading
Posted in Deconstruction
Comments Off on Into the Void (Our Caisson Foundation)
Dirt Can’t Hide (From Intensified Digging)
Excavation resumed after the plumbing was dug out. The goal was 16 1/2 inches down from the top of slab or about a foot of digging throughout. The first few inches were completed before the plumbing was dug out, just … Continue reading
Posted in Deconstruction
Comments Off on Dirt Can’t Hide (From Intensified Digging)
The Trouble at the Bottom….. (Pete Seeger)
We can say it is a good thing to find the trouble at the bottom which would have reared its ugly head someday especially if we had tried to install a cosmetic fix for the existing slab. Excavation of the … Continue reading
Posted in Deconstruction
Comments Off on The Trouble at the Bottom….. (Pete Seeger)
Back at the Ranch
Now that the players have all been described, how are things going at the house? The slab was removed after days of breaking it up with the jack hammers and hauling wheelbarrows of concrete out to the rubble field. We … Continue reading
Posted in Deconstruction
Comments Off on Back at the Ranch
HP Geotech
I asked the Asbestos test engineer, Rick Luce, for a recommendation for a soils engineer, as he had mentioned that he worked with several and would give me a recommendation when the time came. He recommended Alan Lisowy at HP … Continue reading
Posted in Moisture Intrusion/Expansive Soil, Planning, Project Team
Comments Off on HP Geotech
Waffle Mat Slab
The Waffle Mat system uses 19 1/2″ X 19 1/2″ X 8 1/2″ recycled plastic boxes. The boxes have a rim on two sides and can be used in sets of 4 or individually depending on the design. I decided … Continue reading
Posted in Construction, Moisture Intrusion/Expansive Soil, Planning, Project Team
Comments Off on Waffle Mat Slab
Crown Jade Design and Engineering
At Greg’s strong recommendation, I decided to seek out a structural engineer who would be willing to take care of the specific design using WaffleMat for our installation. The person I chose had presented at a USGBC event as a … Continue reading
Posted in Moisture Intrusion/Expansive Soil, Planning, Project Team
Comments Off on Crown Jade Design and Engineering
Mountain Brawny
Just after Labor Day I realized we were getting close to needing the brawn to remove the concrete and excavate for the new slab. I contacted four listings that advertised concrete services and two responded. The first one was Mile … Continue reading
Posted in Construction, Project Team
Comments Off on Mountain Brawny
Waffle Mat!
While researching issues with slabs on grade and expansive soils, I found this very interesting solution to building a mat (raft) slab. Originally invented by Matt Gonsalves, the boxes are still manufactured by the family’s Conco Corporation. There are a … Continue reading
Posted in Construction, Moisture Intrusion/Expansive Soil, Planning
Comments Off on Waffle Mat!
An Engineered Solution
The slab was the major issue that made this house virtually unsellable. Like most foreclosures, the house suffered from years of delayed maintenance, like peeling paint on the windowsills, and broken glass in some of the windows. Once it was … Continue reading
Posted in Construction, Moisture Intrusion/Expansive Soil, Planning, Project Team
Comments Off on An Engineered Solution
HumaNature
The Design Charrette changed the focus of the remodeling project. I went from dreaming of LEED glory to the hard facts of the limitations of a budget. We had committed $50,000 to the project. That is the whole project of … Continue reading
Posted in LEED Project, Planning, Project Team
Comments Off on HumaNature
Late September Reinforcements!
By late September, the project needed a boost. So my husband and son came out to help and to cut down the dead trees at the entrance and one that was planted too close to the house. That one rattled … Continue reading
Posted in Deconstruction
Comments Off on Late September Reinforcements!
Bagster Truck
The debris began to overwhelm the garage with the three filled bags so I called the Bagster company to find out about hauling it away. They declared that the bags had to be in the open, and could not get … Continue reading
Posted in Deconstruction
Comments Off on Bagster Truck
