punch party! (attack of the HVAC, house numbers, you grasshole, and more!

Still ironing out the wrinkles on the house. Took Thursday off to sit with the builder and an army of trades as they banged on the punch list. Lots done, but still bits to go...

attack of the HVAC

The biggest wrinkle in our ironing has been the HVAC system. The sub came out and fixed the blown damper and also hardwired the ERV into the system such that it doesn't blow when the full system isn't blowing (all it would be doing at that point is wasting electricity). Unclear why they didn't install the Bryant ERV, which better integrates into the thermostat, allowing the user to control how much fresh air is brought into the house.

We're still having major temperature control issues with the various zones, and the sub basically doesn't know how to fix it (although they won't admit it). The on-site guys say that the system does it all itself, so there's nothing to worry about. Yet we continue to have serious problems:

Byant says "The system will never purposefully cool or warm greater than three degrees from the set points." Yet that is what it is doing.

I'm not an HVAC professional, but I figure it might be one of four things (or combos of all):

1. The dampers aren't working properly, particularly the damper to the master suite. There are times when we get a (comparatively) good amount of air into the bedroom, but more often than not we hardly get any air while the system dumps air into the rest of the house.

2. The dampers are working properly, but the "factory settings" don't send enough air into the master suite. The system is "smart" in that it measures back pressure in the main air distribution center and adjusts the dampers to maximize air flow and minimize air noise through the vents. I found dealer documentation for the system online, and it says that this function can be overridden. We're at the point we don't care about vent noise. Get us some damn air!

3. The ductwork "design" is causing problems. Air flows like water: it prefers the path of least resistance. The path to upstairs is short and sweet: 3 to 20 feet in large and relatively straight tubes. The path to downstairs is also short and sweet: 3 to 20 feet in large and relatively straight tubes. The path to the master suite is a nightmare, long and bitter: 20 to 40 feet through small tubes and various right angles. It is the path of most resistance. What might be happening is that at the lowest fan speed for the system, there's too much back pressure such that the other zones open up to dump the air, and then that's where all the air is going.

4. The ductwork to the master suite is somehow pinched or blocked, which would cause the air dumping just described. Since it appears the sub may have "disposed of" pieces of insulation board in the ductwork (that may have been the problem with the blown damper), it's possible a piece of insulation board is also in the ductwork to the master suite.

I'm thinking the issue is prolly a combo of 1, 2, and 3. Since 3 is impossible to address right now (at least not without tearing up half the house), we have to hope the problem can be solved with the dampers. I don't think 4 is the issue because there are two tubes that run to the master, and both seem to have issue with air flow.

The builder is working to get a Bryant technician (not a dealer tech) out to the house to check the system. The sub sent their best guy, and his response was "I've never seen a system like this." Hopefully the Bryant tech can fix it.

we have numbers!

and they look grand! These are the numbers we bought from modernhousenumbers.com who were kind enough to make us a small zero to riff on the up-and-down rhythm of the o's in our address. The first time we put them up (we being the builder and me), we put 'em up upside down. We were so focused on placement and distance from the light that we neglected to notice that the numbers work right side up (6909) as well as upside down (6069). After they were up the first time, I'm, like, "They look good! but something ain't right...". Fortunately, we only had to change two of the numbers. Our sock-of-the-month club deliveries will now arrive safely.

you grasshole

The first time around they forgot to cut the pavers for feather grass holes. We have them now:

power

We now have power to the hot tub as well as the (future) stage:

outdoor speakers

The outdoor speakers are now installed.

handrails

Our neoplastic handrails are installed! Interlocking-cubist-volume hardware with a slab-of-hickory rail. We bought the rail from stairsupplies.net. Reasonable price for some real nice rails.

tidbits

They put a wheel on the gate:

fill metal on the windows:

spigot on the garage:

and holes in the wire center cover in the pantry:

some laggards...

Besides the HVAC problems, a few other straggling issues...

The doorbell chime we got doesn't work with the doorbell button. Because the doorbell button rocks it hard, we ordered a chime that we know will work with the button. The only problem is that it never came. UPS says they delivered it, but it didn't show up. We had it sent to the bride's office. However, UPS says no one was home and left it at the front door at 2 pm on a Monday. Someone was at the office (they have a receptionist), so that suggests it was misdelivered. If that isn't frustrating enough, the chime supplier won't return emails about the order.

Fixing to go blog postal on 'em...

On Thursday (punch) morning I told the bride that I was going to shower in the guest bathroom to make sure everything was in working order. She looked at me like I was crazy (as she often does), but I tromped upstairs to get my scrub and suds on. After adjusting the water temp out of the tub spout, I went to engage the diverter to turn on the shower (the thing that forces the water out the showerhead instead of the tub spout). However, there wasn't one (this took a bit of time to conclude because I was sure I was missing something)!

After discussing the lack of a shower diverter with the builder and plumber later in the day and both swearing there wasn't one during the install, the builder checked in with supplier and found out they had sent us the wrong control assembly. In other words, there is no opportunity to install a diverter in the present set-up. That's bad news because replacing the control assembly requires tearing up the wall. Presently looking at tub-spout based alternatives...

This could be a blessing in disguise. The tub spout with this set-up, although gorgeous, is not terribly stable (the sealing has split several times now...) and, because of its heft, begs people to use it for leverage (which breaks the sealing and portends greater problems in the future).

Speaking of sealing issues, we still haven't dealt with the potty problems in the powder room. The toilet cantilevers off the wall, which fits the cantilever motif of the house but isn't exactly the most stable of configurations, especially when former football players stop by for a visit. The installation has left the toilet with a wobble, which breaks the sealing between the toilet and the wall and just feels ominous. After discussions with the plumbing sub and builder, the plan is to cut out the drywall (the source of the wobble) and replace it with Hardie backer and the large format white tile we used in the other bathrooms.

decorating news

Upgraded our IKEA dresser with a higher-end (IKEA) dresser:

Moving on up, baybee! (and moved the old dresser to the guest room.)

Found a cool neoplastic water bowl for the cat (he only drinking moving water...). Filtered and splashed with a UV light. Great for disco parties, too!

Found a new coffee pot. Had a cheap Black and Decker black pot for the apartment. This one fits the house better:

Also found a magazine rack for the "contemplation room". This clever little thing made out of silicon came from Kontextur. Only comes in packs of three, so we have two more to figure out what to do with...

Also from Kontextur are a toilet brush and plunger/roll holder. White and wood goes good (as it should).

coming up

More work on the punch list, more decorating.

and we're in!

Sorry for the down time: (1) we haven't had internet and (2) moving is an all-encompassing endeavor. But the good news is that we are in!

The cat wants to be in the first load (along with the liquor)...

First, an update on the items of concern moving in: the floors, the gas, the internet, and the cooktop.

Being Mr. Barefoot, I noticed that the floors seemed rougher than they should with little stalagmites every six inches or so. We mentioned this to the builder ("Are you sure the floors are done?"). We didn't hear anything back until late in the afternoon before the big move-in day (we had already been moving art and liquor in [priorities, you know...]) when the floor folks showed up to refinish the floors (the builder had sent an email earlier in the day, but we hadn't been checking).

That was depressing. That floor stuff totally stinks (like, literally). The previous layer took three days to outgas, and we were moving in the next day. However, it turned out to be a thin refinishing layer and didn't stink nearly as much as the previous layer. Floor problem solved (just in time!).

The gas company turned on the gas late on move-in day and the plumbing sub showed up at 7:00 pm to connect the on-demand water heater. Talk about cutting it close! Fortunately, everything worked and we had (our first) hot shower (or any shower of note) at the house. It was heaven.

The internet turned out to not be as bad as I had feared. The installer arrived on Wednesday and, as expected, wanted to aerially drop the line to the house. After saying "Nope, that ain't gonna happen." and describing what we wanted, he said he wasn't prepared to bury the line and that it would be another week before the line-burying folks could be there. "Can't you just leave it on top of the mulch for now?" Turned out the answer was yes (They are concerned about lawn mowers, but since we have no lawn to speak of, he was amenable). An hour later, we had internet. Yay! A few days later a burier came and (no joke) simply "buried" (covered, really...) the line under the mulch, just above the weed barrier.

The cooktop is still not connected, and we are on the hunt for another regulator. Looks like I'm going to have to figure this out and finish the installation...

Gots no gas to the cooktop...

How's the house, you ask? We're totally loving it! It's a little weird, after all this time, finally moving in.  It's also rather swank (in a good way) for a couple of low-renters. After living in (and enjoying) a compact setting at the apartment, I wondered if we'd miss that intimacy. However, the house works well at keeping that intimacy (everything is close to the kitchen heart of the floorplan) and yet providing an ample amount of space for us to do our thing. As the bride points out, our house (2,300 square feets) is considered small by many, but it is ample space.

Since the gate is not yet finished, one of the first things we did was occlude the skeleton so folks would be less tempted to walk into the back yard (there are lots of lookie-loos at the house...). I was going to put up a sign that said "Unless you want to see middle-aged people naked, we advise you turn around." but then realized that there are folks out there that want to see middle-aged people naked. Since we don't want to meet these people, we instead "wrapped" the gate in wrapping plastic. It's actually kinda cool, truth be told...

To add some sanity to the insanity of moving, we worked hard to get the kitchen, dining, living, and master bedroom in working order as soon as possible.

The cat lays claim to the bed on our first night in the house.

Dining room (plan to get better end chairs; thinking Eames...)

Living room with the Eileen Gray Flor rug and the neoplastic coffee table. Plan on replacing the settee in the foreground with a Corbusier/Perrand love seat.

Another view of the coffee table...

Still working on the bookcases...

The Eileen Gray table.

The kitchen (where the minimalism stops, my friends...). In the forefront are the semi-custom Barbara stools from local furniture maker RAD. They were kind enough to work with us to replace their standard walnut with cypress. 

If our kitchen has a decorating theme, it's a fusion of the beauty of food with the sciency feel of a laboratory (because what is cooking but gastronomical chemistry?) The open shelves are there in part to showcase ingredients.

Just like Portlanders, we kinda dig the birds. Here are some shots of a couple birds we placed in the living room. The hanging black bird is a raven we bought in Iceland several years back. The raven has special meaning to Icelanders because legend has it that the first horn-headed settlers avoided starving to death by following a raven to the island. We also have a rocking bird picked up on sale at West Elm. 

The raven casts the coolest shadows in the house as it chases the morning sun.

That bird totally rocks.

Got the office somewhat set up last night (hence this present hen pecking). 

"They say people in glass houses can't throw stones. People in glass houses can't walk around naked either!" says the bride. After moving in, it quickly became apparent that we needed window coverings of some sort. Because of the immediate need for coverings, we were inspired by our friends Mr. B. and Ms. M. who have adorned their windows in their modern loft thusly:

Very nice. There's poetry in how the tape is placed and the paper just stops short of filling the entire window.

And here is our interpretation:

We used green tape instead of blue so our friends wouldn't think we had totally stolen the idea from them. We also used part of a Container Store advertisement as part of the "curtain".

We also did some half-assed curtains with pushrods by quickly chopping pre-made curtains from a big box store to "fit". We'll need to upgrade at some point (soon...), but for now, they work!

We made our first meal on the fourth: peppers roasted in the oven and duck and guinea hen baked in the horno.

We then walked down the street to watch a neighbor's electronically controlled Fourth of July display in his front yard. Awesome!

With the cooktop out of commission, we pulled the gas grill out of storage and bought a cast iron skillet (not sure why we haven't had one of these before...) and roasted up some peppers and onions and eggs for breakfast last Sunday:

And we had our first guests over on Sunday evening, the swell folks from the Green House around the corner. We drank pink wine enjoyed with tomato and fig tortes.

And here's dinner last night. Yep, the kitchen is working great!

We've had a few minor surprises. The ovens were too small for the hole (better than too big...):

Note gaps on sides.

 The cabinet lady made it out with her carpenter to fill the gaps:

Mucho better.

Not sure what happened here, but I have a vague recollection of wanting to leave the cabinets at a standard width to allow more standard width ovens to fit in the future.

The other surprise was that the in-wall plug for the television was dead:

That plug hanging down from the telly shouldn't need to be there...

 We will need to talk to the builder about that.

Whelp, there you have it! Pretty much moved in! We've gotten some requests to keep blogging as we get settled in and decorate and whatnot. Plus, we still have solar and rainwater to install (as well as more of the landscaping). We'll also continue to check out architecture during our travels, another reason to keep posting.

We'll keep posting if you keep reading!