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 Allan Courtney

Bryan met with Allan Courtney of Statewide Roofing 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).

We have way too many trenches open on our job site so ‘closing’ one is an accomplishment (and worthy of a celebration!).  At the same time, the components that must be completed for our roof are being addressed and we’re closer to being weathertight – so we can install the windows.

Reviewing a Prototype for Our Front Door

We decided to engage a local craftsman, Nathan Merrill of American Ordamental Ironworks on Dell Avenue, to design, build and install our front door assembly. 

The front door assembly consists of the steel frame that will hold the glass and door itself.  Bryan met with Nathan and discussed the design, including the use of Soss hinges.  Soss hinges are invisible from both sides of the door, enabling a clean, uncluttered look to the entrance.

Nathan was not familiar with Soss hinges and was eager to work on a project with simple, clean lines.  Most of Nathan’s projects are for Tuscan-style homes with elaborate custom steel doors and railing systems.

After getting a Soss hinge, Nathan assembled a small piece of a door frame, complete with a 1-3/4 inch working door attached to the Soss hinge.  Nathan came by the job site to show it to Bryan, and get his feedback.

The door assembly is way cool and will be spectacular.

Picking Up Sand from Granite Rock

Pacific Gas & Electric have very strict requirements for placing their natural gas with electric lines underground. 

First, the utility lines must be 39 inches below grade and separated in a common trench by at least 18 inches.  There must be 2 inches of sand at the bottom of the trench under the conduit for the electrical service. 

Second, PG&E must inspect the electrical conduit and trench prior scheduling and dispatching a two-person crew to install the natural gas line to the house. 

Finally, when the two-person crew arrives at the job site, there must be sufficient sand stockpiled and manpower available to cover the natural gas line and electrical conduit with 6 inches of sand.  This requirement is to ensure the natural gas line is not exposed to sunlight where the ultraviolet rays will damage the line and be a potential weakness for failure.

So, we need to have over two cubic yards of sand at our job site to meet the PG&E requirements.  Bryan went to Granite Rock’s location off Snell Road for the first load of sand with his pickup truck.

PG&E's requirements make our trenching process somewhat complex.

Receiving Approval on Our Water Service

Bryan requested an inspection of our connection to San Jose Water at 7:50 am this morning and our Building Official, Howard Bell, arrived this afternoon at 3:45 pm.  After some discussion, Howard approved the connection.  Immediately thereafter, Bryan went to the rental shop and picked up a ‘jumping jack’ (compactor).

Izzy agreed to stay an extra hour and work with Bryan to backfill and compact the trench from the San Jose Water meter to the underground cistern.  Although the trench was only 20 inches deep at the meter, it was almost 40 inches deep at the cistern.  Backfilling this trench would use up a significant amount of stockpiled dirt and provided some much-needed real estate.

While Bryan was getting the compactor, Izzy put a couple inches of sand in the trench, covering the water supply pipe.

Installing the Fascia

Meanwhile, the two-person team from Earth Bound Homes completed installing the 2x material on the gable ends and on the South and East sides of the house.  Having the fascia in place must be completed prior to putting in the tapered foam crickets.

Shop Drawings for the Tapered Foam Crickets

Leo sent the shop drawings for the tapered foam crickets today at 12:30 pm.  We have to sign off on the shop drawings before Johns Manville will ship the tapered foam crickets.  Unfortunately for us, Al Courteney couldn’t make the scheduled meeting with Bryan at the job site so they will meet at 9:00 am tomorrow morning.

Signing off on the shop drawings will trigger the manufacturing and shipping process to our job site.

Everything is coming together …

Rendering of our front door, which will be in a steel frame with frosted glass around it.

Nathan Merrill, from American Ordamental Iron on Dell Avenue, showing the prototype of the door with the Soss hinge. Our door will have three stainless steel Soss hinges.

Izzy unloads the sand, which will be used at the bottom of the trenches.

PG&E trench, 39 inches deep, waiting for the electrical conduit and 2 inches of sand.

Trench for six-inch overflow pipe from underground cistern to the back of the storm drain on Winchester Boulevard.

Franciso carrying the ladder with Carlos on the roof.

Close up of the completed fascia at the front of the house. This will get wrapped with natural zinc.

Backfilled water trench. Completing this trench opened up some real estate for us at the front of the house. Way cool ...

Remaining trench around underground cistern.

Backfilled and compacted trench to San Jose Water Company's meter at the street. Yippee!

End of the day photo - South and East fascia were completed today.

End of the day photo - there is still a lot of dirt available for backfilling trenches. Note the small pile of sand, which is covered with a tarp.

End of the day photo - trenches at the the South East corner of the house. There is lots going on here.

End of the day photo - open trench at the front of the house.

End of the day photo - completed fascia looks good.

We’re in Argentina and the team from Earth Bound Homes have been taking photos to document their progress.

Gable roof, showing I-joist spline covered with mastic, ready for the adjacent SIP to be put into place. Photo credit ? Francisco Espinoz.

With the lower flat SIP roof and mid-level flat SIP roof completed, the team from Earth Bound Homes started to assemble the first gable roof.

The gable roofs have a 12:12 pitch so the angle at the peak of the roofs is 90 degrees.  We designed the SIP roof so one roof section is 12-1/2 inches longer than the other section, so the SIPs are not mitered, or split, in the center.  Other designs for such roofs use mitered connections.

At the base of each gable roof, we used rimboard with mitered ends.  The rimboard is fastened to the mid-level SIP roof and then the gable SIPs are attached to the mitered RM boards.  The top of the short gables have a 2×12 plate that the longer gables overlap with.  The overlapping gables are attached through to the structural ridge beam.

Structural details showing 2x12 in both the short SIP gable and long SIP gable.

These two flush beams will be inside the mid-level flat SIP roof very soon. The Living Room gable roof will be attached to the structrural beam on the left and the posts for the upper-level flat roof will be attached to the structural beam on the right. Note the flush steel beam inside the SIP, which is supported by the steel post.

Ridge beam detail. Note how the post supports the non-structural Douglas Fir beam from the original house, which is under the parastrand structrural beam, and these two beams have a continuous strap from one side of the post over the top to the other side of the post. As well, there is a wide strap at the back, holding the structural beam and non-structrural beam to the post. On top, we have a custom-milled triangular piece of wood that will support the two SIP roofs, which will connect at a 90 degree angle.

Rimboard, with the ends cut off. This rimboard will be connected to the mid-level flat roofs snd support the SIP gable roofs.

We used Simpson Column Caps (CCQs) to connect the posts to the structural beams. The FSC-certified 2x6s formed the base of each of the SIP pony walls. around the Atrum.

Lifting the first SIP gable into place over the rimboard and ridge beam.

First SIP gable in place over the Foyer.

Opposite end of first SIP gable. Note the holes in the foam for the electrical chases. Ultimately, the ends of these SIP gable roofs will have structrural LVL between the OSB and then the rakes will be covered with 2x fascia. And, that will be covered with zinc.

View from Via Sereno of first SIP gable in place.

First SIP gable roof, showing open ridge detail Note the holes for the chases that run vertically through the SIP roof.

First gable on opposite side. This SIP gable is longer than the other SIP gable. Note the 2x12 that is inside the first (shorter) SIP gable.

Posts over Dining Room and Kitchen. We need to put the Douglas Fir beams and structural beams in place over these posts next.

There is one steel flush beam in our roof, which will not be visible.  However, this beam connects many of the key structural components together in the house and must be fabricated to very fine tolerances so it will fit into the SIP roof assembly and connect the components as designed.

Given it was a beautiful Friday afternoon, Reed Kingston stopped by with his two boys, Graham and Cole, to see the progress.  And walk around the roof!

Taking Field Measurements

We are putting a W8x18 steel flush beam into the SIP that connects the concrete wall in the Garage/Atrium with the 7.00 x 11.25 inch Paralam flush beam by the Living Room. 

This steel beam will have:

• 2×6 nailers on the top and bottom, with Nelson studs connecting the nailers to the steel beam;
• a hole in the top and bottom flange to connect the beam to a 5/8-inch anchor bolt that is embedded in the concrete wall;
• six CS14 straps to connect the steel beam to the concrete shear wall;
• a Simpson GLT welded to the north end of the steel beam to connect it to the 7.00 x 11.25 Paralam flush beam;
• four sets of plates welded to the flanges of the steel beam to connect to the 4×6 and 6×6 posts that support the upper-flat roof; and
• four bolts connecting the steel beam to the HSS 4×4 steek column in the Kitchen.

Yeah, there is a lot going on with this beam.

(We better get it right!)

Cole and Graham Kingston Visit Our Project Site

Reed Kingston brought his twin boys, Cole and Graham, to the project site this afternoon.  All three of the boys tour the site on a regular basis so they have a good understanding of where we were and how the projects unfolds.

William Zapeda (left), from Larson Steel, and Francisco Espinoz (right), from Earth Bound Homes, review the structural plans and identify the various connections for this beam.

William Zepeda, from Larson Steel, measuring the HSS 4x4 steel column in the Kitchen.

Francisco Espinoz, Earth Bound Homes, measuring the W8x18 steel beam over the concrete wall in the Garage/Atrium. The CS14 straps will go over and under the nailers that will be attached to the steel beam.

Reed Kingston with his two boys, Cole and Graham, went to each corner of the roof as they reviewed progress to date.

The FSC-certified LVL is now inside of SIP panels around the perimeter of the lower-flat roof.

SIP roof over main entrance with LVL inside of SIP.

West side of front of house. Note the window well to bring light into the lower level (and allow emergency egress).

The week ended on another beautiful, blue-sky California day. The weather was the complete opposite of the torrential rains exactly one week ago today.