Author Archives: ellen

A New Porch in Spencer

Posted on September 23, 2020 by ellen

We built our first energy efficient house in the early 1980’s on 40 acres in the countryside outside of Spencer, Indiana. We have owned the property for over 40 years. But we recently decided that we should sell. This photo … Continue reading →

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Finally Repairing the Spa

Posted on August 26, 2020 by ellen

The story of the new spa equipment is a sad one. I unfortunately wired the first shipment of a new controller box incorrectly and blew out all the 110 volt connections by sending 220 to them. I sent everything back … Continue reading →

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Tesla Solar Roof

Posted on July 15, 2020 by ellen

The Tesla solar roof is made from tempered glass. Advertising mentions quartz glass which is a form of tempered glass, the other form is silica although the terms are used interchangeably. The product is called Solarglass and is textured. Last … Continue reading →

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From Tesla Solar Panels to Solar Roof

Posted on July 12, 2020 by ellen

When the new glass roof tiles from Tesla were in the media, I was intrigued because we eventually needed a new roof and we live in the Hail Alley of Colorado which means hail is frequent and often damages roofs. … Continue reading →

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Green Roof?

Posted on July 6, 2020 by ellen

I’m waiting for Tesla to install solar roof tiles. The project is at the Xcel power company application stage. The permit from the city was granted. We decided to upgrade the roof to solar tiles the day the president announced … Continue reading →

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Buried Pool Power

Posted on July 3, 2020 by ellen

When I applied for a permit for the pool the requirement was to have a separate 20 amp GFCI line for it. The electricians installed that back in 2016. I have been using a long extension cord for the pool … Continue reading →

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Fixing Leaks in Pool Plumbing

Posted on July 2, 2020 by ellen

I’ve been spending a lot of time on the pool plumbing. I’ve had a couple of pipe blow offs including one that moved a lot of water out of the pool. Each one of these threaded pipes blew apart when … Continue reading →

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Vinyl Lattice Floor for Inflatable Boat

Posted on June 24, 2020 by ellen

Some time ago I picked up a pile of vinyl lattice edging at the Repurposed Materials auction. I had in mind to use the single edge caps to frame the glass for the trombe wall. I’m still hoping they can … Continue reading →

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Interesting Design Detail

Posted on June 23, 2020 by ellen

I have had to seek some unusual solutions to some unique spaces in our house. The opening in the partial “attic loft” in the family room bathroom was a difficult one to cover. Originally I thought it could use sliding … Continue reading →

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Master Bedroom Barn Doors

Posted on June 9, 2020 by ellen

The master bedroom also had a curtain instead of a door since we had guests who needed privacy. Due to my brother’s help and because I completed the family bath door, it was time to try to install barn doors … Continue reading →

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Family Bathroom Door

Posted on June 8, 2020 by ellen

We have been using a curtain in the doorway of the family bathroom since the interior was completed. It provided enough privacy and it was adequate coverage for the building inspection. The plan was to install a rustic door in … Continue reading →

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Solar Pool Set Up

Posted on June 7, 2020 by ellen

The extra parts arrived and all of the piping was finally connected with minimal leaks. Not without several issues however.I had the bypass valve assembly ready to install. Unfortunately the plastic that the reducers were made from did not hold … Continue reading →

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Log Trim

Posted on May 30, 2020 by ellen

The house is coming along enough that when I cleaned up the mud room for spring, I started decorating it. I have been collecting logs for trim for a few years. I purchased old log beds and railings to repurpose … Continue reading →

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Solar Pool Heat

Posted on May 25, 2020 by ellen

Everything takes time and money. The solar pool heat project is no different. I have put together a system based on the old copper collector and a new stainless steel heat exchanger. This is the system design. I purchased a … Continue reading →

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Replaced Pool Valve

Posted on May 24, 2020 by ellen

The used pool filter had a big crack in the valve that I tried to repair with silicone goop and tape. It was good enough to run for awhile while the new valve was ordered from Intex. Because of COVID-19 … Continue reading →

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Stripped Down Solar

Posted on May 19, 2020 by ellen

One of the reasons the repair I tried for the 3′ x 7’ solar panels was a disaster is that the glass broke when I was moving it. The glass in the solar panels seems to be extremely fragile. I … Continue reading →

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Low Growth Full Sun Xeriscape

Posted on May 16, 2020 by ellen

Dave started a garden border in front of the house. He installed leftover tile pieces in a concrete base to create a flat planting area for some xeriscape plants. He leveled the tops of the tile pieces and filled the … Continue reading →

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Pool Problems

Posted on May 8, 2020 by ellen

Seems like nothing I do lately is without issues. The pool was leveled but not very well, so that when the water delivery happened it was about 3″ out of level. Not too bad, water guy said he had seen … Continue reading →

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A Little More Awareness

Posted on May 4, 2020 by ellen

A little more awareness would have gone a long way towards my installation of the new spa pack. I usually read directions but this came without specific directions just diagrams and pictures. I followed the diagram to wire the equipment. … Continue reading →

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Getting Ready for Summer

Posted on April 27, 2020 by ellen

This summer will be a staycation due to the Covid-19 virus. So to get ready I want to set up a 4′ x 18′ round pool that I acquired a few years ago but never utilized. I was able to … Continue reading →

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