Quiet Saturday...Unfortunately

The masonry people did not show up so there is nothing visually changed from yesterday.

We did get a call from Dane (solar). Dane is the President of the solar company. Eric (VP) appears to have passed the baton to Dane concerning our PV system issues. We had a nice talk during which Dane said all the "right" things. He was personally going to ensure the issues are addressed in a timely and professional manner. I told Dane that I heard the same thing from his predecessor, Eric, and Eric's predecessor, John, and John's predecessor, Betsy. Dane assured me things will be different this time. We discussed the issues. Dane said he believes the root cause of the low production is due to shade from the Silver Maple next to the garage. My response to Dane was the same as I gave to Betsy, who also wanted to blame shade for the low production (before she had even visited the site). I told Dane the facts do not appear to support this simple claim. I found it amazing (and told Dane so) that they still do not know how the 32 panels are divided between the two inverters. They have not found the wiring diagram supposedly generated by their own installation crew six weeks ago. I wonder if they even got all of the panels wired into the system? We will see what comes from this latest set of promises. I was blunt with Dane that, while I still have not made the final payment, my next course of action would be to file a complaint and seek arbitration.

We finally got our new security system activated today. We are abandoning the wired system the main house has had for the past couple of decades and going to a cellular wireless system. We are starting the transition with sensors in the new construction but only have a few of the sensors installed so far. We need to order more sensors for the main house. So far so good. Our wired system monitoring subscription expires at the end of August. We therefore need to have everything set up by then.

The third floor AC system that Frank and John finished yesterday is working. We downloaded an app to permit monitoring and setting thermostat setting online. Pretty slick.

Nice Weather Week

The landscapers put the west Red Maple in today. They dug the trench for the wall along our east fence line, then packed up their stuff and departed mid-morning. Talking with Bob II, the plan is to start the water feature next Wednesday. Bob also told us that the cover plate for the sewer clean out needs to be the same size as the clean out line itself (6"). We went down to the local hardware salvage shop to see if they have any period correct cover plates. They did not. However, T did find a period correct door knob for the second floor door to our new south deck.

Frank and John returned to continue work on the AC units. By the end of the day, the unit for the third floor was operational. Even though it was a relatively cool day, it was hot in the attic. Next week is forecast to be much warmer. Not surprisingly, they may not be able to do much work on the second floor system next week.

Mike and Nate installed the decking on the west porch. They cleaned up the sunroom in anticipation for the masonry people to arrive either today or Saturday to install the stone on the chimney breast. They did not arrive today. Hopefully they will be here tomorrow. They also installed the TV pan on the chimney breast and the finale on the sunroom cupola.

Mike asked if we thought we needed another coat of paint on the exterior of the sunroom. He suggested we might want to consider another (third) coat, this time using a satin finish. The first and second coats were a flat finish. Later, I agreed we need to do this. She also decided not to paint the basement exterior door. Mike and I talked about the louver on the fan under the cupola. He agreed we might try a light spray paint to diminish the stark white color without potentially interfering with the movement of the louvers. T also approved having Mike ask Jerry to apply a brown paint to the aluminum louver on the sunroom air intake. T and I toured the sunroom today and we will talk with Mike about the painting when he returns.

East Fence Line Wall Trench

TV Pan

West Porch Deck

We got an email from Betsy (solar). Yesterday, I sent an email to Eric telling him we were still waiting for them to respond to our repeated requests for support on our PV system. Eric responded last night saying that he would be meeting with Betsy and Josh on Friday morning. The note I got from Betsy said that Josh was evaluating our system performance "as we speak" although we never got any additional information. Betsy also responded to my inquiry about why we were charged for the bi-directional meter. She found an email from May of 2014 in which she said we would be responsible for this cost. She was correct. The contract did not stipulate this, but the email did. This email was a response to an email I sent asking for any "surprise" costs we might encounter. We still have not made the final payment due to the poor support and poor performance. If both of these do not improve, we will start filing complaints.

So Far, A Good Week

First thing this morning I called the roofer. Two weeks ago I arranged for the final payment to be made even though there are still a couple of small items to finish. At the time, I requested they send me a receipt and short description of the job so I could submit it to my insurance company and capture the homeowners insurance discount for a new roof. I never got a reply. This morning I called and asked again. I was assured they would do so.

I had something of a restless night thinking about the 2,500 bricks still sitting in our front yard. Where we left it yesterday was that we had convinced ourselves that, instead of giving away the unused bricks, we would hold on to them for use when we landscaped the front yard. I realized there were a couple of problems with that approach. First, the masonry people apparently bought over 50% more bricks than they needed. I believe they must have miscalculated and I did not feel right about having to pay for their mistake (not at $1/brick). Second problem is where we will store these bricks. The only place on-site would be in the garage. However, the reason we built the garage the size we did was so that we could move the workshop equipment we have in the basement out to the garage and make it useful. It may be years before we landscape the front yard. I do not like the notion of having the garage full of bricks. Lastly, keeping the bricks for future landscaping of the front yard forces us to design the landscaping around those bricks. Bottom line, I approached Mike this morning about going back to the masonry people about taking the unused bricks back and giving us a credit. Yesterday, he indicated they were resistant to doing this. When I explained my reasoning, Mike agreed with my logic and he said he would talk with them, expressing confidence they would do so.

We got a call from Ryan (building materials) this morning. Ryan has been very helpful to us during the project. We purchased the stone for the interior chimney breast through his company and he helped us select the replacement aggregate for the walkways. Two days ago, when we were still thinking about the LaGrange aggregate to replace the Old Monroe, I asked Ryan what the cost difference was. Today he finally got back with us. He said the concrete would be an additional $25/yard using the LaGrange. This was helpful, but it also got me wondering about the amount of the change order that Bob I (landscaping) sent to us yesterday. Bob assured me that they put no markup on substituting the LaGrange. However, they amount of the change order (using the cost quoted by Ryan) would represent 32 yards of concrete. This seems excessive for the walkways, but it also includes the east porch of the sunroom. Previously, Bob II had told me he thought they needed 18 yards of aggregate. Undoubtedly, the concrete will be more than the volume of the dry aggregate, but twice as much? Anyway, I put a call into Bob I to find out who they are buying the concrete from and how many yards of concrete they are buying. If we can buy it cheaper through Ryan's company, I will direct them to do so. I found out Bob I is taking a long weekend but he said he will cal me next Monday.

The landscapers were here today still working on the raised bed walls. They seem to have finished installing the caps on the west bed and a good portion of the east bed.

Jerry (painter) and crew finished the exterior painting.

Mike and Nate finished the decking on the second floor bedroom. They rail still needs to be determined and installed, but the Tigerwood deck looks good. This is the first time there has been a deck off this bedroom in many many years. They also installed the fan in the sunroom cupola. Looking up from below, the white louvers are very visible despite the nice painting of the grill. Frank told me that they are not finished with the fan installation. Before Jerry (painter) left for the day, I pointed this out to him and he said they would figure out something.

Interior View of Cupola Fan Inlet. Does Not Look "Bad", Just Too Noticeable

Frank and John (HAC) continued work on the new AC units. The until for the third floor of the main house is almost complete.

No roofing, guttering or solar work today. I will send a note to the owner of the solar company tomorrow and express my disappointment with their progress into the poor performance of our system. Earlier this week, Mike said he expected the masonry people to be here Friday or Saturday to start on the chimney breast.

Wednesday

Frank and John were back working on the AC. They positioned the two exterior condensers. They are huge. It is obvious that if we ever want to install a third unit (for the first floor of the main house) there will not be enough room on the slab remaining for the two trash cans. Therefore, we have asked the landscaper to include an extension of the east slab north along the east porch about six feet.

Frank and John will be back tomorrow to continue the installation. They have the air handler unit in the attic partially assembled. They will start on the other unit next week.

Main House Third Floor Air Handler

Third Floor Coil and Duct Work

Chris (electrician) spent most of the day on the wiring for the AC units. He also installed the remaining exterior wall sconces on the sunroom. These are the larger sconces and they look good.

Chris also told me that he thought he had located a replacement lamp for the one he broke yesterday.

Mike and Nate finished installation of the garage attic ladder, did some interior sunroom work and then started installation of the decking on the second floor of the main house.

Garage Attic Ladder

Deck Off the MIL Room

Mike also unpacked the hot tub cover and installed it. The hot tub instructions recommended covering the tub when it is not full of water to protect the surface material from sunlight.

T and I took a field trip to look at a large scale patio utilizing the La Grange aggregate. T is now firmly committed to using this aggregate. We were warned however that it is also a glacial rock which contains iron and subject to rust. It was suggested we seal it annually to minimize the potential for discoloration. We got a change order from Bob I for using the new aggregate. It is more costly, mostly due to shipping costs. The Old Monroe is quarried about 50 miles northwest of us. The La Grange is 300 miles away (close to Chicago).

Mike also informed us that, contrary to what he had told us before, he now does not believe the masonry people will take back the unused bricks and give us credit. They originally delivered 7,000 bricks. There are still 2,500 bricks sitting in the front yard. I could understand bringing in maybe 10% more than was expected to be needed, but 50%??? I asked Mike what he thinks we paid for each brick. He was not sure but thought, since they were special order (for color), they might be as much as $1 per brick. T and I discussed it and, without a doubt, we will not just let them be hauled away. We will talk with the landscapers about moving them to the garage and perhaps using them when we landscape the front yard.

Mike said he expected the masonry people to be here Friday or Saturday to start the installation of the interior stone on the chimney breast.

The landscaping crew continued with their work. They have the west raised bed walled and filled with dirt. They are now working on the east raised bed. They also dug a hole along the west fence line for the Red Maple.

West Raised Bed

East Raised Bed

Hole for Red Maple

According to the schedule (which they are not strictly following), the landscapers should finish up the walls either this week or early next week. They still have drainage to complete. The next major step is pouring the walkways and they start working on the water feature. The landscaping started on July 6, but due to the rainy weather, did not really start until July 13. Therefore, we are in the second full week of work. The schedule implies about six weeks to complete the work.

Good News, Bad News II

Bad news:

• The concrete people arrived this morning to seal the east slab so that Frank could install the two AC condensers. Unfortunately, they found muddy foot prints (not mine) on the slab and decided they cold not seal the surface today. They washed down the slab and said they would be back tomorrow morning.
• We were at lunch today when Bob II (landscaping) called to say that the quarry has now told him that they would not produce any more Old Monroe aggregate until next Spring. This is worse then the mid-September we were told yesterday. This actually makes the decision a bit easier as it eliminates the option to wait two months for the Old Monroe to come available. Now the choices are to either find a replacement for this aggregate or bear the significant added cost of using pavers instead.
• During the installation of one of the exterior garage lights, Chris broke one. In trying to straighten it, he learned that pot metal castings do not bend, they just break. Unfortunately, the store from which we purchased it has no replacements. Chris said he would see if he could locate one somewhere else or fix this one. Good luck!

Pot Metal Castings Do Not Bend

Good news:

• They moved the portable toilet from the front of the house to the back yard
• After lunch, we stopped by the concrete/stone supplier we have been using to look at alternates to the Old Monroe aggregate. We were given three samples. We took them home, washed them and compared them to the Old Monroe on the east slab.
• T has determined that one of the aggregate samples would be an acceptable replacement for the Old Monroe aggregate. It is an Illinois aggregate called LaGrange. We passed this information along to Bob II. He had never heard of the LaGrange and said he would do some followup investigation. Bob says we need about 18 cubic yards (roughly 18 tons) of aggregate.

Aggregate Samples (L to R): Meramec; 5/8" Lagrange; Glacial; 3/8" Lagrange on the Old Monroe Slab

• Bob II told us this afternoon that he expected the concrete people to be back today to seal the east slab. They arrived around 3:00 pm and sealed the slab

Sealed East Slab (Old Monroe Aggregate)

• Chris did get three of the four south garage external lights mounted and also the two on the north side of the garage

Three of the Four South Garage Lamps

South Garage Lamp

North Garage Lamps

• The landscaping crew returned to continue working on the walls. They are moving right along. The yard is getting ever so much "smaller"

Wall Caps Going Into Place

• Frank and John finished what they could on the first new AC unit. They said they needed to go back to their shop to do some aluminum sheeting work.
• Mike and Nate worked on the aluminum garage attic ladder installation. They got it about 90% complete. They need to cut the length to conform to the height of the garage and install the footings.

No roofing, no painting, no solar.

Good News, Bad News

Good News:

• The sunroom heat pump work great over the weekend
• Chris (electrician) returned this morning
• He hooked up the power to the hot tub. He said we could start it up any time we wanted.
• He indicated he could install the exterior wall sconces this week if I move them to the sunroom (done)
• Mark (plumbing) sent his son around to modify the hot tub hose bib so that Mike can install the decking
• Mike picked up the garage attic ladder
• Frank and John started replacing the main house AC units
• The landscaping crew showed up to resume work

Bad News:

• It started raining mid-morning which cut short the landscaping work
• Bob II let us know that his efforts to get the aggregate for our walkways did not pan out.
• The estimate is that the earliest it will be available is mid-September. This will potentially delay the landscaping by two months.
• We will visit them tomorrow to discuss options, none of which are appealing
• He also acknowledged that they have not sealed the east slab or garage apron. That work apparently fell through the proverbial crack. Hopefully they will be here tomorrow morning to apply the sealant, weather permitting. If so, it should not interfere with the installation of the new AC condensers.
• No roofing work
• No guttering work
• No word from the solar people

Power to the Hot Tub

Sunroom Interior Hose Bib

A Muddy Mess After the Morning Rain

Ready for Decking

Exterior Wall Sconces

Saturday Work

Both Frank (HAC) and John showed up this morning and worked until noon to get the new sunroom AC system running. It cooled down quickly and feels great. The unit is a 30k BTU/hr capacity. Very oversized for the size of the room, but again, we are trying to ensure we do not have a humidity issue. Before Frank left, he said they will be back early Monday morning to work on the two new AC systems on the main house. He is planning to finish the installation next week. He asked if the east slab (poured through the landscaping company) was finished so that he could install the new condensing units? I told him that was a great question because I do not believe they have sealed the aggregate yet. I sent an email to Bob II asking the question and letting him know that Frank is intending to install the condensers early next week.

In the afternoon as T and I were lounging in the sunroom, enjoying the new air conditioned environment, Jaime (masonry) stopped by to see how things were going.

To our surprise, Jerry (painter) and a small crew also showed up to work on the exterior panels Mike finished this week. They are not completely done with the exterior, but it does look good.