tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31913642078288264342024-03-14T01:27:02.386-04:00Ohm Free: The House that Ras & Mimi BuiltBuilding a Passive House and using solar energy to offset our energy usage.Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-1901315646728446982017-08-22T17:54:00.000-04:002017-08-23T09:40:40.634-04:00Net Metering and A Partial Solar Eclipse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u7_DLhsmpHc/WZx3aOnURaI/AAAAAAAABeo/uLZEvQC3lxgZN88vP16UzKLrrz-ndS9IACLcBGAs/s1600/eclipse%2Bcamera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u7_DLhsmpHc/WZx3aOnURaI/AAAAAAAABeo/uLZEvQC3lxgZN88vP16UzKLrrz-ndS9IACLcBGAs/s320/eclipse%2Bcamera.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The very high-tech eclipse-viewing beer box.</i></b></td></tr>
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Time is funny. It's been a year since my last post and it feels like not more than a couple of months. The calendar says I'm getting old at lightening speed but the good thing is time is going by so fast I haven't even noticed.<br />
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I wanted to add this post back in April when our solar panels were fired up but I also wanted to have some data from Hydro One to make it a bit more interesting.<br />
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But before I get to the whole story, were you able to enjoy the solar eclipse this week? Thanks to my cousin Jamie, we got to see the eclipse with her beer box pinhole camera. None of us have the super-human eyeballs the US Prez has so we witnessed the eclipse this way.<br />
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There were many ways people were watching the eclipse. Some were using colanders, binoculars held backwards projecting the image onto a surface, pie plates with pinholes, those fancy and very sensible eclipse glasses, and I'm sure there were many, many more creative methods people thought up to avoid burning out their eyeballs.<br />
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My personal favourite way to watch the eclipse was using the online version of our inverter's solar production report. I thought this was cool because I am a self-described energy geek. Thankfully, it was a perfectly sunny day so the resulting graph showed the eclipse quite perfectly. I enjoyed the whole excitement around trying to view the eclipse but I'm happy it'll be another 7 years before the next one. It seriously cut into our solar production. Jeez!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iB2u3bKe2Ms/WZx9QXp8NQI/AAAAAAAABe8/ZL1fVTULnpgj_YJzaguFDhDf4EKHaZLmwCLcBGAs/s1600/sunny%2Bday%2Bgraph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1600" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iB2u3bKe2Ms/WZx9QXp8NQI/AAAAAAAABe8/ZL1fVTULnpgj_YJzaguFDhDf4EKHaZLmwCLcBGAs/s320/sunny%2Bday%2Bgraph.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The graph from the PV array of a perfectly sunny day in June.</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oy4YDgBqRgQ/WZx-m6IA16I/AAAAAAAABfI/DHvHAwACamQbyri9PHZDUhV2EagugrcaACEwYBhgL/s1600/eclipse%2Bgraph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oy4YDgBqRgQ/WZx-m6IA16I/AAAAAAAABfI/DHvHAwACamQbyri9PHZDUhV2EagugrcaACEwYBhgL/s320/eclipse%2Bgraph.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The graph from the PV array of a perfectly sunny day <br />
with a partial solar eclipse.</i></b></td></tr>
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Ok, enough about the eclipse. I just hope you all don't have sun spots blocking your vision while you're trying to read this.<br />
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As I mentioned earlier, our solar panels started producing electricity in April. We have 19 - 260 watt panels on the roof, equaling 4,940 watts...just shy of 5 kilowatts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mYmzmoSab-Q/WZyBVRhOA7I/AAAAAAAABfU/l9grU3mQ2Mk0UWmfdYsAq-MlRtZpC7E_ACLcBGAs/s1600/rooftop%2Barray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mYmzmoSab-Q/WZyBVRhOA7I/AAAAAAAABfU/l9grU3mQ2Mk0UWmfdYsAq-MlRtZpC7E_ACLcBGAs/s400/rooftop%2Barray.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Casa Tortuga's 5 kilowatt photo voltaic (PV) array.</i></b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g5p2qmfIlDo/WZyCPYdSdrI/AAAAAAAABfc/ZqtkMCpQqv872GGp_jVBXfKzYJy5-VBbQCLcBGAs/s1600/rooftop%2Barray2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g5p2qmfIlDo/WZyCPYdSdrI/AAAAAAAABfc/ZqtkMCpQqv872GGp_jVBXfKzYJy5-VBbQCLcBGAs/s400/rooftop%2Barray2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The panels sit silently up on the rooftop making many kilowatts for Casa Tortuga </i></b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TnifiYuYcsw/WZyFdwlQLUI/AAAAAAAABfo/9Uh6QubzlosRvjysDVPVb33AJ9Fc6J5FgCLcBGAs/s1600/inverter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TnifiYuYcsw/WZyFdwlQLUI/AAAAAAAABfo/9Uh6QubzlosRvjysDVPVb33AJ9Fc6J5FgCLcBGAs/s400/inverter.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The inverter sits silently in the garage making sunshine<br />
into electricity.</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K-E_HgyZAxo/WZyJN8hPPJI/AAAAAAAABf0/MoCyI3E3_vksbZAoXOsCh1KgMJpa1oJIgCEwYBhgL/s1600/net%2Bmeter%2Brevised.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K-E_HgyZAxo/WZyJN8hPPJI/AAAAAAAABf0/MoCyI3E3_vksbZAoXOsCh1KgMJpa1oJIgCEwYBhgL/s400/net%2Bmeter%2Brevised.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The net meter silently keeps track of what we take from the grid and what we <br />
return to the grid. I was right giddy the first time I saw the meter spin backwards.<br />
Well, these digital meters don't actually have any spinning parts but the dashes<br />
under the number move to the left when we are sending kWhs to the grid.</i></b></td></tr>
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Net metering is the coolest! And silent.<br />
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We get to make our own power when the sun is shining. First and foremost, the house uses the electricity our panels produce. We send any excess electricity the house can't use at peak production times back to the grid for a credit on our hydro bill, and then when it's dark we get to use the hydro grid to power the house. It works, silently, like a charm!<br />
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We've learned to use sunshine as our Hydro time-of-use. When the sun is shining we do laundry, run the dishwasher and the dehumidifier. When it's rainy or dark...laundry and dishes simply just have to pile up! Why pay a delivery charge for kWhs delivered to us from the grid when we can just use our own kWhs and therefore not get hit with the delivery charge? Yes, I warned you I was an energy geek.<br />
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Before our panels went live our average monthly bill was about $220. Hydro is the only utility we use to run this house, no propane, natural gas or oil, and no wood. We both work from home and therefore use electricity many more hours per day than folks who work away from home. And my shop, which was not built to passive house standards but better than conventional standards, is included in those monthly bills.<br />
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The Hydro bill is a joy to receive now. The average monthly bill is currently about $25. We have only received 3 bills so far that are completely on the net metering system, two of which we produced enough to be able to receive a generation credit. I know that it won't be that low through the winter but right now it is and we have built up some credit because we produce more electricity than we use so that will help to lower the first couple of winter bills at least.<br />
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Deciphering the first Hydro bill was a bit of a challenge. I finally did figure it out though. Basically, Hydro One reduces our bill by offsetting the exact number of kWhs we used with the same number from the kWhs we returned to them. This leaves only the basic monthly charge (which is calculated on the number of kWhs we take from the grid) plus HST. Any excess we have returned to the grid gets banked and credited at a time when we are actually taking more from the grid than sending back.<br />
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Here's what last months bill looks like.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TeZwtNCyl5s/WZ1f8M5yLPI/AAAAAAAABhI/N9T6yy_85mMz5BciyUi_nDZQdPqlGRJwQCLcBGAs/s1600/hydro%2Bbill%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="724" height="322" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TeZwtNCyl5s/WZ1f8M5yLPI/AAAAAAAABhI/N9T6yy_85mMz5BciyUi_nDZQdPqlGRJwQCLcBGAs/s400/hydro%2Bbill%2B1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>A history of Casa Tortuga's electricity use.</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OrJKFVoJZvY/WZ1hXpxf7RI/AAAAAAAABhU/bKOy2Q3tsGkFI8_tPUZ0P2sUXyVNZf5nACLcBGAs/s1600/hydro%2Bbill%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="725" height="282" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OrJKFVoJZvY/WZ1hXpxf7RI/AAAAAAAABhU/bKOy2Q3tsGkFI8_tPUZ0P2sUXyVNZf5nACLcBGAs/s400/hydro%2Bbill%2B2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>What we took from the grid for the month.</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cedYi1VRR3o/WZ1h2yOAIbI/AAAAAAAABhc/BsbBkvN1s-Mv5NFJqbeYt9aliBiJWGVLQCLcBGAs/s1600/hydro%2Bbill%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="726" height="335" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cedYi1VRR3o/WZ1h2yOAIbI/AAAAAAAABhc/BsbBkvN1s-Mv5NFJqbeYt9aliBiJWGVLQCLcBGAs/s400/hydro%2Bbill%2B3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>What we sent back to the grid and the calculation of our credit<br /> and banked credits.</i></b></td></tr>
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It sure beats the $220 monthly bill. We figure it should take about 10 years for the system to pay for itself. After that, the panels are warranted to continue working for at least another 10-15 years...for free. By then I really will be old and probably won't remember there's solar panels on the roof anyway!<br />
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Life is good when you make your own electricity.<br />
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Cheers,<br />
Mimi<br />
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Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-10850599347888125552016-08-29T18:42:00.000-04:002016-08-30T06:59:23.721-04:00Inside Passive House CasaTortuga<br />
We are closing in on one full year of living in the house now. It has been wonderful. I don't think either of us has missed Priscilla for even one second.<br />
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I'm still puttering along with finishing the bits that need finishing. The pantry is the next big project I'll soon be gearing up to start. The last couple of months has been dedicated to finishing the interior of the screened porch. It's finally done now too. At this time of the year it is the best room of the house. I will have to attempt to photograph it to show it off too but the quality of the pictures will be nothing like the ones that follow.<br />
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These pictures are some of only a few that you will find on the <a href="http://www.houzz.com/projects/1977084/passive-home-lyndhurst" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Kendel-Dezoete Designs</span></a> Houzz page. We would like to give a big shout out to Mike Dezoete for making the experience of tricking out a kitchen, 2 bathrooms and a laundry room/closet so enjoyable. By the time we finally found our way to Mike we were pretty overwhelmed by the whole process of building a house and having to make decisions about a million and one details. He made it fun again...and easy. Thanks Mike...you're the best!<br />
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So here is the main level of Casa Tortuga...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xazBXPPck0g/V8Rc8woB5OI/AAAAAAAABbo/9KE7mNhYr-olV1lgdzs15S3mbzrhudtJQCEw/s1600/160805%2BWykes-0582_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xazBXPPck0g/V8Rc8woB5OI/AAAAAAAABbo/9KE7mNhYr-olV1lgdzs15S3mbzrhudtJQCEw/s640/160805%2BWykes-0582_sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The kitchen is always the best room in the house. At this time of year the counter top is the same color as the leaves outside. It's almost like </em></strong><strong><em>you're outside when standing at the sink, surrounded by green and the large window. </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>It makes doing dishes a </em></strong><strong><em>little bit more pleasant...if that's possible.</em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> ~photo credit: RDZ Photography</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nnB7qn_pS7w/V8RdM6Ru41I/AAAAAAAABbo/BuOlOeZaUuY1ifHN_2YzIUCfluj_UR3BwCEw/s1600/160805%2BWykes-0592_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nnB7qn_pS7w/V8RdM6Ru41I/AAAAAAAABbo/BuOlOeZaUuY1ifHN_2YzIUCfluj_UR3BwCEw/s640/160805%2BWykes-0592_sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The kitchen view from the dining table.</em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: xx-small;"> ~photo credit: RDZ Photography</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hj_AESw6uUM/V8ReLTzb1JI/AAAAAAAABbo/fQFvJHcq7HE3w1TtH3E6Ci0OPMdicl_lQCEw/s1600/160805%2BWykes-707--11_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hj_AESw6uUM/V8ReLTzb1JI/AAAAAAAABbo/fQFvJHcq7HE3w1TtH3E6Ci0OPMdicl_lQCEw/s640/160805%2BWykes-707--11_sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The living room view from the dining table.</em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: xx-small;"> ~photo credit: RDZ Photography</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kcQVHzcX46k/V8Reb_8vjOI/AAAAAAAABbo/FGRg8utYNy8I_-5vDJxybhkto-oORooHgCEw/s1600/160805%2BWykes-0647_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kcQVHzcX46k/V8Reb_8vjOI/AAAAAAAABbo/FGRg8utYNy8I_-5vDJxybhkto-oORooHgCEw/s640/160805%2BWykes-0647_sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The master bathroom (or "principle" bathroom as cousin Marie prefers. Actually, I like that better too.).</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>The barrier-free shower is in the background. Note the niche by the tub...tall enough to accommodate any wine bottle!</em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: xx-small;"> ~photo credit: RDZ Photography</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0QRR4q3MX5o/V8Rep9g1-NI/AAAAAAAABbo/9RKaeN0CWOcDGtpQMuMi9wO3qQrcy-JCwCEw/s1600/160805%2BWykes-0667_sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0QRR4q3MX5o/V8Rep9g1-NI/AAAAAAAABbo/9RKaeN0CWOcDGtpQMuMi9wO3qQrcy-JCwCEw/s640/160805%2BWykes-0667_sm.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The view from the shower through the laundry/closet area into the principle bedroom.</em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: xx-small;"> ~photo credit: RDZ Photography</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--DGe8E64vcw/V8RgMJKzgzI/AAAAAAAABcM/Eu73dhSJ_yYEYeaLIJk_SZ9kK7Ns0KztQCEw/s1600/160805%2BWykes-0712_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--DGe8E64vcw/V8RgMJKzgzI/AAAAAAAABcM/Eu73dhSJ_yYEYeaLIJk_SZ9kK7Ns0KztQCEw/s640/160805%2BWykes-0712_sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The guest bathroom on the lower level. I still need to build the permanent vanity for this room. What is there now is</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>temporary...so guests have some place for toiletries when they visit.</em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: xx-small;"> ~photo credit: RDZ Photography</span></td></tr>
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That's it. The photographer was only here to photograph the kitchen and bathrooms. There are more photos that show more views of these rooms plus a couple more areas outside these rooms on the Kendel-Dezoete Designs page on Houzz. Check them out here: <a href="http://www.houzz.com/projects/1977084/passive-home-lyndhurst">http://www.houzz.com/projects/1977084/passive-home-Lyndhurst</a><br />
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And now for the not-so-high-quality photos...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-saw5QQf6Hu4/V8SfNC9zELI/AAAAAAAABcQ/iehXwOWLKxEYLwHk6MKm9WeGE74aZxHvACEw/s1600/File%2B2016-08-29%252C%2B4%2B38%2B34%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-saw5QQf6Hu4/V8SfNC9zELI/AAAAAAAABcQ/iehXwOWLKxEYLwHk6MKm9WeGE74aZxHvACEw/s640/File%2B2016-08-29%252C%2B4%2B38%2B34%2BPM.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The recently completed screened porch, looking west. Absolutely the best room of the house at this time of year!</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>The ceiling actually isn't arched. The only way I can take a photo of a whole room is with the</em></strong><strong><em> panorama </em></strong><strong><em>function</em></strong><br />
<strong><em> on the iPhone's camera. That's the Turtle Falls workshop in the background... </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>where I spend most of my waking hours these days.</em></strong> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--YGdwe4UcaU/V8SpZGlfyqI/AAAAAAAABcs/Yna80XHZ_wktoOHJOBI-8EBMdTHSo322wCLcB/s1600/File%2B2016-08-29%252C%2B5%2B26%2B56%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--YGdwe4UcaU/V8SpZGlfyqI/AAAAAAAABcs/Yna80XHZ_wktoOHJOBI-8EBMdTHSo322wCLcB/s640/File%2B2016-08-29%252C%2B5%2B26%2B56%2BPM.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Looking east in the screened porch. A wood-burning fireplace and <a href="http://www.sunspacesunrooms.com/weathermaster/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">WeatherMaster windows</span></a> will allow us</em></strong><br />
<strong><em> to use this room on those nice sunny days through the fall and winter.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
That's all for now. I better get back to work...still many things to build for Casa Tortuga in the Turtle Falls workshop!<br />
<br />
More later,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-78149708500591416662016-07-17T16:43:00.000-04:002016-07-17T16:45:01.762-04:00Certified Passive House Casa Tortuga<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1tsn8dVXYfg/V4vfxo4kJ8I/AAAAAAAABYo/908ShwphWgMxMIsl4DHbaJzMmxGojAJbwCLcB/s1600/File%2BJul%2B17%252C%2B3%2B38%2B57%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1tsn8dVXYfg/V4vfxo4kJ8I/AAAAAAAABYo/908ShwphWgMxMIsl4DHbaJzMmxGojAJbwCLcB/s400/File%2BJul%2B17%252C%2B3%2B38%2B57%2BPM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Casa Tortuga's new welcome sign.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Five years ago we bought the piece of waterfront property we now affectionately call Turtle Falls.<br />
<br />
Four years ago we started planning to build something. We had no idea what at the time.<br />
<br />
Two years ago we started to build the house we call Casa Tortuga. We were striving for Passive House certification. It was a big leap of faith in an area where no other passive houses existed to help guide us on our journey.<br />
<br />
We had 3 very dedicated men willing to help us achieve such a lofty goal. None of them had built a passive house before or had even heard of such a thing. They were meticulous in executing the details necessary to achieve passive house standards.<br />
<br />
March 15th of 2016, we were notified that we had achieved Passive House certification.<br />
<br />
Hallelujah!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SSp4y0lSe4o/V4vmpxzNHvI/AAAAAAAABZA/-QWdSIq1RwkPdamlo7sCygP6io2iV2J9ACEw/s1600/File%2B2016-07-17%252C%2B4%2B06%2B30%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SSp4y0lSe4o/V4vmpxzNHvI/AAAAAAAABZA/-QWdSIq1RwkPdamlo7sCygP6io2iV2J9ACEw/s400/File%2B2016-07-17%252C%2B4%2B06%2B30%2BPM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The west end of Casa Tortuga...and the view you see as you drive up.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KKGRqZbZG0Q/V4vm6IOD-zI/AAAAAAAABY8/5UmrnvyUosw675iTIlH7wm9QQ-RKaKnPwCEw/s1600/File%2B2016-07-17%252C%2B3%2B35%2B30%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KKGRqZbZG0Q/V4vm6IOD-zI/AAAAAAAABY8/5UmrnvyUosw675iTIlH7wm9QQ-RKaKnPwCEw/s400/File%2B2016-07-17%252C%2B3%2B35%2B30%2BPM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The south facing façade with enough overhang to keep the interior cool</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>during the hot summer days.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We still have landscaping to do. But we have the rest of our days to putz away at that. The kitchen designer is wanting to come by soon and photograph the interior...so you'll have to wait to see the inside until that has been done.<br />
<br />
That's all for now. It's a gorgeous day here at Turtle Falls and I really would prefer to be on the dock than typing away at this computer. <br />
<br />
More later,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VL8MeznlpZA/V4vnPHK6fLI/AAAAAAAABZM/OzFnhHwfLyAAn_M34-WYIK66V9W04bx1gCEw/s1600/File%2B2016-07-17%252C%2B3%2B42%2B45%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VL8MeznlpZA/V4vnPHK6fLI/AAAAAAAABZM/OzFnhHwfLyAAn_M34-WYIK66V9W04bx1gCEw/s200/File%2B2016-07-17%252C%2B3%2B42%2B45%2BPM.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Welcome to Casa Tortuga...</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>one of Canada's newest</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>certified passive houses.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-83183482624381877032016-01-16T18:55:00.000-05:002016-01-17T18:01:04.943-05:00Insulation Insanity?Time sure does fly when you're having fun. We have been living in the house now for 4 months and I am still puttering along on the interior finishing details. That's why I have been so lax with the blog posts.<br />
<br />
<br />
Today's ramblings are about the insulation encapsulating Casa Tortuga. Insulation is one of the main components of a passive house. For the uninitiated, the amount of insulation we have in this house is a real head shaker. More often than not, folks will look at us in disbelief when the subject comes up and you can see them mentally calculating the expense of all that over insulation and then...well...they shake their head some more. <br />
<br />
<br />
You be the judge. Here's what has gone into insulating this house...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vs45x1NwnGk/Vpqs0vlrYDI/AAAAAAAABWk/gCGPleOQn3s/s1600/DSC00271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vs45x1NwnGk/Vpqs0vlrYDI/AAAAAAAABWk/gCGPleOQn3s/s400/DSC00271.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>14" (35.5cm) of XPS under the slab. That's an R-value of 70.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<em>
</em>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vn8yJQOkc2s/Vpqx5EbIedI/AAAAAAAABW0/TKHe7ip6G0M/s1600/DSC00887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vn8yJQOkc2s/Vpqx5EbIedI/AAAAAAAABW0/TKHe7ip6G0M/s400/DSC00887.JPG" width="400" /></em></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>1" (2.5cm) of foil-faced polyiso/XPS between the stud wall and the concrete</strong></em><br />
<em><strong>foundation wall. This is the layer that gives us the continuous air-tight </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>envelope, bottom to top.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<em><strong>
</strong></em>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LFaR7gcGfJk/VpqzykhZttI/AAAAAAAABXA/nGaqcOHl3RQ/s1600/DSC00955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><strong><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LFaR7gcGfJk/VpqzykhZttI/AAAAAAAABXA/nGaqcOHl3RQ/s400/DSC00955.JPG" width="400" /></strong></em></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>1" (2.5cm) foil-faced polyiso, making its way to the ceiling of the upper level.</strong></em><br />
<em><strong>This layer also serves as our vapour barrier.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<em><strong></strong></em><em><strong>
</strong></em><em><strong>
</strong></em><em><strong>
</strong></em><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6zfzu6g79do/Vpq1SeZMjDI/AAAAAAAABXM/ypZINe1voMc/s1600/DSC01022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><strong><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6zfzu6g79do/Vpq1SeZMjDI/AAAAAAAABXM/ypZINe1voMc/s400/DSC01022.JPG" width="400" /></strong></em></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The air-tight envelope is completed with the installation of </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>1" (2.5cm) polyiso on the ceiling of the upper level.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<em><strong></strong></em><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZRtv4ani9w/Vpq3tGJcruI/AAAAAAAABXY/2TYgBFFDCcQ/s1600/DSC01124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZRtv4ani9w/Vpq3tGJcruI/AAAAAAAABXY/2TYgBFFDCcQ/s400/DSC01124.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>On the inside of the 1" (2.5cm) polyiso </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>is 6" (15cm) of Roxul mineral wool insulation.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AeZXgYZC3ic/Vpq6BkGV0JI/AAAAAAAABXk/bFM_3U5s2UY/s1600/DSC01282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AeZXgYZC3ic/Vpq6BkGV0JI/AAAAAAAABXk/bFM_3U5s2UY/s400/DSC01282.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>On the outside of the concrete foundation, 2 layers of EPS Styrofoam </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>equal to 10.5" (26.6cm) is installed. Also, note the 16" (40.6cm) deep I-joist </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>cavities above the styrofoamed concrete foundation.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LW7BnSTglv0/Vpq8xaIvJRI/AAAAAAAABXw/dU9bP4St170/s1600/DSC01413%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LW7BnSTglv0/Vpq8xaIvJRI/AAAAAAAABXw/dU9bP4St170/s400/DSC01413%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Those 16" (40.6cm) deep I-joists, installed all around the house above the </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>concrete</strong></em><em><strong> foundation wall, get filled with dense-pack cellulose. The wall </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>system is now </strong></em><em><strong>around R-72 (Roxul/polyiso/concrete/EPS) </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>to R-90 (Roxul/polyiso/cellulose) </strong></em><em><strong>when the Roxul, polyiso and cellulose </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>components are added together.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WAGAowTTOPg/VprCu7PI8AI/AAAAAAAABYA/to8pokP28hU/s1600/DSC01041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WAGAowTTOPg/VprCu7PI8AI/AAAAAAAABYA/to8pokP28hU/s400/DSC01041.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Last but not least, 28" (71cm) of blown-in cellulose in the </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>attic completes the passive house insulation. R-value here is around 80.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Well...are you shaking your head yet? Laid out in pictures like this it does seem a bit over the top. But the fact that the heat pump rarely gets past the ultra low setting on a cloudy day here in the winter makes it all worthwhile.<br />
<br />
I will say the lack of a conventional heating system makes for a very comfortable living environment. You may know what it's like with the drier winter air and the forced-air heating...how you feel like you're drying up from the inside out, the chapped lips, the parched mouth, the itchy dry skin. Well...that doesn't happen here. Just one of the perks of insane amounts of insulation. <br />
<br />
Gotta love it!<br />
<br />
More later,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-62085724381772562112015-11-15T17:53:00.000-05:002015-11-15T17:53:07.665-05:00Heating & Ventilation - Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gnH4gb16gW0/Vkj1mlFA5VI/AAAAAAAABWU/vle1ObE_5Qs/s1600/turtle%2Bturtleneck.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gnH4gb16gW0/Vkj1mlFA5VI/AAAAAAAABWU/vle1ObE_5Qs/s200/turtle%2Bturtleneck.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Now that the temperatures are starting to dip around these parts our minds are on staying warm indoors rather than cooling off in the lake. It's time to talk about how we will be heating Casa Tortuga.<br />
<br />
Usually by this time of year, in any of our previous residences, I would have already been wearing a turtleneck for a few weeks and we'd have cranked the thermostat up to 24°C. The furnace would run almost constantly and there would be times, even though the thermostat said 24°C, there still seemed to be a chill that made me want to wear my turtleneck to bed. And I did sometimes...socks too. It was not fun...nor sexy for that matter. Anyway...<br />
<br />
This is also the time of year when the clocks have been turned back and it's dark by about 4:30 pm that I wish I had a time machine that could fast forward through the dark cold months and transport us right into spring again. <br />
<br />
This year sheds a whole new light on how I feel about the arrival of winter. With the sun getting lower in the sky every day we are benefiting from the solar heat gain. So now I look at the shorter days in a completely different way than I have in the past. I actually find myself looking forward to the next shorter day to see how much further into the house the beautiful sunshine will reach. To date, a sunny day will easily get the interior temperature to 24°+C, without the help of any other heat source.<br />
<br />
The turtlenecks are still waiting for me. I say let them wait!<br />
<br />
One thing Ras and I have both noticed is that 21°C feels warmer in this house than it ever did in the last house. 21°C was turtleneck temperature for sure (for me at least) in the last house and reason to bump the thermostat to 24°C. In this house, 21°C is perfectly comfortable. I continue to wonder if 21°C inside will still be comfortable when it's -21°C outside and the sun hasn't shone for 2 weeks.<br />
<br />
It's the cloudy days for which we had to install the heat sources. So here's what heats the place.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rw0VbUpgUIw/VkRFhfA1WrI/AAAAAAAABUo/ZEY92ctCMfA/s1600/IMG_2895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><em><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rw0VbUpgUIw/VkRFhfA1WrI/AAAAAAAABUo/ZEY92ctCMfA/s400/IMG_2895.JPG" width="400" /></em></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Two <a href="http://www.fujitsugeneral.com/ms_advantages.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Fujitsu air source heat pumps</span></a> (16,000 BTU/h), one for each level.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pyg283JAnBo/Vki7wsB-L9I/AAAAAAAABVU/flV_t8GGIS8/s1600/IMG_2976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pyg283JAnBo/Vki7wsB-L9I/AAAAAAAABVU/flV_t8GGIS8/s400/IMG_2976.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>One indoor heat pump head (white box on the wall, top right) on the main level.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oh4wrTW-ImM/Vki7x8XA2BI/AAAAAAAABVY/kxbmNzmzhhM/s1600/IMG_2978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oh4wrTW-ImM/Vki7x8XA2BI/AAAAAAAABVY/kxbmNzmzhhM/s400/IMG_2978.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>One indoor heat pump head on the lower level.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Artwork still not hung making walls look too too naked.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Supplemental heat sources include...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wGcxw1u52DQ/VkRNOyVoE6I/AAAAAAAABVE/NpmbrGlnHXk/s1600/IMG_2808%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wGcxw1u52DQ/VkRNOyVoE6I/AAAAAAAABVE/NpmbrGlnHXk/s400/IMG_2808%25281%2529.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.schluter.com/ditra-heat/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Ditra-Heat</span></a> in-floor heat in the master bath area.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LZWLVGUhpps/VkjDDGH1vsI/AAAAAAAABV4/0LAUKIgpSP4/s1600/IMG_2985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LZWLVGUhpps/VkjDDGH1vsI/AAAAAAAABV4/0LAUKIgpSP4/s400/IMG_2985.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>There are 2 LED fireplaces in the house, one on each level. The electric</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>heat function was used toward our supplemental heat source calculations.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>We only wanted the fireplaces for the (light) ambience. It's doubtful</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>we will ever use the heat function.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The building inspector was concerned we would have cold rooms in the house because the heat sources are centralized rather than ducted, therefore he insisted we wire for baseboard heaters in every room. Sacrilege! We wired to appease him but I refuse to let a baseboard heater anywhere near the place.<br />
<br />
This past weekend we kept the door closed on the north-east-corner room on the lower level. There is no heat source in that room other than the east facing window. After 48 hours with the door closed the temperature was incredibly close to the rest of the house, almost imperceptible.<br />
<br />
So far, the inspector has been proven quite wrong. I know it's still relatively mild compared to what we are in for but all the rooms in the house are comfortably warm. I haven't done my geek thing yet to measure temperatures room by room. That's a project I will get to. The ERV was just commissioned earlier this week so I didn't want to get too crazy measuring stuff until that was done.<br />
<br />
Last, but not least. Our choice for water heating.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GJ_OZMUqFdo/VkjFl0ceTLI/AAAAAAAABWE/TMv9vUIO8Ak/s1600/20150926_003640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GJ_OZMUqFdo/VkjFl0ceTLI/AAAAAAAABWE/TMv9vUIO8Ak/s400/20150926_003640.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em> 80 gallon <a href="http://www.hotwater.com/water-heaters/residential/hybrid/?f=566,568&s=0&v=15&p=1" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">A.O. Smith</span></a> air-source heat pump water heater.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We chose an air-source heat pump water heater for it's energy efficiency. Some would argue that the purchase price of the unit wipes out any savings gained by the lower energy usage. That may very well be true in this case too, but we needed the unit's efficiency and cooling capabilities to help with our passive house numbers. In for a penny in for a pound, as they say.<br />
<br />
The water heater has worked like a charm...but it is noisy. The compressor runs at about the noise level of a canister-type vacuum. Until we get the insulated door on the utility room we have taken to switching the unit over to electric (silent) mode only when we have overnight visitors. I have checked the hydro website to compare electricity usage of both modes. The heat pump mode is definitely more efficient using about 4 kWh for one heating cycle vs about 10kWh during one heating cycle in electric mode.<br />
<br />
Some advantages that this heat pump water heater has over a conventional water heater is that it cools the air in the room. That's how this water heater works...it takes the heat from the surrounding air to heat the water. Our utility/storage room is plenty big enough to accommodate the air volume needs of the water heater so we have not noticed that the air temperature in the surrounding rooms is noticeably cooler. This cooling feature will come in handy in the summer. As well, it dehumidifies the air. And...it keeps the air temperature of the utility room at the perfect temperature for storing wine. Bonus! Maybe the extra cost for the unit is not that bad after all.<br />
<br />
That's enough for now...cheers,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-66196658544472207322015-10-12T17:56:00.001-04:002015-10-12T18:36:47.397-04:00First Annual Cold Turkey PlungeI hope all you Canadians out there survived your over-indulgence of turkey this long Thanksgiving weekend. We did!<br />
<br />
Just for fun, and mostly for our friends who have heard enough about passive house and long for something more fun to read about here on the blog, this one is for you.<br />
<br />
Ras has decided that the Thanksgiving tradition here at Turtle Falls should be as invigorating as it is crazy. So she initiated the Cold Turkey Plunge. And believe it or not she was able to recruit four other keeners to join her. Here they are...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-epA7vo-KPGo/VhwXdV1k-hI/AAAAAAAABTk/zCCYwkPEQ5c/s1600/IMG_2899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-epA7vo-KPGo/VhwXdV1k-hI/AAAAAAAABTk/zCCYwkPEQ5c/s400/IMG_2899.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The brave ones...2 nephews, a sister, a sister-in-law, and Ras</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Now let me explain why I am not in the picture. Someone had to take pictures. And since I actually have a degree in photographic arts, who better to take the photos? It matters not that my sister takes way better photographs than I do even though she doesn't have the 4 years of training under her camera belt as I do. It matters not that the water temperature was a seriously shivering 15°C (59°F). Someone had to document the First Annual Cold Turkey Plunge. Right?<br />
<br />
Ok, the truth is...I'm a big wimp! Cold is not my cup of tea. 'Nuf said.<br />
<br />
So here it is, as best I could do with only an iPhone for a camera in a 14' boat on a blustery day in front of the Turtle Falls dock...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aowXOVoA2_I/VhwXeOTgOKI/AAAAAAAABTw/61LaYKasYrY/s1600/IMG_2898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aowXOVoA2_I/VhwXeOTgOKI/AAAAAAAABTw/61LaYKasYrY/s400/IMG_2898.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Note how the instigator of the event is the first one to hit the water.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Note the passel of paparazzi shooting from behind.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9k5RJhn23Qs/VhwXlQkl7cI/AAAAAAAABUE/5VTFtBUR_wg/s1600/IMG_2902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9k5RJhn23Qs/VhwXlQkl7cI/AAAAAAAABUE/5VTFtBUR_wg/s400/IMG_2902.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Oh...that has got to be cold.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-apPi4vEHjb0/VhwXlaEe4dI/AAAAAAAABUI/Gws-yoy8Af0/s1600/IMG_2900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-apPi4vEHjb0/VhwXlaEe4dI/AAAAAAAABUI/Gws-yoy8Af0/s400/IMG_2900.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>I'd say by the look on Ras's face that...yup...it's cold.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've never seen so much clambering to be the first to get to the ladder. Note the nephew with the casted arm up in the air. Everyone blew past the poor dude trying to get out as fast as humanly possible. From the boat I kept wondering when someone was going to assist the one-armed lad out of the water. His mother finally offered a somewhat numbed helping hand.<br />
<br />
The yelping was pretty impressive too. Our apologies to the neighbors if the commotion interrupted your peaceful Thanksgiving dinners. <br />
<br />
I do have a little something-something for the readers that visit my blog strictly for passive house stuff. A product endorsement. In the cropped photo below, look at the cast protector on the arm of tall nephew. I said "the cast protector" people...eyes right. Eyes right!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hu_DvcP8xGI/VhwiydVWVnI/AAAAAAAABUU/khwTTk5XTsc/s1600/IMG_2899%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hu_DvcP8xGI/VhwiydVWVnI/AAAAAAAABUU/khwTTk5XTsc/s400/IMG_2899%25281%2529.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>No you have not been redirected to <a href="http://www.hot_1-armed_guys(dot)com/">www.hot_1-armed_guys(dot)com</a></em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
First I wrapped his cast with pallet wrap then taped that with Tuck tape, a clear plastic trash bag next, taped at the top with Siga Rissan tape for a water tight seal. It worked great...until it was time to unwrap him. Oh dear! Lordy, that stuff is sticky. I have to admit I started to sweat just a little when I was trying to get the tape to release from his skin. He smiled through the whole ordeal. He didn't spill any blood. I think he'll come back again to visit us.<br />
<br />
These passive house sealing tapes really are sticky, seal tightly in some pretty wet conditions (a frigid lake dip then a hot shower to warm up) and will hold like crazy. I think we can rest assured our miles and miles of tapes will do their job for decades to come. I'm just thankful I didn't go that one step further and use the Dockskin primer on his arm before taping him up. ;)<br />
<br />
I'll end my foolishness here.<br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-1261892032094413972015-10-10T10:42:00.000-04:002015-10-10T11:18:20.397-04:00Heating & Ventilation - Part 1It's been too long since I last wrote about the adventures of building this passive house. March I believe. When we passed our first blower door test. Most homes could be built in the length of time since my last post, but not Casa Tortuga. I joke that maybe we should have named the place Puma Palace and things may have happened much faster around here. But where's the fun in that? <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OtRFikifssU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OtRFikifssU?feature=player_embedded" style="clear: right; float: right;" width="320"></iframe>Much has happened here since March. We have actually moved into the house and Priscilla has <br />
left Turtle Falls for her next adventure. Will we miss her? Yes. And NO! The camping memories with <br />
family and friends will always be a highlight of the Priscilla years. The cramped quarters, the leaky <br />
roof, the outhouse...in the middle of the <br />
night, the ants, black flies, mosquitos and deer <br />
flies, the lack of showering and laundry facilities, <br />
the mice, the mice and...THE MICE! These are <br />
just a few of the things we will not miss. <br />
<br />
Moving on...<br />
<br />
Recently someone asked us what has been the <br />
most challenging or difficult part of the building of this house. Unequivocally, it has been the heating and ventilation system. Not because it is a difficult thing to do, but because we are building a house that no one in the building department in this township has ever seen. Mass confusion and misunderstanding ensued!<br />
<br />
To back up a little, we originally were going to install an <a href="http://ohmfreemimi.blogspot.ca/2013/05/a-new-nameand-canadian-cold-climate.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">EcoLogix cold climate heat pump</span></a>. After going through the whole process of having the heat/ventilation system designed for Casa Tortuga we were advised that maybe EcoLogix wasn't quite ready to offer the customer service we would want in the future. The product is apparently quite awesome, the support...not so much. Then we got jostled around from a ducted Daiken multi-split heat pump/<a href="http://zehnderamerica.com/products/heat-and-energy-recovery-ventilation-units/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Zehnder ERV</span></a> (energy recovery ventilator) system to a ducted Mitsubishi multi-split heat pump/<a href="http://www.airpohoda.eu/en/reference" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">AirPohoda ERV</span></a> system and finally to two individual ductless <a href="http://www.fujitsugeneral.com/ms_advantages.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Fujitsu mini-split heat pumps</span></a>/Zehnder ERV system.<br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JJtfSq8NYvo/VhimZVGHz3I/AAAAAAAABS0/lLIqWr42yaA/s1600/DSC01415%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JJtfSq8NYvo/VhimZVGHz3I/AAAAAAAABS0/lLIqWr42yaA/s400/DSC01415%25281%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></em></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><a href="http://zehnderamerica.com/products/heat-and-energy-recovery-ventilation-units/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Zehnder ComfoAir 550 Luxe ERV</span></a> (L) with the </em></strong><br />
<strong><em><a href="http://zehnderamerica.com/products/geothermal-heat-exchangers/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">ComfoFond Brine Loop</span></a> (R) option.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
The move to a local HVAC company rather than the original company chosen by our architect makes for the first change for our system. The second, the heat pump we wanted was not available yet and the ERV was not on the approved list. And finally we settled on the best available cold climate heat pump and ERV options available to us for the least amount of grief. All the best laid plans of mice and men...<br />
<br />
Too many mice may have been our problem, I think.<br />
<br />
Or it could be said that the building inspector has been the main reason for so much of the jumping around from system to system. AirPohoda, virtually unheard of here, has not yet made it to the list of approved ERVs for Canada and as much as we fought to get this incredibly efficient system in our house, the inspector was making the hoop-jumping impossible for us. Our last option was to go with something that was on the approved list. The Zehnder products are recognizable and approved here in Canada. And even though the efficiency of the AirPohoda trumps the Zehnder by a few percentage points, this machine is also pretty impressive. <br />
<br />
Having a tightly sealed house requires good ventilation. The ERV runs silently in the background 24/7 exhausting the stale air and replenishing with filtered fresh outdoor air. Within the confines of that darker gray box hanging on the wall, like magic, the majority of the heat from the warm exhaust air gets transferred (with no cross contamination) to the incoming fresh air. Efficiency at its best.<br />
<br />
Sometimes more details are just not necessary. It's kind of like electricity for me...flip a switch and a light comes on. I don't need to know how it works, I just need to know it will work. Same goes for the ventilation. Plugged it in. It works. I'm happy. Finally! It sure was a long haul getting to this point.<br />
<br />
The brine loop option (the light gray box) bumps up the efficiency of the ERV even more by pre-heating (pre-cooling in summer) the incoming fresh air. There is just under 500 feet (152m) of glycol-filled 3/4" Pex tubing buried in the ground on the north side of the house. While air temperatures can occasionally go below -30°C (-22°F) here in the winter, the ground temperature stays fairly constant at around +10°C (50°F) past 4' (1.22m) below the surface. The ground loop will temper that -30°C (-22°F) outdoor air so the ERV will work more efficiently. This will also work in reverse in the summer time when air temperatures are +30°C (86°F). The ground loop will help to lower the temperature of the incoming fresh air before it even reaches the ERV.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CGOeD7_V9yY/Vhiw22dtjCI/AAAAAAAABTE/Ab1IZ8iAf4U/s1600/DSC01377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CGOeD7_V9yY/Vhiw22dtjCI/AAAAAAAABTE/Ab1IZ8iAf4U/s400/DSC01377.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>With limited space for the ground loop, the 500' (152m) </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>was </em></strong><strong><em>installed in layers with a minimum of 2' (0.6m) </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>of fill </em></strong><strong><em>separating </em></strong><strong><em>each layer. The top layer of tubing</em></strong><br />
<strong><em> is 4' (1.22m) below the surface.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nrjtlKso0as/VhkLUMOwVSI/AAAAAAAABTU/0AEChthKHsE/s1600/DSC01416%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><em><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nrjtlKso0as/VhkLUMOwVSI/AAAAAAAABTU/0AEChthKHsE/s400/DSC01416%25281%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></em></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The 2 smaller grey vents are the intake and exhaust for the ERV. At the </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>time </em></strong><strong><em>of this photo, the spray foam around each pipe and cutting pipes to </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>length is </em></strong><strong><em>yet to be done. These need to be tightly sealed to maintain our </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>super </em></strong><strong><em>tight air seal.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The two units sitting on the stands in the photo above are the mini-split heat pumps. I will talk about those in the next post since I've probably already bored you to tears with this post. Lucky for you...there will not be a 7 month wait for the next post. <br />
<br />
And for those thinking of building a passive house, fear not! Our experience building a passive house is by no means typical. Far, far from it. Although we may not have approached this project with the simplest of ideals and plans, the resulting house is proving to be completely 100% worth the seemingly never-ending grief and gargantuan effort. As I write this, the morning sun is streaming in the gorgeously large east windows, gently warming the interior...for free. Life is good.<br />
<br />
We remain grateful to the ever expanding league of extraordinary gentlemen helping us breathe life...and fresh air...into this labour of love known as Casa Tortuga.<br />
<br />
Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canucks out there.<br />
<br />
Thankfully,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-19909893068055069882015-03-27T15:14:00.000-04:002015-03-27T17:21:56.749-04:000.34 ACH @ 50Pa - We passed the first test!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXQxefGyc5k/VRWKX4_PB7I/AAAAAAAABSI/7B_muRIujbE/s1600/DSC01070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXQxefGyc5k/VRWKX4_PB7I/AAAAAAAABSI/7B_muRIujbE/s1600/DSC01070.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Ross Elliott and Stephen Magneron from </em></strong><br />
<strong><em><a href="http://www.homesolbuildingsolutions.com/passive-house/" target="_blank">Homesol Building Solutions</a> collecting the numbers </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>from our initial blower door test.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's was a pretty exciting day here at Turtle Falls yesterday. After months of building in record cold temperatures we finally reached the stage where we could put the house and its airtight barrier through its first blower door test. I have to admit I was a bit nervous. Tests have always jarred my nerves and probably always will. <br />
<br />
But as the title of this post reveals, there was no need to be nervous. The guys from Crane Building Service have done an outstanding job so far building their first passive house, which was amazingly designed by Chris Straka at <a href="http://vertdesign.ca/3336-county-road-3-project-summary/" target="_blank">Vert Design Inc</a>, modeled to achieve passive house standard by <a href="http://www.homesolbuildingsolutions.com/passive-house/" target="_blank">Homesol Building Solutions</a> and the airtight installation of superior quality passive house certified windows and doors by <a href="http://www.herrmannframes.com/#" target="_blank">Herrmann's Timber-Frame Homes</a>. Ras and I extend our greatest gratitude to all the guys for their continuing support and careful attention to all the details required to get us on the right path to passive house certification.<br />
<br />
One of the most important features of a passive house is it must be airtight to within 0.6 air changes per hour under a pressure of 50 pascal (0.60 ACH@50Pa), meaning that it will take one hour for 60% of the volume of air in the whole house to be exchanged or about an hour and 40 minutes for one complete air change. Little ol' Casa Tortuga and its band of brilliant builders achieved a mid-term test score of 0.34 ACH@50...pretty good indeed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bQp0PYohL5E/VRWJ32_HsOI/AAAAAAAABSA/4hdlRwfj7W4/s1600/DSC01081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bQp0PYohL5E/VRWJ32_HsOI/AAAAAAAABSA/4hdlRwfj7W4/s1600/DSC01081.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The meticulous men from Crane's Building Service </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>(l-r) Lee Ostrom, Mark Raison and Al Paige.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>0.34 ACH@50Pa...well below the 0.6 required.</em></strong> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
To put that number in perspective, as tightly sealed as Casa Tortuga is it would take about three hours for one complete air change and this means that in the dead of winter with all the ventilation and heating systems switched off, a passive house would typically lose about 0.5°C per day, stabilizing somewhere between 10°C to 15°C (50<strong><em>°</em></strong>F to 59°F<em>)</em>. And that's if the sun isn't shining. <br />
<br />
Now I'll compare that to the house I grew up in...(sorry mom). Mom has been a real sweetheart to allow us to live with her during this crazy cold winter while construction continued. As much as we love <a href="http://ohmfreemimi.blogspot.ca/2011/08/priscilla-receives-her-first-guest.html" target="_blank">Priscilla</a>, winter is just too much for her thin-tinned walls to handle so mom graciously took us in. I must tell you that my childhood home is easily 100 years old and has had some updates over the years including a new kitchen addition, windows and furnace. I don't ever remember there being any insulation top-ups though. One cold night I noticed that the furnace was running almost constantly so my inner geek thought it might be fun to time this furnace cycling. It ran for 20 minutes, stopped for 3 minutes, ran for 20 minutes, stopped for 3...all night long and all day long for as long as those nasty -27°C days (and some -32°C) lasted. This house was losing about 1°C every 20 minutes with the heating/ventilation systems on. Compare that to the anticipated (systems off) passive house heat loss of 0.5°C per day. It makes the grief we have gone through with construction and weather delays worth every moment when I look at everything from this perspective.<br />
<br />
So let me go back and show you some of the reasons we achieved such a good number.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vlsB-h8HywU/VRVEHBHrIPI/AAAAAAAABRA/T2A4wnTikFo/s1600/DSC01006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vlsB-h8HywU/VRVEHBHrIPI/AAAAAAAABRA/T2A4wnTikFo/s1600/DSC01006.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The excellent triple-glazed Gaulhofer passive house windows installed by</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>perfectionists Adrian & Andreas of <a href="http://www.herrmannframes.com/#" target="_blank">Herrmann's Timber-Frame Homes</a>.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em> These guys had </em></strong><strong><em>smiles on their faces all week while installing in nasty </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>cold </em></strong><strong><em>temperatures, even when they had to apply sealing tapes with </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>ungloved hands. I think they must be part polar bear! Fun guys.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l4QdduvB71Q/VRVFk3PvnfI/AAAAAAAABRM/SvwbDeZFkGg/s1600/DSC01018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l4QdduvB71Q/VRVFk3PvnfI/AAAAAAAABRM/SvwbDeZFkGg/s1600/DSC01018.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Look at all the beautiful sunshine. But you know what sunshine in January </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>means in Eastern Ontario, eh? Minus 27°C (-17</em></strong><strong><em>°</em></strong><strong><em>F) or worse! Ah, but days </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>like </em></strong><strong><em>this </em></strong><strong><em>make for some cozy temperatures </em></strong><strong><em>inside a passive house.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m355CHo1yEQ/VRVHlryR-rI/AAAAAAAABRY/EwWb1DL_iRs/s1600/DSC01022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m355CHo1yEQ/VRVHlryR-rI/AAAAAAAABRY/EwWb1DL_iRs/s1600/DSC01022.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The completed airtight envelope. This one inch of foil-faced insulation board</em></strong><br />
<strong><em> is really all the wall/ceiling we have at the moment. The 6" (15cm) of Roxul </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>on</em></strong><strong><em> the </em></strong><strong><em>inside and </em></strong><strong><em>16" (40cm) of dense pack cellulose outside is still not </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>installed </em></strong><strong><em>but we </em></strong><strong><em>were reaching </em></strong><strong><em>temperatures as high as 24°C (75°F) </em></strong><strong><em>and</em></strong><br />
<strong><em> maintaining at least 13°C (55</em></strong><strong><em>°F) </em></strong><strong><em>even in the -27°C (-17</em></strong><strong><em>°F) </em></strong><strong><em>weather, </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>using just one electric construction heater.</em></strong><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9QkERJhKySI/VRVLEagJ0yI/AAAAAAAABRk/2BLmYNK4hww/s1600/DSC01042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9QkERJhKySI/VRVLEagJ0yI/AAAAAAAABRk/2BLmYNK4hww/s1600/DSC01042.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>28" (71cm) of cellulose has been blown into the attic space</em></strong><br />
<strong><em> by </em></strong><strong><em><a href="http://greengiantdesignbuild.ca/home/" target="_blank">Green Giant Design Build</a>. </em></strong><strong><em>When settled, it should sit</em></strong><br />
<strong><em> at a depth of about 25" (63cm). The R-value </em></strong><strong><em>of the </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>insulation </em></strong><strong><em>above </em></strong><strong><em>the ceiling is closing in on 90.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rhj3S1weJQM/VRWOFw2Q6mI/AAAAAAAABSU/D8meTsbd4PM/s1600/DSC01083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rhj3S1weJQM/VRWOFw2Q6mI/AAAAAAAABSU/D8meTsbd4PM/s1600/DSC01083.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The 2x6 space below the airtight foil barrier is the service chase for electrical</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>wires and ventilation ducts. All lights/ducts can be installed in the ceiling</em></strong><br />
<strong><em> now without compromising the airtight envelope.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
That's all for this post. Next up will be a smallish rambling about the heat and ventilation system for Casa Tortuga. I've lost count of how many times we've had to endure the comment that a house should not be so tightly sealed..."houses need to breathe, ya know!"<br />
<br />
More later,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />
<br />
Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-89652923549864011942014-12-07T11:59:00.001-05:002014-12-07T12:48:24.406-05:00Turtle's pace Downgraded to a Snail's pace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ml26pC0w0_k/VIRMAFr7tjI/AAAAAAAABNc/Hocmdol7Y2k/s1600/snail_riding_turtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ml26pC0w0_k/VIRMAFr7tjI/AAAAAAAABNc/Hocmdol7Y2k/s1600/snail_riding_turtle.jpg" height="200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="135" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</a>It's been months since I've written a post and I'm having trouble knowing where to begin. It will seem to you, from the photos, like a lot has been accomplished here at Turtle Falls but then when I remind you that the last post was August 22nd you may wonder what is taking so long. I wonder that every day too even though I'm livin' the dream. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The number of roadblocks we have encountered can truly get us down at times. Weather, architectural design flaws, architectural detail omissions, weather, material delays, painstaking attention to air-tightness details, weather, health issues with the building crew, not having enough building crew, engineering omissions and the delays associated with waiting for new engineered details. Oh...and did I mention weather? We are now just waiting for the winter to kick into high gear. That should really help with our schedule!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sarcasm aside, we are happy to have a crew that takes the time to do things with care and attention to detail. We are confident that we are getting a very well built house. Now, if only we could find them a faster turtle!</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Here are some photos of what's gone into building passive house Casa Tortuga to date:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DCdtiBz1ERc/VIRelKn4VVI/AAAAAAAABOE/Re5XIrisRyw/s1600/DSC00872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DCdtiBz1ERc/VIRelKn4VVI/AAAAAAAABOE/Re5XIrisRyw/s1600/DSC00872.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>One inch (2.5cm) thick polyisocyanurate board (foil-faced foam) is glued </strong><br />
<strong>on </strong><strong>every </strong><strong>stud </strong><strong>and nailed to the exterior side of the stud wall.</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E1GIafbEUlg/VIReyR57_NI/AAAAAAAABOM/LTD1ep-yYns/s1600/DSC00877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E1GIafbEUlg/VIReyR57_NI/AAAAAAAABOM/LTD1ep-yYns/s1600/DSC00877.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>One inch (2.5cm) thick high density Styrofoam is installed where floor </strong><br />
<strong>joists/rim boards </strong><strong>will sit. </strong><br />
<strong>Then all seams are taped with Siga Rissan for air-tightness.</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_wUrUV3bnA0/VIRf06V7z0I/AAAAAAAABOY/E2HRwp4aMj4/s1600/DSC00878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_wUrUV3bnA0/VIRf06V7z0I/AAAAAAAABOY/E2HRwp4aMj4/s1600/DSC00878.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>The first section of wall raised. Yeah! The seam between wall sections gets</strong><br />
<strong>taped from the inside to continue that complete air-tight barrier.</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tunKloHIWeA/VIRgDJoFCsI/AAAAAAAABOg/yZvZS6--zCU/s1600/DSC00880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tunKloHIWeA/VIRgDJoFCsI/AAAAAAAABOg/yZvZS6--zCU/s1600/DSC00880.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Corners get wrapped with foam board and taped</strong><br />
<strong> before the section gets moved to its final spot.</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MSLvPwMg_sQ/VIRgdnZjKvI/AAAAAAAABOo/ZEpYTXex7Zo/s1600/DSC00893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MSLvPwMg_sQ/VIRgdnZjKvI/AAAAAAAABOo/ZEpYTXex7Zo/s1600/DSC00893.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>A bead of adhesive gets applied at the floor...</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8_HZxaxlk8/VIRgfrd8HUI/AAAAAAAABOw/XIy35uhWdJo/s1600/DSC00896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8_HZxaxlk8/VIRgfrd8HUI/AAAAAAAABOw/XIy35uhWdJo/s1600/DSC00896.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>And the wall section is lowered over the anchor bolts and onto the </strong><br />
<strong>adhesive, </strong><strong>completing the air tight seal at the floor.</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WkL3D7mcyHs/VIRp7bZjCQI/AAAAAAAABPM/Cham6J54rOk/s1600/DSC00912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WkL3D7mcyHs/VIRp7bZjCQI/AAAAAAAABPM/Cham6J54rOk/s1600/DSC00912.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Steel beams and massive window headers are boomed into place.</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XZzSJpwaGew/VIRrNROWVGI/AAAAAAAABPY/mUzRmQ6ptRQ/s1600/DSC00926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XZzSJpwaGew/VIRrNROWVGI/AAAAAAAABPY/mUzRmQ6ptRQ/s1600/DSC00926.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>A rare moment of joyful-jumping and exuberance when weather and </strong><br />
<strong>construction </strong><strong>speed </strong><strong>are playing nicely together. Ras...you're too cute!</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iWpwH6cOGpo/VIRtoQKqf-I/AAAAAAAABPk/NyXNKud7pZA/s1600/DSC00955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iWpwH6cOGpo/VIRtoQKqf-I/AAAAAAAABPk/NyXNKud7pZA/s1600/DSC00955.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>All seams taped. High density styro on the tops of all walls (you may need</strong><br />
<strong> to </strong><strong>zoom in to see that detail) to which the ceiling polyisocyanurate boards </strong><br />
<strong>get taped. </strong><strong>Once that polyiso is in place, the continuous air-tight bubble of </strong><br />
<strong>foam around the </strong><strong>living space will be complete. It will eliminate </strong><br />
<strong>all thermal bridging as well.</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vS1u6Qrov9s/VIRxHNoWKrI/AAAAAAAABPw/IeJnt0Q_TNE/s1600/DSC00963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vS1u6Qrov9s/VIRxHNoWKrI/AAAAAAAABPw/IeJnt0Q_TNE/s1600/DSC00963.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Trusses and roof sheathing finally arrive. </strong><br />
<strong>What's with the weird looking window openings, you ask?</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NcUYayKVqR0/VIR1c32vzXI/AAAAAAAABP8/yBtAfkR_zGE/s1600/IMG_2211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NcUYayKVqR0/VIR1c32vzXI/AAAAAAAABP8/yBtAfkR_zGE/s1600/IMG_2211.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Before I get to windows...</strong><br />
<strong>the concrete gets two coats of elastomeric waterproofing membrane.</strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pzqCFR7taEg/VIR5DgYRyeI/AAAAAAAABQQ/cBC4pX8-hbo/s1600/IMG_2231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pzqCFR7taEg/VIR5DgYRyeI/AAAAAAAABQQ/cBC4pX8-hbo/s1600/IMG_2231.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>The window bucks are built to accommodate the windows in the 23" (58cm) </strong><br />
<strong>thick walls. </strong><strong>It looks rather odd right now but once the exterior 16" (40cm) </strong><br />
<strong>of insulation gets </strong><strong>installed they will look like any other window.</strong> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I realize this post is getting excessively long so I will end here for now. You can see from the photos the amount of detail that you will <strong><em>not</em></strong> see in conventional building. Details...just one of the items in the list of why this project seems to take forever to go anywhere. <br />
<br />
More later...giddyup turtle, winter is fast approaching!<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-56388162989663786762014-08-22T17:04:00.000-04:002014-08-22T17:04:48.593-04:00The Big Bunker TheoryNo doubt some of you have heard of the <a href="http://diefenbunker.ca/history-of-cfs-carp/" target="_blank">Diefenbunker.</a> Most everyone who has visited Turtle Falls while the rebar was being installed wondered if we were building the next Diefenbunker. Oh wait...that would mean it might be named the Harperbunker. Hell no...no way!! I'll admit there is a lot of steel in this house and I suppose if you use your imagination you may see some similarities in the following photos. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6bu6gfH8Lrg/U_deeU7PZNI/AAAAAAAABKU/Ed46tsrXrvI/s1600/diefenbunker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zLHgu27vHfo/U_dh2VskVvI/AAAAAAAABKs/fO9s5TqSna8/s1600/diefenbunker2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zLHgu27vHfo/U_dh2VskVvI/AAAAAAAABKs/fO9s5TqSna8/s1600/diefenbunker2.jpg" height="251" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The Diefenbunker under construction 1961. Courtesy of </strong></em><a href="http://diefenbunker.ca/"><em><strong>Diefenbunker.ca</strong></em></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Li61JjcOwHQ/U_dk6S-03SI/AAAAAAAABK4/0eiVV5xJJ6U/s1600/DSC00686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Li61JjcOwHQ/U_dk6S-03SI/AAAAAAAABK4/0eiVV5xJJ6U/s1600/DSC00686.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The TurtleBunker under construction 2014.</strong></em><br />
<em><strong>(Sorry PM Harper, you cannot have your name on this bunker!)</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-umq1h-PQg4o/U_dhEwKBpeI/AAAAAAAABKc/j9JnY0ede7o/s1600/DSC00722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-umq1h-PQg4o/U_dhEwKBpeI/AAAAAAAABKc/j9JnY0ede7o/s1600/DSC00722.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>21,000 linear feet of rebar in the slab and walls equals about 10 tons.</strong></em><br />
<strong><em>The Diefenbunker has 5000 tons of steel. Not even close!</em></strong></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFKfKJmyyM4/U_dhlXSFMiI/AAAAAAAABKk/B6iKOgFh2xw/s1600/DSC00760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFKfKJmyyM4/U_dhlXSFMiI/AAAAAAAABKk/B6iKOgFh2xw/s1600/DSC00760.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Forming the TurtleBunker walls.</strong></em></td></tr>
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<br />
So why so much steel, you ask? The concrete slab is a full 12 inches (30.5cm) thick sitting on a 14 inch (35.5cm) floating bed of Styrofoam. Concrete not only shrinks as it dries but continues to expand and contract with temperature changes. The rebar reduces the amount of cracking the slab will endure over its lifetime and helps distribute the weight of loadbearing walls. No saw-cut contraction joints were allowed to be cut in this slab, as specified by the engineers, probably because these saw cuts would likely have to be about 3 inches (7.6cm) deep and would therefore cut through the top layer of rebar installed just 2 inches (5cm) from the slab's surface. <br />
<br />
The walls required a similar seemingly over-abundance of rebar. The back wall of the house will be a retaining wall for the hill behind it. Since the concrete is only 6 inches (15.2cm) thick, standing 10 feet (3m) tall, the steel needed to be plentiful and steadfast. There will be massive amounts of pressure against that back wall once backfilled. And even though every last person who has seen the rebar for this house has shaken their heads or rolled their eyes in disbelief and asked us if we are building a skyscraper...or the next Diefenbunker...or if we've just lost our minds all together, we simply smile inside and feel a great sense of security knowing this house has been engineered to last. Nuclear attack, earthquakes and hurricanes be damned. Why should governmental figures be the only ones allowed to hunker down in a bunker when the outside world gets a little out of control?<br />
<br />
We have so many names for this house: Casa Tortuga, The Turtle Palace, TurtleBunker. But maybe it really needs to be named Castle Tortuga. At one moment during the removal of forms from the walls the whole scene reminded us of a castle. Yes? All we need now is a moat and a drawbridge.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a36wlt57e68/U_eFORnqv0I/AAAAAAAABLI/3yaL0NrX3ro/s1600/IMG_2056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a36wlt57e68/U_eFORnqv0I/AAAAAAAABLI/3yaL0NrX3ro/s1600/IMG_2056.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Castle Tortuga in the making?</strong></em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Qy2lAxNxIM/U_eG3gEwdpI/AAAAAAAABLU/RyV5P7qJVgg/s1600/DSC00793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Qy2lAxNxIM/U_eG3gEwdpI/AAAAAAAABLU/RyV5P7qJVgg/s1600/DSC00793.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>A stressful, yet successful pour complete.</strong></em></td></tr>
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<br />
Notice all the little nibs left behind from the form ties both inside and out in the above photo. Since we will be installing a rigid insulation on both the inside and outside of the concrete, each and every one of those nibs needed to be knocked off. Fun times at Turtle Falls consisted of nib-knocking for days...and days!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pFJDI6WIRaw/U_eLh8cADMI/AAAAAAAABLs/3IdydSDs1V4/s1600/DSC00828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pFJDI6WIRaw/U_eLh8cADMI/AAAAAAAABLs/3IdydSDs1V4/s1600/DSC00828.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The last nib gets knocked.</strong></em></td></tr>
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<br />
I just wouldn't be a good Canadian if I didn't mention the weather. This summer has looked like the following picture every other day. We got one lonely week of solid sunshine somewhere between the first and second weeks of August. Ever since, we've been back to rain almost every other day.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k4M6jSfUl_Y/U_eIHsxZ8vI/AAAAAAAABLg/TJPAf9EDcQM/s1600/DSC00812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k4M6jSfUl_Y/U_eIHsxZ8vI/AAAAAAAABLg/TJPAf9EDcQM/s1600/DSC00812.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>This is the very tiresome scene we see too much of from Priscilla's window.</strong></em></td></tr>
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<br />
The ironic part about waterproofing is that things need to be dry to apply waterproofing materials. As you may have guessed from my weather report there was quite a waiting period before we could get to the waterproofing of the joint at the floor and wall. Once we did get our sunny week we wasted no time. The first step was an elastomeric caulk right in the joint. This product needed a week to cure before we could roll on the rubberized membrane. Mother Nature played nice that week and gave us just enough dry days to get this very important step done. Passive houses need to be very air tight and this sealing detail had to be done before we can proceed with anything else.<br />
<br />
Those of you familiar with sealing joints for passive house may wonder why we opted not to use the more convenient tapes for this step. It turns out we have a few uneven sections in our floor where the water collects up against this joint and the tapes would most likely fail after successive water submersions thanks to all the rain we've been getting. Even once we get rolling with the framing it will be a while before the roof is installed and any rainwater would be impossible to remove from those collection areas once the 2x6 stud wall is in place. So we chose to caulk and roll! <span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>{groan}</em></span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ffmxrNFCDqE/U_eVQ-Y0jMI/AAAAAAAABL8/docY5hBS3N8/s1600/DSC00821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ffmxrNFCDqE/U_eVQ-Y0jMI/AAAAAAAABL8/docY5hBS3N8/s1600/DSC00821.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Floor/wall joint is sealed with elastomeric caulk for water and air-tightness.</strong></em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A461OLkPns0/U_eWRpx7VgI/AAAAAAAABME/HgtzWunAiO0/s1600/DSC00822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A461OLkPns0/U_eWRpx7VgI/AAAAAAAABME/HgtzWunAiO0/s1600/DSC00822.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Tooling the caulk for better coverage and adhesion.</strong></em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_gK-RMVQaU/U_eW-iwBwBI/AAAAAAAABMM/EfY8IEIXS_I/s1600/DSC00844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_gK-RMVQaU/U_eW-iwBwBI/AAAAAAAABMM/EfY8IEIXS_I/s1600/DSC00844.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Rolling on the first of 2 coats of rubberized </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>waterproofing membrane.</strong></em></td></tr>
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<br />
Not all has been lost due to weather though. We have kept the crew busy with building the Turtle Falls workshop while we got the TurtleBunker prepped for them. Here's what they've been up to while we've been nib-knocking and waterproof caulking...<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NlxBdsi0BiM/U_egPgjO-8I/AAAAAAAABMc/kcbqGAgRw_k/s1600/a2%2Bshop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NlxBdsi0BiM/U_egPgjO-8I/AAAAAAAABMc/kcbqGAgRw_k/s1600/a2%2Bshop.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The Turtle Falls workshop is looking mighty fine. Nice work guys!</strong></em></td></tr>
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<br />
That's all for now. Pray for sunshine!<br />
<br />
More later,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-10097503964529502662014-06-21T17:09:00.001-04:002014-06-22T06:10:42.883-04:00Turtle's paceYou are probably wondering what is going on here at Turtle Falls. It's the first day of summer already and the progress with the building is moving along at a turtle's pace...thanks to the weather! <br />
<br />
Yes, the weather is the gift that just keeps on giving. In the fall, the snow fell fast and furiously enough to halt our construction plans by mid-December. Now, incessant rain is messing with building schedules...big time...all over the county. The wet spring has delayed <strong><em>all</em></strong> construction around this area. <br />
<br />
One would think we are building a swimming pool rather than a house. Check out the short video of trying to keep the water out of the foundation form so when the rebar guys do finally show up they don't have to install it wearing hip waders.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/kz22F-nOr2U?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />
It's hard not to take it personally when the trades won't show for more than a day or two before they disappear again for several. I know they are behind the eight ball trying to keep all their other clients happy as well but it still makes us want to shackle them to the rebar (<em>is that a bad thing?) </em>and not set them free until something...anything...has been completed. By the way, has anyone seen the sun? It's pretty much a figment of our imaginations here at Turtle Falls. <br />
<br />
As a side note, when the sun does make a rare appearance the roads become turtle obstacle courses. I guess they get tired of all the rain too and head to higher ground, away from flooded shorelines, to enjoy a brief moment of warmth and look for a cosy(?) spot for their future hatchlings. Can anyone tell me where turtles laid their eggs before roads were built? I can't believe the distances these creatures will travel to park their abounding back ends into the gravelly shoulders of roadways countywide. <br />
<br />
The following picture is of Ras doing her bit for the environment by moving a substantially-sized snapping turtle off the middle of the road. The turtle was not impressed with her good Samaritan ways and did its best hissing and clawing imitation to scare the living daylights out of Ras...to the point that you may notice that, yet again, a turtle is falling! Rest assured Turtle was not hurt in the making of this heroic effort. Ras nearly had a heart attack...but Turtle was unharmed. After Ras finally got Turtle safely into the ditch, who's to know if she didn't just turn herself around and trundle back to her tarmacked sunning spot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Af6mC5xun34/U6WwgpCLbxI/AAAAAAAABHg/AGWCxijiTtc/s1600/IMG_1858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Af6mC5xun34/U6WwgpCLbxI/AAAAAAAABHg/AGWCxijiTtc/s1600/IMG_1858.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Ras: "You'll be much safer over here."</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Turtle: "Get your hands off me, human!"</em></strong> </td></tr>
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<br />
Enough about the turtles. On to the building. I was hoping to have much more to report by now...but I don't. So here's where we're at while we wait for the trades people to wade through their rain-soaked backlogs... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nwMznHJQyRA/U6XZxrvWo8I/AAAAAAAABHs/lyKKXkYfGPs/s1600/IMG_1874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nwMznHJQyRA/U6XZxrvWo8I/AAAAAAAABHs/lyKKXkYfGPs/s1600/IMG_1874.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Installing vapour barrier over 14"(35cm) of Styrofoam insulation.</strong></em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KWHCDe0VNQI/U6XbxC3ZRvI/AAAAAAAABH4/XW5wIxzJF0E/s1600/IMG_1882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KWHCDe0VNQI/U6XbxC3ZRvI/AAAAAAAABH4/XW5wIxzJF0E/s1600/IMG_1882.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>All seams and plumbing protrusions need to be taped for a watertight seal.</em></strong></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JLMaCinw8Ik/U6XcrlqLSXI/AAAAAAAABIA/R3CHFNiSNFg/s1600/IMG_1890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JLMaCinw8Ik/U6XcrlqLSXI/AAAAAAAABIA/R3CHFNiSNFg/s1600/IMG_1890.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Rain would have filled this form like a swimming pool so </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>we tucked the vapour barrier under the form to allow water to run out.</strong></em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sk3m0S_FhDs/U6XemIwzmeI/AAAAAAAABIQ/vXlXw-WYMl8/s1600/DSC00564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sk3m0S_FhDs/U6XemIwzmeI/AAAAAAAABIQ/vXlXw-WYMl8/s1600/DSC00564.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Installing rebar...in the rain!</strong></em></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ilxX9GvTEFU/U6XgbYTxetI/AAAAAAAABIY/oXP_9-mE4Xo/s1600/DSC00568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ilxX9GvTEFU/U6XgbYTxetI/AAAAAAAABIY/oXP_9-mE4Xo/s1600/DSC00568.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Un-installing the rain...again! The shovel method doesn't work with the rebar.</em></strong></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qm2i6cCruzU/U6XhY2vS0mI/AAAAAAAABIg/KfKgYyCKfrQ/s1600/DSC00584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qm2i6cCruzU/U6XhY2vS0mI/AAAAAAAABIg/KfKgYyCKfrQ/s1600/DSC00584.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Forming the notch around the perimeter of the slab required drilling holes</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>every 5"(13cm) in 2x6 lumber to accommodate the right angle dowels.</em></strong></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JN0KD7DClfk/U6XkgJbF5sI/AAAAAAAABIs/8rYrNTU93SU/s1600/DSC00573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JN0KD7DClfk/U6XkgJbF5sI/AAAAAAAABIs/8rYrNTU93SU/s1600/DSC00573.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>By the way, about 420 right angle dowels were bent on site. </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>Ras did a few dozen. Go girl!</strong></em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IIzT4Kr3Bdk/U6Xl0mkIsdI/AAAAAAAABI4/6mfSDbiJ1Qc/s1600/DSC00591(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IIzT4Kr3Bdk/U6Xl0mkIsdI/AAAAAAAABI4/6mfSDbiJ1Qc/s1600/DSC00591(1).JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The form as it sits today...almost ready for concrete. A bit more forming </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>work is necessary. More bracing is required as well.</strong></em></td></tr>
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And now we wait our turn for the crew to return to us. Promises have been made and broken for return dates. We are doing our best to remain patient. It is what it is...<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-INRBWVobDgI/U6XzXUFU1sI/AAAAAAAABJU/OUkXgK2TiYA/s1600/!cid_6E83D5BB-C6AC-4F15-858E-DF47DA81D0EE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-INRBWVobDgI/U6XzXUFU1sI/AAAAAAAABJU/OUkXgK2TiYA/s1600/!cid_6E83D5BB-C6AC-4F15-858E-DF47DA81D0EE.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>"I ain't coming out 'til the rain stops."</strong></em></td></tr>
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<br />
More later,<br />
Mimi<br />
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<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-4248444378543971352014-04-26T20:02:00.001-04:002014-04-26T20:02:08.841-04:00Anticipation...Well...here we are in the last week of April and the anticipation of starting construction again at Turtle Falls is growing, by leaps and bounds, with each passing day. It was a long, cold, and very snowy winter and it seems like eons ago that we made the decision to halt construction until spring. There are still a few delays we must wait out before construction can begin again. Nothing says it better than a picture...or several.<br />
<br />
You might think the most obvious of the delays would be the high water. All roads leading to Turtle Falls are under water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tSiT7RPC2Ig/U1wbPH553LI/AAAAAAAABFY/vnO403MFfMw/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tSiT7RPC2Ig/U1wbPH553LI/AAAAAAAABFY/vnO403MFfMw/s1600/photo+5.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>This guy stopped and asked us if it was safe to go through. I said 'yes, </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>as long as you go slow'. </em></strong><strong><em>From the size of the spray,</em></strong><br />
<strong><em> you can tell he was not interested in the advisement of caution.</em></strong><br />
<em><strong> </strong></em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit ~ Holly Wykes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-woTQz-1hk7A/U1wbtdGfxMI/AAAAAAAABFg/_9AugXW8GT4/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-woTQz-1hk7A/U1wbtdGfxMI/AAAAAAAABFg/_9AugXW8GT4/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The other watery road leading to Turtle Falls</strong></em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The load restrictions are the main reason for not starting right away. These restrictions are usually lifted by around the 1st of May. And with the amount of concrete we need for the slab and foundation it seems prudent to wait until fully loaded cement trucks are once again allowed to traverse the waterways...I mean...roadways. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OgYhYE6RDiA/U1wdXoG8vMI/AAAAAAAABFo/kCF7OFezlIs/s1600/photo+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OgYhYE6RDiA/U1wdXoG8vMI/AAAAAAAABFo/kCF7OFezlIs/s1600/photo+8.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Half loads in effect.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There is one delay that we have thwarted though. Our passive house windows and doors are in our possession! Well...they're in the possession of the window dealer at the moment. They have graciously agreed to store our order in their warehouse until they are needed on site. This is all very good news as I remember the 3-month delay we had to endure for doors for the last building project we did. <br />
<br />
We are seriously impressed with the people from which we purchased our <a href="http://www.herrmannframes.com/gaulhofer.php" target="_blank">Gaulhofer</a> windows and doors. The product is not only amazing but <a href="http://www.herrmannframes.com/" target="_blank">Herrmann's Timber-Frame Homes</a>, from Curran Ontario, makes the whole scary process of ordering windows from a foreign country akin to ordering your daily <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Double-Double" target="_blank">double-double from Timmy's</a>. Easy peasy! They will also be installing the product when we have progressed to that point. <em>{sigh of relief!} </em>One less thing contractor Mark has to worry about.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0VNtByeNTzM/U1widwukMUI/AAAAAAAABF4/z8xYgucPO3c/s1600/photo+09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0VNtByeNTzM/U1widwukMUI/AAAAAAAABF4/z8xYgucPO3c/s1600/photo+09.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Windows arrive safely from Austria during one of the coldest weeks in January.</em></strong><br />
<em><strong> </strong></em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit ~ Adrian Herrmann</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fN3ebYtqcDY/U1wieKa-xII/AAAAAAAABF8/1JiGW-Sv-no/s1600/photo+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fN3ebYtqcDY/U1wieKa-xII/AAAAAAAABF8/1JiGW-Sv-no/s1600/photo+11.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Passive house certified Gaulhofer entry doors and windows for Casa Tortuga.</strong></em><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em><strong> </strong></em>Photo credit ~ Adrian Herrmann</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-srjnwUu0zlc/U1wieTRcCJI/AAAAAAAABGA/MuoIwb6M5AM/s1600/photo+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-srjnwUu0zlc/U1wieTRcCJI/AAAAAAAABGA/MuoIwb6M5AM/s1600/photo+13.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The whole package, including patio doors, patiently awaiting its</strong></em><br />
<em><strong> journey to Turtle Falls.</strong></em><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em><strong> </strong></em>Photo credit ~ Adrian Herrmann</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
These next photos have nothing to do with any construction delays. Just interesting...how high the water is in the lake at the moment.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lGKluq1jAbA/U1wxbz23FJI/AAAAAAAABGg/EcUxUjBqrUU/s1600/photo+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lGKluq1jAbA/U1wxbz23FJI/AAAAAAAABGg/EcUxUjBqrUU/s1600/photo+04.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Doing our best <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gothic" target="_blank">American Gothic</a> pose while the last ice floe goes by. </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>The amount of flotsam, jetsam and zebra mussels on top of the deck tell us </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>the </em></strong><strong><em>deck was 'under' water for some time.</em></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Photo credit ~ Holly Wykes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LawEvUM_GzA/U1wxa9W0YSI/AAAAAAAABGY/zMWTL366LiE/s1600/photo+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LawEvUM_GzA/U1wxa9W0YSI/AAAAAAAABGY/zMWTL366LiE/s1600/photo+03.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The debris removal crew is hard at work.</em></strong><br />
<em><strong>The conservation authority made us build this deck above the high water line.</strong></em><br />
<em><strong>That high water line used to be about 4 feet (1.22m) lower than it is here.</strong></em><em><strong> </strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--xpraQTuU3g/U1wxbhVw_cI/AAAAAAAABGk/HBx-KQ3XkpQ/s1600/photo+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--xpraQTuU3g/U1wxbhVw_cI/AAAAAAAABGk/HBx-KQ3XkpQ/s1600/photo+14.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>This picture is from last fall. Note the water level. If we had attached the </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>floating dock with the water as high as it is in the previous photo,</strong></em><br />
<em><strong> we would have to walk 'up' the ramp to get to the boat.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We had every intention to get the dock in place during the Easter weekend but there was no way the boat was going in the lake as the ice was still pretty solid at either of the boat ramps we can use. So much for an early dock season! We'll try again next weekend. That will be the same weekend we attempt to de-mouse poor Priscilla...ugh! What is it with the love affair mice have with RV's? <br />
<br />
That's all I've got for now.<br />
More later,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-68035970617091100982013-12-20T15:19:00.000-05:002013-12-20T16:02:16.552-05:00Famous last words<em>Here's to hoping there are no more 4 month delays!</em><br />
<em></em><br />
That was the last line I wrote in my<em> </em>previous post. Famous last words! <br />
<br />
One should never think or write such ridiculous words at the end of November in this part of the country. What was I thinking? Mother Nature has a way of getting the last word in...always. Here's what the building site looks like now...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--bpWfowLUtw/UrSLjeERkWI/AAAAAAAABD4/1_xHnD1PIYw/s1600/DSC00275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--bpWfowLUtw/UrSLjeERkWI/AAAAAAAABD4/1_xHnD1PIYw/s400/DSC00275.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Whiteness as far as the eye can see!</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
...and it's snowing again as I write this!<br />
<br />
The foot-deep blanket of snow looks lovely and I'm sure when the house is finally built I won't be so disappointed by its presence. Really, it is a gorgeous wintry scene here at Turtle Falls and that's all it will be now until spring...or at least a time when temperatures are conducive to pouring concrete. Along with the snow came the frigid temperatures, so we decided to close the site down until the thermometer and the concrete can play nicely together again.<br />
<br />
So...until there is something else to report, and who knows when that will be, here are some fun photos, from prior to the snow, of the plumber making tracks in the foam for the plumbing bits that need to be below the concrete.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vwpkd_jCYow/UrSV4YZcdcI/AAAAAAAABEc/AYT590ZEnKc/s1600/DSC00201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vwpkd_jCYow/UrSV4YZcdcI/AAAAAAAABEc/AYT590ZEnKc/s400/DSC00201.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Cutting trenches in the foam with the trusty chainsaw.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WizITi86TiI/UrSW3WFZbSI/AAAAAAAABEw/Cig7M3-C6W4/s1600/DSC00194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WizITi86TiI/UrSW3WFZbSI/AAAAAAAABEw/Cig7M3-C6W4/s400/DSC00194.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Clearing trenches with the trusty hammer.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_t4xIBZ6nw/UrSYZv0xvZI/AAAAAAAABFA/g8P4xEzglV8/s1600/DSC00218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_t4xIBZ6nw/UrSYZv0xvZI/AAAAAAAABFA/g8P4xEzglV8/s400/DSC00218.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Setting the pipes with expanding foam.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Maybe I shouldn't push my luck with the hoping, but here's hoping you all have a wonderful time with family and friends during this Christmas holiday.<br />
<br />
More later...much, much later,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-29187522051664155772013-11-20T09:29:00.002-05:002013-11-20T09:29:52.614-05:00Let the building begin!I can't believe it was the 2nd week of July when I last posted. A lot of life has happened since then, but not a lot of building. Until now!<br />
<br />
We were hoping to be well into the project by this point, with not-so-distant visions of enjoying Turtle Falls in something other than a mobile mouse house. Poor Priscilla! She was neglected so much this summer that the vermin vacationed there more than we did. Why such neglectful behaviour towards our beloved Priscilla, you ask? The Reader's Digest version goes something like this....<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GXWR8KxtMqQ/Uow11WgdOBI/AAAAAAAABCc/GxHUhimBe70/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GXWR8KxtMqQ/Uow11WgdOBI/AAAAAAAABCc/GxHUhimBe70/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Ras with her new, but gently-used, water toy.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the very same day we were madly in the midst of buying a boat by text message...yes, we really bought a boat using only our opposable digits...a call came in from the hospital in the city to inform us that Ras's dad had taken a bad fall while out-and-about. The bad news...broken hip. They forgot to mention the unicorn horn growing on his forehead, the first point of impact during his fall. Fast forward to the partial hip replacement surgery, then a second surgery 5 days later, as a complication of the first surgery...oh, and did I mention Ras's dad, Lou, is 88. Anyway, he healed up pretty fast during his 2 months in the hospital and is now doing very well in his new long-term-care digs out near Turtle Falls. Needless to say, it was a hectic time (3 months in all) of hospital visits, organising 24-hour home care after the hospital stay, visiting and choosing long term care facilities, packing and moving Lou to his new place and clearing out his previous apartment. And hence, the reason Priscilla was left to fend for herself against the menacing mob of mice for the majority of the summer.<br />
<br />
But why the delay in the building, you ask? <br />
<br />
Let's just say that we lost the race against time to have Contractor Mark start our house before he had to start the next house in his queue. It all worked out as it should have though. The delayed start date for us gave us the chance to help Lou through his recovery and get him established in his new location. Lou loves his new joint...ha...I meant his new place, but I'm sure he probably loves his new and improved hip joint too! <br />
<br />
Onward and upward...passive house Casa Tortuga is finally underway! It all started with one little truck loaded with high density geofoam for the sub-slab insulation. Then 2 more truck loads followed the next day. Smaller trucks are the only option for the winding driveway into Turtle Falls. <br />
<br />
Here's what the excitement of the last few days looks like.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uRLQ_lfBKxY/UoxCelyFIUI/AAAAAAAABCs/5B-GX7PQ74o/s1600/Build+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uRLQ_lfBKxY/UoxCelyFIUI/AAAAAAAABCs/5B-GX7PQ74o/s400/Build+016.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The first load of foam arrives at 4pm on Thursday.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8ulOv_nQEP8/UoxCqvQCELI/AAAAAAAABC8/ZIHgBmg8tEU/s1600/Build+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8ulOv_nQEP8/UoxCqvQCELI/AAAAAAAABC8/ZIHgBmg8tEU/s400/Build+022.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Two more loads arrive mid-afternoon on Friday. And then we had a </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>weekend of high winds that lasted through to Monday night.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8CTgm4fX0yE/UoxCoN4xfmI/AAAAAAAABC0/POCDKnMgBTY/s1600/DSC00148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8CTgm4fX0yE/UoxCoN4xfmI/AAAAAAAABC0/POCDKnMgBTY/s400/DSC00148.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Nicer weather and the crew both arrive Tuesday, bright and early.</strong></em><br />
<strong><em>A chainsaw...with a foam-cutting blade?</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AaEhbRec628/UoxDetjgu-I/AAAAAAAABDE/jHQpPc6Jnso/s1600/DSC00154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AaEhbRec628/UoxDetjgu-I/AAAAAAAABDE/jHQpPc6Jnso/s400/DSC00154.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Two layers of 7-inch (17.8cm) thick sheets getting assembled.</strong></em><br />
<em><strong>Seams are off-set to lessen thermal bridging.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L9VbqR9kh8A/UoxGhL_OyHI/AAAAAAAABDg/t6o3FrXZMhY/s1600/DSC00167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L9VbqR9kh8A/UoxGhL_OyHI/AAAAAAAABDg/t6o3FrXZMhY/s400/DSC00167.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>14 inches (35.6cm) of high density, foot-warming, thermal-breaking</strong></em><br />
<em><strong>insulation </strong></em><em><strong>for </strong></em><em><strong>under the concrete slab.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PP3whSaPWBo/UoxDuAOB72I/AAAAAAAABDM/2UhmjrlzCS8/s1600/DSC00162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PP3whSaPWBo/UoxDuAOB72I/AAAAAAAABDM/2UhmjrlzCS8/s400/DSC00162.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Foam install almost complete.</strong></em><br />
<em><strong>The frost has no chance of getting into the ground now.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-npaMZ0lX2ko/UoxDz8pFbuI/AAAAAAAABDU/sajWTn4_9bQ/s1600/DSC00165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-npaMZ0lX2ko/UoxDz8pFbuI/AAAAAAAABDU/sajWTn4_9bQ/s400/DSC00165.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Next up is the plumber, so until he gets here the foam has been </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>covered with tarps to keep the wind and weather away.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Next up...the plumber will carve out the necessary water/waste lines in the foam before the slab gets poured.<br />
<br />
Here's to hoping there are no more 4 month delays!<br />
<br />
More later,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-59973074444369903652013-07-10T15:52:00.000-04:002013-07-10T15:52:37.007-04:00We're finally adding, not subtracting...and a small visitorFinally, we have reached the stage where taking stuff (trees, excavated soil) off the land has ceased and adding stuff (gravel fill) has begun. This is a welcome stage and the anticipation to see the beginnings of a house is as big for us as Christmas morning is for a 6 year old. But until then, here are a few photos of preparing the pit for the foundation.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o-435XmDzS8/Ud2dYKWuKVI/AAAAAAAABAY/T7T7co5lDhk/s1600/photo_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o-435XmDzS8/Ud2dYKWuKVI/AAAAAAAABAY/T7T7co5lDhk/s400/photo_0023.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Geotechnical engineer (in orange) checking to see if we are down</em></strong><br />
<strong><em> to the bedrock.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FDrtvqhowxA/Ud2ds9NE-pI/AAAAAAAABAg/RYqhTXaxVBY/s1600/photo_0024(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FDrtvqhowxA/Ud2ds9NE-pI/AAAAAAAABAg/RYqhTXaxVBY/s400/photo_0024(1).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Scraping down to the bedrock. You can see the area the geotech engineer </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>was in, to the right.</em></strong> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r-a8W2K5NlI/Ud2eGTuqoHI/AAAAAAAABA0/6ofHeVlxil8/s1600/photo_0024%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r-a8W2K5NlI/Ud2eGTuqoHI/AAAAAAAABA0/6ofHeVlxil8/s400/photo_0024%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The first load of the "adding" phase.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6XRZh0ogKxA/Ud2eIfGh41I/AAAAAAAABA8/VNo91PjoIn0/s1600/photo_0025%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6XRZh0ogKxA/Ud2eIfGh41I/AAAAAAAABA8/VNo91PjoIn0/s400/photo_0025%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Each load of gravel gets compacted before another is added.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YNd8o-8aN74/Ud2eg5Xj5WI/AAAAAAAABBE/Y8AR3_akOfA/s1600/photo_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YNd8o-8aN74/Ud2eg5Xj5WI/AAAAAAAABBE/Y8AR3_akOfA/s400/photo_0027.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Lots of packing. Adam's arms were probably vibrating in his sleep </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>for the 3 days he worked on this project.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8tbs6Wck7HM/Ud2eoDiVd_I/AAAAAAAABBU/Efk9Shmzerc/s1600/photo_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8tbs6Wck7HM/Ud2eoDiVd_I/AAAAAAAABBU/Efk9Shmzerc/s400/photo_0032.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Geotechnical engineer testing for proper compaction.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gWAbc2IhxI4/Ud2gUxMiBoI/AAAAAAAABBw/897Hg0S7saY/s1600/photo_0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gWAbc2IhxI4/Ud2gUxMiBoI/AAAAAAAABBw/897Hg0S7saY/s400/photo_0033.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>A nuclear surface gauge measures the density of the packed gravel.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AZAtHT1blgs/Ud2enwa5XfI/AAAAAAAABBQ/BJgN0EbDm50/s1600/photo_0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AZAtHT1blgs/Ud2enwa5XfI/AAAAAAAABBQ/BJgN0EbDm50/s400/photo_0034.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Perfectly packed, level, and ready for the foundation.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
With the many loads of gravel that were trucked in, the driveway took a brutal beating leaving ruts a foot (30cm) deep in the rain-soaked ground. Several loads of gravel needed to be spread along the winding drive into Turtle Falls to rectify this. Ras went right to work smoothing out her "reading room" section in front of Priscilla. Who needs a bobcat when you have Ras? Check out her cool technique in this short video.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fg1rcnlcOnk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Last but not least, after the noise of the machines (and Ras) had subsided for a few days, we had a little visitor. Right near the area where the entrance to the house will be, we spotted a turtle. Most likely, it was looking for a good spot in the dirt to lay her eggs but we take it as a good sign that the turtle approves of the soon-to-be Casa Tortuga. Not long after I took this photo, the turtle headed off...and promptly fell into the foundation hole! What's with the turtles around here? They fall down the rocks, they fall into holes...I guess we got it right with the name Turtle Falls.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i6J1AN06NUw/Ud2ezJZrjJI/AAAAAAAABBk/o1DGd8Ekr3Y/s1600/photo_0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i6J1AN06NUw/Ud2ezJZrjJI/AAAAAAAABBk/o1DGd8Ekr3Y/s400/photo_0036.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The stake with the orange tape is where the entrance to the house will be.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Oh, and just so you know...turtle was unharmed by the fall into the foundation hole. Good thing...a hurtin' turtle would not have been such a good sign!
<br />
<br />
More later,
<br />
Mimi
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-65902536631982176472013-06-22T23:39:00.003-04:002013-06-23T00:14:09.966-04:00Watt's been happening in June?While we wait for the building to start, a few things have been happening at Turtle Falls. Here's a pictorial summary of the activity over the last couple of weeks.<br />
<br />
The second phase of excavating, in the area for the garage and screened porch, revealed more fantastic landscaping stones. There will be no shortage of rockery with which to restore the "natural" surroundings.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5B8Zpv7oQi0/UcYyTjq4F8I/AAAAAAAAA9M/P9W3xpGUAa4/s1600/photo_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5B8Zpv7oQi0/UcYyTjq4F8I/AAAAAAAAA9M/P9W3xpGUAa4/s400/photo_0010.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>That's one monster rock. Makes the digger look not so big.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I love this picture...Ras doesn't let the noise of the excavation work dampen her joy of reading a chapter while soaking up a few rays of sunshine.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hivRF8sQbuA/UcY9YWBWGEI/AAAAAAAAA-M/J-LehR-tw8A/s1600/photo_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hivRF8sQbuA/UcY9YWBWGEI/AAAAAAAAA-M/J-LehR-tw8A/s400/photo_0011.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Relaxing at Turtle Falls means a whole different thing this year!</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
At the moment, it looks like a meteorite has landed and ripped a hole in the forest...certainly not the cozy, woodsy feel to the place that we enjoyed last summer. The remaining trees that needed to be removed came down as well. A huge pile of the brush was burned in the foundation pit. And yes, we had a burn permit...newly issued from the township the previous day!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ILuiXkXDFhE/UcY3LmiMiKI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/TRQaunt33kQ/s1600/photo_0013(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ILuiXkXDFhE/UcY3LmiMiKI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/TRQaunt33kQ/s400/photo_0013(1).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Looks somewhat crater-like.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yAHMt487SUg/UcZAGZxqHdI/AAAAAAAAA-g/bx4Jg5xVYtQ/s1600/photo_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yAHMt487SUg/UcZAGZxqHdI/AAAAAAAAA-g/bx4Jg5xVYtQ/s400/photo_0009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Ras gets busy helping with the tree removal.</strong></em> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dl76ULts3_4/UcY5qArlWtI/AAAAAAAAA9k/BCwSIHY43EI/s1600/0100_webcam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dl76ULts3_4/UcY5qArlWtI/AAAAAAAAA9k/BCwSIHY43EI/s400/0100_webcam.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Alistair gets busy burning the brush. This photo was taken with </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>the TurtleCam </strong></em><em><strong>webcam, hence the blur.</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Some of the excavated material had to be moved off the site. <br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A3hK65jrpB4/UcY7XFAR6VI/AAAAAAAAA9w/FfIpmpn-XU8/s1600/100_0257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A3hK65jrpB4/UcY7XFAR6VI/AAAAAAAAA9w/FfIpmpn-XU8/s400/100_0257.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="right"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo credit: Mark Raison</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><br />
The well has also been drilled. We ended up with a 150ft (45.7m) well with a very excellent flow rate. We got lucky as many wells in the area are double this depth.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G0d2yAZXfQM/UcZC-NzqARI/AAAAAAAAA-s/56gaTOWdr4U/s1600/100_0271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G0d2yAZXfQM/UcZC-NzqARI/AAAAAAAAA-s/56gaTOWdr4U/s400/100_0271.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The truck with a rotary drill gets positioned. 140ft was drilled with this truck.</strong></em><br />
<div align="right"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo credit: Mark Raison</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j3PUNj7b3M4/UcZDJ2U8SnI/AAAAAAAAA-0/VRewbyt-1-g/s1600/100_0286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j3PUNj7b3M4/UcZDJ2U8SnI/AAAAAAAAA-0/VRewbyt-1-g/s400/100_0286.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The cable tool, or pounder, was then positioned over the well site. </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>The final 10ft was drilled with this truck.</strong></em><br />
<div align="right"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo credit: Mark Raison</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-30rL8g8e2Kk/UcZFPF7Z4xI/AAAAAAAAA_E/6-9Uiow-2QU/s1600/photo_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-30rL8g8e2Kk/UcZFPF7Z4xI/AAAAAAAAA_E/6-9Uiow-2QU/s400/photo_0013.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>It's a thing of beauty, especially after 2 years of collecting rainwater at TF</strong></em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The dock got delivered from its protective winter storage spot on the other side of the lake. The guys had it installed in no time. The swimming hole is finally open!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nFzMyfQKzmU/UcZHSKAcsrI/AAAAAAAAA_U/L7ehnsEDcpo/s1600/photo_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nFzMyfQKzmU/UcZHSKAcsrI/AAAAAAAAA_U/L7ehnsEDcpo/s400/photo_0018.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m9ksxEcowfg/UcZHm9WcpHI/AAAAAAAAA_c/CS3ODWktvA8/s1600/photo_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m9ksxEcowfg/UcZHm9WcpHI/AAAAAAAAA_c/CS3ODWktvA8/s400/photo_0021.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0gUpyyUAKD4/UcZK_wcNqQI/AAAAAAAAA_8/pGdG1nxLiqE/s1600/IMG_1322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0gUpyyUAKD4/UcZK_wcNqQI/AAAAAAAAA_8/pGdG1nxLiqE/s400/IMG_1322.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Nothin' but blue sky and treetops up there!</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>And last, but not least, I made another trek to the top of the internet tower to install the cell phone signal booster. We've had enough of the "<em>can you hear me now</em>" and the dropped calls...or the no calls at all! Internet phone options, like Vonage or MagicJack, leave a lot to be desired too. We can't depend on the phone companies to get around to improving the cell service in this area any time soon, so we took matters into our own hands. An online search resulted in finding a <a href="https://cellularbooster.ca/solutions.php" target="_blank">commercial grade signal booster</a>. They guaranteed an easy install, excellent reception and a full refund if we weren't completely satisfied with the product. Who could resist such promises? Amazingly, the install actually was a breeze, just like they claimed, although my legs were a bit...no...a lot!...wobbly after the climb, two times. The promise of excellent reception was also true. We've gone from no bars to full bars on both our phones. That's one antenna providing improved service to two phones on different carriers. How cool is that? It helps that the tower is tall enough to get the antenna above the treetops, for now...<br />
<br />
<em>Hallelujah, we can hear you now!</em><br />
<br />
I'm hoping that's the last thing we have to install on the tower...it's getting crowded up there!<br />
<br />
More later,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-81101373248370780722013-05-31T16:02:00.000-04:002013-05-31T20:27:04.507-04:00We hereby Permit you!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjwJfq_uKE4/Uajpn35Bd8I/AAAAAAAAA8c/5dX3ykDnieo/s1600/time+flies.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjwJfq_uKE4/Uajpn35Bd8I/AAAAAAAAA8c/5dX3ykDnieo/s1600/time+flies.png" /></a></div>
Time is a funny thing. It goes by so quickly when you're soaking up life and enjoying every moment but it goes ever so slowly when you are anticipating a future moment you long to be enjoying. <br />
<br />
June 17th will mark the 2nd anniversary of owning Turtle Falls...where did that time go? On the other end of it, it seems like we have been working on designing this house for an eternity! One year and one week after signing contracts to get this ball rolling I am happy to finally say...<br />
<br />
We have the building permit! <br />
<br />
Kudos to the team that made it possible to approach the township building department with plans, the likes of which they have never seen before, and have the permit issued after the first kick at it. As far as I know, this is the first passive house to be built in this township. Big thanks to <a href="http://www.vertdesign.ca/Vert/service.html" target="_blank">Architect Chris</a>, Contractor Mark (who did some fancy talking at the meeting with the building inspector) and <a href="http://www.homesolbuildingsolutions.com/passive-house/" target="_blank">Homesol</a> guys, Ross and Stephen. <br />
<br />
Even more exciting than finally getting the building permit is watching the surveyors marking out the exact location of the house within the excavation. This house needs to be dead-on true south for our <a href="http://passipedia.passiv.de/passipedia_en/planning/calculating_energy_efficiency/phpp_-_the_passive_house_planning_package" target="_blank">PHPP</a> numbers to work for us. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QBqa7QV90AA/Uajrmtyk2II/AAAAAAAAA8s/gT86ZjFE9h4/s1600/photo_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QBqa7QV90AA/Uajrmtyk2II/AAAAAAAAA8s/gT86ZjFE9h4/s640/photo_0005.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Surveyors are marking the line that runs true East-West. The South elevation of the house will follow this line.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In the fall, we did some preliminary excavating to eliminate any surprises that the rocky ground inevitably holds in this area. In doing this we would be ready to go once the building permit was issued. During the wait from December to now, there has been much worrying (mostly on contractor Mark's part) about whether the excavation is on the right orientation. Trying to figure out where true (rather than magnetic) south lies, can be confusing when there is a declination to be factored in.<br />
<br />
If we calculated wrong with our little hand held compasses back in the fall, it could mean the house would have to sit on more of the disturbed soil than the undisturbed. That would mean heaps more engineered fill to be packed in that corner where the disturbed soil is...more expense...like we need more of that! It could mean having to orient the house away from true south...not good for our <a href="http://passipedia.passiv.de/passipedia_en/planning/calculating_energy_efficiency/phpp_-_the_passive_house_planning_package" target="_blank">PHPP</a> numbers. It could mean more <a href="http://ohmfreemimi.blogspot.ca/2012/11/the-morphing-of-passive-house-casa.html" target="_blank">hoe ramming</a>...you guessed it...more expense!<br />
<br />
Exhale. Contractor Mark is not just a pretty face...he is master of the Mark-hole! Apparently, around here, a Mark-hole is an excavation in tricky ground that everyone else thought to be impossible, except for Mark...hence Mark-hole. Anyway, although this particular excavation does not score enough difficulty points to be a bonafide Mark-hole, we consider it to be so for its magical ability to be spot on the correct orientation when all compasses on the land at dig time showed different readings. Simply reMarkable!!<br />
<br />
Next up...engineered fill in the south-east corner of the lot and well drilling in the opposite corner. Aaah...the sounds of summer at Turtle Falls!<br />
<br />
More later,<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-79302437547865980152013-05-06T23:02:00.000-04:002013-05-29T15:48:40.522-04:00A New Name...and the Canadian Cold Climate Heat Pump<em>Ohm my God...watts been happening?</em><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rt3ZuM47vPo/UDS6GdJKgGI/AAAAAAAAAkk/11GGvaOCNYE/s1600/525ListPic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rt3ZuM47vPo/UDS6GdJKgGI/AAAAAAAAAkk/11GGvaOCNYE/s320/525ListPic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Sold...finally!</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lots has happened since I last posted. The house in the city finally sold, after 10 long months of showings and keeping the house showroom immaculate. I have been spending my time over the last 60 days, prior to the May 1st closing, packing and moving the house contents to the rental condo (or the pied-a-terre as a good friend has named it) and packing and moving my woodshop to the storage locker where it will remain until the new house is finally built <span style="font-size: large;">☹</span> What will I ever do without my tools for that length of time? I'm hoping contractor Mark will be ok with me worming my way onto his crew so I can at least get my tool and wood fix by helping out with the build.<br />
<br />
Before I get to the telling of what's happening with the new house I must take a moment to thank you all for your weird and wonderful suggestions for the blog's new name. It was really hard to decide what the final name should be. I finally went with a name that would make at least some sense sitting at the top of each post. Some suggestions were very clever but were only relevant for <a href="http://ohmfreemimi.blogspot.ca/2013/03/game-change-name-change.html" target="_blank">that one post</a> where I asked for help renaming the blog. Some suggestions were just cryptic enough that, I have to admit, I didn't get them. Some were excellent but already taken...such as <em>Casa Costalotta</em>. And all of them I completely appreciated. Thank you for your interest and participation in my little blog. And Doris...thank you for your winning suggestion! <span style="font-size: x-small;"><em><span style="font-size: small;">(Joe & Flora, one of your suggestions I used in the opening sentence...it was a contender</span>)</em></span>. I have added the "passive" edit mark to the new header sketch a bit prematurely I suppose. Same goes for the past tense "built" but we are definitely on target to make these pending characteristics a most certain reality. There's no turning back now...there's a big hole in the ground at Turtle Falls and we no longer have a <em>house</em>, of any kind, to live in at the moment! We must forge on!!<br />
<br />
Now, back to what's going on with the house.<br />
<br />
Several weeks back we had a meeting with the HVAC supplier for Casa Tortuga, <a href="http://www.encore-geothermal.ca/sustainable-solutions/" target="_blank">Encore Geothermal Inc</a>. Ras and I have never been known as very conventional, so what we have decided on for our mechanical system is also not conventional, at least not for a passive house. Let me explain.<br />
<br />
Passive houses, typically, are primarily heated using the solar gain from the triple-glazed windows strategically sized and placed on the south side of the house. The amount of insulation and the air-sealing is critical for keeping the warm air inside the house in winter and outside the house in summer. The required HRV or ERV helps to condition and distribute the air. A secondary heat source typically only needs to be small, such as a <a href="http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/ductless-mini-split-heat-pumps" target="_blank">mini-split heat pump</a> or a small amount of electric heat to name only two options. The idea is that by not having to buy a conventional furnace you can put that money into the extra insulation, air sealing and windows. The temperatures in a passive house are supposed to be fairly consistent and slow to fluctuate. Much has been written about whether the criteria developed for passive house for the European market are right for the North American market. The Canadian climate offers up a bit more severity for us to deal with when trying to reach the numbers necessary for passive house certification.<br />
<br />
Passive House is in its infancy in North America. Builders of passive houses here, more often than they would like, are having to resort to buying European made HRV/ERV systems and windows because they are not available in the numbers or qualities they are in Europe. That is starting to change, but at a snail's pace. <a href="http://www.vertdesign.ca/Vert/design.html" target="_blank">Architect Chris</a> has mentioned that at least one of the Canadian window manufacturers he has approached for our project is striving to produce windows that are good enough for passive house certification. <br />
<br />
There's all kinds of info about <em>building</em> a passive house here in Canada and the USA. Many builders of passive houses feel compelled to blog about it to get the word out...exactly the reason why I blather on at great length. There's not a lot of info yet about the experience of <em>living</em> in a passive house, particularly in my area of interest - Canada. The little bit of information I have been able to find makes me a bit apprehensive. It seems temperatures within some of these passive houses fluctuate more than the marketing blurbs say is typical. It's hard for me to determine if this is because of the difference in climate, our relative lack of experience in building passive house here in North America, or the fact that the materials and systems we have to choose from are not the quality with which the European passive house is built.<br />
<br />
Admissions of cold bedrooms when doors are closed, temperature differentials from room to room, temperature fluctuations wider than expected, and constant tweaking of mini-split and HRV performance to balance out these characteristics make me wonder. I may have mentioned once or twice how I absolutely dislike the cold. One of my other pet peeves is overly obtrusive sound levels of heating and cooling systems. Loud mechanical systems are simply annoying! All that being said, I'm very sure the mini-split option (the most common secondary heat source of choice) for heating and cooling our passive house is not the way to go for us. Electric heat is quiet but not efficient. Electric cooling...not very quiet. Radiant floor heat is too much heat for a passive house for the expense and it's not very helpful at cooling in the summer. These were not the only options we looked at. We looked at them all. Confusing and unsatisfactory options...each and every one!<br />
<br />
So off we go to see <a href="http://www.encore-geothermal.ca/sustainable-solutions/" target="_blank">Encore Geothermal</a>...and the world made sense once again with our introduction to the Cold Climate Heat Pump.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VsSvFcuQArE/UYegrQmlchI/AAAAAAAAA7k/u9hntxlCZVQ/s1600/canada+cold.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VsSvFcuQArE/UYegrQmlchI/AAAAAAAAA7k/u9hntxlCZVQ/s1600/canada+cold.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Oh...the joys of winter in Canada!</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A <a href="http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/ductless-mini-split-heat-pumps" target="_blank">mini-split</a> is an air to air heat pump that usually comes with a specification that it will work with some degree of efficiency to temperatures as low as -10°C, some to -15C. Minus 10°C is the temperature at which most Canadian postal workers start wearing their long pants rather than shorts to deliver the mail and it's certainly nowhere near as cold as it can get in many parts of Canada in the winter.<br />
<br />
That's why the good people at <a href="http://www.ecologix.ca/2011-Present" target="_blank">Ecologix</a>, a Canadian company from Cambridge Ontario, have developed a cold climate heat pump meant for the Canadian climate. These cold climate heat pumps operate efficiently down to a -25°C outdoor temperature. That -25°C is the efficient operating temperature that is guaranteed with these heat pumps and not just the oftentimes exaggerated marketing hype target. You know the hype I mean...I'll use the car industry as an example. <em>This new car uses 6 litres/100kms.</em> But what isn't stated are the conditions needed to get that actual fuel efficiency, like the outdoor temperature needs to be a constant 15°C, you must never exceed the speed of 80km/h, you must never use your brakes or idle at a stop light, and accelerate only as if you are a member of <a href="http://www.gassavers.org/article.php?do=201-tips-to-save-gas" target="_blank">Gas Savers</a>. Ok, I digress and exaggerate just a bit, but my point is these cold climate heat pumps will work at temperatures of -25°C, day after day. Although the literature for these heat pumps states -25°C, word is that at -40°C they still won't freeze up. It's refreshing when a company actually under-promises and over-delivers. My kind of company...Canadian and modest.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c7ZeeG9aF18/UYenKpYXC4I/AAAAAAAAA7w/tmb8yGjJaoE/s1600/Ecologix+CCHP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c7ZeeG9aF18/UYenKpYXC4I/AAAAAAAAA7w/tmb8yGjJaoE/s400/Ecologix+CCHP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The <a href="http://www.ecologix.ca/products/cold-climate-heat-pumps/" target="_blank">Ecologix CCHP</a> pulls heat from the outdoor air to heat the home in </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>winter </em></strong><strong><em>and pumps heat to the outside to cool the home in summer.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>The CCHP adjusts </em></strong><strong><em>capacity to meet the immediate need, delivering </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>only </em></strong><strong><em>what the home </em></strong><strong><em>needs without waste.</em></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the configuration we have chosen, the heat pump is coupled with a ducted air handler that will distribute the conditioned air in 3 separate zones in the house. What a fantastic concept...heat/cool only the areas that need it rather than heat/cool the whole house. I know this sounds like overkill and, yes, we are spending the money on a <br />
"furnace" when we are not supposed to need it but it is the best solution we have found to have everything that we want...quiet, efficient and even secondary heat in the winter and cooling in the summer.<br />
<br />
This exercise of planning to build a passive house has raised so many questions that seem almost impossible to answer. Much thought and revision, on many levels, has gone into designing this house. Let me back up a little, to explain one of those more esoteric levels. <br />
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The house in the city that we just sold was a very interesting and unique little house..."<em>one-of-a-kind</em>" as all the real estate agents described it. Over the years we have done some crazy things to it, like turning it into, essentially, a one bedroom house, removing the closets because they were so small anyway what was the point of keeping them, removing any semblance of a "yard" and replacing the grass with meandering walkways and low-maintenance perennial gardens, over-spending on the renovation we added in 2010...all because we truly thought we would never move from this house so what did it matter that the house was not suitable for anybody else with clothes, children or dogs...and we would be able to amortize the cost of the reno over the rest of our lives. As always, life finds a way to throw you a curve ball when you get too deep into it. And our plans to stay in that crazy little house forever, ultimately, were severely revised. <br />
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That is, for the most part, why our house took so long to sell. We had to wait for a similarly unique buyer with enough money to pay for an over-improved, under-sized house but was neither a clothes horse nor responsible for several dependents of either the 2 or 4-legged type...talk about seriously limiting our market! You can only hear potential buyers say, <em>"too small, no closets, no garage"</em> so many times before you want to throw in the towel.<br />
<br />
Ras and I agreed not to make the same mistakes with our next house. Therefore, this house is bigger than we want it or need it to be. And although we are choosing this cold climate heat pump, first and foremost, because <em><strong>we</strong></em> want the benefits it offers us, it is also a consideration for the next people that will eventually own this house. We may be all gung-ho about passive house and willing to live with its inherent characteristics but the next people may not. We really don't like thinking of resale when designing this house but the thought of trying to sell another crazy one-of-a-kind house sends shivers down both our spines. This secondary heat source solution will not only completely satisfy us but, with its conventional furnace look, will put the future owners of this house at ease. Hopefully, by the time we are ready to pass this house along, passive house and cold climate heat pumps will be the norm.<br />
<br />
In some way, I truly believe that passive house in North America needs to find its own way. What works in Europe may not be the best approach here...just my opinion. We are trying an approach that we believe we can live with comfortably and efficiently into the future. <em>(Edit May 12: It seems I am not the only one with this opinion. This <a href="http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/passivhaus-buildings-don-t-heat-themselves" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Green Building Advisor article</span></a>,"Passivehaus Buildings Don't Heat Themselves", was posted four days after I wrote my post. Confirms, for me, our decision to go for the cold climate heat pump).</em><br />
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Now...if only we could get the building permit! We're apparently just waiting for a few engineers' stamps on some documents. Once we have those...we'll be madly off in all directions. Can't wait! Soon we'll be <em>Living La Vida Ohm Free</em> <em>(Thanks for that suggestion, Kaye. It was also a contender).</em><br />
<br />
That's it for now,<br />
Mimi<br />
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<br />
For those interested in more info about the Ecologix Cold Climate Heat Pump, see the following:<br />
<a href="http://www.ecologix.ca/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Ecologix Inc.</span></a> <br />
<a href="https://wise.uwaterloo.ca/news1/research-stories/cold-climate-heat-pumps-meeting-the-challenge-of-c" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">University of Waterloo researchers</span></a> change the face of home heating and cooling in Canada<br />
<a href="http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/media-room/news-release/22/2011-02-14/clean-energy/2082" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Canadian Federal Government</span></a> announce $4 million in support from the Clean Energy Fund for cold climate heat pump development <br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-80907328421094914692013-03-03T08:42:00.000-05:002013-05-02T19:19:45.326-04:00Game change, name change<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8cN1NJyB7uA/TnJAgT08JZI/AAAAAAAAAEo/ji8UzXCF44w/s1600/IMG_0861%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8cN1NJyB7uA/TnJAgT08JZI/AAAAAAAAAEo/ji8UzXCF44w/s640/IMG_0861%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Original blog header photo. This name no longer accurately describes our "odyssey"</strong> </em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zy05Q8wm7zk/UYJtBu8J7QI/AAAAAAAAA7U/7dVpumSW66Y/s1600/Header+Sketch+Revised.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="123" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zy05Q8wm7zk/UYJtBu8J7QI/AAAAAAAAA7U/7dVpumSW66Y/s640/Header+Sketch+Revised.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Interim blog header photo</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
As you can see from the partially completed new header there are some changes to talk about. All exuberant plans need to be reviewed and revised every so often. Ours are no exception.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Did9YyFIFQ/UTM7wMspRzI/AAAAAAAAA5s/q41Mae3iaWI/s1600/turtle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Did9YyFIFQ/UTM7wMspRzI/AAAAAAAAA5s/q41Mae3iaWI/s1600/turtle.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>If this turtle isn't careful, he will fall too!</strong></em></td></tr>
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When we first stumbled upon the trillium-covered terrain we now know as <a href="http://ohmfreemimi.blogspot.ca/2011/08/what-we-want-vs-what-we-getand-some.html" target="_blank">Turtle Falls</a> our initial thoughts were to build a cottage in the truest sense of the word. More a cabin really...only seasonal use was the idea...a place to escape the crazy-making city and relax by the water's edge with a good book and a great margarita, all while soaking up a little bit of sunshine. Aaah...life at its simple best.<br />
<br />
Then our simple little idea grew. Our first revision incorporated the idea of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_solar_building_design" target="_blank">passive solar design</a>. What a great concept, using the sun to heat your cabin for free. Then came the idea to go solar and get off the grid. And I must add somewhere in here that the cottage plan has now morphed into an all-season home. Lots of dreaming and studying ensued. The real benefit from all of that effort was becoming much more energy efficient humans as we practiced for the eventual living in an off grid home. We ridded our house of phantom power consumption, got our electricity bill down to a reasonable monthly dollar amount, and became aware of the incredible opportunity we all have with the renewable energy sources available to us.<br />
<br />
Just when we thought we were getting close to finalizing our want list for our new "retirement home" by the lake <a href="http://www.passivehouse.ca/fundamentals/" target="_blank">Passive House</a> hits us square in the face. Never heard of it before. More studying ensued. Result of all the studying...must build Passive House! With the efficiency that is inherent in a passive house it only seemed logical to build this kind of house for our off grid odyssey. Full speed ahead with plans, architect on board, passive house planners on board, contractor on board.<br />
<br />
But something still doesn't seem right. I have many sleepless nights wondering how I will coax Ras into complying with the "minimize then energize" mindset necessary to live in an off grid house. She did say, after all the study and discussion of energy efficiency and solar and off grid stuff, "maybe we can have a wine fridge in the new house!" I chalk that up to her overwhelming exuberance and a momentary lapse into rose-coloured glasses land. My reply: "21 years we've survived without a wine fridge and you want to put one in the off grid house?" Off came her rose-coloured glasses. I still chuckle about that to this day.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aktwxkUtYRM/UTM_imVfA6I/AAAAAAAAA58/RIoj5xjr1a0/s1600/array.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aktwxkUtYRM/UTM_imVfA6I/AAAAAAAAA58/RIoj5xjr1a0/s1600/array.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>This many solar panels the budget does not afford!</strong></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The thought of the football-field-sized solar array keeps dancing in my head! I keep wondering how to power my woodworking shop on those days...or weeks...when the sun doesn't shine. The fact that we will run over our initially targeted budget makes for the very possible reality that I will be building the kitchen and pantry cabinets. One needs a shop with power tools to do that in a timely fashion. Large woodworking tools need large amounts of electricity to run. Only with a football-field-sized solar array would this be possible. And for this, the budget certainly does not allow.<br />
<br />
What to do? What to do? What about net metering? <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mei.gov.on.ca/en/pdf/renewable/NetMeteringBrochure.pdf" target="_blank">Net metering</a> seems to satisfy all our needs - power the house from the grid, produce enough electricity with our solar array to send back to the grid and therefore offset our electricity usage/bill while still having a battery back-up for those days when the grid goes down. We still have incentive to keep our consumption low to keep the size of the solar array as small as possible (hence no football field...) and we are still self sufficient in the event of a power outage. I've never been a fan of the micro-fit idea purely from the standpoint that if the power goes out you're still sitting in the dark, even with all those solar panels up on the roof. The monthly check is a nice idea but sitting in the dark...not so nice. Net metering is looking real good to us...even without the rose coloured glasses.<br />
<br />
So this is where I am stuck at the moment. I started this blog when the plan was in its infancy and came up with the goofy name of Ohm Free: Our Off Grid Odyssey. The name reflected our goals at that time to be more energy efficient and self sufficient. Many revisions later finds us on a slightly different path and now the blog name needs a revision as well. We are still striving to be as energy efficient as possible, as well as self sufficient. We're just going to come at it from a different perspective...one that suits our lifestyle a little better. The ohms might still be free but only after we've received our credit from the hydro utility for the energy we produce. The "off grid" got revised right out of the plan. The odyssey? Oh...it still remains!<br />
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With this game change I now need a blog name change. I got as far as sketching out a little scene for the header but I'm stuck for a new name at the moment. I'm still working on it but no luck yet. I seriously need your help. This is all I've got and, quite honestly, they're pitiful!<br />
Passive House Casa Tortuga...blah<br />
Turtle Falls Tales...nah<br />
Ras & Mimi's Big Building Adventure...not<br />
Net Metering Nerds...hmmm<br />
Musings of an Energy Nerd...taken<br />
Passive House For (By) Dummies...possible...<br />
<br />
Got any suggestions? Sure could use the help! Please jot your thoughts down in the comment box. Hopefully, by the next post I will have a new name and a completed header...with your assistance.<br />
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Ciao for now!<br />
Mimi<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-12978245131982755082013-02-08T17:06:00.000-05:002013-02-08T18:09:22.793-05:00Thermal bridging exposed on a snowy dayI wasn't planning on writing a blog post today but what else is there to do on a day when everyone is taking a snow day and most of the city is closed. Shovelling, I suppose, is an option but the snow plow hasn't been by yet...so what's the point? Moving the snow twice doesn't make it twice the fun...at least not for me! I will admit that the city looks beautiful right now though.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m2CZZVAKztY/URUsILO-EEI/AAAAAAAAA10/pwdxwIAYfBk/s1600/snow_day02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m2CZZVAKztY/URUsILO-EEI/AAAAAAAAA10/pwdxwIAYfBk/s640/snow_day02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...again!</em></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0cYNAUeqY6M/URUsRsL-FgI/AAAAAAAAA18/Wcyhbkl0Y5E/s1600/snow_day01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0cYNAUeqY6M/URUsRsL-FgI/AAAAAAAAA18/Wcyhbkl0Y5E/s640/snow_day01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>8½ inches fallen in 7 hours...and still counting!</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JUv_MXJboSI/URU42ECDsdI/AAAAAAAAA24/bTp1WLZw_kg/s1600/Thermal_bridging.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JUv_MXJboSI/URU42ECDsdI/AAAAAAAAA24/bTp1WLZw_kg/s640/Thermal_bridging.JPG" width="448" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Let's just heat the great outdoors with that thermal bridging!</em></td></tr>
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I wanted to write this post to illustrate a perfect example of the result of <a href="http://www.finehomebuilding.com/pages/thermal-bridging/" target="_blank">thermal bridging</a> in a conventionally built home. Each piece of a house's framing material acts as a thermal bridge, a conduit for heat to leak through the wall. Thermal bridging is more significant than many realize. This photo shows the outdoor patio area of the 2010 better-than-code-built addition at our house in the city. Admittedly, we knew nothing about Passive House when we were planning and building this addition back in 2009, therefore thermal bridging was never taken into consideration. That is totally obvious when you look at the photo and see how the snow is melting within the 18-24 inch (45-60 cm) band closest to the house. The concrete floor inside is radiantly heated and that heat is being sucked right out of the 22°C (72°F) interior floor and into the -5°C (23°F) exterior stone patio because there was no thermal break, in the form of insulation, implemented under the patio door and between the interior and exterior floors. The patio door, although very good, is only double paned and is also losing more heat than it would with the third pane, typical of passive house rated windows. No wonder the floor's heat system comes on as often as it does! <br />
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Just goes to show that energy efficiency can, literally, go right out the window, or wall, or floor if thermal bridges are not dealt with properly. Here we thought we were building a very energy efficient addition 2 years ago. Today's snow day certainly shot down those beliefs. This is very <em>concrete</em> proof that conventional building techniques have a long way to go to live up to their energy efficiency claims. Eliminating thermal bridging is one of the most important characteristics of a passive house. I always <em>understood</em> the concept. Now I <em>see</em> it. <br />
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This kind of heat loss will not happen in a passive house. Insulating a passive house takes thermal bridges out of the equation and heat then remains inside the house longer, rather than finding its way easily to the outdoors.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VXNHZ1vGxQQ/URVC3UcirvI/AAAAAAAAA3U/iN1RpMKHKxI/s1600/wall_performance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="324" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VXNHZ1vGxQQ/URVC3UcirvI/AAAAAAAAA3U/iN1RpMKHKxI/s640/wall_performance.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>A little extra, well-placed, insulation can reduce heating (and cooling) requirements significantly</em>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Graphic thanks to <a href="http://www.finehomebuilding.com/pages/thermal-bridging/" target="_blank">Fine Home Building</a></span></div>
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Luckily, we will not be experiencing the kind of heat losses in our new house that you see in the above photo of our current house. We can thank the wall anatomy details designed specifically for Casa Tortuga. You will notice several extra layers making up the super-insulated wall structure of this passive house. Thermal bridging is eliminated, therefore eliminating the heat losses we are seeing now in our city house.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P5slq3y9LKQ/URVjLKY76oI/AAAAAAAAA4k/KOZ7W4QPUiY/s1600/CasaTortugaWalls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P5slq3y9LKQ/URVjLKY76oI/AAAAAAAAA4k/KOZ7W4QPUiY/s640/CasaTortugaWalls.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Wall anatomy of Passive House Casa Tortuga.</em><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright © 2013 <a href="http://www.vertdesign.ca/Vert/design.html" target="_blank">Vert Design</a>, Chris Straka</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HnzmCw8Flyk/URVnOOxLmZI/AAAAAAAAA4s/hLqBr8Cw6y8/s1600/CasaTortugaWalls_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HnzmCw8Flyk/URVnOOxLmZI/AAAAAAAAA4s/hLqBr8Cw6y8/s1600/CasaTortugaWalls_1.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>How all the layers go together. That's a lot of insulation!</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span> </div>
<div align="right">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright © 2013 <a href="http://www.vertdesign.ca/Vert/design.html" target="_blank">Vert Design</a>, Chris Straka</span></div>
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Now that looks like a really warm and cozy house. I can't wait!<br />
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Well, it's still snowing after all the time it has taken to write this post. Maybe it's time to go tackle some of the thigh-high drifts out there. Ras gave up when she saw the snow plow's contribution at the end of the driveway. It's time for me to put my 9 layers of insulation on and go out to brave the windy, wintery, white stuff! Ugh!!<br />
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Cheers!<br />
Mimi<br />
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Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-12991741701485902482013-01-24T01:17:00.002-05:002013-01-24T01:18:31.160-05:00Window shopping on a cold dayThe weather has been the number one topic of conversation around the province this week with the deep freeze that we find ourselves in here in Ontario. Being a good Canadian, I will continue that conversation. Actually, I'm not a very good Canadian...I really, really dislike the cold...a lot!! Ras isn't a fan either, truth be told. The two photos below show our daily walking attire from this same week in 2012 versus 2013. My brother was quite concerned for me this year, having to spend the worst of the winter here at home rather than in the warmth of Mexico. He thought I might just turn into an icicle. Ha! Now the nephews can call me Aunt Icicle as opposed to their usual nickname of Aunt Toothpick. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JqnmKqJGISY/UQC6bHOMMhI/AAAAAAAAA0g/zk18Y8Ym0HA/s1600/temp_contrast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JqnmKqJGISY/UQC6bHOMMhI/AAAAAAAAA0g/zk18Y8Ym0HA/s640/temp_contrast.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em> We might look happy in both of these photos but really, in the photo on the right, our faces just froze that way! </em></td></tr>
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The hardest part about winter in Canada, for me, is the sunnier the day...the colder the temperatures...which leads me to why I'm blathering on about the weather. I can't wait to experience our first unbearably cold winter day in the new passive house. The more sun, and bluer the sky, the colder the temperature outside, and the toastier it will be inside...all thanks to some pretty swank windows. Perfect!<br />
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So, how are we staying warm until that day comes when we can taunt cold old Jack Frost from within our passively solar heated house? By shopping, of course! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Owj1WisLTS4/UQCQTPL-kUI/AAAAAAAAAzc/0KjnP5XR07M/s1600/energylineEd90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Owj1WisLTS4/UQCQTPL-kUI/AAAAAAAAAzc/0KjnP5XR07M/s320/energylineEd90.jpg" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><a href="http://www.gaulhofer.com/uk/windows/upvc/energyline-90" target="_blank">Gaulhofer Energyline 90</a> </em><br />
<em>PVC with aluminum exterior clad</em></td></tr>
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We ventured off to the Ottawa Home Renovations Show last week with architect Chris to touch and feel the <a href="http://www.herrmannframes.com/gaulhofer.php" target="_blank">Gaulhofer</a> windows that are, presently, number one on our list for passive house windows. These are some seriously awesome windows! Built like a German tank (although built in Austria) and finished with impeccable craftsmanship, the look and solid feel of these tilt-and-turn windows is unlike any other windows we've seen. What makes these windows worthy of gobbling up almost 15% of our total construction budget?<br />
<ul>
<li>triple glazing</li>
<li>argon gas-filled</li>
<li>Thermostop ® warm edge spacers for reduced condensation</li>
<li>glass glued to sash for added stability and thermal capability</li>
<li>Audiostop ® for sound reduction</li>
<li>insulated multi-chamber PVC frame with aluminum exterior cladding</li>
<li>U<sub>W</sub> best value of UW 0.58 W/m<sup>2</sup>K <em>(just know this is a pretty good number. I have no idea what it really means either but architect Chris and the Homesol guys tell us it's good)</em></li>
</ul>
All of the above features contribute to a window that can offer superior insulating qualities. The following features add to the window's strength and function:<br />
<ul>
<li>square steel tube reinforcement in the frame </li>
<li>rock solid hardware that gets bolted to the steel reinforcement tube, not just the PVC</li>
<li>secure tilt-and-turn operation for multiple ventilation options</li>
</ul>
When you look at the photo of the window detail you are also really looking at the primary heating source of our home. So I guess we could look at that 15% of the budget is for windows <em>and</em> furnace, so to speak. That makes the window budget seem a little less painful...and bring on those beautiful sunny, wicked-cold, blue sky, January days! I shall never fear another winter day like this again while standing behind one of these wondrous windows!<br />
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Next stop on our shopping frenzy...the solar store.<br />
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Shop on. Stay warm!<br />
Mimi<br />
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Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-28563464281119645662012-12-04T16:48:00.000-05:002012-12-05T11:48:12.250-05:00Team TortugaOur trip back from Turtle Falls yesterday after having met with our building "team" was as if we were living in some weird Eagles songbook version of life...life in the fast lane of the westbound 401 was leaving us with a peaceful easy feeling. I swear no mushrooms were harmed for the writing of this post. Let me explain...<br />
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First let me introduce our team of extraordinary gentlemen. These are the enthusiastic and brilliant minds bringing passive house Casa Tortuga to reality. Hmm...all handsome AND handy. <a href="http://redgreen.wikia.com/wiki/Handyman_Corner" target="_blank">Red Green</a> would be proud of our ability to assemble such an excellent team!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yx_CHBNCteA/UL4lwD4HMRI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/dKXrMM4awMU/s1600/IMG_1309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yx_CHBNCteA/UL4lwD4HMRI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/dKXrMM4awMU/s640/IMG_1309.JPG" width="640" /></em></a></td></tr>
<em> </em>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>L-R: Stephen Magneron (<a href="http://www.homesolbuildingsolutions.com/passive-house/" target="_blank">Homesol Building Solutions Inc</a>.), Mark Raison (Crane's Building Service),</em><br />
<em>Ross Elliot (<a href="http://www.homesolbuildingsolutions.com/passive-house/" target="_blank">Homesol Building Solutions Inc</a>.), Chris Straka (<a href="http://www.vertdesign.ca/Vert/service.html" target="_blank">Vert Design Inc</a>.)</em></td></tr>
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Yesterday's meeting brought everyone together to discuss construction details and determine what trees still need to be removed to allow for maximum solar gain. As you can see from the photo there are a lot of trees at Turtle Falls. Although a good number of trees met lumberjack Alistair's chainsaw a couple of weeks ago, there are still a few more to be introduced to said chainsaw. Stephen got right to work setting up the <a href="http://www.solarpathfinder.com/PF" target="_blank">Solar Pathfinder</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OLtTNH0UmZc/UL4uDJJXelI/AAAAAAAAAx0/8XW8NFatlg4/s1600/IMG_1298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OLtTNH0UmZc/UL4uDJJXelI/AAAAAAAAAx0/8XW8NFatlg4/s640/IMG_1298.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Stephen levels the <a href="http://www.solarpathfinder.com/PF" target="_blank">Solar Pathfinder</a> in the excavation site and makes sure it's oriented to solar south</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-__0j8thwLc0/UL4vMTRi7mI/AAAAAAAAAx8/843wTmyizME/s1600/IMG_1300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-__0j8thwLc0/UL4vMTRi7mI/AAAAAAAAAx8/843wTmyizME/s640/IMG_1300.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Then he takes a picture of the instrument's reflection of the sky</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VSh3mB7qQ9c/UL4vuiZHQWI/AAAAAAAAAyI/VNCJShdzZx0/s1600/IMG_1303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VSh3mB7qQ9c/UL4vuiZHQWI/AAAAAAAAAyI/VNCJShdzZx0/s640/IMG_1303.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>The reflection of the skyline in the <a href="http://www.solarpathfinder.com/PF" target="_blank">Solar Pathfinder</a> shows which trees need to be removed to allow maximum solar gain</em></td></tr>
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The simplicity and brilliance of this instrument is mind boggling...nothing electronic, no batteries required, just a compass, a tiny bubble level, a graph/grid of the correct latitude for the area and a glass dome. The grid under the glass dome represents the sun's path (horizontal arcs) for every month of the year for our particular latitude (44 degrees N). The vertical lines represent time of day. The important times for sunlight hours for solar gain are between about 9 or 10 am to 3 or 4 pm. So if you look at the reflection of the trees on the grid lines between about 9:30am to 3:30pm, those are the trees needing to be removed. We were nicely surprised, and relieved, that we only have to remove about 10 pine trees. There's a fine balance of sun and shade required to passively heat and cool a house. The deciduous trees will not need to be removed since they will provide shade in the summer. In winter, they lose their leaves therefore they allow sunshine through. Brilliant!<br />
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There is a whole other side to the <a href="http://www.solarpathfinder.com/PF" target="_blank">Solar Pathfinder</a> that is way more high tech. The above photo gets loaded into a computer program that then allows for all kinds of analysis necessary for the energy modelling of a passive home. I'll leave you to investigate that on your own if you're interested...it's pretty high-end geekish best left to the high-end geeks to explain. Me, I'm just a low-end geek and it's beyond my capabilities! That's why we have Stephen and Ross from Homesol on board.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A9o4nSXZQeA/UL5KDDhJFCI/AAAAAAAAAyg/sqO9ZQuAZHQ/s1600/IMG_1308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A9o4nSXZQeA/UL5KDDhJFCI/AAAAAAAAAyg/sqO9ZQuAZHQ/s320/IMG_1308.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Priscilla's conference room holds 6...no problem!</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Next, we all squeezed into Priscilla's conference room to discuss the details of foundation and wall construction, moisture barriers, air sealing, insulation choices, how to hang the deck to minimize thermal bridging, and window placement within the wall. Did you know that it makes a difference to the amount of heat gained through the windows whether the windows are installed closer to the interior or exterior of the wall? Ya...me neither! And since the walls of this house are going to be somewhere close to 23 inches (58cm) thick, before exterior cladding is installed, there's a lot of room to move the window in or out. Crazy stuff. My vote would be for more solar heat gain (cuz I really, really dislike being cold!) but I'll leave that up to the guys and their <a href="http://passipedia.passiv.de/passipedia_en/planning/calculating_energy_efficiency/phpp_-_the_passive_house_planning_package" target="_blank">PHPP</a> computer program to figure out what the best average would be for heating and cooling. Ras and I heard so many new names yesterday...blue skin, black jo, polyisocyanurate, xps, siga, yadayada...I'm glad we weren't being tested at the end of the day. That's why we have contractor Mark on board!<br />
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I'll say that it was a great meeting. The guys brainstormed about the best ways to construct this air tight house, debating option after option to reach our goals in the most cost effective and energy efficient manner. Ras & I were there to answer ya or nay to material choices...do we go with spray foam insulation with a high carbon footprint or do we choose the dense-pack cellulose option with less R-value per inch but more environmentally friendly (yes to the latter), if we have to add posts under the deck as opposed to cantilevering what is our preference. Cantilevering causes problems with thermal bridging...so lets explore the post option. When the brainstorm session concluded, Ras & I had a much deeper understanding of the why's and how's of passive house logic. This will be the first passive house that Mark has built so he is now feeling more confident about what needs to be done to get us to passive house certification. The seemingly odd techniques of over-insulating are making sense to him now. Mark has made the leap, with relative ease, from conventional building code compliant techniques (although he has always built to a better standard anyway) to the energy efficient building techniques of the future. Notice in the photo above how we have him surrounded and barricaded in the conference room...just in case he still had the notion to run screaming for the hills ;)<br />
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Finally, to make sense of the Eagle songbook reference...as we were in the fast lane zooming back to the city after this meeting, we both had this overwhelming sense of calm. You would think our heads would be spinning and there would be at least some anxiety about the scale and detail of this project...but no. That is a sure sign that we have assembled a great team that gives us 100% confidence in what we have decided to build at Turtle Falls.<br />
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<em>'Cause I got a peaceful easy feeling,<br />
And I know you won't let me down<br />
'cause I'm already standing on the ground.</em><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <strong>~Eagles</strong></span></em></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">More later,</div><div style="text-align: left;">Mimi</div><em></em><br />
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Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-43625046951281517342012-11-14T18:34:00.000-05:002012-12-05T11:49:55.893-05:00The morphing of Passive House Casa Tortuga<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F6IHy6SJlzU/UKPe-Un36II/AAAAAAAAAvg/XuNZ5ja-SEc/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F6IHy6SJlzU/UKPe-Un36II/AAAAAAAAAvg/XuNZ5ja-SEc/s320/IMG_1258.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Just a small 11,000 lb hoe ram (not me...the machine!). </em><br />
<em>This is my uncle David, owner/operator of the tiny, </em><br />
<em>ultra-quiet (not!) machine.</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The activity at Turtle Falls has been brisk this week. The distinctive sound of the hoe ram on solid granite has been echoing throughout the land. It has been a good week of meeting the nearby neighbours. There's the curious neighbours wondering what the racket is all about. There's the helpful neighbours taking away the felled trees. They are happy to get the free firewood and/or pine logs. We're totally happy they're taking it away for free. We are certainly not going to need it as we will not be having a wood burning appliance in this passive house. I suppose this is one way to ease into the neighbourhood...by bribing the neighbours with free firewood. And, since the amount of rock we need removed will only be the equivalent of 3½ days of hammering we shouldn't lose all those newly-made neighbour friends. Some excavations in this area can require several weeks or months of hammering. We got to live through the months-long hammering for a house down the way last summer. It's the type of sound you just really can't get into the Zen of. Your brain starts to rattle along at the same tempo after a while. Your ears ring when the machines have all finally been quieted at the end of the day. It's all good though...at least from our perspective. We can't speak for the neighbours. We'll just beg forgiveness daily, now to completion.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c0lydVmddgQ/UKP0zaD5ITI/AAAAAAAAAv8/1gZ6sP5E9Do/s1600/IMG_1244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c0lydVmddgQ/UKP0zaD5ITI/AAAAAAAAAv8/1gZ6sP5E9Do/s640/IMG_1244.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>The co-operative effort of taking down the big oak tree. These are our neighbours, lumberjacks Peter and Alistair. It sure was nice having the machine's assistance to assure the tree landed where wanted, rather than on Priscilla.</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Making sure the rock is gone from all areas where footings need to be when the house is oriented to true south.</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>One machine is good. Two is better! One hammering, one clearing.</em></td></tr>
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While all the hammering is happening at Turtle Falls, <a href="http://www.vertdesign.ca/Vert/home.html" target="_blank">architect Chris</a> and <a href="http://www.homesolbuildingsolutions.com/passive-house/" target="_blank">Homesol</a> have been working with the Passive House Planning Package (<a href="http://passipedia.passiv.de/passipedia_en/planning/calculating_energy_efficiency/phpp_-_the_passive_house_planning_package" target="_blank">PHPP</a>) to finalize the details for the house. There has been a major change in the look of the exterior of the house from the <a href="http://ohmfreemimi.blogspot.ca/2012/09/first-full-look-at-passive-house-casa.html" target="_blank">first version</a> I posted earlier, but the floor plan remains the same. As I was writing this paragraph architect Chris called to discuss further design changes to the exterior. It's interesting to watch the changes morph the house from one form to another. We have certainly gone from one end of the spectrum, with a flat roof ultra modern look, to the other end with this version that looks more bungalow-like. Some changes were expected to happen in order to accommodate for roof overhang necessary to tame the summer sun streaming through the south windows. Ras was happy to lose the higher roof projection to gain the wrap-around deck. After talking with Chris it seems there will be much more morphing to come. Changes to the garage and it's roofline are forthcoming. So, for now...this is where we're at.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ixpAAx3SM-I/UKQEStZL-OI/AAAAAAAAAw4/OSbtvNV8yPI/s1600/PH_SE_elevation.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ixpAAx3SM-I/UKQEStZL-OI/AAAAAAAAAw4/OSbtvNV8yPI/s640/PH_SE_elevation.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>The latest version of the south east elevation with the lowered roofline, extended overhangs and decking.</em><br />
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<div align="right"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright © 2012 <a href="http://www.vertdesign.ca/Vert/design.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1a5094;">Vert Design</span></a>, Chris Straka</span></div></td></tr>
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More to come, no doubt. Too exciting!<br />
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Cheers,<br />
Mimi<br />
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Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-43060061962601533822012-11-03T19:45:00.000-04:002012-11-03T19:45:03.197-04:00The money pitThere are few things more exciting than the first day of excavating for a new home. There's the initial feeling of nervousness anticipating what will become of the landscape that you have fallen in love with so intensely that it made you uproot your whole life as you once knew it. There's the "<em>make sure you never leave the house again without your cheque book</em>" realization. There's the "<em>I need to get a better pair of boots to wade through the mud</em>" realization. There are the many moments of being thankful for the league of extraordinary gentlemen that have jumped on board our crazy train to help bring this passive house to reality. But best of all, there is the all out feeling of wanting to jump for joy because of all of the above. Can't explain it any better than that so I'll get on with showing you this week's activities that have us so giddy.<br />
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Although we are not ready to start building just yet, the digging is commencing so we can deal with the rock that inevitably will show up in the wrong places. The following photos show some of the highlights of the last two days at Turtle Falls.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1QbXtZSWKYM/UJWLQxC5k-I/AAAAAAAAAt4/G0qOwSNEKY4/s1600/IMG_1154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1QbXtZSWKYM/UJWLQxC5k-I/AAAAAAAAAt4/G0qOwSNEKY4/s640/IMG_1154.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>This is the view of the building site from a couple of weeks ago.</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FhCELOqwEjc/UJWLxawxesI/AAAAAAAAAuA/66UnFc0tQc8/s1600/IMG_1213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FhCELOqwEjc/UJWLxawxesI/AAAAAAAAAuA/66UnFc0tQc8/s640/IMG_1213.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>The same view after 2 days of digging and rock wrestling</em>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CYFTKt7-xM0/UJWUG83C7vI/AAAAAAAAAuc/sgdkFQsl9HQ/s1600/IMG_1190(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CYFTKt7-xM0/UJWUG83C7vI/AAAAAAAAAuc/sgdkFQsl9HQ/s640/IMG_1190(1).JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>A co-operative tree-felling effort. Lumberjack Alistair cuts while excavator Richard directs the fall. Contractor Mark looks like he's just warming his hands in his pockets. Can't blame him...it rained most of the day.</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0-OIkeN_e_4/UJWUhBpv8LI/AAAAAAAAAuk/gPkltd5wcGA/s1600/IMG_1176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0-OIkeN_e_4/UJWUhBpv8LI/AAAAAAAAAuk/gPkltd5wcGA/s640/IMG_1176.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Alistair rescues the lumber.</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v9cMoYcxrSI/UJWVCDsmt5I/AAAAAAAAAus/AsPx2JUWs9s/s1600/IMG_1192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v9cMoYcxrSI/UJWVCDsmt5I/AAAAAAAAAus/AsPx2JUWs9s/s640/IMG_1192.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Yep, we knew this would likely happen. The white stripes in the dirt are telling us it's time to call in the hoe ram to carve out some inconveniently placed rock! Note to self - remember the ear plugs for that little exercise.</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7eQs70FfOb0/UJWVZM48FMI/AAAAAAAAAu0/SIBBhmYHltA/s1600/IMG_1207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7eQs70FfOb0/UJWVZM48FMI/AAAAAAAAAu0/SIBBhmYHltA/s640/IMG_1207.JPG" width="640" /></em></a></td></tr>
<em> </em>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Ras and Mom supervise from the edge of the money pit. More tell-tale white stripes in the dirt means more work for the hoe ram.</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SEStY3LH9go/UJWVz3nSyAI/AAAAAAAAAvA/WvsMmd5jjbY/s1600/IMG_1211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SEStY3LH9go/UJWVz3nSyAI/AAAAAAAAAvA/WvsMmd5jjbY/s640/IMG_1211.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>For perspective and a closer view of the rock needing to be hammered out. Almost looks like a little jump for joy.</em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CKR6mOn951w/UJWWn0EmUsI/AAAAAAAAAvI/VOuAbmiTv_o/s1600/IMG_1206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CKR6mOn951w/UJWWn0EmUsI/AAAAAAAAAvI/VOuAbmiTv_o/s640/IMG_1206.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>This is Jim, the water witch (warlock, whisperer?). He is using his trusted crowbar as a dowsing or divining rod. The good news is he found a spot where 4 streams cross, making for a good well. There is no way to witch how deep we'll need to go to find that water. Word on the street is a well in this area can be as shallow as 80 feet or as deep as 450 feet. Here's hoping for closer to 80.</em> </td></tr>
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More later,<br />
MimiMimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3191364207828826434.post-17666724489913069282012-10-02T23:58:00.000-04:002012-12-05T11:51:24.226-05:00Stakes in the ground<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LvHL3RTatgs/UGtqeiqC81I/AAAAAAAAArE/fPYAle33dYg/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LvHL3RTatgs/UGtqeiqC81I/AAAAAAAAArE/fPYAle33dYg/s320/IMG_1124.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Getting the bearings</em> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Oh...the excitement is hard to contain! Today architect Chris and contractor Mark visited the lot to site the general location of the house. It's exciting because it gives us hope that we will not spend the rest of our time here at Turtle Falls in a trailer...a sort of Priscilla purgatory if you will...but in a real house, with real running water and a real shower. Don't get me wrong...we love Priscilla and the wacky weed-sprayer showers but it's October now and the outdoor showers...not so fun. In fact, we have taken to visiting the provincial park down the road to use their "comfort station" showers since the temperatures are not so Mimi-friendly these days. Comfort station is a fitting name as the happy hot water showering is much more comforting there than shivering through the barely above-freezing temperatures of the TF forest. But I digress...<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MD07uPfmLbk/UGtuVJqoUdI/AAAAAAAAArk/g9mZo3WqSiA/s1600/IMG_1125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MD07uPfmLbk/UGtuVJqoUdI/AAAAAAAAArk/g9mZo3WqSiA/s320/IMG_1125.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It was fun watching Chris and Mark talk about things that Ras and I only pretend to fully understand. It's mind boggling to think about the logistics of this project. Digging, well drilling, septic, building a house that will have more insulation under the concrete slab than conventional houses have in the walls, building a house without a conventional heating system, and then there's the whole solar panel learning curve too! I'm just thankful contractor Mark didn't run screaming for the hills when he got wind of what we've signed him up for.<br />
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The plan for the not too distant future is to do some investigative digging into the hill where the house is going to sit. Hopefully there will be no surprises in the form of badly placed bedrock. Contractor Mark has earned a reputation around the area for being able to excavate in the craziest and rockiest locations. Turtle Falls' terrain doesn't seem to scare him. This is good. He obviously has more than a <a href="http://ohmfreemimi.blogspot.ca/2011/10/closing-gate-on-2011-season-at-turtle_04.html" target="_blank">pry bar and a pickle jar</a> with which to do his digging!<br />
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As the title of this post suggests, we did put some stakes in the ground. Ras took her job a little too seriously maybe. You be the judge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rxtkp1XUknk/UGuwZjz6DyI/AAAAAAAAAsA/Nkp3rQTqfN0/s1600/Stakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rxtkp1XUknk/UGuwZjz6DyI/AAAAAAAAAsA/Nkp3rQTqfN0/s640/Stakes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Trespassers Beware! </em><br />
<em>Not so passive woman stakes out location for her new Passive House.</em><br />
<em> I try not to let it interfere with my peaceful painting</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>More later,<br />
Mimi<br />
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Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186777002950442510noreply@blogger.com0