Monday, August 31, 2009

Ta Da! Thanks TAMKO, Metal Seams and Tile!



Metal Seams and Tile stayed late last Friday evening and finished the roof and even put a little cover on the outdoor display sign for us.

I'll report back later on the awesome performance characteristics of the TAMKO MetalWorks product but for now, just enjoy...


I was giving this guy a hard time by calling him crazy for jumping ontop of this sign with no fear. I was really scared. I built it...so I knew he was truly endangerd. He just laughed at me.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Moving Gas Lines to House

Somehow we qualified to have our gas meter moved from the street up to the house....FOR FREE!

ONG started digging across the street yesterday so they could tap into the lines that feed our house -- Sorry Leslie! ONG dug a huge hole in my neighbor's yard to fix my gas line. "That's what friends are for..."



I think my son would rather watch this guy that go to run club in the morning.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

More Loads of Fun

We took our third load of metal to Borg Compressed Steel last week. Borg is located at 1032 N Lewis Ave in Tulsa (918) 587-2437.

There are other metal recycling facilities located throughout Tulsa - see the Sustainable Tulsa green directory for details on the closest one to you:
http://www.sustainabletulsa.org/greendirectory.php

or

call the Met: (918) 584-0584 or http://www.metrecycle.com/


You're not gonna get rich recycling. You've gotta do it because it's the right thing to do. This little load hauled in a $50 windfall towards the project. It was a little over 1,000 pounds.

They drop a huge magnet into the bed of the truck and pull it right out. Great experience for young kids to see how this all works.
The mountains of metal found through the facility are amazing.

Bolder Moves, Moving Boulders


The house only had a side door access to get the the back yard. So, we thought a cool and practical update for modern living would be to fill in the side door and one window using stone from the fireplace. We'd utilize a south facing window and create a back-door, creating new direct access to the back door. Good for families with kids as well as better utilization of a patio, deck or outdoor space.

The space created from using from the fireplace's stone on east side porch, will be replaced with bookshelves. The bookshelves will come in handy, as the new glass we ordered will make the porch a well-lit reading space.

Refining Our Cabinet Options

Next week, we meet up with Ralph Lackner, President of locally owned Jay Rambo company, to submit our final plans for the cabinets. Above: Ralph discussed electrical locations with Colburn Electric.

The Pipes, the Pipes are Calling


Above: Mike threads a pipe section for a new gas line to accommodate the new tankless gas hot water heater system, manufactured by Rianni. Mike from M&S Plumbing is a licensed plumber with experience in green construction projects. Mike helped finish Shelby Navarro's green home on Rockford here in Tulsa.

Mike had to dig out a good section of the old sewage piping to fit the new connections.

On the Fence

With a flurry of contractors on site last week - HVAC guys, plumbers, electricians - my main man Jim was forced outside to attend to the fence. At first blush, it appeared as though the fence, falling down in some places and braced up from the Winter storm of 2007 in others, was headed for the landfill. Not so. Fortunately, the fence posts and most of the wood was treated. Only the horizontal support lumber was rotten. We're not sure why the previous owner used untreated wood for such a small and relatively insignificant part of the original fence project.

Before:


During:

After:
Well, we're not there yet...but we're zipping off 6in from the tops and bottoms of the existing fence and reusing everything we can. This isn't just environmentally friendly, it's cheaper than buying new lumber! Look for a great Anchor Paint exterior stain on the final product. Keep charging Jim!

The new HVAC is here! The new HVAC is here!

I love the part in The Jerk when Navin R. Johnson (Steve Martin) says, "The new phone book's here! The new phone book's here. I'm somebody now! Millions of people look at this book everyday! This is the kind of spontaneous publicity - your name in print - that makes people. I'm in print! Things are going to start happening to me now."

We'll, I'm not THAT excited (yes I am) but when I got home from work the other day, the sight of the big Carrier pallet was a beautiful sight to see.

The next day, a team of professional installers swarmed the job site and were seen up, down and all around hoisting the main unit into the attic, running ducting throughout the house and per the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design specifications for ensuring indoor air quality, all ducting is kept sealed throughout the process until the entire system is ready to go online. This keeps any contamination like dirt, dust, mold, smoke, chemicals or are anything else out of the ventilation system while construction is in progress.

Air Solutions Heating & Cooling Inc. is a Factory Authorized Dealer for Carrier. Keith Hilligoss and all the guys at Air Solutions know what they're doing, which is why Carrier awarded them the coveted President's Award in 2008.

Eventually, the attic will be blown with spray foam insulation, keeping this unit within the conditioned space and adding to the efficiency to this already efficient system. We've gone with Carrier's Infinity™ Series. This is Carrier's premier series of products offering the highest in excellence that Carrier's experts have developed. For details about this system, see: http://www.residential.carrier.com/systems/infinity/index.shtml#/home

High-efficiency air conditioners cost more up front than mid-range or minimum-efficiency units (which start at *est. $2,500 to $3,000), but will result in the lowest monthly energy bills and often include additional energy-saving features. Experts say these 16 to 23 SEER (seasonal energy efficiency rating) air conditioners make sense if you want to make a long-term investment, live in an area with high electricity rates or long air-conditioning seasons, and are willing to pay more at the time of purchase so you can reduce your use of electricity. Most high-efficiency air conditioners are two-stage units, which cool efficiently with less on/off cycling, and they all use the more environmentally friendly coolant R-410A instead of R-22 (Freon). However, your home may need ductwork renovations to accommodate these units, which would add to their total cost. Carrier uses a proprietary coolant called Puron. For details: http://www.residential.carrier.com/knowledge/innovation/puron.shtml

Banner Weeks for Colburn Electric



Thanks to John (left), Darrin (center) and Bill (right) for running all the electrical wiring, positioning receptacle boxes and riddling me with questions every morning for the last couple weeks! My bad - I had know idea how much information I failed to think about before getting you out to the job site. Special thanks also goes out to Bart Colburn for partnering with us on this unique energy efficient residential retrofit.


A well thought out electrical plan is important element to figure out BEFORE the electricians get to the house! Where do you want cable tv boxes, ceiling fans, power outlets, types of power required for appliances (gas, electric, 110v vs 220v), height on the walls, phone jacks, can lights, etc.

We're also going to bury the existing power lines from the pole to the house and house to garage. We'll provide a Before and After comparison when we get there.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Front and Center!!!!


More Tubes! More Roof! Front Porch Update!











We're pick'en up steam folks.....I'm still thinking October....


Relax, Enjoy Your Solatubes



Yeah, You could say I was a little anal about where the Solatubes should go. But, David Perkins (918-808-4242) was more polite and accommodating than I deserved. You wouldn't believe the amount of even, natural light that these pump into your living space.

To ensure the roofer and the Solatube installer knew what the game plan for the Solatube locations while I wasn't on site, I over did it a little and staple-gunned signs in all 6 locations. Yeah, 6. We're pretty excited.


Tip: Consult your roofer as soon as you know you're going with Solatubes or any roof penetration.

Contact David Perkins, Authorized Installer/Local Distributor
Cell: 918-808-4242
www.solatulsa.com