I drove down last night (headwind: only 34 mpg) for a 9am meeting at 2021 Harriet between architect, builder and LEED/GreenStar ‘rater’.  Patrick O’Malley of  BKI (Building Knowledge, Inc.) will both guide our efforts and take measure of the results.  It’s basically a collaborative process in which we count on him to give us the best advice, but also to render objective decisions.  So we were all ears as he interpreted the LEED stipulations to us. Indeed, he was generally more optimistic than cautious Joe in suggesting strategies to maximize points.

On the south side of the house, siding is being pulled off in preparation for building the wall.

The wall will be built out by a foot to accommodate large blocks of “Roxul”  insulation, which is now stored in the back yard.

Neighbors have complained about finding nails in their yard, so despite the cold and mud, one of our workers is using a magnetic sweep to find them.

Inside the house, air ducts are being installed.

 

The pending arrival of the heating, ventilation and cooling contractor (HVAC) has had Marc, Caleb and me in a spiral of consultation these past several days. One question is how to route the laundry chute from the second floor to the basement.  I am almost as bullish on laundry chutes as I am on mudrooms.  Convenience!  Unfortunately, the laundry chute has to share the ‘chase’ (or vertical corridor) between the second floor and basement with air ducts.  Marc proposes that a bend in the laundry chute to avoid the problem.  The HVAC contractor already has put a bend in a heating duct to accommodate the crowded framing.

But a second challenge arose: how to arrange washer, dryer and folding table in the very small laundry room in the basement?  This has taken several days of drawings and emails to sort out.  A solution is in hand.  Do all problems yield to persistent analysis?

The HVAC contractor didn’t show, so Marc, Caleb and I reviewed on our own several  problematic locations for the heating supply ducts.  We’ve decided to use wooden-grill registers in the floor, instead of metal grills on the walls.  A grill should be neither seen nor heard.

Speaking of heat I wonder how the guys can work in an unheated house.  It is heated—barely.  The furnace that came with the house was removed, along with all the heating ducts.  But a plumber brought in a temporary furnace which is sufficient to keep the (very leaky) house at around 50-55F unless it gets really cold.  We’re not quite ready to disconnect from the fossil economy. This furnace reminds me not to get too cocky about the ‘end’ of fossil fuels.  They will be around for decades; the challenge is wean ourselves where possible—to stop burning up a valuable resource.  After all, we are going to need carbon feedstocks for manufacturing into the indefinite future.

On the way home, in the afternoon, I met successively with the two remaining cabinet builders (the national firm was knocked out because they are not able or willing to use formaldehyde-free plywood.)  The choice is between a local shop and a network—a local guy who represents—without an office!–Amish craftsmen in rural Illinois.  I had many questions for each outfit.  It’s hard to decide.  Both very clearly want the job, and I am sure either would do just fine.