11 February 2016

VERY busy day! Tim Paquette and Roger Marcoux (Black Diamond Builders) were here before 7, getting ready to spray-foam the attic and sun room vaulted ceiling.  They left just before 5, having put 2″ of insulation on top of most of the main level ceiling, which will seal the attic from any moisture intrusion.  Andy Tracy also came by mid-morning to see how his guys were doing.  The Roxul^® twins, Sonny and Doug, finished insulating all of the exterior walls on both levels, then started putting in the basement ceiling insulation.  Everywhere there is radiant floor tubing between the floor joists, R-15 Roxul^® has to be put in to trap the heat against the main level floor, thus keeping Chree’s tootsies toasty.  Tom Hobbs, Logan Marsano, and Marc Swenor (Boot Hill Metal Benders) were here most of the day continuing the ductwork install.  They drilled four large holes through the west side band joist (hitting the previously installed KOMA^® blocking dead center each time!) and put in the vent hoods for the HRV intake and exhaust, guest bath exhaust fan, and woodstove air intake.  Tom also added a couple of arms to the hydra look-alike air-handler monster in the mechanical room.  Dennis was here for a couple of hours late morning, reviewing Steve’s work and consulting with him on how the geothermal heat pump will be setup and controlled.  Steve will be trying to get the geothermal heating system online by the end of next week, as the propane heater still is causing major moisture condensation issues inside the house.  Sean arrived just after Dennis left and spent a couple of hours with me inspecting recent construction, wrestling with the budget, and planning next steps.  Our current concern is that 25% of the drywall installation budget has been spent and far less than 25% of the drywall has been bought and put up, never mind being taped and mudded.  So what did I do today, other than direct traffic and answer questions?  VERY carefully, used my diamond-tipped Skilsaw and Steve’s spade bit-equipped Bosch hammer drill to chisel away the concrete where the guest bath shower drain needs to go.  Found not one, but two PEX radiant heat tubes hiding in the area being demolished, and managed to get the concrete out without damaging either one.  Amazingly, neither tube will be in the way of the shower drain J-trap.  I was sweating bullets by the end, and not just because of the unaccustomed physical labor involved.  Also did some more electrical wiring, but that is just so passé at this point.