House Construction

Site Work
4/11/2009 - 4/28/2009:  Clearing the building site.

Excavation
5/29/2009 - 6/2/2009:  Grading the pad and digging footers.

Footings
6/3/2009 - 6/4/2009:  Pouring the footings and the floors of the cistern and root cellar.

Foundation Walls
6/5/2009 - 6/18/2009:  Pouring the foundation walls and the walls of the cistern.

Cistern
6/4/2009 - 10/20/2009:  Constructing an 11,000 gallon rainwater cistern under the house.

Root Cellar
6/4/2009 - 10/22/2009:  Building the root cellar north of the house.

Slab Insulation
6/25/2009 - 7/17/2009:  Placing foam insulation under and around the floor slab.

Under-slab Plumbing
7/1/2009 - 7/9/2009:  Placing plumbing runs under the floor slab.

Unheated Floor Slabs
7/8/2009 - 7/9/2009:  Pouring the concrete floors of the porches and garage.

Workshop
7/10/2009 - 9/4/2009:  Building a space for woodworking and other sidelines.

Radiant Heated Floor Slabs
7/10/2009 - 7/24/2009:  Placing heat tubing and pouring the heated floors of the house and cottage.

Exterior Wall Framing
7/22/2009 - 8/18/2009:  Framing the exterior walls.

Interior Wall Framing
8/4/2009 - 9/17/2009:  Framing the interior walls.

Roof Framing
8/10/2009 - 9/10/2009:  Framing the roof.

Barrier-free Showers
8/6/2009 - 12/15/2009:  Constructing the barrier-free showers in the bathrooms.

Plumbing
9/8/2009 - 3/12/2009:  Water, water everywhere.

Roofing
8/25/2009 - 12/3/2009:  Applying the underlayment and metal roofing.

Siding
9/4/2009 - 1/16/2009:  Applying the house wrap and siding.

Floor Finishing
9/5/2009 - 1/31/2010:  Staining and sealing the concrete floors.

Electrical
9/11/2009:  Electric service and distribution.

Theater
9/10/2009 - 9/28/2009:  Building a home theater in the living room.

Recycling
9/10/2009 - 12/3/2009:  Keeping our construction waste out of a landfill.

Solar Heat Storage
9/21/2009 - 11/28/2009:  Installing the 2,500 gallon water tank in which we store heat from the solar collectors.

The Solar Roof
9/22/2009:  Building the south roof to hold the solar electric array.

Soffit & Fascia
10/1/2009 - 3/3/2010:  Closing in the soffits under the eaves and the fascia above it.

Countertops
10/3/2009 - 12/12/2010:  Making concrete countertops with crushed glass.

Windows
11/5/2009 - 11/6/2009:  Installing the windows.

Solar Heat Collectors
11/9/2009:  Mounting the flat-plate solar heat collectors.

Wall Insulation
11/13/2009 - 11/18/2009:  Insulating the exterior walls.

Drywall
11/23/2009 - 12/9/2009:  Installing drywall on the walls and ceilings.

Hydronic Heating System
12/7/2009:  Plumbing the system that heats the house.

Solar Electric
12/14/2009 - 3/5/2010:  Assembling the solar electric array on the south roof.

Paint
12/19/2009 - 1/7/2010:  Painting the interior walls.

Solar Heat Plumbing
12/24/2009:  Plumbing the system that collects solar heat and transfers it to the storage tank.

Interior Trim
1/26/2010 - 2/19/2010:  Baseboards and trim around interior windows and doors.

Cabinets
11/20/2009 - 7/28/2010:  Cabinetry for the kitchens and baths.

Ventilation
10/7/2009 - 3/13/2010:  The heat recovery ventilation system.

Thermal Imaging
3/23/2010:  Checking for insulation problems using an infrared camera.

Deck
4/27/2010 - 4/28/2010:  Building an attached, covered deck.

Rainwater Harvesting System
4/29/2010 - 5/30/2010:  Building the system that collects, purifies and stores rainwater.

Final Grading
5/15/2010 - 5/18/2010:  Establishing the final grade and spreading topsoil around the house.

Cooling System
7/26/2010 - 8/1/2010:  Using the cistern to cool the house.

Root Cellar Retaining Wall
9/10/2010 - 11/29/2010:  Building a slipform stone wall in front of the root cellar.

Appliance Garages
3/4/2011:  Finishing the appliance garages in the kitchens.