We got a chance to finish up the removal of the trash in the front yard and do a little cleaning inside the house in preparation for the new construction. There was one pile of the three left, and I think it was the nastiest of the bunch. It consisted of all the cardboard boxes the roof shingles came in, along with some shingles and adhesive tubes. We had the foresight to put a tarp that we found in the pile on top of the cardboard to allow it to dry off and it was well rewarded. Only 30% of the cardboard was soaked with rain this time, which sped up the cleaning time.
There was also some planning progress this week as Mike continues to ramp up his sub contractors. I think everyone is on board now and formulating a battle plan to get this house done. We just need to clear up business with the bank and we'll be all set to build again.
Here's the last trash pile as I left it the week before. It doesn't look too big, but it took about seven, 50 gallon contractor bags to move, which was by far the best way to do it. Some of it was still wet which added a lot of weight and inconvenience because wet cardboard doesn't like to stay in one piece. While I was peeling away the layers of cardboard, I found more beer cans in multiple strata. This confirms that, not only it was the roofers that were drinking, but they were likely drinking on the job and throwing the empties on the pile as they piled on cardboard from the consumption of the shingles. Great work ethic.
Here's after a good four hours. This is the cleanest the site has been in months and there's still some random construction debris scattered around. Eventually all the construction trash will be taken care of and once Mike and his crew on are site with the constant presence of a dumpster, we'll be able to get rid of all the trash. Tanja started to clean the inside of the house, removing all the loose nails, screws, and dirt from the stud wall cavities. It's a monumental task and there will be a lot more dust created when they start building, but it's good to get a jump on it. Next time I'll bring the shop vac out so she doesn't have to sweep everything. There's still a black plastic tarp that contains some construction debris. I think I'll have to just dump and sort it since it contains both concrete, which we can't throw away, and foam/wood, which we can't use as driveway base. Huge pain in the ass.
I originally requested a 40 yard dumpster, but they only had a 30 yard, which was just big enough for the trash in the front yard. I managed to get some of the foam in the basement into bags and in the dumpster, but we're pretty much full. There was a lot of cut offs for the steel studs, which I put on the side in case we want to recycle or scrap them for some cash. They're not very heavy so it won't be worth a lot in scrap, but it's something. We have the dumpster until next Friday, but I'll probably call the company to pick it up early since we don't need it any more. I think if I stacked the waster lumber better, we would have more room, but it does the job. If only we could figure out how to dispose of tree stumps.
Mike met with the geothermal well digger contracted by Porter and Heckman to nail down the well locations. Originally, we planned to have the wells along the side of the house and enter the house above ground near the furnace in the mechanical room. Through discussions with Mike, it was decided that, while this location could serve as a back up, it would be better to have the six wells drilled under the driveway, near the retaining walls. The lines would then run into the front of the house under the porch and there would be less of an eye sore. When I asked if there will be an issue with repair, the driller said that they've never had to repair the loops in a well before. All the lines are chemically welded and the system is pressure tested to 90 psi, while the furnaces runs at 30 psi. I know from a fact of life that no system is immune to failure, so this location isn't too bad considering that it's under the proposed paver circle rather than the asphalt. I think it would be more of a hassle to tear up the landscaping in the original location than the paver driveway/paver base. This will also allow the water/sewer to exit the side of the house. The sewer already penetrates there so it makes sense to run the water along side it. So here's the new location of the geothermal wells. You can just make out the green flags that are used to mark the well location. The heads will be five feet under ground so that protects them from any driveway construction.
Here's another shot of the geothermal well location. You can see that black plastic tarp full of construction debris I was talking about before. I think this location will be great for the wells. I don't think they'll be heating the ground enough to melt snow during the winter, but wouldn't that be nice? Mike handled all the communications with the well digger and Porter and Heckman, but included me in the call when they were finalizing the location. All I needed to do was sign off on the details.
So a little recap with what else has gone down over the past week. Last Tuesday, I had a meeting with Mike at the house with all his subcontractors. Mike wanted to bring his subs through to evaluate the build and come up with a preliminary budget. This was also a good time to get on the same page with our expectations of the build and any unique features we need to inform the subs about. First we met with his trim carpenter so he could do a walk around and work out some details about finishing expectations. We talked about flooring, molding and trim, ceiling treatments, interior doors, and drywall. Next, Porter and Heckman stopped in to give details on the rest of the HVAC install and iron on other details like gas lines, and kitchen hood venting. While they were still there, the plumbing subcontractor stopped in to get a walk around for plumbing locations and coordinate with HVAC runs. We talked about the various bathroom requirements, pex vs copper, tree and branch vs home runs, recirculating loops and control requirements. The electrical subcontractor showed up and also coordinated with HVAC for the furnace requirements and got the walk through. Although Margaret is working on a lighting plan, we walked through the primary requirements for special outlets, concentrating on exterior porch lighting since Mike wants to get that all closed up first. We discussed the high amperage charging in the garage and running a line out to the front of the property for lights and gate power. Mike suggested we install a sub panel in the garage so when we get the pool installed, we can just tap off that panel rather than running all the way to the main. Great idea I hadn't thought about. My point is that more planning and ideas were thrown around in that one meeting than have been in the past two years. It really gives me confidence that the build were move forward at a good speed and that it will be implemented properly. I'm incredibly impressed by Mike and his organization and planning and it was what we expected this whole time. His responses to emails and texts are almost instantaneous. His demeanor is professional and direct. His subs are friendly and professional as well. Amazing contrast.
We have a meeting with Margaret on the 29th where we'll hammer out details on the lighting plan and look at finishing wood. Mike is working hard with his rough carpenters to get the windows installed so we can lock up the house, and we have an excavator working out the permitting for the grinder pump we'll need for sewer. Things are boiling under the surface which will soon turn into a flurry of activity.
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