OK, ‘Tyvek’ isn’t a verb.  But, then again, neither is ‘Google’.  But everyone ‘Googles’ people, materials, terms, etc.  We ‘Tyveked’ our roof today.

Dave Edwards’ two-person team from Earth Bound Homes worked all day putting building wrap (Tyvek) over the flat and gable roofs.  The Tyvek needs to be in place before Akeena Solar puts in the solar mounts and conduit on the flat roof.  The installation team from Akeena Solar will be on site on Friday morning (08/27/10).

During the day, Bryan made several trips to pick up materials so the team could continue working.  These materials included 5 ft wide Tyvek, 9 ft wide Tyvek, and Stinger staples.  We don’t want the crew working to pause for a moment because they don’t have materials.  As well, we don’t want to have more materials than are required to complete our project (controlling and limiting our construction waste).

Also, White Cap delivered our expanding foam and more Grace Viecore Plus so we can have a robust air and water seal between the flat and gable roofs.

Finalizing the Plans for Our Solar Photovoltaic Panels

Akeena made the final changes to the plans for our solar mounting system.  Sheet PV-1 shows the layout of the 6 arrays of 8 solar panels on the flat and gable roofs.  Sheet PV-2 shows the details of how the arrays will be attached to the roof. 

We worked with Akeena (Duk Lee in particular) to design the mounting system to optimize the production of electricity and to reduce the number of cables and penetrations of the thermal envelope. The benefit of designing the system in advance is that the system should generate the maximum amount of electricity possible while maintaining limiting tripping hazards to make maintenance (cleaning) of the solar panels fast, easy and safe.

Delivery from White Cap to our project site. Our account manager, Gino Attanasio, is taking good care of us.

Looking through the Atrium, the gable roofs are covered with Tyvek building wrap. Note how the evening sunshine is going into the kitchen through (what will be) the clerestory windows.

Looking South on the lower flat roof, admiring the Tyvek on the roofs. Note the chase for the conduit to the solar panels in the sunshine against the pony wall under the clerestory windows. Also, note the four insulated skylight curbs.

The upper flat roof is covered with Tyvek. Note the mounts for the solar panels in the lower left part of the photo. Also, of course, note the beautiful blue-sky California day.

The lower flat roof on the West side is covered with Tyvek. Note the insulated curbs for the skylights and the first clerestory window in the box at the top left of the photo.

It was satisfying to see the Tyvek on the gable roof at the front of the house. People driving North on Winchester Boulevard will see some progress on our house.

After two failed inspections, we passed our natural gas inspection on Wednesday, 08/18/10, so we could have the PG&E team connect our natural gas line to the main going up Via Sereno.  Today was [another] a big day.  After the natural gas was connected, Bryan ensured the natural gas lines were covered with 6 inches of sand.

Also, the team from Earth Bound Homes completed the chase for our solar AC and DC connections, installed a waterproof membrane at the connection to the gable roof and pony walls, and put Tyvek on the inside gable of two of our three gable roofs.

Laying In Our Natural Gas Connection

The two-person team from PG&E arrived at 8:45 am this morning.  Bill (the welder) and Larry worked safely and quickly to lay in our natural gas connection.  This was an interesting process to watch.

First, Larry did the ‘tail gate planning’, where he identified the closest emergency hospital (Good Samaritan Hospital off Los Gatos Boulevard) and noted the site-specific conditions.  For our project, these conditions included the potential of water below grade and the 15,000 volt underground electric cables within 18 inches of the natural gas main.  Larry documented these conditions on the tail gate board.

Then, they set to work.  All appropriate safety equipment was in place, including a fire extinguisher.  Then, Bill welded the vertical connection onto the live natural gas main.  This was a bit tense for Bryan to watch (yeah, welding a pipe containing natural gas at 57 PSI).  Meanwhile, Larry got the natural gas riser with 1/2 inch connection line and cut it to the approximate length, and they pressure-tested the assembly.

After Bill completed the welding, the connection has to cool before they could continue (approximately 20 minutes).  This allowed time to clean up the area, and place the riser assembly in the trench.

Bill tested the natural gas connection to the gas riser, which was ok.  Then, he cut into the live natural gas line, which allowed gas to flow into the gas riser.  Larry opened the valve slowly, to avoid triggering the emergency shut off valve, and allowed some gas to flow through the line.  This cleared any debris (dirt, sand, etc.) from the line.  Then, Larry closed the valve.

With the connection working, Bill then primed the main line and connection and tested all the joints with soapy water.  Ensuring there were no leaks, Bill wrapped the natural gas line and all metallic connections with the special tape (to avoid corrosion).

After loading up their tools and equipment, Bill and Larry gave Bryan the final instructions on covering the new natural gas line with six inches of sand, and then they left the job site.

It was 10:15 am.

Preparing to Install the Solar Mounts

Since we have a membrane roof on the flat roofs, we have to have all the penetrations completed.  With our 48 solar photovoltaic panels, we must have the mounts for the frames completed and in place as soon as we put down our Tyvek wrap over the flat roof.  This will allow Akeena Solar to install (with us), the brackets for the 32 solar photovoltaic panels (in 4 arrays of 8 panels each) on the upper flat roof.

Also, we need to have the conduits in place for the AC (from the 16 panels with Enphase micro-inverters on each individual panel) and the DC (from the 32 panels on the upper flat roof), all of which go through the SIP roof to the rigid conduit in the concrete wall that will take the electric cables to the East Mechanical room.

We’ve scheduled the installation of the solar mounts by Akeena Solar on the upper flat roof and the conduits going to the SIP roof for Friday.  Thus, the team from Earth Bound Homes has to have the Tyvek and other components in place so Akeena can do their work.

It’s all good.

The two-person team from PG&E just arrived. Bill and Larry will do the natural gas lay-in to the exposed natural gas main.

Bill starts welding the vertical connection to the natural gas line. This made Bryan a bit nervous, as welding a live natural gas line with 57 PSI just didn't seem prudent.

Bryan, with more courage, took a closer photo of Bill completing the weld to the live natural gas line.

Bill and Larry leaving the site at 10:15 am. It was a quick 90 minutes for them to complete the natural gas lay-in.

The completed connection. Bill was very careful to ensure that all of the nicks in the natural gas line covering were removed and wrapped with new material. There won't be any corrosion with this connection.

After Bill and Larry left, Bryan ensured the natural gas main and our connection were covered with at least 6 inches of sand. We hope Izzy will be available in the morning to help backfill and compact the trench to grade.

Our solar chase for the conduit from the gable and flat roofs, and to take the AC and DC lines to the East Mechanical room.

Our Tyvek covering the South side of the North gable.

Looking North, at the West side of the East gable.

Bryan was most proud of the natural gas lay-in today, and took photos from the roof.

The connection to the cistern can be completed now.

We finished the trench work for our natural gas and electric service lines from PG&E today.  Bryan called for the first inspection and was fortunate to schedule the appointment for tomorrow (08/04/10).  However, our PG&E Project Manager, Nathan Lee, cautioned us that the next available ‘lay in’ was two weeks out.

Meeting with Al Courtney

Bryan met with Al this morning at 9:00 am.  Al liked the progress and thought the insulated skylight curbs should be raised to allow better flashing.  Bryan agreed to raise the curbs by 1-1/4 inch while reducing the thickness of the plywood from 1/2 inch to 1/4 inch.  These two changes will increase the effective curb height by 1-1/2 inches.

Also, Al reviewed photos of some bathroom exhaust fans that vented through a flat roof and recommended that we place the fan vents directly on the tapered flat roof and simply flash to them.  That works with us.

Reviewing Preliminary Home Automation with Brandon Smith

After meeting with Al, Bryan met with Brandon Smith at the job site.  Brandon walked Bryan through the home automation design and Bryan provided feedback.  \

Also, they discussed possible locations and mounting alternatives for a satellite dish and a weather station on the roof.  Given our membrane roof system and other components in our house, it is critical to anticipate and plan for future needs and requirements.  We will invest in the connectivity infrastructure now, when we can, so that we will be able to accommodate different systems in the future.

Brandon will updated the home automation design plans and return them to Bryan by Friday.  Then, they will be ready for Paul Fulton to review.

Picking Up Two Loads of Sand

To complete the trench for PG&E, we picked up two loads of sand in our Dodge RAM 1500.  We got the sand from Granite Rock on Snell Road in San Jose.

Izzy, the master trencher, distributed the sand in the trench and he and Michael Bennison were able to install 3-inch conduit from the PG&E box in the front yard to the conduit in the foundation, as requested by Nathan Lee.

After completing these activities, Bryan called the Inspection Desk at PG&E and requested a ‘Trench Inspection.’  PG&E was able to accommodate our schedule and will send an inspector tomorrow.  Only after passing the Trench Inspection will PG&E schedule a Lay-In for the natural gas.  According to our Project Manager, Nathan Lee, the next available Lay-In in two weeks (08/16/10).

Laying Out the Downspout Locations

Based on the shop drawings that Leo Richardson sent to Bryan, we mapped out the locations and verified the dimensions of the insulated skylight curbs on the roof.  Given the other requirements and some conflicts, Bryan adjusted the downspout locations by a few inches and then marked the downspout locations for Izzy to trench to.

Izzy completed the trench to one of the four downspouts on the West side of the house.

Scheduling a Meeting with Matt Jung for Wednesday, 08/04

We need to get all of our geothermal ground loops completed and tested, before we can close the trenches on the East and West sides of the house.

Ken Martin completed the design and now we need 88HVAC (Matt Jung) to be on site to connect the ground loops.  Bryan spoke with Matt this afternoon and Matt will be at the project site in the morning to review the details on connecting the HDPE in each of the concrete piers.  Connecting the HPDE will require using a concrete chipping hammer, which Izzy is the master of.

Completing the Fascia

While there were several meetings and lots going on below, the two-person team from Earth Bound Homes continued to work on completing the fascia.  Francisco and Carlos finished putting in the 2x material on the lower flat roof on the North and West sides of the house, and completing the fascia on the West end of the South Gable. 

After completing the roof tasks, Francisco and Carlos raised the door height framing so it would be at the bottom of the drop beams on the West side of the house.  And, they adjusted the stud spacing to accommodate the faucets in the Upper Powder Room and between the Master Shower and Kate’s Shower.

The first partial bucket of sand is loaded into our pickup truck at GraniteRock's Snell Avenue location. This load was almost 1,900 lbs.

Given the first load was a bit heavy, Bryan asked the excavator operator to go a bit lighter and give us 1,600 lbs. He erred on the light side and gave us 1,460 lbs.

With the sand, we were able to backfill the trench and get the 3-inch electrical conduit in place. We're ready for our Trench Inspection, which will be tomorrow (08/04/10).

Izzy, the Master Trencher, quickly dug the trench to the North West downspout on the West wall. Three more to go on this side.

The fascia around the lower-, upper- and gable roofs is now complete. All of the tasks have been completed relating to installing the tapered insulation (except for completing the mounts for the solar panels).