Back to the worksite after a time away, and there is progress. Ron asked me today when I think they’ll be finished, as he wants to start another job. I told him I would be very happy if we were alone here in two weeks. I hope it can happen.

This is the view I'll see as I sit at the sewing machine

The view from inside the studio. 4" styrofoam on floor, then concrete

The drywall is nearing completion. One of the design challenges was deciding how to finish the drywall around the garage door in the dining room. The hardware has to show some, but we might be able to fashion some wood trim to hide it better. They basically had to do a double drywalled ceiling to create an envelope for the door to roll up into.

Drywall solution with hardware showing

Garage door hardware showing

Allan gave me a good tour of the rainwater collection system/water feature. I am considering plantings now. If anyone has any opinions about the plants or landscape design, come on up!

What the neighbour sees

The deck, walkway and studio roof have progressed. Of course, the rooftop garden will have the best view of all. I took a photo from our neighbour’s window to see what their view will be, and particularly how tall to build a wall to hide the pottery kiln, which will be just outside the studio.

Very exciting development. Allan and Gord from Endless Rain have brought the materials for our rainwater harvesting system, and a water feature that uses the rainwater while making it available for gardening and flushing toilets.

In a box next to the lower basin resides a booster pump that draws water from the reservoir to a separate water supply line that runs to the toilets in the home. These lines are all plumbed with bright red pipe so they are easily distinguishable. The water pressure from the booster pump is equivalent to the city pressure in the home so everything should operate properly.

Kyle has been moving those enormous rocks with his bobcat, under Allan’s direction. Before I had to leave for 10 days of holiday (reluctantly, almost) I watched the retaining wall and the stone steps being installed. It’s a thrill to see the final shape of the yard, and to revise our vision of which part of the yard we will be spending most of our time in. This will be a very pleasant space.

Endless Rain is posting photos on its Facebook fan page, so you can follow along, as I’m doing while away.

The location of the water feature. See the roof of the studio, which will be our garden.

There has been quite a bit of discussion about whether ventilation is required for the soffits/roof. Logic, the BC Building Code, and past experience have told us that of course we need to ventilate to prevent water damage from temperature differentials/condensation. The boys have put ventilation strips in the soffits and the apex of the roof has a ventilation strip over its whole length. But, the spray foam insulators (and their consulting engineer) insist that ventilation is not necessary, and that all their jobs have been passed by the inspectors. When batt ventilation is installed, there is a natural space for ventilation between the batt and the roof sheathing. Spray foam fills all voids. How can it ventilate? Is ventilation necessary? Here are the results of one study.

Action Spray Foam’s consulting engineer, who is a building envelope specialist as well as a structural engineer, visited us today. She says there will never be condensation in the roof, because there will never be an interface between warm and cold. The spray foam is itself a vapour barrier on both sides of the foam. Nevertheless, if we want to ventilate the uninsulated soffits, we can install a firm substrate (plywood) to spray the foam against at the outside wall in the roof joists. So, that’s what the boys will do tomorrow. Then, the sprayers can come back to finish the ceiling, the engineer will sign the letters of assurance for our inspector, and we can proceed to drywall. Just a bit of a delay. We’re used to bits of delay.

...and the foam is applied (Photo 3/3)

A firm base of plywood needs to be inserted in the roof spaces above the walls, to support the spray foam, yet allow ventilation in the soffits. (Photo 1/3)

the blocking is installed in ceiling cavities above the wall (Photo 2/3)

It was fortunate I was able to be on site today, after a two-day absence. It was a whirlwind of activity and decision-making.

Windows and nearly-completed roof

Most of the windows are installed now. Although they look good, I can’t help feeling they aren’t quite big enough. I expect that comes from getting used to the rough openings, which, in the end, are about 3” bigger all around than the glass of the windows.

Thermal mass fireplace kit installed

Russell, the stonemason and his assistant Randy had installed the fireplace kit earlier. Russell said the mortar to cement the pre-formed blocks together was very slippery to work with. The unit could not be placed as close to the side chimney as we were told it could be, so our slab measurements were almost too small.

The fireplace design requires that a piece of ¼” cardboard be placed between the unit and the facing stone, for expansion and contraction during firing. It’s a strange concept to have to have 2” between the masonry and any combustible material, yet here is this cardboard right inside the unit. I guess if it doesn’t get oxygen, it can’t burn. It’s also because of this 2” rule that we used steel posts to support the overhead beams. They will be covered with stone as an integral part of the masonry.

1/4" cardboard around unit

Once the flashing was installed, Russell nailed some ¾” plywood onto the floor around the perimeter of the unit. He will place the rock on it, and the plywood will be removed after the mortar has hardened. That way, the finishing material (fir flooring and slate or tile) can be slipped under the rock, rather than having to scribe the shape of the rock facing onto each strip of flooring or slate, and then fussy-cut the flooring material. Makes so much sense.

The first stone

In addition to Russell and Randy, the builders were here, and a huge plumbing crew blew in after lunch to start the rough-in plumbing. By the time the cabinetmaker arrived to measure for his quote, there was so much noise that I couldn’t make myself heard above the uproar of angle-grinders, drills, saws, and hammers. We would have to stop in the middle of our conversation until the cut had been made.

But then, crew-by-crew the crowd and the noise decreased, until I was blessedly alone, sweeping away the evidence of the recent frenetic activity.

I cherish those peaceful times, when I can tidy up without getting in anyone’s way, and no one requires my attention. I hear the silence of our neighbourhood, or the birdsong, or the pulse of the ferry traffic going by. I see where the sun comes in at this specific season or time of day. I feel the direction of the wind, a nearly constant companion here it seems.

I’m beginning to learn our home.

We have chosen to have metal sheet roofing installed. Not only will it allow us to harvest cleaner rainwater, but it will last a long, long time. When it does need to be replaced, it will be fully recyclable.

Perfect weather for the first day of roofing

Steve the roofer installs each pre-cut sheet of 24-gauge steel, making sure all the screws are covered by the next length of roofing, so that those entry points will be sealed from water, thus preventing premature rusting and leaking.

Hayley says bending steel is as easy as origami

…with the appropriateness of green technology and grants available for owner-builders/single family homes. (Although the truly green among us would ask, “Why are you building a single family home? Aren’t we all about increasing density?”)

Two bits of research have generated this frustration.

ONE: For the roof of my studio building, our engineer is trying to design a roof structure that will best support a garden. I have been looking for some technical info about how we might organize the materials to go on top of whatever roof structure he devises for the weight loads. I have contacted BCIT’s Centre for Architectural Ecology and Light House Sustainable Building Centre, to see if there has been some research about the best materials to use in our climate, and a relative cost comparison (assuming adequate structure of the walls/roof. It’s our intention to use insulated concrete forms for the walls.) Both organizations referred me to one of the several businesses that design green roof systems. I’m frustrated that there is no data our engineer can find easily about this, thus avoiding hiring a separate consultant who will, I believe, sell us his/her “system” of containers and moisture barriers, when a simple and inexpensive solution for putting a garden on a roof would do. The fact is: almost all of the green roofs are built into developments and commercial/municipal buildings, so the economies of scale would justify/dictate hiring a consultant and buying the system.

A BCIT model

TWO: There are many grants for retrofitting your home with Energy Star windows, insulation, energy-efficient appliances, but few for new construction. There are grants for solar/green systems for developments of 20 or more homes but the single new home builder is given little encouragement by way of incentives.

One exception to this: Solar BC will assist in accessing grants for solar hot water heating systems, as long as you use a certified installer from the list on the web site.

ecoAction Canada lists the federally-funded grant programs, mostly for renovations. (You have to wade through lots of pictures of Stephen Harper announcing some “new” Climate Action move by the Conservative government – I can only hope that the Copenhagen talks will step up Canada’s fiscal encouragement for people like us who are currently forking out the total cost to be green home-builders.)

Home Performance lists grants available in your part of the country. The site doesn’t feel all that well-updated, but is a start.

BC Hydro has a grant program for getting rid of old fridges and for buying Energy Star appliances. Small potatoes, but it’s something. The Consortium for Energy Efficiency lists the super-efficient appliances which qualify.

That’s what I’ve come up with so far.