New Adventures of Us

Solar Energy and Oncor

2019-12-27T21:17:00.000-06:00

Okay, groovy people-
We got an email from Oncor on December 17 saying that we've been "moved to Project Submitted status." Unlike what we were initially told, the email says that the process may take up to 30 days to complete... not 2 weeks. Strike one. Hopefully the letter was erring on the side of caution and the 2 weeks will be closer to correct. We'll see. (Along with this, the email went straight to SPAM and was not listed as being from Oncor so I didn't see it for a week. Guess I'll have to scrutinize things more carefully.)

What that means is that we've got our system installed but can't switch it on. Not happy about this. We'll survive, but not a fan of inaccurate information from companies.

Also I have yet to hear from the company about scheduling the work on the "blackout circuits". In their defense, it has been Christmas holidays, so I guess I can cut them a little slack, but we ARE rolling into blackout season shortly. A well...again...we'll see.

Interview with the Solar Panel Installer

2019-12-17T23:23:00.001-06:00

Installation of the panels and electronics

2019-12-17T12:01:00.001-06:00

So, we've got a crew of four installing the hardware for the solar system...brackets, racks, panels, inverter, and the connections. They feel they'll get done today. At first they were a little nervous about the three story building, then they realized that the roof is only slightly pitched (15 deg) and consequently easy to work on.

brackets and racks for panels

So we're rocking! As I wrote this, I got an email from the the company, O3 Home Solar, that we are ready to start the next step, connecting the system to the grid and dealing with the power company. Moving along indeed.

UPDATE: Tim and I discovered an issue. We did not get the system that allows us to draw power during a blackout. He was right that our contract didn't call for it. So I called the office and spoke to Ronnie. Between the two of them we figured out a solution and settled it very quickly and professionally. It takes another service call, but we got it handled. Yay.

[any further updates will be new posts]

Here Comes the Sun (doo bee doo bee)

2019-12-12T16:43:00.000-06:00

Subtitled: Going Solar

Coming this Tuesday, December 17, 2019, we will have solar panels installed on our roof. We are staying on grid for now and doing the buy-back option. Reliant/Oncor have a good buy-back program...we've been told. We'll see how everything works. Let's face it, it's not what we're used to and will take some adjustment. We know some folks in town who have them from another company, but they've promised to help us with the rough bits we'll come to.

I'm going to post pictures, videos, Facebook streaming videos, and narratives as we get them in and as we adjust to the panels. Some things should stay exactly the same on our part. Some things will change. They're not a miracle, just another energy source.

For those of you who don't know, we intended to use solar from the beginning. We're 90% + electrical for that reason. In the future, as storage systems improve in quality and price we'll think about adding that to our system, but for now it's just a no go. Anyway, I'll keep you posted. Not every day, of course, but more frequently than usual at first. After a while it will only be when there is an issue or a victory.

Thanks for reading. I'll definitely have stuff on Tuesday.

Un año de progreso

2017-09-29T13:06:00.002-05:00

A lot has happened in a year.

Since that last post we have been busy little worker ants. We hosted Christmas for my extended family. (lots of fun) We moved into the upstairs. Had AC/Heat installed building-wide. Kathy is teaching yoga 4 times a week- 3 times at the Manor and once at Anytime Fitness. I've started teaching acting classes twice a month (now on hiatus). Kathy is painting again!! Woohoo!

I've also started to build a handicap accessible restroom on the main floor. I keep running into roadblocks that slow down the progress, but I WILL PREVAIL. We are hosting Christmas again this year and I want to have things in better shape than last year. I've been focusing on the downstairs a lot more than the upstairs so upstairs is little changed...at least visibly.

There's been a lot more, but that's all for the blog. Hopefully it'll be less than a year before the next post. :)

Up and Running with Scissors

2016-09-17T01:07:00.000-05:00

As usual there is a long delay between posts. Well, one gets busy. Since our last eventful entry, much has occurred. Living Arts Yoga (Kathy) is now teaching yoga in the Manor's main hall! Woohoo! This gives Kathy more space to spread out and more opportunities for classes. Results so far are mixed insomuch as her attendance has not increased much, but I'm sure that will come as we get the word out. She can be read at here and on Facebook here. We also have a sign out front for Living Arts Yoga.

We have A/C in both upstairs and street level (Main Hall) which helps tremendously when she has classes or when we get a rental. We had the one "friend rental" for the ladies group, and we have a wedding reception coming up in October. Hoping to get the improvements done well before that time comes. Even so, things are pretty good for groups to meet in the great hall.

Upstairs is coming along much more slowly, but we need to get moved in there. We're not ready. Much still to do upstairs. I think I need to call a moratorium on rentals after October until we get moved in. Need to focus my energy there. It's hard though as money has pretty much run out for now. So I can do things that require labor or materials that I already have. Big purchases are not happening for a while. Next week I will detail more of the improvements we have made and add pictures, after we get the new internet up and running. [That's why no pictures today]

Bye for now.

House Away from Hot House

2016-07-07T11:39:00.002-05:00

As stated, the A/C in or residence on Brazos St went blooey-- I think that's the technical term, yeah-- so it was getting pretty hot in the old homestead. First it was a minor problem, but it was just the precursor to a total collapse of the system. We don't understand...it was only 24 years old...what's the deal?

Anyway, while we're getting money together and an appointment with super busy A/C guys, we decide to camp out in the Manor. We put up an air mattress, brought clothes and toiletries, and temporary kitchen stuff. Kathy had her new tub. Ooooh! Aaaaahhhh! and I had my new shower. Yay. The a/c there worked fine. Things were okay. We were there for 5 days. I liked it.

The new system on Brazos is smaller, more efficient, and more effective than its predecessor. Good job.

I'm going to use some of the parts from the old unit to make an attic vent for the Manor. All will be well.

In My Defence...

2016-07-07T11:39:00.001-05:00

[Yeah, I know, "defense". Bad puns are my life.]

So the fence got done with the exception of the gate opener which I am leaving for the future when time is less hectic. We, Kathy and I, have painted floor of the Main Hall- two coats, thank you very much. It was actually a real ordeal just getting the paint. Who knew floor paint was so hard to get?!

We've started (finally) painting the kitchen cabinets (another paint based ordeal) When that's done I'll sand the floors and we may move on in and do the rest at our "leisure", as if either of us have any of that.

The flood set us back on time and money. Then the HVAC system at our current home died a horrible yet painless death. $$$$$ {see next post for more on that} Kathy's car had to have an engine transplant; it's engine froze up...on the highway...in the middle of nowhere...on the way to Dallas. The GEM (electric car) was in the shop in Tyler. The Prius in the shop in Dallas. Charley's Scion in the shop in Denton. Three vehicles- three counties- $$$$$$$ But I digress. The estimate from the contractor to fix the basement was $60k if they do it all. Nearly $15k just for materials. *heavy sigh*

Did I mention I'm a retired teacher? in a small town? in Texas?

We have just enough liquidity to install the HVAC in the Hall. I'll do the prep work myself and save a few bucks. By the end of next week, we'll be cool with that. I'm also installing a shower in the restroom. Yoga classes can then begin. We have a rental in two weeks. +$ Hectic time.

Drive Gate Picture

2016-05-23T22:52:00.002-05:00

Just a quick posting of a couple of pictures of the drive through gate and the wall repointing in progress.

Brute Force and Ignorance Ironwerks (Ogre Myers)

Finshed, hung gate

Vernon and Kathy repointing (after some instruction)

Water water every-stinkin-where...!

2016-05-23T21:42:00.003-05:00

Floods suck!
On the night of April 29-30, 2016, we experienced a flood. 7 1/2 inches of rain in less than an hour overwhelmed all drainage strategies and the water rose. I saw cars floating around like ducks on a pond. The water ended up about 4 feet deep in the basement. It was devastating, but not so devastating as the loss of life across town. A grandmother and her four grandchildren were drowned in her home, and another man was drowned trying to save someone else. For us, it was just stuff.
I was so tired already and was up most of the night with the flood. Still dealing with the damage and other effects. My security cameras didn't stop recording until the water reached the mid level plugs so we got video of the water coming in. Downloaded the video, edited by speeding up the frame-rate, and posted it to YouTube as "Nickel Flood Video". Below is the link.

https://youtu.be/DNa9RMGYTgU

We lost tools, materials, and a big tree. There was lots of damage including some pretty tough structural stuff. Then the community came together. A couple of hundred people showed up to Old Town and in Westwood to help with clean-up. Without help, none of us would be dug out even yet.
We'll be a while getting back to where we were, and longer than expected to get moved in. We'll be fine.

Flooded basement

Vehicles stacked up by the water

Community comes together

Better late than never...I guess

2016-05-23T21:11:00.001-05:00

yes...yes...I know- It's been 10 months since I posted anything here. Mea culpa. Been a little ~~busy~~ lazy about writing. That said, I have not been lazy about the work.

Updates:

I retired from teaching over New Year's Day, so now I can devote more time to the work.
We have also now hosted 3 weddings at the Manor (and I presided over a 4th offsite).
HVAC is installed upstairs with a "zoned unit" so that individual areas can be controlled separately.
The kitchen cabinets are built and installed; they just need sanding and painting. The appliances are there, just not installed yet.
The Guest Bath/ Kathy's bath is done. (see pics below)
The shower in the Master Bath is built, although the rest of the bathroom is not.
I have cut a roof access point in the upstairs hall with a cupola on the roof to cool the attic.
For now, a large window unit is cooling the Main Hall pretty well.
The Main Hall is also scraped and painted and has turned out nicely.
We found that the old baptistry was still there, lined with copper sheets. Removed the copper for sale and readied the area for other things.
I'm going to start my Accessible Restroom in June. I'll also be adding a shower to the existing restroom. Things are looking up.
The drive gate is hung in the back ready for the opener next week. The rest of that fence area will be done then, too.
I have built the basic retaining wall for leveling the garden area, with the facade to come later.
Brick mortar has been repointed on the lower north wall helping to seal off the basement from seepage.

However...
A couple of week ago, we had a huge flood. The whole of Old Town was flooded, and we got about 4 1/2 feet of water in the basement and back yard. Cars floating by, etc. Everything had to come out of the basement. Much was ruined. Much more was damaged but reclaimable. There was some structural damage that will set us back quite a bit of time and $$$$, but that's life. (No flood insurance.)
We'll just keep on keeping on. I will attach some pics below to illustrate our progress and maybe have to spill some over to another post.

Main Hall

Guest bath

Master shower (the window is reflection)

retaining wall part 1

Progress isn't over-rated

2015-07-30T22:41:00.002-05:00

Okay...since last I posted much has been accomplished.

Posts for the gate have been set.

A wedding has been hosted in the back patio area.

An A/C window unit has been wired and installed.

The enclosure for the living quarters access stairs has been framed, sheet-rocked, and a door hung.

The basement wall on the corner has been repointed and sealed. (Thanks Brandon and Malick)

And an access panel was cut in the upstairs ceiling and a cupola built to cover the roof access hatch.

Lots has been done. Summer is a time when I can really get things done if i stay on task... and I have.

That's plumb purdy!

2015-02-09T11:56:00.002-06:00

Rough plumbing is done! Huzzah! Thanks Greg Ellis of Ellisco Contracting. Tub is "dropped in" its place, lavatory is nearby, and there is pex running everywhere. I'll finish framing in the master bath shower and hardi-backer the walls therein. Then I'll put a lid on the guest bath enclosure and hardibacker the bottom part of the wall. The top part of the walls with be the green, mold resistant wallboard. It will be painted later.

Pouring the concrete for the mailbox has been delayed and delayed...by weather, time, and physical condition of this writer. Hopefully this week. The forms are up (as they have been for nearly two weeks.) We'll get there.

As this week goes on, I have to plan again the wiring pattern. Things change.

I'll get by with a little help from my friends...

2015-01-20T14:16:00.003-06:00

January 2015
Things are moving in the right direction. My friend, Greg Ellis has been "helping" with the plumbing. I write helping with, and mean doing. We had made a boo-boo earlier when placing a toilet drain...too close to the side wall. While working to correct this, he offered to finish the rough-in plumbing. What a mensch!

I've decided that instead of finishing the corner of the front fence as planned, I'm going to build a brick pillar for the mailbox instead. I've readied the forms for the concrete pad, but ran out of daylight before I could do the pour. I'll try to get it before the rain on Thursday.

I've agreed with the owners of the property behind to split the cost of the fence between us. I'll buy the materials later and submit a bill. We'll work on it together. I've got to get the fences done. I've had too many things stolen from the yard to leave it open any longer. It was bad enough before, but no that they have taken the chain-link fence between us down, even more people pass straight through. That's going to stop.

I've found a floor guy who will do the floors at a reasonable price. I need to do that before putting in the cabinets. Need to start the electrical soon (it keeps getting put off for other things). I also need to get the plumber to run the gas lines. They are needed for the fireplaces (downstairs and upstairs), the hot water heater, and both HVAC systems.

At an auction a week ago, I bought an English pub sign. The Brookes Arms closed and was being demolished. The sign made it to Palestine. We'll put Nickel Manor on it with possibly our coat of arms or some other graphic. It should look great out front.

Lots to do, little money to do it with, and not a lotta time to spread around. Ah well, the life of a landowner.

Just Scraping By

2014-11-30T23:24:00.000-06:00

I may not have posted much here lately, but I have not been idle. No no, not in the least. I cleaned and cleaned out the main floor and held a Hallowe'en party at the Manor on, of all nights, Hallowe'en. We had food. We had fun. We had guests galore. One picture included here.

Us in period-appropriate costume

Since then I have been scraping paint off of the 12 foot ceiling in said main hall. It's been a tough job. At times I have hired a couple of guys to work on it, but I always end up having to go back and redo their work, so I'm doing it myself.

I've also cleaned and organized the basement and nearly finished the required framing upstairs. To top it all off we had a few close friends over Thanksgiving evening for "leftovers around the fire". No pictures were taken as we were just relaxing and didn't care to. Will keep anybody who cares posted. Later.

I was Framed!

2014-10-16T00:41:00.000-05:00

Not a long post tonight. Having trouble sleeping, but just as I began typing, I started getting drowsy.

Life has been a speed bump in the road to complete the Nickel Manor. Health, work, family, financial reality all have had their feet on the brakes. But we're moving again.

The now hoisted and nailed bathroom wall.

I have finished framing in the kitchen, and I have nearly finished the the two upstairs bathrooms' framing. I am to have some help on the plumbing (which I never finished), and then I shall tackle the wiring. Sometime before the end of time (or December 31) I will hopefully get moving on the kitchen cabinets with Mike R's help. There will be an ending, Bonarotti! (movie quote, so sue me)

Getting the lead out.

2014-03-19T09:28:00.000-05:00

Okay, so the title of this one is a little tricky. Think lead, pronounced /led/, the metal. Then go to its Latin name plumbum from which we get the elemental symbol Pb for it. Finally morph that into the modern word for the pipes that carry water and waste around our homes and you have it: Plumbing!

So I've been working on the plumbing of the Manor, trying to get it roughly to where it needs to be before finishing. As I got to the point of putting in the drainpipe for upstairs, I found something surprising and problematic. In the space between ceiling and floor, running next to the joists, I found the original ceramic drainpipe still in place. This is, however, when we bought the place, that was not being used as an upstairs drain. It was sealed off and "alternative plumbing solutions" were employed. (For that read rubber hoses run behind the walls.) The problem this creates is that I must now remove this ceramic pipe to make room for the new drains. That means cutting away a large section of the ceiling to get to it. My back can't handle that these days. And that means I have to hire someone, which in turn means less moolah for other things.

Bummer!

On the good side, Kathy and I got the big pile of rubble cleaned up and hauled off. It was all the broken brick pieces, concrete shards, chunks of plaster, and just plain rocks that had been piled up in the back yard of the Manor for nearly a year. Of course it kept growing during that year. The area looks sooo much better. Step by step-- inch by inch-- task by task--- we approach our goal.

Baby it's cold out there.

2014-02-06T11:50:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I've been pretty lax about working down at the Manor for a bit. It gets really cold in there! Freezy fingers get smashed and slashed and gashed pretty easily. Boy's gotta be careful.

Once I got my propane heater back from the "Grinch's Lair" (Jeremy Janz, Sonia Martinez, and Ian Warmke), I am able to work pretty well. I've done some down there, but it's hard to find the time. So much to do- so little time. There are three upstairs windows I need to rebuild, one ground level window to finish rebuilding, and most of the basement windows to redo. After that, rehang the garage/basement "barn door" and work on sealing it. Those are the next things on the agenda.

After that, plumbing to the upstairs. It shouldn't be too hard to rough it in since we will have a "wet wall". (Am I over-using quotation marks today?) I want to get this done before spring break in March. I am NOT on track for a July move-in so I must get myself in gear.

...in sickness, and in health...

2014-01-15T09:12:00.001-06:00

You must have noticed- no blog entries here for a while. That's because I was sick for nearly a month. It was one thing leading to the next. As a result, I have done almost nothing on the building. It's a pain, believe me. Better things coming. Be sure of that.

It's Just a Frame of Mind

2013-12-01T22:04:00.000-06:00

This has been a busy busy week. Along with all the other things listed earlier, I have framed in the walls around the cellar stair opening and reinforced the basement doors for security. It is now several times stronger (burglars will not be able to just kick through it like before). I have also rebuilt the window and frame in the bell-tower. I've got it boarded up right now, but I'll get glass in it soon. I have also been continuing to clean and re-organize the place. Progress is being made. Now back to school for a while.

Entropy Schmentropy

2013-11-26T23:46:00.001-06:00

I have made great strides this week. Some of those strides have been backwards and sideways, but still...great strides. I have done a lot of cleaning and organizing. Much needed, I must say. Among the many things I have tackled is the glass (or lack of) in the windows. Many windows have glass that is broken or cracked. While working to prep one of them, I took off the thin plywood that covered the hole where the glass should be. When I did, the whole window fell to pieces. Even the base plate under the window was rotted. I now have to rebuild this window. I suspect that there are others in a similar condition (two of which I already know). This will slow down the overall process of sealing the building against the cold wind. Damn.

Speaking of cold, I am doing something I shouldn't. I bought a kerosene heater... the "jet" type. Makes a lot of noise, but puts out a lot of heat. Thing is, it's supposed to only be used in "a well ventilated place" like outside. I'm using it in the great hall. Have to remember to ventilate now an again. But boy does it keep the work space warm and dry.

I did finish hanging the door I wrote of, and put in the mortised door latch and lock. Looks good. Tomorrow I must finish re-building the windows and try to cut the glass to re-glaze them, otherwise I'll have to hire the work done. I can't afford that. More pictures coming tomorrow.

Major Progress...Sergeant Success

2013-11-17T22:34:00.001-06:00

Okay...since last we met...
We got the meter moved over and the "pigtail" drop from the power pole connected. Woohoo! Shortly after that, Jim V and I got the power connected over from the new breaker box to the old so that we still had power to work with. Of course we didn't just patch it over; we made important improvements to the system to make it safer as well. Oldest fuse box-- gone. Old meters--history. Questionable connections-- reconnected. I also started pre-wiring the basement.

This weekend, I have been busting my tail to get other things done. Finished decking the floor in the "new" bathroom. Put electricity into it, too. Hung a solid door that needed lots of work. Got a lot of cleaning done, and made a lot of progress on straightening up the main floor. I'm trying to get it ready for Kathy to teach yoga there soon. Kathy got into the act as well. She took the shop-vac upstairs and started getting that in shape, too.

Everything is moving forward. One weird and troubling thing... the walls were sweating so bad there were puddles on the floor. This humidity coupled with the thermal mass of the thick brick walls makes for a lot of condensation. Going to have to deal with that, too.

Next week, Thanksgiving week, will be a holiday for me all week. Going to bust a gut to get lots done, while learning my lines for "Nevermore" (see http://notonys.blogspot.com). Going to be a busy life for a while.

It just floored me!

2013-11-03T21:44:00.000-06:00

Today I finally made some real headway on the floor of what will become the handicapped accessible restroom. I was having trouble largely due to the fact that, as with much of this building, nothing is regularly spaced. The slots for the floor joists vary as much as 4 inches from one to the other. Even their lengths vary as much as 2 inches. But, regardless, I have one-third of the decking down now. When the decking is done, I'll lay the hardi-backer down, then the flooring.

On an even more positive note, the inspector passed the new breaker box and meter assembly. By the end of business Wednesday we should have the meter moved from the old, rather dangerous box, to the new, and a new power drop from the pole connected. Then the wiring can start. We will start with the upstairs- the living quarters. Once that is done, we'll do the main floor. Of course is has to be commercial code, whereas the upstairs is residential code. Once all that is done, the basement will get the electrical make-over (also commercial code since it is connected to the floor above).

One sad thing to report: Some #@%&$# bag shot our male hawk. We have, sorry, had a pair hunting the area of the creek that runs along the property. I found the male in the yard Saturday... dead with a gunshot to the body. There can be no reason and no excuse. And since red tailed hawks mate for life, the female is now a widow. No more baby hawks. I'll call the game warden Monday.

A friend in deed...

2013-10-08T15:58:00.000-05:00

Yes, the space was intentional. My best friend (other than my wife) is Jim Vincill. Among his many talents is that of an electrician. He called to tell me he wanted to get started working on the rewiring process in the Nickel Manor. He found an electrician who was willing to pull the permit and safety check our work (for a reasonable fee, or course). When the wiring gets really rolling, everything else gets in gear as well. Thanks, man!

Nottathingtosay

2013-09-25T15:14:00.001-05:00

I know it's weird, but I really don't have anything to report. I have done nearly nothing since the break-in. Gotta get back on that horse. Yee-haw!