The pool, appliances, and almost done
It's been about a month since the last blog update. Things have been moving fast but I kept delaying an update waiting for the right milestone. Well, we hit several this week. First, the pool was finished and filled. Second, most of the subs have finished or are on the verge of finishing. Third, most of the appliances were installed. Fourth, I'm starting to outfit my new shop and, finally, the landscaping is taking form.
We went up last Thursday since the pool was going to be plastered and filled. Unfortunately, the plasterers worked so quickly that by the time we arrived they were done and gone and the pool was being filled. (Pools need to be filled immediately after plastering to help the plaster cure correctly.) We originally thought we wanted a very dark (i.e., black) pool but when it came to actually picking a color, we realized we liked a medium grey much better. I think our architect was a little relieved since he admitted that he found black pools a little "uninviting".
I thought about posting pictures of the pool being filled but the water was trucked in and looked more like pond water. We joked that Susan actually got the pond she always wanted; all we had to do was to add a couple turtles and we would be in business. The pool contractor assured us that within a couple days the water would be crystal clear. He was right.
We decided to go with a salt system for controlling chlorine since it keeps the chlorine level stable and avoids the necessity of handling large amounts of chlorination chemicals. The basic idea is that salt is added to the water as a source of chloride ions. After filtration, the water passes through a small unit that oxidizes the chloride to chlorine. When the chlorine acts as a sanitizer, it is converted back to chloride and starts the cycle all over. In order for this to work, the pool needs the salt concentration to be maintained at about 3,500 ppm. Sea water is about 10 times that concentration and most people only start to detect salt at 3,500 ppm. The slightly salty water is also supposed to "feel better".
The most important requirement for the pool was that it be safe. (We hope that some day we'll have grandchildren in addition to granddogs.) Towards this end, there is a pool cover controllable via key. One click and the pool is safe. Our dog Elsa thought it was just an extension of the surrounding concrete and walked out on it; she let out the canine equivalent of "Yikes!".
Our pool heat comes via the solar thermal system exclusively; there is no fossil fueled pool water heater. The design of the system allows us to balance the use of the generated heat between house heating, domestic hot water, and the pool. Most likely this balancing will require flipping a single valve at the beginning and end of winter.
One of the interesting things about solar thermal systems is that they require a place to dump excess heat. (A solar electric system is different; if excess electricity is generated, it can just be dumped to ground.) If you don't dump excess heat, the system will overheat and may be damaged. Without a pool, our solar thermal system would have been difficult to engineer.
Once the major subcontractors were all done, the floors were given their final coat of finish. A couple of little items remain such as glass doors in the bathrooms and some final painting touchups but the punch-list is getting very short. The concrete counters out by the pool and in the powder room were also completed and installed. The powder room counter is striking since the sink is formed within the concrete as a single unit. The library/media room turned out just as we hoped; it is ringed in 9' bookshelves and cabinets using the same Eucalyptus as the kitchen cabinets.
I thought the plumbing was already a work of art but it just keeps getting better. Unfortunately, it will soon be encased in insulation and won't be as visible.
Once the floors were done, the appliances were installed. They still need things like leveling and ice maker hook ups but the kitchen is 99% complete. The washer and dryer haven't been installed yet since the dryer was upgraded with "steam" capability since we picked it. (I always thought the purpose of a dryer was to remove water, not add it.) The plumber will have to come back and add a new water line.
With the floors done, I could also start outfitting my shop. I'm taking advantage of a new space to upgrade some of my equipment. The first of these upgrades were delivered on Wednesday and included a 1200 lb jointer and 600 lb planer. Fortunately, my contractor claims he loves the challenge of moving heavy equipment around. He is also picking up my new table saw next week. I built a new workbench over the winter but still have a lot of new cabinets to build. Once the shop is complete, I have a long list of new furniture to build.
The landscaping work continues and the native plant area beyond the courtyard garden has started to take shape. The plants look a little sparse but the ones planted a couple weeks ago are already growing rapidly. The layout looks a little geometric but the look should be much softer when the plants grow to normal size.
There has been a snag with the phone and internet connections. The company is paying for a T1 internet connection and I am working through the incredible bureaucracy in ATT in order to get one installed. It looks like the quickest they can get it working is the end of June. The local ATT engineering office (not the bureaucrats) have been very helpful but ultimately they can only do what the bureaucrats tell them to do. We are going to be running the T1 and phone lines in the same cable which means we won't have a voice line until we have the T1. Unfortunately, ATT won't install a T1 unless there is a voice line. I'm hoping rationality will prevail and I won't end up in a catch 22.
Mattresses are being delivered next week and we hope to start moving stuff up the week after. The goal is that by July 1 we'll be in residence complete with phone and internet.
We went up last Thursday since the pool was going to be plastered and filled. Unfortunately, the plasterers worked so quickly that by the time we arrived they were done and gone and the pool was being filled. (Pools need to be filled immediately after plastering to help the plaster cure correctly.) We originally thought we wanted a very dark (i.e., black) pool but when it came to actually picking a color, we realized we liked a medium grey much better. I think our architect was a little relieved since he admitted that he found black pools a little "uninviting".
I thought about posting pictures of the pool being filled but the water was trucked in and looked more like pond water. We joked that Susan actually got the pond she always wanted; all we had to do was to add a couple turtles and we would be in business. The pool contractor assured us that within a couple days the water would be crystal clear. He was right.
We decided to go with a salt system for controlling chlorine since it keeps the chlorine level stable and avoids the necessity of handling large amounts of chlorination chemicals. The basic idea is that salt is added to the water as a source of chloride ions. After filtration, the water passes through a small unit that oxidizes the chloride to chlorine. When the chlorine acts as a sanitizer, it is converted back to chloride and starts the cycle all over. In order for this to work, the pool needs the salt concentration to be maintained at about 3,500 ppm. Sea water is about 10 times that concentration and most people only start to detect salt at 3,500 ppm. The slightly salty water is also supposed to "feel better".
The most important requirement for the pool was that it be safe. (We hope that some day we'll have grandchildren in addition to granddogs.) Towards this end, there is a pool cover controllable via key. One click and the pool is safe. Our dog Elsa thought it was just an extension of the surrounding concrete and walked out on it; she let out the canine equivalent of "Yikes!".
Pool
View from the pool
Pool cover switch
Covered pool
Our pool heat comes via the solar thermal system exclusively; there is no fossil fueled pool water heater. The design of the system allows us to balance the use of the generated heat between house heating, domestic hot water, and the pool. Most likely this balancing will require flipping a single valve at the beginning and end of winter.
One of the interesting things about solar thermal systems is that they require a place to dump excess heat. (A solar electric system is different; if excess electricity is generated, it can just be dumped to ground.) If you don't dump excess heat, the system will overheat and may be damaged. Without a pool, our solar thermal system would have been difficult to engineer.
Once the major subcontractors were all done, the floors were given their final coat of finish. A couple of little items remain such as glass doors in the bathrooms and some final painting touchups but the punch-list is getting very short. The concrete counters out by the pool and in the powder room were also completed and installed. The powder room counter is striking since the sink is formed within the concrete as a single unit. The library/media room turned out just as we hoped; it is ringed in 9' bookshelves and cabinets using the same Eucalyptus as the kitchen cabinets.
Powder room sink (backsplash to be installed)
Pool kitchen (refrigerator and ice maker to be installed)
Front of the library media room
Back of the library media room
Stainless steel railing
I thought the plumbing was already a work of art but it just keeps getting better. Unfortunately, it will soon be encased in insulation and won't be as visible.
Plumbing for the main house
Once the floors were done, the appliances were installed. They still need things like leveling and ice maker hook ups but the kitchen is 99% complete. The washer and dryer haven't been installed yet since the dryer was upgraded with "steam" capability since we picked it. (I always thought the purpose of a dryer was to remove water, not add it.) The plumber will have to come back and add a new water line.
Kitchen from dining area
Stove
Warming drawer, dishwasher, and sink
Refrigerator and pantry cabinets
With the floors done, I could also start outfitting my shop. I'm taking advantage of a new space to upgrade some of my equipment. The first of these upgrades were delivered on Wednesday and included a 1200 lb jointer and 600 lb planer. Fortunately, my contractor claims he loves the challenge of moving heavy equipment around. He is also picking up my new table saw next week. I built a new workbench over the winter but still have a lot of new cabinets to build. Once the shop is complete, I have a long list of new furniture to build.
Shop corner where my drafting table will go
Jointer and planer
The landscaping work continues and the native plant area beyond the courtyard garden has started to take shape. The plants look a little sparse but the ones planted a couple weeks ago are already growing rapidly. The layout looks a little geometric but the look should be much softer when the plants grow to normal size.
Courtyard garden and start of native plant area beyond
There has been a snag with the phone and internet connections. The company is paying for a T1 internet connection and I am working through the incredible bureaucracy in ATT in order to get one installed. It looks like the quickest they can get it working is the end of June. The local ATT engineering office (not the bureaucrats) have been very helpful but ultimately they can only do what the bureaucrats tell them to do. We are going to be running the T1 and phone lines in the same cable which means we won't have a voice line until we have the T1. Unfortunately, ATT won't install a T1 unless there is a voice line. I'm hoping rationality will prevail and I won't end up in a catch 22.
Mattresses are being delivered next week and we hope to start moving stuff up the week after. The goal is that by July 1 we'll be in residence complete with phone and internet.
posted by Jim Barstow at
10:08 PM
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