Hindsight is 20 / 20

Whao there Nellie! Wait just a gall durn minute here! You don't jump straight to putting a roof deck on without a few other minor details first. You know, like walls and trusses maybe? We have been so busy with our remodeling work that we have been building when we can. Our chief blogger's head exploded and he had to be sent away to an undisclosed location. While he was away walls were built and trusses were set. The walls were framed with 2x6's set 24" on center. The premise is simple. The fewer studs there are, the more insulation coverage there is. Our corners were constructed with advanced framing techniques to, again, reduce the number of studs and allow the introduction of more insulation to the corners.

We had some great help with the trusses. Jeff Harris and JD Olsen of Harris Construction helped us get the trusses up on top. Bill Dorr joined Arun and Reese to put them in place and tie them all together. All of us were overseen by "Angelina" the 'goddess of early spring' framing. She provided the warm days when we needed them, and helped to keep a smile on everyone's faces. We are not sure where she came from, and she seemed to move around a bit in the evenings when we were gone. But, we'll take all the help we can get.

Roofer Madness

Spring has sprung
Fall has fell
Summer's coming
and its hotter than........usual.

The roof deck has been cut, shuffled and dealt. It is finally in place. Arun and Reese have been working every chance they can to get it ready for shingles. We have consulted with the good folks at Healthy Homes about what shingle we need in this part of the country. They felt that we don't get the kind of extended exposure to strong sunlight throughout a substantial part of the year to justify the cost of "Energy Star " rated shingles. We have chosen from the "Certainteed Landmark Plus" collection. It is an excellent architectural shingle in 'Colonial Slate'.

Bill Dorr is in charge of our roofing installation. We want it done right. He's the guy!

The Hook'em-Up

GEO-THERMAL BABY, we all love a good hook-up. The rough in for our geo-thermal was completed 2-3-10 and stubbed into the basement. It is not rocket science or brain surgery...but there is a very cool "hot" tool involved. The well drillers left behind 4 -155' deep holes with black tubing sticking out. They brought their end loader back to break the frost and dig an "X" shaped trench between the four locations and the "Loopers" hooked them in a parallel system that runs the 'transfer liquid'
[ethanol] into the four holes and will return the fluid to the heat pump. Funny how a liquid can be both warm and cold without ever really changing temperature. Like so many things in life...it is all 'relative'. The tool that "welds" the tubing joints heats the sleeves up to 500 degrees, they join them, and "Bob's yer uncle" that's it. They simply melt together. They pressure test the joints and if there is an incomplete weld, the joints will whistle and sing. Our's were quiet. That's a good thing.

Getting looped for the first time!

Two weeks ago they really drilled us. Last week we got looped. The folks from G.O. Loop came with the sunshine and dug trenches. They connected the tubing from the four 150' holes and stubbed into the basement. They will come back when it is time to activate the system and connect to the heat pump, fill the tubing with ethanol, and we will be heating and cooling "geo-thermal style". Cool stuff

Arun and Reese built the bearing walls needed in the basement that will allow us to begin building walls on the main floor. If it would only snow a little.

What's under your basement floor?

Last week we brought a little heat to the situation. We had a small glacier in our basement and unlike the polar ice fields, it was not retreating. It looked like it was happy to settle in for the winter..... which might last till the 1st of July....you know, kind of like last year. Sure the ice skating was fun, but it was time to move forward with the underfloor plumbing. Once we got the main floor deck in place, it was time to chip a little, shovel a lot and bring in heat to coax the frost out of the ground.

Our friends at Lloyd's Plumbing and Heating "hooked us up" and things loosened up so they could "rough in" the underfloor plumbing drains and the 'geo-thermal' chases. Wow, that is a big sump pit! It actually serves two functions. We are also running a vent out of it to a fan above the garage ceiling [when there is one] to vent any potential radon gas and ventilate our footings...a great way to keep our basement dry. It is all a part of creating a healthy home environment.

This week brought more progress with large trucks and machines. Tuesday the 26th, the "driller dudes" came with their big rig. Huemann Well and Pump arrived and bored their way through dirt, clay, gravel, sand and water to drill four 155' holes straight down and installed the tubing that the "looping guys' will tie in next week. Huemann Well and Pump along with G.O. Loop are partnering with Lloyd's to provide the geo-thermal HVAC system.

The basement floor will be poured next. Before that happens, our friends at Healthy Homes suggested that we install 2" styro board under our poured floor. A little extra insulation never hurts.

Backfill & Curb-Cut

Time to level the playing field. Our foundation cured for two weeks. I wish I cured that fast. Tim McMahon of McMahon Excavating and Johnny Byers kept the trucks rolling, and Ray McMahon poured the fill, dished the dirt, and laid down the limestone. PAB Concrete cutters cut the opening for the driveway. Everyone enjoyed the "cool December breezes", just so relieved not to be sweating a hot sun and high humidity. Jeff Caples and crew poured the footings and walls. Arun and Reese [NPB carpenters] said that the walls are good and square. The weather has been, well......interesting.

Breaking Ground

Ground breaking on November 23, 2009. Dig this! The first scoop. We are looking to find something special. Oh sure, the sewer and water laterals should be down there somewhere. But, we're looking for a slightly different destination. We are building a special home for the "tree-hugging, energy-conscious, quality addicted, style sensitive, empty [ or near empty ] nesters." Does the concept of "the healthy home" matter to you? Are you already tired of the term "Green"? Or, do you feel it is about time you had this type of choice right here in Beloit. You have already owned the big house. You've raised your kids and want something very nice, but smaller and easier to manage. Something that doesn't cost much to heat. Energy costs seem to only go up. We don't see that changing!

There are lots of expensive homes for sale. The questions are....how many are new...with geo-thermal heating and cooling, the best performing windows, and an open design that capitalizes on the passive solar capabilities of the south-facing rear of the home? Do you like the thought of hardwood floors harvested and milled right here in Wisconsin? Do you care that radon gas mitigation is already taken care of? Do R-28 walls and R-50 ceilings make sense to you? Does it seem smart to preheat your hot water with the geo-thermal system and utilize tankless... "on demand" technology to deliver efficient hot water as needed? How about a three sided centrally located gas fireplace combining with ceiling fans and the ventilation system to warm up that January day with the wind chill at -25F?

Should your house be set up for "one floor" living? Would it be nice to have a suite in the partially exposed basement to accommodate your children and grandchildren? Or, maybe you have a teenage child who will be off to college soon. They will appreciate their own bedroom at the other end of the house from your master suite. The basement bath will have the tub for the kids.

What if health or surgical challenges require that one of you or your parents has special needs? The second bedroom suite on the first floor can be readily converted from an office or guest bedroom to a "handicap friendly environment". How about a lovely, yet, "barrier free" shower to facilitate wheel chair access? Together with door openings planned to handle wheelchairs, these considerations can help keep our loved ones comfortable in the home as long as possible. Do I have to mention the cost of nursing homes?

Yes, we are building something special on the last undeveloped lot in the very popular Turtle Creek subdivision. Great neighbors with a wonderful mix of ages. The location is convenient to retail, restaurants, healthcare and just minutes from the interstate system. You can be on your way to Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Rockford and the rest of the world in minutes.

We are partnering with "Healthy Homes" of Mt. Horeb, WI. They are expert consultants in green / healthy home environments and have been involved with us since the the beginning of this project. You can check them out at www.HealthyHomeReports.com.

Please ckeck in with us as we build. I will be posting developments as they unfold.

Matthew Goodwin, President...No Problem Builders Inc.