Author Archives: ellen
Boiler Carbon Monoxide Alarm!
We were jarred awake by our carbon monoxide alarms when the temperature was eighteen below zero. We immediately opened a living room and back hall door and let fresh air flow. We tried leaving the boiler on but when the … Continue reading
Upgraded Motor on Sailrite Sewing Machine
I have sewn just a few projects with the heavy duty walking foot sewing machine I bought to sew vinyl. I have bolts of vinyl (and white material) from a Repurposed Materials auction. The machine is their LZ-1 model and … Continue reading
Thanksgiving Crafts
Here’s a twist for my blog topics. I have never been much of a crafter. I’m more likely to build something or even sew something. But my sister gave me a Cricut Explore machine and I have been learning how … Continue reading
Oh No! Broken Glass in Trombe Wall
Some of the plastic lattice trim around the Trombe wall glazing has been curling away from the house from the intense heat from the sun. I don’t think I used enough nails to tie it to the boards behind it. … Continue reading
Our Green Home Tour on October 1, 2022
We were on the Metro Denver Green Homes Tour this year! We had a nice crowd visiting the house and while I showed them around inside, Dave showed them the Tesla roof and his greenhouses and urbanite retaining walls outside. … Continue reading
Finish Patio Edging
It is fall and the weather is perfect for outside projects. Some years we enjoy fall weather all the way to December so a long fall is really helpful. After several days of rest, reading and writing after our tour … Continue reading
Next Steps
This summer was the culmination of ten years of work on the house. We had to push to finish the major LEED features of the remodel because we had an end of June deadline for evaluation under LEED 2009 version … Continue reading
Metro Denver Green Homes Tour
This is a big deal at least for the committee that puts it together. We work from January through November to offer the tour to the public on the National Solar Tour day, the first Saturday in October. The tour … Continue reading
A Boiler/Fireplace Boiler/Hot Water Question
Another good question, this one from our volunteer guide, was about the specifics of our radiant hot water and domestic hot water piping. Could I provide a diagram about how it all worked together? I had never put both systems … Continue reading
A Metro Denver Green Homes Tour You Tube Interview
We had a wonderful offer to help spread the word about the tour this year from Joan Gregerson, a local real estate agent who is savvy about energy efficiency in buildings. She recruited a few volunteers as home tour guides … Continue reading
Is the Tesla Roof Worth It?
We were on the Metro Denver Green Homes Tour last Saturday. It occurs each year on the first Saturday of October which is the National Solar tour day. We were a site to see the Tesla Solar roof and our … Continue reading
I’m on the Radio!
I was advertising the Metro Denver Green Homes Tour. Our house is on the tour again this year. We had our house on the tour in 2017 when we were about halfway finished installing LEED requirements and attempting to earn … Continue reading
Chaffee County Green Homes Tour
The woman who heads up the Metro Denver Green Homes Tour also works with organizations in Chaffee County to organize a green homes tour near Salida and Buena Vista. She recruits members of the Denver team to spend a beautiful … Continue reading
Colorado Average Home Gas Use vs. Ours
We are getting ready for the Metro Denver Green Homes Tour on October 1st. Our home was on the tour in 2017. Since then we have finished the LEED certification as a Platinum Green and Net Zero home. So we … Continue reading
Inverter Repair
On our last trip when we were almost home we tried to turn on the inverter and it was dead. We were dropping it off at the shop for repairs to the body from when we scraped the side on … Continue reading
Trombe Wall in September
The Trombe wall is too effective in the hot sunny days of September. The sun is lower in the sky so the overhang is not wide enough to shade the front. Even opening the windows at night and using fans … Continue reading
A Sunday in Wuppertal
Dave noticed a site in Germany on Atlas Obscura, a website devoted to unusual places and experiences. Wurppertal features a hanging suspension train that was not too far away from Wurselen by trains. Clare researched the route and we decided … Continue reading
New Home in Germany
We were home from Indiana for a week and then off to Wurselen, Germany to visit our daughter and family. They purchased a new home last fall but had a long wait until the sale was completed. It is not … Continue reading
The ”Region”
I was born in Chicago but grew up in Northern Indiana near the steel mills and oil refineries. The area was known as the Calumet region (near the Little Calumet River) and shortened to the ”Region” in the rest of … Continue reading
Indiana Hot
We had a lovely time visiting Indiana for three weeks and timed it perfectly for some very hot and humid weather. We drove the RV and stayed with friends and visited others first in Spencer. We were able to camp … Continue reading