It's
time I updated on the status of the Live Green, Live Smart Sustainable House. So
much has been going on and we've all been so busy that spare time to
blog has been rare.
After several delays, the
geothermal heat pump was installed in the basement (the thing weighs
around 400 pounds, so that was fun to get down the stairs).
The
exterior stone work has been completed and looks great. The stone around the fireplace was extended down the stairs and into the
basement to make it look like one solid unit and add aesthetic appeal and texture. The only stone work left is the mantal and facing around the efficient gas fireplace.
The stucco company is also at the site today, starting to put up the mesh for the outdoor stucco.
We've taken delivery of the rainwater
harvesting tanks, with way too much excitement over the delivery. The two 1500 gallon tanks are sitting in the
ground right now, while we anxiously await the components needed to set up the water filter, pump,
piping and what-have-you.
We've finished up most of the framing details
of the house, which means the spray foam guys are in the house right
now spraying the foam insulation. The wiring rough-in is complete, as well as the plumbing rough-in.
The big news last week was that we passed all three of our inspections!
Framing, wiring and plumbing all got the OK from the city inspectors,
which is a big hurdle for the project.
WCCO-TV journalist, anchor, and environmentalist Don Shelby has been by the house, the first part of a series on
our project aired on the 10 o'clock news on CBS-affiliate WCCO last Tuesday. He was
back at the site today filming an interview with Peter Lytle, LGLS
founder and home owner for the next in the series. I took the
opportunity to talk to his producer and camera man about all we're
doing on the landscaping and gardens, so look forward to a piece
concentrating on that aspect of the project.
Tomorrow
legislators from the Minnesota House and Senate are scheduled to tour
the site, which is encouraging, but provides some challenges as we're in the midst of a humid heat wave. And senators and representatives will have a chance to watch while we finish up the spray foam work,
continuing to get the lathing up on the exterior, installing the solar
hot water heat exchanger, taking delivery of the sheet rock, receiving
our rainwater tank components and probably solving a minor disaster or
two for good measure.
The project continues to make great
steps forward every day, even though sometimes those steps look like
big setbacks they're all really just chances to learn.