Greetings all. This blog hasn’t been updated in a while, so I will let everyone know what has been happening. Over the last several months team members have been working 9am-11pm daily to get the house finished. The week before last we gave tours of the nearly finished house to a few groups who specifically asked for tours. To everyone else, sorry we weren’t prepared to give public tours before the competition. I guess you are just going to have to come to see the house in Washington D.C. During this past week we began taking the house apart. It really is weird to see this house built and ready to go getting torn down so quickly.
This week gravel was layed on the lot around the house to better support the trucks and machinery that will be used to lift the house. Volunteers from Rolla Technical Institute (RTI) have been in and out all week working on odd projects that needed to be done. Thanks guys! We are currently loading up a trailer with the tools and equipment that we will need when we get out there.
The PV, battery, and inverter system have been taken apart. The PV array has been disassembled and is already packed into the trailer. We are running extension cords and such from the 2005 house to power are tools and lights.
Also this week we found out renting the Penske truck is going to be more difficult or impossible than originally thought. With out going into the details we are trying to work with another company to rent the truck.
I am not privy to all the details of the move, but this is how I understand the logistics. Starting tomorrow, we will start loading the major house components onto trucks and trailers. There will be crane parked North of the 2007 house and will lift the roof sections and pieces above 8 feet off the house. It will then swing around and set them on a trailer just north of the crane. The house is built in two separate modules (that run east west, a major design difference from the 2002 and 2005 UMR houses). One module at a time will be lifted on jacks from the basement. The house will then slide out on rails and be strapped to the crane. The crane will then pick it up and set it on trailer bed.
On the trip to Washington D.C. we are going to have quite the convoy:
1 Pickup and Trailer
1 Van
1 Rental Box Truck (if the lawyers are able to work something out)
2 Semis each with one of the house modules on it
1 Semi with the roof, walls above 8feet and large equipment (aka the Gem)
I am going to try to update this every other day or so. I might get someone to update it with their thoughts. If you have any questions please feel free to post them here or drop and e-mail to sunhome@umr.edu.
The End is Near . . .
Construction Photos
Here are some updated photos of construction on the new 2007 Solar House.
Some hard work is going on.
Frames are up, ready for windows!!!
Windows are installed around the curve. Thank you Quaker Windows!!
Roofing is installed. Thank you Johns Mansville and Blackjack Roofing!!
After hard work from Solar House team members, The curve has taken shape!!
Work Continues
There hasn’t been anything posted here in a while. Here is are a few updates:
-UMR has three weeks left of school. In that time there is much work to be done on the house. Over the summer there will be five team members working full time for the team working on the house.
-The radiant floor system from Watt’s Radiant came in yesterday.
-A local roofing company, BlackJack Roofing, has agreed to assist with putting the roofing up.
-Look forward to more website updates starting next week. http://solarhouse.mst.edu/
-The glass wall from Solar Innovations has been ordered, it should be here soon (woohoo!)
-The windows in the shower will be switchable glass. The glass is normally cloudy, when a switch is flipped, the glass will become transparent.
-Rough-ins of plumbing and electric should start soon
-HAI, the main sponsor of the home automation system will have their equipment ordered soon. http://www.homeauto.com/
-All of our PVC fittings came in this week from PVC Fittings.
Structure Completed on 07 Solar House
Thermocore of Missouri installed the structure of the 2007 Solar House in just 2 days. They started Monday, February 26th with a little trouble from the boom truck. It got stuck in the mud and we were not able to start until about 10:30am. After that, we had trouble getting the SIP panels off the trailer, they are heavy and the boom truck is… well… old. Once we finally got the SIPs off the trailer there was only one more hang up, the boom truck was not tall enough to lift a long stud above the north wal. Tuesday was an even more interesting day… school was cancelled because of a bomb threat, so we had a lot more students able to come out and work on the house. The entire structure was completed around 1pm. That night a few students stayed around till 9pm to wrap the house for a little weather resistance.
This is around 11am, just after we got the boom truck out of the mud.
Here is the boom truck tipping because it can’t lift the SIPs off the trailer.
Here is a large wall being moved into place on the subfloor.
The north and east walls below 8 feet are installed. Notice the sponsors banner on the left. Thanks Sponsors! We can’t do this with out you! By the way… we are still in need of money and product donations. Email sunhome@umr.edu, call 573-341-6794, or send a check made out to UMR with a memo of Solar House and send it to:
112 ERL
1870 Miner Circle
Rolla, MO 65401
Check out all the blue boxes on that wall. Thats for the home automation.
This is the progress of the house after day 1.
This is the last panel!
The structure is done! I really like this design.
Here is a view of the space where the operable glass wall will stand. It will follow the curve of the roof.
2007 Solar House Takes Shape
The walls and roof of the 2007 Solar House will be installed Monday, February 26th and Tuesday, February 27th. Thermocore of Missouri will be at the Solar Village raising the roof. Come on by and see the third installment in the UMR Solar Village. The following pictures are from the 2005 installment.
Ameren supports UMR Solar House renewable energy
Ameren supports the renewable energy technology of the 2007 UMR Solar House by donating $22,600 for the solar panels and inverter system. This will allow us to collect the sunlight and change it to usable energy to run our entire house! Thanks Ameren for your support!
Construction begins on the 2007 UMR Solar House!
Last weekend a group of awesome UMR Solar House Team members began construction on the 2007 UMR Solar House. Even though it was cold and snow was threatening, they were working hard. Check out the pictures below. (click on them to enlarge)
This is the foundation with 2 feet of water and ice. Josh worked for hours breaking up the 3 inch thick ice.
This is the 42 foot long base structure for the entire house. Thanks to Boise Cascade for donating a major chunck of the subfloor! Notice the 2002 and 2005 previous competition houses in the background. This will be the third solar powered in the UMR SOLAR VILLAGE!
Look at those hard workers!
What a beautiful frame! 30 minutes later it’s snowing.
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