Odds and Ends

Well the geothermal saga is not quite complete. We're still waiting anxiously for DTE to finish their portion of the work. We've still got a mini trench in the backyard waiting on electrical. Other than looking pretty ugly, everything is working. If you're considering geothermal, I cannot stress enough how much your backyard will suck once it's all said and done. I keep joking with Bob that the only reason they give you a 30% tax credit is so that you can do all the landscaping that's required. Haley's warned us about the yard, but you really don't believe it until you see it.

We're getting ready for a Europe trip to a cousin's wedding, so I feel like we're in a bit of a mad rush to get everything together before we leave. What is everything? You know the usual stuff like laundry, cleaning, yard work. With the size of this house, I feel like I start cleaning on Monday, finish by the following Sunday only to start all over again.

We've had a few visitors this past weekend and we headed over to the Big House for a game. Ladies and gentleman, this was my first football game since my freshman year of collage and I missed the one thing I really wanted to see; the half time show. How is it that after four solid years of playing in high school marching band I still have no idea what goes on, on the football field? And it's not for lack of trying (or rather my friends trying to teach me). I guess it just didn't stick. I've included the picture below as proof that I was at the game (and why didn't anyone tell me my underwear was out)?

We're also trying to price out a couple of outdoor projects before this year is over. Our driveway has this huge concrete ramp into it, that the Cavalier always bangs against on its way in and out. We thought our only solution was to tear everything out and re-cement it, but it looks like we may be able to throw some additional gravel down and make the ramp a little less steep.

Also, the lilies need to be replanted before real fall sets in. And the entire front walkway really needs to be weeded. These are both Orsi initiatives, because Bob has minimal interest in the garden.

More from Tantre

Our farm share's have been awesome. We're into potato season and there's nothing better than potatoes. So today I made some potato leek soup:

 

And fresh bruchetta with a summer squash cakes:

 

Next to potato's, tomatoes are the best! We're also getting more beets than we know what to do with. So if you've got beet recipes out there, send them our way.

The Stairs

Our big indoor project for this year was moving the staircase to the basement, perpendicular to where it is currently situated.  The stairs were in the kitchen and it looked more like a bar than a staircase. See picture below.

In addition to the questionable location of the stairs, the construction of the stairs also left a lot to be desired. The height of the steps where completely variable from 6 inches up to 11 inches and the head room left a lot to be desired. By moving the stairs, we've opened up the kitchen, because we clearly needed more space :-)

 

Bar like railing is gone.

 

Reminiscence of old stairs

 

The floor getting filled in.                

 

The new stairs going in.

The new stairs.

Geothermal Part 3

The geothermal installation is complete, including the various extras (humidifier, zoning, filtration). The first it was installed it was actually quite cool outside, so the system basically didn't run. Then we left for vacation, during which it was apparently very hot here. Our house sitters told us the house stayed cool :) Now that we're back, the house is indeed very cool. Interestingly, the humidity level is high enough (50-55%) that the humidifier never runs. But we expect the winter to be much dryer (we were super itchy last winter because of it).

Anyway, here are some more pictures of the last bits.

Here's the loop field connection to the pump.

Different angle of the same space. Both water heaters are visible on the left, the furnace is in the middle, the humidifier is to the right if the middle, and the pump is on the far right.

The space to the right of the furnace. I'm not sure what the box on the left is (it's either a thermostat connection or the humidifier control of some kind). The box on the right is the zone controller. In the middle you can see the thermostat for the basement zone.

Here's one of the vent controls for the zoning. The circular device opens or closes the line to the vent. A bunch of these are set up to control the flow of air to each zone (so only the parts of the house that need it are cooled or heated).

Update: The box on the left (two pictures up) is for the wireless thermostat (one of our zones has a wireless thermostat because it was easier than running a line there, and we'll be moving walls in there soon anyway, so this was just easier for everyone). If you look very closely, above that box and little closer (half cut off by the top edge of the picture) is the wireless antenna (a small gray box on the duct).

Geothermal Part 2

The geothermal installation is almost complete. As usual with these things, it went over schedule a little, so the system won't be turned on until tomorrow. But the trenches have been filled back in, and it's mostly a matter of making the final connections and setting up the zoning system.

Here are some more pictures.

Taken from the roof, this shows 4 of the 5 trenches with the loops in them. Each trench is 150 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 6 feet deep.


Here I am standing in a trench.

Artistic. Taken from the back of one of the trenches facing towards the house.


Here is the yard after the trenches have been filled back in. It will take 6 months for the ground to fully settle, after which it will have to be regraded and then we can plant grass in the spring.


DTE gives a reduced electrical rate for geothermal systems, so we'll be getting a separate meter just for that.


Here's the tubes from the loop field coming into the basement (the entry into the house is shallower than the actual field, presumably to make it easier to work with). Also visible is the second electrical panel for the geo equipment.

The geothermal furnace is on the left, and the water heaters are on the right (there's one behind the visible one there). Also installed but not visible here are the humidification system and the electronic air filter.

Geothermal - A Few Pictures are Worth a Thousand Words

So the time has come to install the geothermal. We chose Haley's Mechanical to do the work. We'll fill you in on all the exciting things to come soon. But for now, these pictures will give you a snapshot into what we are experiencing.

 The Mound has disappeared. The calm before the storm.

There has been a lot of adventures. Electrical, cable, down trees. Stay tuned for the nitty gritty!

Landscapping

As I'm putting together this post about landscapping, we are getting ready to put in Geothermal and basically rip up our entire back yard. So stay tuned for geothermal postings.

Bob and I have been ambitious this year. We've been getting quotes left and right on different things we want done in the yard. Tom from Todd's Services came over and came up with the landscape design above, for the front yard and the immediate back. It looks awesome, and I'm really hoping we can do it this year, but we'll see.