Month: November 2022

Categories
house construction weather

Progressing

We are making progress, making progress however slowly it seems. On the closing of my loan on the house I have reviewed the updated Interest Rate Disclosure document and should be ready for Closing next week. It turns out that most of the three-week delay was caused by Appraisal Companies unable to locate comparison properties that weren’t connected to the power grid.

The replacement inverter has been received and installed, restoring us to full power.

Power System

After last week’s cold weather, progress is proceeding on Jill’s house.

Early Nov Snow (note snow on solar panels)
Jill’s Foundation last Week
More foundation
Ready for Pouring this Morning

This shows the rebar and piping installed and ready for cement pouring.

Pouring cement for the slab.
More Pouring

They got the slab poured, smoothed out and covered to keep the cement from freezing before it can cure. By next week it should be ready to start construction.

It wasn’t all good news, however. Below is a view of the plant that died. It was a bit of tropical greenery that was included in the flower arrangement that our realtors gave up when we moved into the condo in April 2003. When all the flowers had died, I noticed that the greenery has started roots, so I planted it.

Sic Transit Gloria

It had survived ever since but I let it get chilled in the process of moving into the house and it has finally died. That leaves the senior plant in residence the Christmas Cactus that we budded from the house on Aries Drive in 1977.

Categories
house construction Solar Power

Mid-Nov Update

This is being typed on November 16th. We still have not closed with Rocket Mortgage after 3 weeks. I got a call-back from my Acct Manager at Rocket, and he explained the issue. So far, I have had 3 separate appraisers show up to walk through, take pictures, etc. The problem is that none of them can find an equivalent house (new construction, 1400 sq foot, metal roof & walls, on well (with reverse osmosis plant) and powered by solar cells) to develop comps with.

Rocket has escalated the issue and has some mid-level managers involved with trying to resolve the issue. I am expecting one or two more appraisers over the next week or so.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been on half-power from the solar arrays. When I was working on the electrical system to get approval from the County Building Inspectors, I discovered that batteries went into self-protect mode. I did some further troubleshooting and discovered the Inverters DC battery input were shorted together on one of the two inverters. I disconnected the faulty inverter and was able to bring up 120 of the 240 VAC. Fortunately, the side that remained up was the MBR, and most of the Kitchen and Living Room.

I contacted Signature Solar and reported the issue. I forwarded pictures and video of me measuring the shorted inputs. It was immediately escalated to second level response. After a week of nothing heard, I called up and rattled their cage. Last week I received a FedEx shipping label. That same afternoon I packaged up the bad inverter and shipped it off. Later that week I was notified that the replacement would be shipped shortly. Latest info that it should be delivered on Saturday.

The good news is that I have demonstrated that I can go a day, or even two with heavy overcast with only half of solar panels. Once I get the replacement inverter, I can bring the full power back up in the house.

The past week or so Jill’s tiny house has moved forward. The goal is to get the foundation poured before the weather gets too cold, and erect the structure early in the spring.

Jill’s Foundation

Also, we dug the trench and ran the water line from my crawl space up to the foundation.

Water Line Running Up to Jill’s

Finally, we got the washer and dryer installed. Note the dryer is electric and needs 240VAC, so it is waiting the new inverter.

Washer and Dryer

In a Catholic school cafeteria, a nun places a note in front of a pile of apples, “Only take one. God is watching.” Further down the line is a pile of cookies. A little boy makes his own note, “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”