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The truth behind LEED inspections
comments (1) December 12th, 2008 in Blogs
Kevin Ireton, editor-at-large
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My friend Jim Picton recently got the final LEED inspection on the first house he has built under this progressive and, in some quarters, controversial program. Jim’s the guy who got fed up after noticing that a propane truck was making weekly deliveries to his last house, which was a big place for a wealthy family. Clearly excited about the LEED inspection, Jim invited me to come watch.
It was pretty boring. A nice guy named Jay walked around with a clipboard and asked lots of questions. About the only excitement was when he got out a device called a Balometer and measured the volume of airflow from the HRV outlets. As I was watching him, Jay accidentally scuffed the wall with the thing. He apologized to Jim, and I asked if that was worth an extra point. Jay didn’t seem to think I was funny, but then, I’m used to that.
Jim told me later that the inspection lasted most of the day. He and his brother Mark are pretty confident of earning a gold certification and figure they’ve got a shot at platinum. I hung around for only a couple of hours, mostly chatting up Jim’s wife, Paula, who also turned up for the excitement.
Before I left, I went down to see the basement (it’s a builder thing). All the work in the mechanical room was very neat. Jim said that nearly all the subs had gotten into the project and had ratcheted up their games accordingly. But the electrician’s work blew me away. I love it when a person’s pride of workmanship is so obvious. I bet this electrician never cut a ground wire too short.
posted in: Blogs, energy efficiency, green building, hvac
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How to Paint Fiber-Cement Siding
Painter Jim Lacey shares some tips for caulking and painting fiber-cement siding. read more
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About this blog
As the editor of Fine Homebuilding, I spend my weekdays trying to produce a magazine that will satisfy 300,000 of the most demanding builders, both professional and amateur. As the owner of a 200-year old Cape in Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills, I spend weekends working on my house.
Each activity invariably informs, and complicates, the other. In this blog, I’ll offer observations from both worlds -- publishing and building -- with the hope of providing some useful or at least entertaining insights.
Comments (1)
And more about the electricians workmanship.
THANKS!
Posted: 12:19 pm on December 16th
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