T h e M a r t i n R e s i d e n c e
C o n s t r u c t i o n D i a r y
Habitat for Humanity disassembles the house for recycling.
Forming the concrete wall
Insulation is sandwiched inside the wall.
Pouring the concrete
Radiant tubing before the slab is poured
SIPs panels are lifted into place.
The diagonal drilling of the geothermal tubing
The underground manifolds for the geothermal tubing
The film crew arrives.
Local builder Tom Brown of the Splinter Group talks with host Steve Thomas.
SIPs roof placement
The lift is useful for getting the cameramen into place as well.
Installation of the solar hot water panels
Steve Thomas lends a hand.
The Galvalume, standing seam, snap-lock roofing reflects heat and is excellent for rain catchment.
The rain harvesting system: The pieces to the left are assembled into boxes resembling milk crates and placed underground in the bottom of swales, where they collect surface runoff that will dissipate into the ground over time. The two halves of the rain cistern await assemblage beyond .
TV Host Steve Thomas talks with Shawn Hatley of Braewater, the company who manufactured and installed the rain collection system.
The rain cistern is lowered into the ground.
The size of the hole needed is significant for a 1000 gallon cistern like this one.
The surface drain that carries water to the cistern is located where the future rain chain will be. It will later be hidden by a bed of stones.