Author Archives: ellen
Schluter Kerdi Shower
Schluter Kerdi is a thin waterprrof membrane that feels like a thick paper with a fleece side that gets embedded in mortar and what must be a polymer infused side that is waterproof. The directions say to make the mortar … Continue reading
Thanksgiving!
We roasted a turkey for Thanksgiving and I had the Effergy monitor on the oven electrical line and found that it uses up to 4KW during use. My sister visited and set a beautiful table with my mother’s fancy china … Continue reading
Exterior Door Trim
I finally let the trim on the front door get so badly peeled and chipped that I had to paint it before winter set in. The sad truth is that something went terribly wrong when we had these doors painted by … Continue reading
Koffee Korner
We kept the plumbing location from the old kitchen sink even though we had moved the wall. Originally I thought we might install an outdoor sink near this water supply. But as the house progressed I thought a bar sink … Continue reading
First Two Doors
We brought in the two small closet doors because they were in the way in the garage. Well, they were in the way in the house too. I found these doors on Craigslist about 18 months ago. They were only … Continue reading
Fire Alarms
I finally got the fire alarms installed after having the item on multiple lists since the electrical was finished. I’m trying to check off all the requirements for our final inspection. LEED requires that we have a carbon monoxide alarm … Continue reading
Adding a Shower Light
The family room shower is big and it was dark inside. It really needed a light but I didn’t specify one in the electrical drawings so I had to add it as a retrofit. The light I bought came with … Continue reading
Radon Proof Sump Cover
When we demoed the slab floor we saw that drain pipes were connected from the outside perimeter foundation of the house into the sump tank. We seldom saw water in the sump tank so we were not sure the system … Continue reading
Ladder Pot Hanger Shelf
I have two of these old kiva ladders. They are popular in the Southwest and I like the look of them made out of logs and leather straps. I needed to use the 12′ ladder to help hang this ladder … Continue reading
A Fall List?
It’s a little late in the fall to post a new list of tasks for the house, but I have been working from a list and I think I should share it. First, a review of the summer list. I believe … Continue reading
Unpacking!
Being surrounded by boxes is no fun. So I started unpacking right away. All this finery that was in storage for so many years, and we are just now seeing it back in the house! As I unpacked the boxes, … Continue reading
Annual Garage Clean Out
Each fall it is time to empty the garage enough to store the car out of the snow and park the mower inside too. This year we did not beat the first snow as it came in October. But we … Continue reading
Solar Inspiration
At the Solar Decathlon information booths I signed up for consultations with three solar panel install companies. The one that represents Tesla products, and in fact will be changing their name to Tesla, is Solar City. I have looked at … Continue reading
Solar Decathlon!
I spent one day at the 2017 Solar Decathlon at the Panasonic building near the airport in Denver. John Avenson hosted a booth at the Solar Decathlon for the Passive House Institute and included the various energy efficiency non profit … Continue reading
Poster Presentation at the National Solar Energy Conference in Denver
It was a busy week. From the NREL talk to the Solar Decathlon, I spent a good deal of time sharing our LEED project. I was one of 33 poster presenters at the solar conference. It was great to see … Continue reading
Passive Solar Open House
The Green Homes Solar Tour was a great success at my house anyway. We had many visitors though I did not count, nor did I take photos. One of our volunteer docents took this photo though! It was fun to … Continue reading
Preparing for an NREL Lunch Talk
Our house is going to be on the 2017 Denver Solar Home Tour on October 7th! I’m very excited about it because we have attended Solar Home tours in both Arizona and here. Having a home that can be included … Continue reading
Problem with Hoppe Three Point Lock on ThermaTru Door
One of the sets of french doors was stuck closed. It appeared that the three point lock was stuck at the top of the door keeping it from opening. I thought I was going to have to take the door … Continue reading
Guests! An Ebay Scam and ERV Maintenance
We have had the pleasure of several recent guests who have stayed in the new master bedroom and bath. The new curtains have made the space more private and it has proved to be great to have another bathroom with … Continue reading
Family Room Bathroom Vanity Sink
It is a granite sink on a heavy and thick granite slab. I originally had the sink sitting on the logs of the vanity stand but with the addition of the slab I needed to figure out how to hold … Continue reading