Spring Quarter 2012

The spring quarter was used to button up all the punch list items and get ready for the rough-in
framing inspection. We had to finish up the plumbing, mechanical, electrical, solar PV, solar hot
water, low voltage wiring, and rough framing in order to be approved to install the insulation and
sheetrock. There were a lot of little details to muddle through and they had to be done complete
and correct in order to pass on to the finishing stages. The devil is in the details, and the students
had the resolve to carry through with the tasks. They were in class and on the job site every day
and willing to put their best effort forward on each and every assignment that they were given.
From cleaning the parking lot to installing plumbing flashing on the roof, they did not complain
or shirk, and it is because of their hard work that this project is moving forward.

We passed the framing inspection on the last week of the quarter and proceeded directly to
insulation and sheetrock.

The following are some pictures taken during the quarter with captions:

 

 Students preparing conduit for the electrician, as you can see from the attire, it was cold that day
and they are still smiling

Insulation baffles in the upper picture and pocket door frames in the lower picture are just two of
the many details that students were completing for inspection.

Solar PV racking and the solar hot water system are being installed. The evacuated tubes were
taken off the rack after the picture because they can reach a temperature of 350*F without the
heat transmission fluid running through. They will be reinstalled when the system is complete.

The solar hot water will be generating too much heat during the summer so we installed a loop of pipe in the gravel around the house to dump heat.

The heat dissipation loop was then backfilled with 5/8” crushed rock to act as a heat sink and provide a stable base.

All the students were excited to work with the Dingo front loader machine that was provided by Bunce Rental.

We have assembled a water catchment system that will irrigate raised vegetable gardens. The students are naming them the “Victory Garden”. So it is, we will have the “Victory Garden” and donate the crop to a local food bank.

In this picture you can get the idea that it will be a gravity feed from the gutter and fill all three tanks. There is a three thousand gallon holding capacity of which one thousand gallons was collected in the first week of operation.

We took a celebratory picture of the group after completing the water system that will feed the gardens. It is amazing that so much can come from such a simple idea.

A special thank you goes out to Global Security and the students of the low- voltage class. These fine gentlemen came out on the weekend to install all the monitors and security systems in the house. With their help we will now be able to track production and consumption of power on a real-time basis. These guys are the best!

Week 8, Winter 2012

In the past two weeks we have made big strides to secure the racking system for the solar PV, solar hot water,  finish the trim painting, and locate the barrels for water catchment.

Once again I would like to thank our friends at Kelly Moore for donating all of the painting products necessary to coat and bring color to our building. All the products used will be low or no-voc products so as not to raise any indoor air quality issues.

 

The solar hot water rails were mounted on the stanchions and the top and bottom manifolds were mounted across the rails. We are installing an evacuated tube system provided by SJ Solar out of China. It is comprised of twenty tubes that are six feet long and we are excited to see the results of the production from the system and location.

Water and the use of water is becoming a big topic in the sustainability world. We wanted to experiment with the possibilities here at CPTC. We extended out the landscape block and leveled out a spot big enough to fit three barrels which will give us a holding capacity of three thousand gallons. We did the math and that is enough to capture 75% of the rainfall on this roof. The plan now is to use it for irrigation of the plants and flower beds, but we may find other uses that will cut down on the use of potable water for non-potable needs.

The solar equipment and the utilities soon will be connected soon, so there is a lot more to be done. Stay tuned, these are exciting times.

Good bye and good building,

Dan Smith

Week 6, Winter 2012

I wanted to give an update as to what is happening with the Zero Energy House. We are now six weeks into winter quarter and it has taken all that time to get the parts and pieces together in order to move forward.

We are limited by a 60 amp electrical service to the house so all the big loads (heat, hot water, and kitchen range), have been switched to natural gas. This took a little coordination and cooperation from sponsors but Weirs appliance and Best Choice Heating were happy to help.The electrical conduit is in the ground and covered, allowing us to run the wire from building 5 to 5a (the Zero Energy House). The roof mount for the solar PV system has been started and we should have the solar modules on the roof sometime in week seven. Brad Burkhartzmeyer of Sun’s Eye Power has been instrumental in guiding us through the solar system process and helping with permits. 

The furnace and ducting was installed this week by Best Choice Heating. This deserves special mention because the install was done at no charge. The owner of the company, Rhoan Hursh, believes so highly in the concept of green building that he has donated the install to the project. In fact the install is being done by a former student, Erik Mulholland, of the HVAC program here on campus.

If you have seen the house this week you have noticed that it has changed colors, it is no longer yellow. It is now light brown on the body and dark brown on the gable and the clearstory. The colors were chosen by the students in the Interior Design program and make the house blend with the rest of campus. Sunny Houser and her students have done a great job. The trim will be painted white as soon as we get another weather window.

The low-voltage wiring in the house is being headed-up by a student in the Electrical/Fire Security program, Fred Kincaid. He is doing a great job, we are planning for security, cameras, internet, sound, projection, television, and light controls that adjust as the sunlight from outside changes.

If this wasn’t enough, I have had the assistance of one very outstanding student that has redrawn the plan to obtain a plumbing permit, assisted with the solar hot water design, and gone way out of his way to help with the acquisition of all the plumbing for the radiant heat floors and the plumbing supply and drain in the house. This student is in Dean Lamb’s Architectural Engineering program and his name is Dan Woodard. Dan Woodard’s input has been instrumental in keeping the project on track to meeting the construction goals this quarter.  

Well, this has ended up being quite long but I thought people should know what is happening with the project. It has been a lot of work but it is giving students a chance to show off their skills and it will be something to be proud of in the future.

Good bye and good building,

Dan Smith

Week 12, Fall 2011

 

Week Ending 12/16/11 

Well, it has been a long quarter and I am very proud of my students and their “stick-to-itiveness”.  These guys have done a great job of getting to class, showing attention to detail, and making sure the task is not only completed, but completed correctly. I don’t have much else to share about this phase of the construction other than it is a relief to have it done and now we can move on to the really fun stuff. I will leave you with some pictures of our progress to date.

Next quarter we will be working on solar PV, solar hot water, heating, plumbing, low voltage, and electrical, stay tuned.

Happy Holidays from the Sustainable Building Science program. 

Good bye, and good building,

Dan Smith

Week 6, Fall 2011

Week Ending 10/28/11 

This week we installed the exterior trim around the windows, door, corners, and belly bands. It was great work, great fun, and gave the students a little practice at refining their skills. One comment from a student was “you would never imagine that building a little house could be so complicated”. Well you wouldn’t think so but this is a new approach to building, and turning out to be quite a process. Most every step needs to be scrutinized to make sure it is achieving the goals you have set out.

The latest step that was revisited was the rain screen. I realized we may have a problem with bugs making their way through our rain screen product so we took off the bottom baton, covered it with screen fabric and reinstalled it on the house. Now we will have continuous ventilation behind the siding that is free from bugs and worries.

The trim around the windows and doors was installed without hitch or glitch. The wrap around the windows was fastened with galvanized finish nails and has a strip of the rain screen material around it for nailing siding to. The only noteworthy item on the belly band was the use of 4” galvanized nails because of the thickness of the built-up materials. It turned out to be a good choice because everything is well secured and ready for siding.

Next week we will be installing exterior siding, stay tuned.

Good bye, and good building,

Dan Smith

Week 5, Fall 2011

Week Ending 10/28/11 

Well, as it turns out, installing the rain screen was a little more involved than first glance. The first challenge was to cover the insulation to protect it from absorbing water and moisture while still having a product that was permeable to vapor. Covering the insulation with a layer of 15 lb. felt was a simple solution to the problem, but what was not so simple was how to fasten it to the wall assembly. It turns out that after you add an inch and a half of insulation to the side of a wall life becomes complicated. After a bit of trial and error we came up with the process of hanging a curtain of felt over the wall by using ¾” galvanized roofing nails as thumb tacks. It was a quick and easy way to fasten the paper without putting holes in the weather resistant barrier. The students did a great job of installing the paper on the walls in a time efficient manor with a minimum of waste. We have a great group here.

The next step was the rain screen. This part of the wall assembly is an air space behind the siding to give moisture a place to drain and also creates a pressure equalization plane that will stop vapor drive during intense solar exposure. Again, the idea is simple but the devil is in the details. We started with the bottom and top band which was not difficult but when the batons were being fastened over the tops of the studs particular attention needed to be kept as to the location of studs and the direct connection of the batons.

The window detail of the batons was another design challenge. We are installing 5/4 by 4 trim around the windows so we had to make sure the batons would have enough reveal left to attach the siding. What we did was to rip down the baton to one inch wide and nail a strip around the window opening before nailing the 1 ½” wide strips. After the window trim is installed there will be approximately a one inch nailing flange for siding. We also had to pay close attention to the profile of the baton around the window. We had to make sure it was flat with the flange of the window so the window trim would look flat and seamless.

It was a very good and productive two weeks and could have not been done without the help and problem solving skills of my students. I commend them for their generosity of ideas and stick-to-it attitude for continuing with their good work. 

Next week we will be installing exterior trim, stay tuned.

Good bye, and good building,

Dan Smith

Week 3, Fall 2011

This week the class completed the installation of the rigid insulation on the exterior of the house. We now have a house that has a fully enclosed envelope and is free from thermal bridging. The insulation will block the summer heat from entering the building and keep the winter heat from leaving the building. 

As you can see from the pictures we put a piece of flashing between the foundation and wall insulation to direct any water accumulation out and away from the building. Other points of interest in this system are the blocks between the gable lookouts, the trim piece under the truss heels, and the build-up behind the windows and doors. The blocks between the lookouts were put in to make the installation easier and use as a trim piece after the siding is attached. The trim at the heels was installed to cover the top edge of the insulation and also be used as a finish piece with the siding. The build-up for the windows and doors needed to be put in to compensate for the extra space taken up by the insulation and rain screen.

I want to take a moment and say what a pleasure it is to work with the students of the Sustainable Building Science program. Without them, their enthusiasm, and their great ideas and input the progress on this project would not be possible. They are a great team and I wanted to make sure they were recognized for that.

Next week we will be installing the rain screen material and exterior trim, stay tuned.

Good bye, and good building,

Dan Smith