Ready for Electrical?

Today, "Pipefitter" Greg and "Jackhammer" John finished the plumbing they could do in the basement. They expanded the new domestic hot water heater circulation loop to the west so that we have more responsive hot water at the kitchen sink. It really makes a difference and, once I insulate the circulation loop, it will be most satisfactory. They also finished the water supply lines through the basement stone foundation wall. Outside, they routed the new lines under the new foundation into the sunroom, securing them to a wooden board for now. John poked another hole in the basement brick wall for the natural gas supply line to the garage. They also hooked up an outside water bib on the west side of the house. There has always been a bib on this side of the house, but it was not plumbed to a water supply inside. It is now. Greg installed the boiler drain valves on all the water lines going through the foundation and mounted the RO unit to the basement west wall. They also hauled off the old Rheem hot water heater and the 50's vintage kitchen cabinet/sink.

So long to the kitchen sink

Good bye Mr. Rheem

New water and gas lines through the south basement wall

Rheem Hot Water Heater Gone

Yes, we still have the bath tub...and the sink that came out of the basement bath. The original plan was for John to haul these away for scrap metal. Since then, T changed her mind and decided to keep them. According to John, the scrap metal price has fallen from $0.08/pound to $0.0725/pound. I'm estimating the tub and sink probably have a combined weight about 400 pounds, so that represents a $29.00 loss to John. T says she has "numerous" ideas on how to use the tub. I have an idea that I am going to be moving it around periodically. In moving it back to its original location along the north wall of the south basement room, a claw foot came off. I need to determine how to reattach. Over the weekend, I will do some cleanup in the basement.

We have not seen Frank's (HVAC) crew at all this week. Even without the Stop Work Order (still posted on our door), I don't think they would have been here this week due to being tied up on another job. No problem, since their work is not critical path at this point.

It seems to me that the electrical work is becoming the critical path issue. Until the electrical conduit is run in the trench, the trench has to stay open and the final leveling of the yard cannot take place. "Bobcat" Tom came by today and picked up his Bobcat. Not sure when he will be needed again.

I call "Our" Mike this morning about my concern yesterday regarding the routing of the new water lines and if they were going to conflict with the new electrical panel. Mike informed me that the location of the new panel has changed so the location of the new water lines is not a problem. I also asked him about the electrical work status. His response indicated he is losing patience in Rob (electrical). Mike said that Rob was going to "not return his phone calls one time too many". I don't know who, or if, Mike has an alternative in mind.

We still have not received an update from Betsy (solar) and I have not received any response to my notes to Christine (Alderwoman). I guess everyone is busy.

Morgan (east neighbor) is making good progress rebuilding his property line fence.

More Leveling and More Trenching

Today Mark (indoor plumbing) showed up with "Pipefitter" Greg and "Jackhammer" John in tow. Their objectives for the day included the installation of the garage downspout laterals and starting the plumbing from the basement out to the  sunroom and garage. We expected "Bobcat" Tom to be back to continue back filling around the foundations and, once that is complete, to cut a new trench for the utilities out to the garage and power pole. The laterals need to be completed before Tom can finish the back fill work. Mike later told me that he instructed Mark to put an additional lateral along the east side of the garage for a downspout drain on the southeast corner of the garage. I suggested to Mike that we probably should have had them also run one along the west side of the garage (with a drain at the southwest corner of the garage), but we would have needed to do that yesterday before Tom filled in that side.

T and I had reservations at an event at the Botanical Garden this morning, so we headed out around 8:30 am. Before leaving, I asked Mark if they could expand the new domestic hot water heater circulation loop over to the west side of the basement, under the kitchen. This would shorten the time required to realize hot water at the kitchen sink. The length of time now required for hot water to arrive at the kitchen sink is the only drawback that we have noticed with the new system. The old hot water tank was located in the basement immediately below the kitchen sink. Mark indicated this would not be a big deal and they would take care of it.

We returned home around 1:00 pm. Just as we pulled up, the City Mechanical Inspector (same one as yesterday) pulled up behind us. He said he was sorry to say that he had been instructed to post a "Stop Work Order" for the mechanical portion of the project. He explained that this was because of Frank's lack of a permit and license. He said that Frank did have a City business license, but also needed a second license to do mechanical work. I told him to do whatever he had to do and I would let "Our" Mike know. While he was filling out the paperwork, I called Mike and let him talk to the Inspector. After a lengthy conversation with Mike, the Inspector posted the "Stop Work Order" on the door and departed, again. I later talked to Mike and was told not to be concerned. It was just a lack of communications. Actually, today it has no impact on the work going on as it only applies to Frank's company, who is not doing any work here today. I have confidence they will get it sorted out without cost to us or impact on schedule.

Tom completed the foundation back filling, dug a new trench from the main house out to the garage and was gone by 3:00 pm. John was running natural gas and water lines to the sunroom and garage. Greg has knocked a window in the basement foundation and has run the water lines through the window. He will be installing drain valves on each water line so that we can winterize each service independently, with separate cold water lines to each the garage and sunroom. I was a little surprised with how Greg routed the water lines in the basement as it traverses the wall on which, I thought, Rob (electrical) had premised installation of the new electrical panel. Oh well, I am sure they know what they are doing. If not, they will redo it.

I talked with Morgan (east neighbor) about their plans for their fence along our east property line. Morgan is busy rebuilding that fence and reconfirmed that their current plan is to extend the existing fence northward to a point corresponding to the northern point of both our houses. They would then turn their wooden fence to the east and we would install a new metal fence west to the corner of our house. Morgan requested that, when we have utilities located prior to excavation for the slab, we have the locators include the area on Morgan's side of the property line so he can dig fence post holes with confidence.

No further communication from Betsy (solar) today. Not sure how to interpret the lack of followup. I sent another note to Christine (Alderwoman) suggesting we set up a teleconference next week, at her convenience, to continue our discussion on the alley.

I anticipate Greg and John to be back tomorrow. Don't have an idea of when to expect Frank's crew to return to work on the radiant heat boiler. Mike told us yesterday that he was working with the lumber supplier in preparation for starting the framing work in the near future.

Started Leveling Things Out, But Discovered Some New Bumps in the Road

Another beautiful day. The only thing that happened in the morning was a City of St. Louis Mechanical Inspector showed up to inspect our Mini-Split heat pump. The gentleman explained to me that the HVAC contractor did not get a permit for installation of that system. I explained to him that the heat pump system was going to be installed in the room addition, which has yet to be built. I told him that the contractor had installed our new hot water system, but not the heat pump. He said "OK, sorry" and departed. I thought that was a little strange, but it was to get even stranger later.

I had almost given up on anyone showing up to take advantage of the perfect weather when "Bobcat" Tom and "Our" Mike showed up after 2:00 pm. Tom got after moving dirt around and filling in the foundation trenches. T and Mike chatted about the Red Barn Antiques in Hermann, MO. Mike's cousin is the proprietor and T and I visited it this past weekend.

Tom did as much as he could without having the garage downspout laterals re-installed. Mike said that Jackhammer John (part of Mark's crew, inside plumbing) would be out first thing in the morning to do that work. John actually showed up later and also said he would be working in the basement running plumbing lines through the main house foundation.

As things were wrapping up for the day, the City Mechanical Inspector returned. He asked to see the new hot water system. I took him down to the basement and he looked it over. He first noted that they had not installed a non-return valve on the incoming water line and this was a fatal flaw. Later he reversed himself and said that, since this was only a domestic water heater (not a "combo" system which would also be used for space heating), a non-return valve was not required. He repeated asked who installed the water heater and I consistently named the contractor. After making several calls and consulting some City web site, he concluded that this contractor not only did not have a permit to make this installation, but they also did not have a license to work in the City. Oooops! I told him that I thought he was probably wrong and that he needed to talk to "Our" Mike. The Inspector told me that I will be receiving a letter from the City informing that we have illegally installed system. I responded: "Great, let's go talk with Mike".

We found Mike in the backyard and the Inspector told Mike the same thing, that the contractor was not licensed and there was no permit. Mike told him that he thought he was probably wrong, but he would get with the contractor (Frank, HVAC) and get it straightened out. The Inspector told Mike he had the choice of the contractor immediately getting a license or finding a new (licensed) contractor. Having done his duty, the Inspector departed, again.

Mike assured me that he would get it straightened out with Frank, who is having surgery done this week. All I know is that, as the property owners, we are responsible. I was telling T this evening that perhaps we need to require all of the contractors to provide copies of their City licenses and permits to us before they begin their work. I will discuss this with Mike. I know he has his license (he complained about the time it took to get it), although I have not actually seen it.

Mike also confirmed that he had talked with both Betsy (solar) and Bob (landscaping) yesterday. He said he planned to meet with Bob next week. As for the discussion with Betsy, Mike told me that Betsy revealed to him that their installation coordinator (Drew) was leaving the firm and that could potentially create some problems. Mike said that he hoped they could get the installation plan worked out prior to Drew's departure. Mike also indicated that he had convinced Betsy that he was capable of installing the inverter rack posts "perfectly vertical", once the location of those posts have been identified. I reminded Mike of my request that, once he and Rob (electrical) and Drew decide where the rack will be spotted on the slab and the size of that rack, we want an opportunity to review and approve that decision.

Looking forward to having a level backyard by the end of the day tomorrow. Latest forecast is for fair weather through the weekend, with a slight chance of rain after Monday.

Another Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Just like yesterday, this would have been a great day to get work done in the backyard. But, as was the case yesterday, nothing happened. Hopefully, "Bobcat" Tom will be here tomorrow to back fill the foundation trenches. No work in the basement either.

Per T's request, this morning I recovered a couple of wheelbarrows full of rich soil we plowed up while harvesting sun chocks yesterday. I have stored the soil in our rotary composter for later use.

We did get an email from Betsy (solar) today simply saying she had a prolonged chat with "Our" Mike last night. She said today she was coordinating with all the various parties to finalize the plans for the inverters. That sounds very encouraging.

We also got an email from Bob (landscaping) saying he also talked with Mike about meeting to discuss coordination/integration of the landscaping portion of the project with everything else. He said the plan was to meet with Mike next week. At that time, he'll also bring samples of paver colors for the chessboard for T to choose from.

I noticed today that Morgan (east neighbor) is starting to rebuild his wooden fence along our east property line. I need to touch base with him to finalize the plan for the new section of east fence which will extend to the north.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Wow, this was a beautiful day. High around 74F, sunny, slight breeze. The ground in the backyard is drying nicely. There are still some puddles in the trenches, but they are going away quickly. No work inside or outside today other than Vern's boys (outside plumbing) came around to pick up their steel plates covering the concrete they poured in the street last week. Now the City is supposed to repair the asphalt. Don't know if they will charge us for that or not. Probably! They need to do it soon as the holes cross over the bicycle paths on both sides of the street. Some nonobservant cyclist may have a surprise when they hit the holes.

"Our" Mike called this evening to say that "Bobcat" Tom will be here either late tomorrow (Tuesday) or no later than Wednesday to begin the trench back fill. I reminded Mike that we also still need to re-install the garage downspout laterals. He said he would take care of it. Not sure when Frank's boys will be back to work on the new boiler for the radiant floor heating. The new on-demand water heater continues to work well.

Over the weekend, T and I harvested and then dismantled the sun choke raised bed located in the middle of the backyard. It has withstood the trauma going on all around it over the past three months. We planted these sun chokes about three years ago and have appreciated nice harvests each fall. This year, the harvest was not nearly as bountiful and it was a little earlier than normal. But, we knew that if we did not get what we could, there would be no tomorrow once the trench filling and leveling activities began this week.

We got a note from Betsy (solar) today saying that she was incorrect about the loss of inverter efficiency, as long as the ambient temperature stays below 104F, and only a marginal loss if above that temperature. Should not be a problem. She did not mention her previous comment that there might be issue with equipment durability if the inverters are located outside (exposure to the elements). She quoted the owner of the company stating that this type of installation is not that uncommon and can be accomplished successfully. Betsy also stated in her note that there would be no additional fees for the outside location. In this note, she did not mention the possibility that they may have to change to an outdoor version of the "combiner" box, but they still want to be involved in the installation of the vertical posts on the inverter frame. She stated that since these posts had to be perfectly vertical, they felt they needed to do the installation. In my responding email, I told her I had complete confidence in "Our" Mike's ability to install the posts, but if they wanted to do it, that was their choice. Betsy also included a sketch that apparently Drew drew showing the outside location of the inverters. While I had told both of them that we were going to locate them on the east side of the house, the sketch showed them on the south side of the southeast corner of the house. This was strange because Drew had previously told me that they could not be located on the south side of the house. Regardless, when I responded, I attached the plot plan put together by Bob (landscaping) showing the slab on the east side of the house. My responding note advised Betsy that we are at the point of needing to finalize the location of the inverters and that they need to step up and get involved with the project. We'll see what happens next.

Saturday, we received the latest invoices from "Our" Mike. Included was the invoice for the soil Inspector who was here on September 30, a week before we poured the foundation footings. Along with the invoice was the Inspector's report. Having been told by Mike that we had passed the inspection, I was somewhat taken back when I read the report which stated, "the existing fill soils observed are unsuitable for support of the proposed construction". There was no quantitative information (loading pressures, densities, etc.) in the report, only their qualitative opinion. Whemmm..."unsuitable"..... that does not sound like we had "passed" the inspection. The report recommended that the footings be extended deeper, through the fill, to bear on natural soils. I saw the architect (Tyler) out in the yard this weekend and showed the report to him. He thought the language was a bit severe and that most of St. Louis is covered with fill dirt, but it is decades old. He said that, worse case, we could have settling, with subsequent cracking of the foundation. Hell, our existing house is still settling after 119 years! Today, I talked with "Our" Mike about it. He said he also was unhappy about the terminology used in the report. It was not what the Inspector said during the inspection and Mike agreed with Tyler that the fill has been well compacted and that, based upon his own soundings of the soil (I personally saw him stomp his feet several times), he was comfortable we can proceed. We don't have a lot of choice. The foundation footings and walls are in place. Mike said we might have had to go down another five feet to find "natural" soils. I now understand that the inspection findings were almost predictable. The Inspector, being very conservative in their recommendations, is not assuming any responsibility for any future settling. This soil test was not required by the City. In hindsight, I wonder why we spent money for an opinion we were willing to disregard?