We set the under floor plumbing drains, the well water supply lines, and some under floor electrical lines.  In addition, we placed pipes under the floor to remove radon gas from under the floor slab, which will make this home a healthier place to live.  The indoor air quality will be fresher and healthier for the people living here.

We then placed 6" of continuous insulation under the house slab.  This, combined with the insulation on the frost walls, means that there will be very little heat lost through the foundation.

After placing reinforcement for the concrete floors, we placed the radiant tubing which will provide for warm floors underfoot.  Then we poured the concrete floors.

When the foundation was finished, we were ready to start building the home itself on the first of October.  While the outside walls were being built, the inside walls and loft floor progressed as well, so that by the time we were ready to place the roof trusses, we had the loft floor as a platform to work from.  This made for a safer worksite.

We then set the garage roof trusses, sheathed the garage roof, set the trusses on the connector between the house and garage, and then we started the house trusses.  These were much more exacting in their placement because of the round house shape, and for this process we took some time to be sure it was done properly.  The roof sheathing followed, and now the house, connector, and garage were taking shape! 

Soon, we were ready to install the roofing itself.  Installing the roof on this home was a very time intensive process due to the 22 sides and sections of roof on the house alone!  But by mid November we were done with the roofing and we started setting the house doors & windows.  We also troweled a stucco finish onto the insulated concrete forms around the foundation.

December and January were very cold, snowy months!  We had more snow in the first 2 weeks of December than in all of the winter of 2006/2007.  Work proceeded more slowly, but we continued to make slow but steady progress.  Between clearing snow, we did inside work, and we installed the outside wall insulation and the housewrap, then started the trim & siding.  This home uses composite trim, and fibercement siding which is very durable, is not susceptible to rot or insect attack, and holds paint much longer than wood.

Meanwhile, in late January, the Heating, Ventilation, and Air conditioning contractors, as well as the Plumbing, Electrical, in Central vacuum, and Audio/Video/Security contractors started on their work to get the house ready.  The house employs a Geothermal System for heating, cooling, and for hot water needs.  Thus the owners will not have to rely on fossil fuels, (oil or gas), and the accompanying frightening constant price increases to supply these needs.  The system also uses an HRV, or Heat Recovery Ventilator, to constantly supply pre-warmed fresh air to provide a healthful and refreshing air quality in the home.

The owner elected to be their own general contractor, so the HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical rough-ins took much longer than necessary, but by May, the Spray Foam Insulation took place, and the Drywall started at the end of the month.  By the end of June, painting had finished.  Tile work then began, and the wood finishes for the ceiling. 

Here is the HERS Rater's report on the air infiltration for this house:

Very tight!  He said it is the best he's ever seen!