... tap tap tap

Other than waking up the neighbors at 7 am with the jackhammers so we could complete the new gas line, yesterday was pretty uneventful.

7am destruction of the street to add the new gas lines - great way to make friends with the neighbors.

Otherwise, the plans are still being fine-tuned ...  We're almost there and ready to submit to the building permits office .... almost.  One of the items which is stalling the process is dealing with the logistics of the heating & cooling systems.  Figuring out how to run the ducts efficiently without having to go with a hideous rooftop system has been quite challenging.  Especially considering that we're somewhat limited by the floor plan and architecture, due to the fact that there are some very low ceilings in the original part of the house. Our engineer/technical guru Fred has been more than patient and putting in quite a few extra hours to sort it all out.

To Swamp Cool ... or not

Over dinner with friends last night the topic of swamp coolers (or evaporative coolers) came up. We are hearing different stories here in Palm Springs regarding whether or not it is an efficient way to save energy... and stay cool in the summer months when temperatures can reach 120 degrees.

One main advantage of a swamp cooler vs. air conditioning that I am drawn towards is the fact that you can leave windows open in the summer. Because you are using less energy and circulating a high rate of moisture, you can create a comfortable balance inside the house without being locked in. OR is that not correct?

Image by Nevit (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

On the down side, one of the issues of adding a swamp cooler to the central air system is the addition of yet another big box somewhere on or around the house.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if we build a well insulated, efficient home with new AC systems, the cost to keep cool should be manageable. The possibility of adding solar panels as source of electricity in the years to come might even play well with only focusing on AC units... is that not also a responsible approach?
We have time before making this decision, but this is a topic that is bound to come back.

Sweat Equity, 1st installment

On Tuesday, I delivered the first installment of sweat equity. Yep, dug a ditch for the relocation of the new gas meter -- we're moving it from the inside of the yard to the front of the house. This also allows us to create an unobstructed courtyard between bedrooms 1& 2.

The Ditch!

We were very lucky to have requested the move from the gas company when we did, as our area is due for pipe upgrades and so the company took care of most of the cost for the move. $656 was our part. Not bad.