LEED Registration/ Massive Yard Work/ Removing the Temp Divider

I have contracted the LEED certifier, Jason Lafleur of Alliance Consulting. Jason has been a great contact and will be a super resource during construction. Now that the water seepage issues appears to be in better control, it time to get back to construction.

Mike has met with a solar panel installer and visited a Woodstock firm that sells and installs wind turbines. He was surprised to hear that wind speeds in Woodstock are at 12 mph and that many turbines are designed to work at 27 mph. He also learned that as mph increases, output increase substantially. The speed to output is not a linear relationship (hence a wind turbine in Woodstock is not going to be very efficient option). Also, the big the propeller the less wind you need (but also cost much more). Solar is also going to be a challenge due to the tall oaks on the site and less it is implemented on the far NW corner of the site.

Getting control of the grass and weeds on 5 acres is a project in itself. The dry weather brought early dandelions by the thousands. Mike chose to weed and feed the front lawn and on spray apply weed control in the back, since there is an abundance of moisture (due to high water table) grass gets constant moisture. Also the pallet fertilizer could get into the site storm run-off. Safe guarding the storm run-off is a high priority on this site on the Northeast. Our goal is to get the ground rehabilitated while we are finishing out the house,so the site is in great shape by the time we move-in. Our goal to move-in is end of July, but not etched in stone.

Next item is to raise the header between the house and great room. Cherie and I took down the divider wall between the two spaces to get a better feel for the overall space (see photo).