What do you do with over a ton of foam?

Last Friday was insulation delivery day. Home Depot was delivering about 1 1/4 tons of foam insulation, and almost 700 pounds of plastic sheeting. They were scheduled to deliver between 8 and noon. My dad and I wanted to be ready for the delivery whenever they showed up. So mom, dad and I got up early, loaded the truck, and their car with all sorts of tools and headed out.

The first order of business was to set up a shop, so that we could easily trim the foam to the exact sizes we would need. We set up a tarp suspended from the joists and framing, so that we could be sure that rain leaking through the steel deck, wouldn't damage the saw. Then we setup some light, and the table saw.

Ready to cut foam boards down to size

I called Home Depot to see when to expect the foam. The delivery guy was out making a run, and they were expecting him back around 9:30. So that meant we were looking at 10:30 to 11 till he would be able to arrive. Fine, time to do something about all the water sitting in the valleys on the roof. The steel roof decking isn't perfectly flat from east to west, so it has places where rain water had collected. We thought it would be good to remove as much as we could before we started covering it up. In hind sight, it was a waste of time, since the roof is no where near water proof or air tight. So water is going to get in, and air is going to be able to evaporate the water out. Oh well, we did get quite a bit if dirt cleaned off with the water we removed.

The floor downstairs is a muddy mess, and here dad is vacuuming the roof, whats wrong with this picture?

We also worked on removing the boards that had been attached to the foam forms to reinforce them, including back where the concrete blow out had happened. My dad and I made a muddy mess out of ourselves with that.

I gave Newt a call, and he had some errands to run, then he was coming over. It was now around noon, and no word from Home Depot. So I called again to see what the status was. They told me the driver was just finishing up strapping down my load and would be leaving momentarily. While I was on the phone with them, the driver called me to get details about where he was delivering to. I described where I was. He headed for my place.

Newt showed up, and while we waited for the delivery, I showed him some items that I had questions about with the construction. We talked about the excavation work that will be needed, and some items with the framing that has been done, as well as some plumbing questions. Then we heard a truck coming.

The tractor trailer pulled up at the end of my driveway, then he drove on. Hey, where is he going with my insulation! Newt went after him, and I guess gave him advice on where to turn around. The truck came back the other direction, and he pulled off the side of the road so he could unload.

My order filled the truck!

The driver got out, and after he unstrapped the load, he got his fork lift unloaded from the back (it is a Moffett). It has three wide big tread tires, and it is a good thing, since he had to deal with mud and loose gravel to deliver up to the house. First he delivered the pallet with my plastic sheeting, right into the garage.

The Hobbit watches the waterproofing for his hole being delivered.

The forks could slide forwards and backwards. He used that to deliver the plastic into the garage, even though he couldn't drive the Moffett into it. That also allowed him to drive the Moffett up to the garage, and then slide the forks forward and get the insulation pallets positioned over the roof, where we could lift them off.

Here comes the foam up the drive

Can you get it closer? We can't reach it out there!

Dad and Newt discuss the plan

We started getting the pallets stacked up on the roof so we could get some work done. We had him leave some down on the ground, where we could take them in to the saw to trim up the smaller pieces we would need in places. It was going on 3 before the delivery was all finished, then we went and got lunch. We came back and worked the rest of the afternoon, getting the first layer started.

We started by gluing down some narrow pieces that dad cut. These went on top of the concrete wall on the north side. I used more than two tubes of the contractor size liquid nails, to make sure we would have glue in contact with the uneven concrete, and the foam boards.Actually the concrete is quite level and even, but with the metal plates that are sitting in it that the joists are welded to, it makes the surface uneven. Then I finished off the third tube laying down a bead on the first layer of foam, to help adhere the second layer of narrow pieces. We also put nails down through the top foam pieces into the lower pieces to help them stay in place. The roof has a very low slope, but we wanted to try to provide a good start at the bottom of the slope. One that would resist sliding out of place. With the second layer of narrow pieces we were now pretty much even with the top surface of the steel roof deck. Now it was time to start laying the full sheets.

For the first layer, on each row we put down 7 whole sheets, and then a half sheet. We started them in a little from the west side, and they overhang on the east side. They will be trimmed back later, and insulation will be put in under them to fill the spaces on the east and west sides, between the concrete, and the top of the steel deck. We put tape on the seams between the sheets, with the idea that this would hold them together as if they were all one big sheet. We thought this would also prevent rain getting down between them, and coming through the seams in the roof deck. While I think the taping of the seams will be good, it had problems where the steel sheets overlapped, and made for an uneven top surface level.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of our progress. As it got dark we moved the remaining pallets up onto the sheets we had laid down, to hold them in place. We knew there was a chance of thunderstorms, and I worried that even some of the pallets might get blown off the roof and damaged. As we headed for dinner, we could see lightning flashing off in the distance. Then we drove into the rain. As we got back to my apartment, the heavens opened up, and sent forth a torrent of water from the sky. The sort of downpour where you are soaked in seconds. The storm abated, but I took a look at the radar, and it was ugly.

Saturday, we went out after lunch to see if everything was still in place, and to see if it was dry enough inside to cut some of the foam pieces. We got there, and the foam was all still in place, but we had a lot of water inside. The tape had places where gaps had opened up, and certain spots had water just running in. We decided that it would be a waste of time to try to get any work done there in those conditions. We packed up stuff that dad was going to take back home, and left some things there so we wouldn't have to haul them out the next time.

Sunday it was still drizzling the whole day, we didn't even stop out at the property. Today was at least dry. Tomorrow, we are supposed to actually have some sun, and I am hoping to get out after work and lay some more of the first layer of foam. Later in the week, I am hoping to get some help laying the foam and hopefully by the end of next weekend, we will have the foam in place with the tarps over it, so the inside will stay dry and I can then do some work on the inside, while I wait for a good opportunity to get the waterproofing layers on.

The design didn't specify an indoor pool!

I went out this evening, to see how things were melting. Next week I am going to have the insulation and waterproofing materials delivered so that I can get the home closed in.

When I got to the property, there was still snow covering most of my "lawn". However, there was no longer a mound of snow stacked up on the roof. I could hear the drainage creek that runs through the property, gurgling away. Then I walked into the home, and it sounded like a cave, a wet cave! The snow was melting off the roof, and draining down onto the floor. That would have been OK, it is a concrete floor after all, except for two things.

First, with the weather we have had, the floor had gotten to well below freezing. Now there was a sheet of ice covering a good portion of it, where the sun hadn't hit it to warm it up. The snow melted, dripped down, and formed a wonderful ice rink, inside my home.

Second, I found that my office not only had a sheet of ice, but standing water! The floor of the home, isn't completely level, so there was going to be some pooling in spots, but the main problem with the office, is that the doorway has not been cut out of the 2x4 at the bottom of the wall. The result was a pool wall was formed by the 2x4s on all sides, and the melting snow had filled it up to the top of the 2x4s.

While I still had light, I worked with the snow shovel, to push water out of there, and get it to drain out into the garage, through the utility room. I am hoping to remove some more water and ice tomorrow, and hopefully with a few days above freezing, and some sun, maybe things will dry out.

Running with a wheelbarrow uphill, backwards!

Some of you may wonder what I have been up to for the last few weeks. Well, I have been dealing with lien's, design adjustments, budget, and taking over most of the work of general contracting on my home.

Newt informed me at the beginning of February, that Fortress Homes was liquidating. They had some cash flow problems, and were not able to continue as a company. Other fallout from this, is that some of the subcontractors whom I had been told had been paid, hadn't been. Newt informed me, and the loan officer agreed, that because of the way the paperwork was handled, I wasn't under a legal obligation to pay the subcontractors. So I have been dealing with getting liens placed against the house, and negotiating with the subs. Newt is going to negotiate with a couple of them. Once these subcontractors are taken care of, then I will be proceeding with the house construction, and will be taking care of all the management of the subcontractors and their payment.

I have been continuing to refine items in the design, and I talked to the plumbing inspector, and found out that one of the things I wanted to do, couldn't be done the way I had planned. It looks like I will have to put a hole in my roof waterproofing. I had wanted to avoid that, but the inspector insisted that this one vent, had to go out the roof.

I have been looking over the electrical, ventilation, and plumbing to figure out exactly how it will all run. I am thinking that I am going to use a drop ceiling throughout most of the house. I have found some tiles that have nice character, and are fairly reasonable in price. Since I am running all the utilities over the ceiling, and I don't have an attic, it will be useful having a ceiling that can be removed easily to allow access for fixing/expanding the various lines.

Hopefully in the next couple weeks, I will be able to get the insulation and waterproofing for the roof put on. That will allow other work to proceed. Work can then continue on things on the inside, even if the weather isn't vary cooperative.

Why couldn't the snow wait?

Well there hasn't been much progress. I am working on learning how to do the electrical and plumbing myself (with my dad's help). That should allow me to save quite a bit off the original budget, or make some further enhancements to the character of the house. My dad is working on a design for the air intake that will bring fresh air into the home. Newt and I are still working to get the materials to insulate and waterproof the roof lined up. The weather is not cooperating on that front either. We got more snow. I went out today, to see how things were looking. I didn't have any trouble, till I got onto the road where my house is. They had plowed, but it was basically snow covered and slick in spots. I put it in four wheel drive the rest of the way. The snow on my driveway was pretty deep, but I didn't have any trouble climbing up it. I only had a problem, when I tried to get fairly close to the home. It looks like there was a layer of almost solid ice. So then the truck slid sideways and got stuck.

I got out to survey the situation before I tried anything. The tires left tread impressions in the snow up to a point. Then there were no more tread impressions. It was packed solid, and darn slippery. So I got back in the truck, and decided this was as good a place as any to learn how to get myself unstuck, using an automatic transmission. I managed to rock the truck, and get it turning toward the woods and down hill a bit. That let me get off the hard packed snow and regain some traction.

 

I made quite a mess of the snow!

I got unstuck and turned around.

I measured the snow in some spots, and it was about 6 inches deep. With the snow covering the roof, the home looks pretty much like it will when we get the insulation on top.

 

Then ends are nicely wrapped in a snow blanket.

 

The thickness of insulation on top, will be similar to the thickness of snow that is up there right now.

Things got overcast again, so I didn't take the time to go down to the creek to take more photos. Sorry.

I did take a look around inside though. I had another inspector stop by. This one was much smaller. The prints looked to be from four feet, and it looked like a hopping type of gait. I didn't see any evidence of a tail (but then if I had a tail, I would try to keep from dragging it through the snow). I am guessing this was a mouse.

 

 Mouse, or something else, in my house?

I want to get the insulation and waterproofing on the roof as soon as possible. However, the current arrangement, does make for some pretty decorations.

 

The steel and wood offer a very organized geometric visual, then the ice comes along to add flowing natural touches. 

Well, they are predicting cold temperatures and more snow. I guess we will just have to wait on making any more progress at the home. I am working on wiring up parts for the solar power system, and I am doing lots of reading. I am going to be paying the concrete guys for the work they have done, and I talked to Doug about the piers that will be needed for mounting the solar panel racks. We can't pour the floor in the garage, or put in the piers for the racks, until the ground thaws. I am planning to talk to the building inspector about some questions I have on the wiring and the plumbing. Hopefully that goes well.

The snow returns

We had a decsent little snow storm roll through the area. Time to take more photos!!

 

I think I drove up my driveway, but I just sort of aimed for where it should have been.

 

 Snow as roof insulation?

Snow backfill? Not so good.

 

Icicles on the inside.

It is interesting to note, that while it was just at freezing, some of the snow was melting and dripping down between the steel sheets. It was overcast, but perhaps the floor had gotten warmed enough to add enough heat to the roof to get it above freezing in spots.

 

Looking toward the west, out the front doorway.

I looked things over and talked to Newt about what we want to do for the waterproofing of the roof, which is one of the next things that needs to be done. He had a bid for the roofer to put down a protective layer of fiberglass sheeting, and then lay down a rubber membrane over that. Although the waterproofing is critical, I had felt that the price seemed high. In researching earth sheltered houses, I had seen other methods used. Among them, is using a self adhesive ice and water proofing material, that is normally installed under shingles to protect against damage from ice dams. I also asked Newt to check what the cost would be for the waterproofing material that Nudura offers for waterproofing the walls. I asked him to check with them if they thought it would work on a roof type installation. The self adhesive material I was looking at, weighs 33 pounds for each roll, which covers about 100 square feet. That won't be too difficult to get onto the roof. Besides potentially saving quite a bit of money, by going with a self installed material, I can also take a little extra time to keep from harming the insulation as the waterproofing is installed.

I didn't wonder down to the creek today. So just some pictures of the woods on my property, and how the snow painted them. Click on them for the full size images.

 

  

  

An unexpected inspector stops by

Now that I have a roof on, I wanted to get most of the snow cleared out, so that I wouldn't have the framing sitting in puddles of water when it melted. Marcus offered to help, so we went to Walmart, and got some plastic snow shovels. The only plastic snow shovels they had that didn't have metal on the edges, look to have been made for kids. Oh, well, I didn't want to put any more marks on the floor, so we got two, and headed out.

When we walked inside, I noticed tracks in the snow. Apparently there was an inspection done last evening after I left. The inspector checked around the various rooms, looked over the studs, and checked along the north wall. I am not sure what the inspector was looking for, since all that was left were tracks in the snow...

Local inspector wandering through the family room

I wonder if it is the same raccoon that checked on my well after it was put in. Some were thinking as I designed the home, that if I put in skylights, I might have had deer peer in. I think it is much more likely that the raccoons would have been the ones to look into the skylights at night.

Marcus helped me clear snow, and we got all the front rooms cleared. Marcus was a little surprised by how quick the sun warmed up the floor, and started melting and drying the remaining snow.

 

 Remaining snow was melting within minutes.

The home was not built with a large emphasis on passive solar heating, but it should help. I had calculated my overhang, so it should shade the windows most of the time in the summer, and during the winter it should let in the sun quite a bit. In the early afternoon, the sun was shining in most of the way across the floor in the bedrooms, and over half way across the floor in the dining room/kitchen.

It didn't look like they had done any more with the steel since yesterday.

Nearly a roof...

Yesterday was very overcast, and I didn't get out to the property quiet as soon as I wanted. The steel workers had made some progress, but it was getting a bit too dark to try to take photos, and have them turn out OK. So today, I got out of work a bit earlier, and the weather was a bit more favorable. The roof is almost complete...

It will look more inviting when I have some lights in there.

The front has the plates on where they are supposed to be, just need the steel put up on the east side.

They did quite a bit of welding today to get to this point. There is metal sheet that still needs to go on the east side to close that in. The steel sheets on top, are all in place, and look to be welded up. The plates are back on the ends of the joists where they should be. They got the large angle steel put up along the front. They made it just like my drawing.

The angle that is sticking up, will go in front of the big insulation layer and help provide attachment points for the facia.

Although the steel sheets have corrugations, you can see that I have a very even roof.

Looking toward the south west

I wanted so much to put a board over there and try walking on my roof.

They put in the holes over the garage. I realized I should have been a bit more specific in marking the dryer vent. Looking at it from the ground, it looks like they thought my mark was for the one side, but I had marked where it was to be centered. Oh well, if I have too, I think I can adjust that hole enough.

Three holes in the steel end sheet

The small hole to the left, in the steel, is for the hydrogen to vent from the batteries (part of the solar power system). The hole toward the middle, is for the dryer to exhaust through. There is a hole to the right of the hobby room window. That is for the radon vent. Hmmm, I had intended for that to go out over the garage. Newt must have had another thought about the placement.

It looks like they need to trim it down to the roof line, and they still need to put the steel sheet on the end opposite the garage.

I went in. Hopefully this is the last time that my whole floor is covered in snow.

View from the family room, into the dining room

It looks like we might have some sun tomorrow. I may try to run out there after lunch, to see what is looks like inside, when there is more light outside. I also want to see if the overhang is working the way I wanted. Although, if it doesn't work right, I will just have to deal with it at this point. I may want to get a snow shovel to clear off the floor, before it all melts and make large puddles that would have to evaporate.