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Jeanne61- Thank you again! A you can see we like clean, neat, and simple. The dust(until we get the ceilings in) is going to drive me nuts.
Piffin- Hi. I am glad you are learning a little about solar and wind. Mike has learned "a ton" through trial and error. He learns best through his own mistakes because then he understands things inside and out. When Mike is done we will try to explain a simplified version.
Thank you for all the encouragement. We are so tired but we are so close. Today is going to be a big "push" day for us. Soon we will take some time for ourselves.
I look forward to hearing from you tonight. Please don't be too harsh.
Laura(redbean)- Thank you for writing in. I am glad you like our floor plan. It is a very simple design. You don't have to worry about closets, they were supposed to go behind each door in the bedrooms. They were going to be
2ftx8ft in each room but Mike really wanted these armoires so I gave in. The 2 armoires are where the closet was supposed to be.
I know you how you feel about being dependent. I am so happy that we were able to build this home and become a little more self sufficient.
Suzanne1945- I'm glad you enjoyed our story as usual.
I wouldn't think of being harsh Lisa. You have done nothing to deserve that.
my purpose in spending time on homebuilding sites is to share my experience with an eye to helping. You have gathered a large number of 'voyeurs' and have inspired many others to follow in your footsteps to some degree. That is always the case with pioneers since the days of Daniel Boone. Somebody steps out to do a good thing, and others invariably follow.
Sometimes along the way, Daniel might have wanted a guide in the form of a local ***** who had been there before him, to save a few mis-steps on the wrong path.
so I offer some comments in that vein, for your benefit going forward, and for those who read this and intend to copy your example. You are people of courage and strength. It would be a sin for me to approach you with any attitude other than to offer help.
Your choices of certain materials were excellent!
A metal roof can perform for a lifetime in your area if maintained.
The semi-underground earth sheltering has obvious benefits.
The closed cell foam was an especially fine choice. It has approximately double the R-value per inch of any competing product, AND functions as a vapour barrier. I generally have it applied thicker, but I work in more extreme climates.
The PEX plumbing is also a wise choice. There are multiple advantages to it beyond the ease of installation, one of which for my area is that it is more tolerant of freeze/thaw situations. Where copper will split at the elbows, PEX has few elbows, and often does not split open when wanter contained in the lines freezes.
Your concrete appears very well done - which is extremely important since it would be one of the most expensive items to fix if there were any carelessness in that portion of your home.
In my career, most of the items I have been called upon to fix/repair for homeowners have been related to moisture problems and failure to control moisture properly. Indeed, that is the most common cause of trouble in maintaining a residence. I do see that you have done a couple things with methods less than the best - or even less than standard. If I can get you to work at correcting those in the next year or so, it will have long term benefit for you in terms of cost, comfort, and value, and possibly even in health.
Some other items I noticed are more a matter of technique or convenience, or items that you may have done, but I simply did not notice that you had mentioend. For instance, the water storage tank should have some sort of a goosenecked or valved breather vent. When the pump draws water from the well to send into the tank, the air that is in there has to be displaced and go someplace, otherwise, the pressure makes your well pump work harder, draw more current, and your tank will not hold as much water, causing the pump to cycle more often.
You may already have such a valve in place and I missed it.
Likewise with the plumbing vents in the waste water system, I see no way for sewer gas to escape the system except into the house. There are two problems with this. One is that methane is dangerous, can make you ill, and is explosive. The other is that the air from a septic system is moist, and you do not want added moisture in your home. It will condense on those cooler crete walls and the moisture there can contribute to the growth of milds, which are unhealthy for you and for the house.
Generally a human likes a relative humidity of 40-50%, while a house structure is happier with a RH of 15-20%, so we adapt and plan systems to help balance things out.
earth sheltered homes do tend to have a greater occourance of moisture related problems due to condensation. But nothing that is not insurmountable.
OK, I have more to say, but it sounds like my keeper has dinner on the table, so that is enough for this posting
Hi. I had to get Mike's input to answer some of your questions and concerns. Here goes.
Some other items I noticed are more a matter of technique or convenience, or items that you may have done, but I simply did not notice that you had mentioend. For instance, the water storage tank should have some sort of a goosenecked or valved breather vent. When the pump draws water from the well to send into the tank, the air that is in there has to be displaced and go someplace, otherwise, the pressure makes your well pump work harder, draw more current, and your tank will not hold as much water, causing the pump to cycle more often.
You may already have such a valve in place and I missed it.
The lid on the water tank is not air tight. The siphon tube is under water near the bottom of the tank. We are using a siphon feed from the tank to the DC pump. There is no stress on the pump system. It is working surprisingly well.
Likewise with the plumbing vents in the waste water system, I see no way for sewer gas to escape the system except into the house. There are two problems with this. One is that methane is dangerous, can make you ill, and is explosive. The other is that the air from a septic system is moist, and you do not want added moisture in your home. It will condense on those cooler crete walls and the moisture there can contribute to the growth of milds, which are unhealthy for you and for the house.
Generally a human likes a relative humidity of 40-50%, while a house structure is happier with a RH of 15-20%, so we adapt and plan systems to help balance things out.
earth sheltered homes do tend to have a greater occourance of moisture related problems due to condensation. But nothing that is not insurmountable.
The vent system in the house has check valves installed under each sink, the toilet, and the shower. (I may not have been clear in my pictures. No gas can come back through the check valves. They are one way valves- air in not out.
The house has been waterproofed inside and out. We have taken every step possible to stop any dampness inside. We dry locked the interior of the perimeter walls with 2 very heavy coats. The outside was waterproofed by a professional company. At this time we have no dampness inside(and we haven't even had the fireplace on yet). The motorhome actually has much more moisture and condensation than the house. So far the house is staying at 60 degrees when we first go down in the morning. That's with no heat and freezing temperatures outside at night. It's working the way we planned.
Thank you for posting your advice. I hope that cleared up some of your concerns. Some of these systems are new to us and a berm house is also new so keep the info coming. I am thinking we will eventually need some type of air ventilation in the house. Mike has to see that we need that first.
I wouldn't think of being harsh Lisa. You have done nothing to deserve that.
my purpose in spending time on homebuilding sites is to share my experience with an eye to helping. You have gathered a large number of 'voyeurs' and have inspired many others to follow in your footsteps to some degree. That is always the case with pioneers since the days of Daniel Boone. Somebody steps out to do a good thing, and others invariably follow.
Piffin? Not the Piffin from FHB?!! Good to see you, old man! Talk about a funny place to bump into each other......lol.
Lisa,
I've really enjoyed reading your progress.
Someone else had commented on your stamina.
Can I ask, how old are you and Mike?
Looking at the pictures you look very very young.
So does Mike, but I'm assuming he's older because he
has a grown daughter, and grandbabies.
I'm just amazed at his energy. What are you going to do with him
when it gets cold?
Will there be enough activity to keep him busy during the winter?
Lisa,
I've really enjoyed reading your progress.
Someone else had commented on your stamina.
Can I ask, how old are you and Mike?
Looking at the pictures you look very very young.
So does Mike, but I'm assuming he's older because he
has a grown daughter, and grandbabies.
I'm just amazed at his energy. What are you going to do with him
when it gets cold?
Will there be enough activity to keep him busy during the winter?
I am very glad you are enjoying our story. Mike is 50 and I just turned 42 on Monday. We both used to have much more energy. We are actually a little surprised at how long this is taking us. Oh well, your body doesn't stay 20 forever.
This will be our first winter in about 6 years that we will be spending it in the cold. Mike "hates" the cold. We knew the winter would be long for us if we didn't save some projects for winter. We will have the ceiling to do, all the trim, lots and lots of organizing(which we love), and clean up on the driveway when the sun is out.
We also may do some things we used to do here. Years ago we used to own a Roller Skating Rink. There is another rink about 10 minutes from us so we may go once a week or so. We still have our skates. Mike is really good on skates- me I used to do the DJ stuff so I'm not as good but it's great exercise.
Of course if we get really bored we can take a road trip.
"The vent system in the house has check valves installed under each sink, the toilet, and the shower. (I may not have been clear in my pictures. No gas can come back through the check valves. They are one way valves- air in not out."
Just to clarify....you can have all the air check valves you want, as long as there is at least ONE that goes to the outside air. AND, they all have to have access to them. The valves can go bad, so they can no be behind drywall, etc.
Lisa,
I just found your post today and spent the whole reading about your and Mike's adventure. What fun and very hard work. My husband and I plan to move to Tennessee within the next 3 years, after he finishes school and we want to also live off the grind. So anything I see, that is about living off the grind is of interest. I've been watching greentv just so I can learn things. Yours is the first I've seen on CD about doing it yourself. I would love to read updates on how much solar ya end up using and any other helpful hints. good luck to you and I've envious of your views from you house.
Hi Bob Kovacs, yes, this is me. I saw your comments early in the thread, but had fifty some pages to get caught up to first, to see if things had already been ironed out here. Good to see you doing pro-bono too! You still mod and consulting at JLC?
Lisa and Mike,
I knew you had a good concrete, drainage, and waterproofing system. Bravo!
There are other sources of moisture that can do you damage. I was not real finished with my report the other day, but things got busy so free advice slides to the back of the lineup.
So,
Do you realize that a human being typically can give off a gallon of water a day just by breathing and sweating?
Add steam from showers and cooking and it is not uncommon for a family to produce 5-8 gallons of airborne moisture a day inside of a house. Yours is not likely to see quite that much for sure with only two of you, and active outside a lot.
But that moisture has to go someplace. often it rises and vents out through a vented roof system, but your closed cell insulation will prevent that from happening. I don't recall for sure, but I don't remember seeing any windows other than the door units, so you may want to be sure that for the fart fan ( 'scuse me - exhaust fan) in the bathroom you get a good quality quite one from Fantech or Panasonic and hook it up with a humistat to control it so that when the relative humidity is too high, it automatically comes on and vents that out. Your bathroom will likely be the place to watch for signs of too much moisture, though I fear it will happen first and worst at the concrete wall which is out of sight behind the greenboard in there. What will happen is that the warm moist air will cool when it comes in contact with the cooler concrete and shed its moisture, and the condensation will turn to rivlets of water to pool at the base of the wall. You may not see this or signs of it if you are not aware to keep an eye out for it.
BTW, this is where PT wood for plates which was mentioned by others earlier is important. That plate will soak up that moisture and gradually turn bad. There is PT wood that is chemically safe and inert nowdays. One is amoung the newest and is treated with Borates which prevents growth on wood destroying micro-organisms and is toxic to insects such as ants or termites, but not to mammals. The way it works is to paralyse the critter's stomach when ingested and they starve. One cheap way to use borates for insect treatment is to mix confectioners sugar with Arm and Hammer laundry detergent. The main ingredient is a borate. Then sprinkle it where you see signs of ants or termite travel. There are other ways commercially available to treatwood that is in danger under the name brand Boracare.
Also, BTW, greenboard is not waterproof, tho even salesmen sometimes make that claim. the designation is MR, which is moisture resistant - good for damp air, but not wet water places.
Now remember, I am not saying any of this to scold you, but to help you be prepared to avoid problems, and to help others learn who are inspired by your sucess. what I anticipate is based on a long life of working with homeowners and fixing problems caused by inattention or lack of knowledge at the outset. It is not just DIYs who miss things either. There are plenty of 'professional' contractors and builders who leave things undone or missed.
On to the outside - several have mentioned a drip loop necesity in the wires entering the house. Just today, I was fixing rot in a place where satellite cable installers neglected that and the wire directed water flow to the wall and the wetting caused what will become about a $600 repair bill. I am not sure from your comments whether you got that right or not, but I can post a photo of properly done drip loops if need be.
I noticed that you were using silicone caulk. That is great waterproof caulk for materials like glass and some metals or for the shower. But it is not reall the best choice for wood or paintable areas. Paint simply refuses to stick well to silicone, and silicone eventually gets hard and can separate from the substrate. Better choices are Geocell, or Big Stretch, or some otehrs
Thesed all have 300-800% stretch and tolerate movement of the materials they adhere to, while remaining flexable and accepting paint.
I mention this because a very critical location where water will be a problem for you is the 1x4 above those front doors along the upper portion of the framed wall. The top edge of the 1x4 has a 'shelf' approx 3/4" wide that water will puddle on . It is a principle of waterproofing that water that does not shed immediately willl find a way to get in. I have seen that detail work before when well tended - meaning check the caulk and paint EVERY year. It works better though when that 1x4 is ripped with a bevel about 15° on top so water can shed off.
Of course it is far better to use flashings at joints for certain results, but you are beyond that.
The day may come when you want to add a feature strip above that line to decorate the wall and to help wind driven water shed off there better so as not to cause rot, or mold growth inside the wall.
I am going to make a sketch for you, will be back.
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A you can see we like clean, neat, and simple. The dust(until we get the ceilings in) is going to drive me nuts
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Helping DIY HO builders
