THE IN-BETWEEN THINGS

Between all the big phases for the build there are a bunch of little things and medium things that need to be accomplished.  Before the earthen plaster phase begins in earnest, metal flashing needed to be installed around the edge of the foundation.  The purpose of this flashing is to keep water from getting underneath the sole plate and into the bales.  We know you are probably saying that we already painted on a coat of waterproof sealant, but that was the back-up if water gets behind the flashing.  The earthen plaster and lime plaster will come down the wall and end on top of the flashing, thus creating a seal and allowing the water to flow down the wall, onto the flashing and then onto the ground.

 

The metal flashing installed along the edge of the foundation

Another important step in the build process is installing all the mechanicals, which includes all the environmental control elements such as mini-split air conditioner/heater.  As you know we are building a very efficient Passive House which is also passively solar oriented.  This, along with our 18 inch thick walls, will keep the temperatures in the house fairly comfortable, but alas we do live in Arizona and it probably won't be getting much cooler over the next couple of decades so we are installing three mini-splits.  There will be one in the main bedroom, one in the hall by the kitchen to cool the "big room" and then one in the casita to keep our guests happy and willing to return for other visits.  These are basically mini air conditioner/heater units that use a fraction of the energy of a traditional whole house cooling and heating system and eliminate the need for a bunch of air ducts.

The mini-split mount in the hall by the kitchen

It has been a challenge throughout the build to try and plan for all opportunities to make the house as sustainable as possible.  We thought we had done a pretty good job during the design phase but there have been many things we come up with on the fly.  The installation of the mini-split condensation drain lines was a perfect example.  Usually they just put the drains through the wall and let them drip next to the foundation.  We decided to take advantage of this condensation and have the lines plumbed into our gray water drain for our washing machine and thus putting the water to use in our landscaping.  The challenge though was in getting the pipes routed through the walls.  There has to be a positive drop in the pipes to ensure the water flows out so it was quite the challenge.  The metal plates you see on the studs where the white pvc pipes go through them is to protect the pipes from getting punctured from nails or such when the walls are covered with dry wall. 

The circuitous route of the white pvc mini-split condensation drain line

The white pvc pipe is the condensation line and the black vertical pipe is the gray water drain

Also included in the mechanicals is the vent system for the stove.  It is mounted in the wall behind the stove and then routed through the soffit above the kitchen cabinets, through the soffit in the pantry and then out through the north wall of the house.  It is super important to get everything in the framed walls in the correct location before they blow in all the insulation so you don't have to claw out the insulation and then try and repack it into space.  We've been told it is not a fun process ... but I'm sure we'll get to experience it when Murphy makes an appearance!

Stove vent pipes in the wall and soffit

Another "box" got checked when they framed out the reading bench in the hallway across from the craft room.  This bench will allow one to gaze out the window while relaxing with a good book, a warm cup of coffee or tea or an adult beverage.  The grand plan is to have a water feature and an assortment of bird feeders located along our southern property line pretty much in front of the bench which will allow for some good birding!  The bench will be hollow underneath providing us with some extra storage.

Framed reading bench

We wanted to make a visual statement with our front doors for the house and the casita so we had custom doors built.  These are some heavy duty doors made out of rift white oak.  In order to make them look a little more "antiquey" we had them distressed.  The fixtures will be aged metal to give them that more southwest rustic look.  

The reveal!

It took them three months to build the doors so we were pretty excited to finally see them in person!  Lucas installed, leveled and plumbed the door frames, and then hung the doors.  This was done to make sure everything fit and that nothing had to be redone.

Lucas ensuring the frame for the house's front door is level and plumb

Welcome to our humble abode

Thanks for coming to visit

Once we knew all was well with the doors, they were unhung and stacked in the garage for safe keeping.  There are still a ton of things that need to be done on the inside, such as all the plastering and hanging the ceiling planks, and we don't want to distress the doors any more than they already are, thus the reason we put them away.  Hopefully we don't get any unwanted visitors!