He also meet with our US plumbers GM Shearer LLC who had helped to lay the ductwork for our under floor ventilation system and completed insulation for pipes in our Plant Room.
When Steve got to the site, one of our three inverters for our new photovoltaic systems was not functioning. Inverters change the direct current to alternating current and keep track of how much power each bank of solar arrays is putting out. A replacement inverter was ordered for delivery and installation the following week. This photo shows both the current power meter (upper left) and a revenue meter showing the total output of our PV system since installation. After the system had been on for only 10 days at about 2/3rd capacity, we had generated approximately 350 kW-h.
Some extra roof tiles, ceramic roof tiles and a vat of extra refrigerant for our Bosch ground source heat pump were moved from the new house to the old lodge on the property which will now need to be demolished. Towards the end of the day, the final large shipping container was lifted by crane onto a tractor trailer.
Steve also met with our general contractor Chris Kontour to talk about our plan for landscaping. At a minimum, we need to some grading and fill-in around the house.
The handover consisted of a systematic walk through the house with creation of a punch list of to do items. The whole process took about four hours. We were given a giant binder (Our HUF House) of instructions about care and maintenance of our high tech house including wood protection, care of the glass, stainless steel, blinds, windows, garage door and floor coverings, along with owner/operator manuals for all of the appliances, some of which are in English and some of which are in German. Thank heaven for Google translator.
A major disappointment was the fact that three toilets and two sinks had not been loaded onto the final shipping container. This was to have been Huf Haus' responsibility. Comparable sinks and toilets could not quickly obtained in the US or from Germany in time for the handover. The following week after the handover, one sink and three toilets were obtained from US distributors. However, we are still missing one sink and a surface-mounded flushing unit for one of the toilets.
A second significant disappointment was finding out that a 110 V outlet had been installed in the carport (for our electric car charging station) as opposed to the 240 V outlet specified in our fit out. MEC (our electrician) determined that a new conduit would need to be created from the main line. As a compromise, the following week, the 110 V outlet was converted to 220 V which should still support a Level 2 20 amp EV charger.
The 3rd disappointment was a missing green garage door which was gray instead. Because of the white monotonous façade of the house, I had some discussions/e-mails with our designer about having our fit out modified to incorporate a green sectional garage door. However, during the handover there was some confusion about whether this door can actually be painted green or not. We are awaiting on a response from Huf about the door. We would still like to corporate some more accent color into the exterior and favor the Huf green for our green[r]evolution home.
In spite of disappointments about the solar inverter, sinks/toilets, car charger and garage door, we are extremely pleased with the very high quality workmanship in our home. All of the US workers felt like it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to work with the Huf Haus team on this unique project.
What's left to do: (1) establishing internet connectivity for the KNX system and the web cams and (2) a final electrical inspection which is required for (3) installation of our new net meter. This will be accomplished through FirstEnergy (https://www.firstenergycorp.com/fehome.html)
The steps are outlined in an instructional PDF embedded on their site on net/bidirectional metering.
We also need to accomplish: (4) installation of some additional lighting in the kitchen and dining room areas and (5) exterior grading which is required prior to (6) obtaining our occupancy permit.
In spite of the lack of sinks and toilets, we had our first visitors to the house last weekend Tom Saunders and Michael Knoop from Western Pennsylvania Land Conservancy. We also took a short hike through a breathtaking land parcel (Hardwood Trails) on Evitt's Mountain that the Conservancy recently acquired in Bedford County. There is more about this important property on their website (http://www.paconserve.org/news/view/190). Their visit and our hike reminded Steve and I of the reason why we decided to decided to embark on this green home building journey two years ago.
Carolyn, could you speak in general terms how much it costs per sq foot or per sq meter to purchase and install this HUF home. I am interested in knowing a budgetary figure to determine a comparison of HUF vs. Traditional construction methods.
ReplyDeleteNick (Kansas City)