Comments on: Roofing complete. Doors are on.

By: Mike D.

Mike D. — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:59:51 +0000

Moe: I’m not sure of the manufacturer of the doors. We got them from Compton Lumber and it’s possible they make them in-house. As far as style goes, they are very minimalist: flat-front and solid core.

By: Moe

Moe — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:09:41 +0000

Great website, thank for keeping posts up to date… Question about interior/exterior doors. Could you describe the style and manufacturers you selected?

By: Mike D.

Mike D. — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:31:48 +0000

Handyman: Indeed there are dampers that are operated electronically which open and close all of the zones. I’ll have to check how that logic works, but I think it’s built into the HVAC system itself and not the home automation system.

By: HandyMan

HandyMan — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:14:16 +0000

So do you have dampers and shunts in the duct work that can be opened and closed by your thermostat system? Does the thermostat know how to open and close the various ducts to get air where it needs to go? Or does your home automation system control this?

By: Mike D.

Mike D. — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:09:58 +0000

Handyman: Sure, the details of the HVAC system are here. Essentially, it's one electric heat pump with a gas furnace as backup. Three floors, one zone for each floor. Each zone can be controlled independently through some HAI thermostats.

By: HandyMan

HandyMan — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:40:53 +0000

Sorry if this has been covered already, but I couldn’t find it. Could you either email me or further explain what you have done for zone heating? I am building a house and am looking for the same type of system.

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:18:29 +0000

Well it is much less maint than a normal garden if you use sedium. Weeds don’t grow for the most part because it is too shallow. Initially it will require some watering to get started but once it is growing there is not much to do so I am told.

By: Mike D.

Mike D. — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:25:16 +0000

Josh: If a garden or lawn isn’t maintenance free, how can a garden or lawn on top of a roof be maintenance free? It may be less trouble than it seems, but it’s definitely more maintenance than *not* having it up there :).

By: Josh

Josh — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:18:00 +0000

I think it is pretty maintenance free. I guy I know in Portland has a patent on using recycled carpet tiles as the base for the green roof so I am going to use his method. I actually got a grant from the city to cover the costs.

By: Mike D.

Mike D. — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:06:41 +0000

Josh: That is not a bad idea at all. I wrote off green roofs pretty early because I just wasn’t into any maintenance whatsoever, but that would be a great way to “fix” that roof if it actually bothers me once the project is done. It certainly would look great up there. Please post pictures/details of your roof when it’s in progress and done… would love to see it.