Things are moving along very quickly at the Sustainable House. We're aiming for a September finish date, and it looks like we're going to make it. The exterior is basically done - stucco, paint, stone, doors, gutters, and roof are all in place. With the home's exterior done, our attentions turn to the interior and the landscape.
The last couple of weeks I've had the pleasure of helping Geoff bury the rainwater cisterns and finish the drainage ditches. It's nice to get out of the office every once in awhile and work in the soil. The cisterns, which hold 3,000 gallons total, are now buried under layers of sand, reused insulation (to keep them from freezing and cracking), and dirt. They have also been hooked up to the gutters. A couple rainstorms came along to test whether our hard work had paid off, and indeed, with two quick showers the cisterns had nearly filled up completely. One of our first great successes.
In the coming weeks we'll dig spaces for the rain gardens, and finish the landscaping with plans and direction from Paula Westmoreland from Ecological Gardens.
Inside things are moving at a great clip. Our energy systems are hooked up and ready to run. The gas line is hooked into the ClimateEnergy unit and ready to generate power and heat (which we don't need quite yet, with temps still in the 80s). The geothermal well loops are plugged into the WaterFurnace and ready to generate air conditioning. Within a day of being started up, the solar hot water heater already has an entire tank filled with nice, hot water.
The STEP Warmfloor radiant floor heating pads have been laid out in the bathrooms and the mudroom. No-VOC paint is up on the walls. New floors are ready to go in. Bathroom plumbing is ready and waiting for double-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads. Greywater and Culligan systems are installed and ready for water management.
Soon the beautiful FSC cabinetry will be installed, along with EnergyStar appliances, and green furniture.
It's starting to look like a real house here.