Off the bat I’ll admit that this photo is from last Saturday, but I just had to show it off. Much of the grunt-work in the past few weeks has been framing these deck panels and attaching their adjustable legs. For now, the panels are being covered in scraps of plywood, but as construction rolls along, their will be covered in more-attractive decking. Here you can see Naoki and Jesse carrying a new panel to Aron and Becca, who will attach it to the the existing deck.

On the left of the photo you can see a spread of tools laid out on the deck. This deck panel leads to the mechanical closet, where a fresh team of plumber’s apprentices worked on connecting the solar hot water piping to the pump station. This pump will bring heated water the Apricus collectors on the roof and send it to an 80 gallon storage tank in the mechanical closet. Also, rough-in plumbing work in the wet core is now complete, and we only have the plumbing of the exterior hose bibs left to go!

See photos that were actually taken this week on our Picasa site:

2/14/2009 Solar Plumbing, Deck Panels

In this photo, Ivan, an apprentice with the HAPJAC program, solders a piece of the pipe for the solar hot water system while Ken Kirby, a HAPJAC instructor, watches. The solar hot water collectors can produce temperatures as high as 400˚F, so all pipes must be wrapped in protective insulation and expertly soldered.

Today, the plumber’s apprentices nearly finished the plumbing rough-in in the wet core, and finished the piping for the solar hot water collectors. As soon as the rest of the solar hot water components arrive, we can begin to tie the whole system together!

Take a look at the rest of the day’s photos, including Ivan soldering pipe fourteen feet off the ground!

2/7/2009 Plumbing and Electrical Rough-In

Now here’s a manly crew if you ever saw one! These apprentices and instructors from the Houston Joint Apprentice Training Committee (HJATC), managed by IBEW and NECA, worked all Saturday to begin electrical rough-in on the ZE-Row. After initial confusion (our students have never made wiring diagrams before!), the crew was off to pull wire and install receptacle boxes. They had an amazing tool –a foot-long drill on the end of a three-foot pole– that they used to drill through any stud in their path. At the end of the day, coils of white Romex cable were hanging everywhere in the house, and we could see where switch would eventually go. Coming soon: no need for extension cords snaking everywhere!

Take a look at all the progress on the electrical systems on our Picasa site!

2/7/2009 Plumbing and Electrical Rough-In

Today apprentices from HAPJAC (Plumber’s Union) and HJATC (Houston Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers+NECA) were out on site. Combined, there were nearly twenty apprentices and instructors in addition to student workers. Things got a bit crowded at times, but we sure made a lot of progress!

Check out all of the images from the day in our Picasa album!

2/7/2009 Plumbing and Electrical Rough-In

Today Melanie Loop from Cinco Solar drove down from San Antonio and delivered the last few components of the of the solar hot water system. As soon as the hot water storage tank arrives we’ll be ready to connect the whole system together. Below, Erin Morrison and Professor Brent Houchens, our engineering faculty sponsor, assemble the frame and header for the Apricus evacuated tube collector.

A team also finished lining the inside of the mechanical closet with plywood in preparation for electrical work on Saturday. With a sturdy surface, we can begin to mount components on the walls as they arrive, but unfortunately we can no longer walk through the walls of the mech closet as a shortcut to get to the rest of the house!

See more images from the day on Picasa:

2/3/2009 Solar Hot Water and Mechanical Closet

Today a great crew of apprentices and instructors from the Plumbers Union Local 68 Houston Joint Apprenticeship Committee (HAPJAC) came on site to volunteer their services. Even though our drawings weren’t always up-to-date and the wet core presented plenty of restrictions, they put together an excellent drain system that allows us to separate grey water from black water. I’m very glad that the entire plumbing crew was so knowledgeable and handy!

Hollis Fitch of Cinco Solar visited the site today and delivered several on the components of our Apricus solar hot water system. The array of thirty evacuated tubes will produce as much hot water as we could ever need in the ZE-Row!

Check out the plumbing crew!

Browse all the images from todays workday on Picasa:

1/31/2009 Plumbers Apprentices

The Wet Core of the ZE-Row needed a few additions to it’s framing to make sure it is ready for the the apprentice electricians and plumbers to do their work. Here, Becca Sagastegui, left, and Erin Morrison, right, show off the prowess with a pneumatic nailer.

More excitement can be found on our Picasa site:

1/24/2009 Decks, Foundations, and Feet

The six foundation feet that will support the ZE-Row have been placed under the house, but are not currently supporting it. The foundation consists of a fabricated steel ‘foot’ with a threaded rod extending up into the steel chassis of the house. A bolt on the steel rod will allow us to lift the house off of it’s cinderblock cribbing. To make the foundation more secure, three turnbuckles (you can see two in this photo) hold the foundation foot in place. As soon as more turnbuckles arrive, the ZE-Row will be ready to stand on it’s own (six) feet!

See more fabulous developments at our Picasa site:

1/24/2009 Decks, Foundations, and Feet

Here’s a first peek at the ZE-Row’s deck. The deck is made up of 4′x8′ units that are easily connected together or detached for transportations. The decks are supported by adjustable scaffold feet that allow the deck to sit level on any sort of terrain. Eventually, the deck will be covered with beautiful deck material (to be determined), but for now they will be covered with plywood that will be able to stand up to the abuse of our workers’ boots.

See the first deck construction (back to the drawing board!) on Picasa:

1/17/2009 Part 2

Wouldn’t you hate having to climb in and out of an elevated house without the help of stairs? How about having to do that dozens of times a day? These guys certainly don’t, and that’s why they’re so happy to be framing the deck panels that will allow easier access to the ZE-Row. There have been reports of workers ripping jeans as they climb into the elevated house, so the new deck and stairs will be welcome by all.

Check out Part 1 of the day’s photos:

1/17/2009 Part 1