Willowside Project, Day 17

Zero Energy Associates has finished their bid for the HVAC and DHW systems, both of which really should be replaced with direct vented appliances so we can seal up the closet doors and don't have to worry about combustion byproducts in the interior air.  Daniel and I are at John and Jane Doe's today to deliver their audit report and answer all questions.

Once again, they show themselves to be ideal clients.  They ask a lot of informed questions that show they're not only listening, but thinking over what we're talking about and applying it to their vision of what they want.  Since they're so engaged, the talk and report delivery take 2 hours and I stay another 45 minutes after Daniel leaves to talk about lighting options and other livability issues with their home.

Part of the lighting discussion revolves around the recessed ceiling cans in their kitchen which, besides being non ICAT and not giving any general lighting, are far enough away from the upper cabinets that a person working on a counter has their hands in the shadow cast by their head; an all to common occurrence and one that is just plain bad design.  We'll try a new trim ring on one first to see if scattering the light with a fresnel lens creates enough ambient light and then undercabinet lights takes care of the task lighting.

Besides all the talk about HVAC and DHW changes, we talk about the reasons for an all new, balanced, duct system, whether to move their washer/dryer out into the garage (their's always pros and cons), and whether the patio doors in the dining room are worth keeping, adjusting, and replacing the weatherstripping or whether it's better to just replace them.  All goes well and as part of the lighting discussion, I learnt that the lights in their range hood don't work; looks like the switch is broken/worn out, so I take the whole control unit home with me to fix it for them.  Easy for me to do and well worth the effort.