Quite a bit of progress has occurred on the green home since my last posting. The exterior now has stucco and stone that has made it easier to visualize what it will eventually look like. We were quite amazed the first time we viewed the show room at Harristone in Ogden and learned what could be done with concrete and color. The artificial stone looks very real and has a 50-year guarantee. It is, of course, a lot easier to work with than natural stone and, importantly, a lot less expensive. We chose a color patten labeled "Chablis" which has a mixture of brown stone with some reddish hues here and there. We are quite pleased with the look and eager to see it when installation is complete. The same stone will be used on the chimney and the fireplace in the great room. All in all, a lot of beautiful stone that will add beauty to a highly efficient home.
Speaking of energy efficiency, we recently had an unexpected visit from someone who had been testing homes in Daybreak for thermal heat loss. We were not there when the testing occurred but have heard from Dwight at PCR that the home tested very well. I will try to get more information on the nature of the testing.
The stucco color we chose for the body of the exterior is called, "barley field." Some of the trim around the windows will be a lighter color--"moon valley." Although it's a little hard to see in the pictures, the soffits and facia are a darker brown that accent the lighter colored stucco.
Inside, the bamboo flooring has been installed in the office. That's the room with dwarflike figure slouched against the wall. The bamboo is a beautiful wood and, of course, a highly renewable resource.
In the great room, you can see that much of the tile has been installed. Before it was laid down, a further step was taken to augment the passive solar heating from the southeast oriented windows. Before the tile was put in place, the surface was built up with about two inches of "gypcrete," which I understand is a combination of gypsum and concrete. This will increase the thermal mass, allowing more passive solar heat to be retained. Besides that, it looks very good. Waiting to be installed is the cork floor for the kitchen that will go in after the kitchen cabinets are in place--starting next week. The mud room will have a floor surface called Eco-surface, which I will talk more about later. The color is "chunky-monkey" and it looks like interesting stuff. The remaining floor surface in the master bedroom and stairs will be recycled carpet. More about that later.
So, a lot of progress is being made. The finish carpenters and the painters will be getting to work soon. We are keeping our fingers crossed as we look forward to possibly being finished the first or second week of April. Can't wait!!
