Insulation

Insulation materials Wikipedia with R-Values

soundproofing.org

• Wall structure diagram

Celotex Sound Board

Spray Foam Insulation Products:

• Icynene
• Home Foam
(Unavailable in CA)

 

Pool Filtration Systems

PurClor

Swimming Pool heating

Pool Tents

ThermaPool insulation panels

Heat Pump article advocating piston over screw type compression

My pool is too cold to be used most of the year, and it is too expensive to heat it using the gas heater is already has. I decided to go with solar heating panels. It is clear that evacuated panels are a lot more efficient than traditional flat panels, and since I have very little roof space to dedicate to them, I will have to go with the (much) more expensive evacuated panels.

My pool is approximately 40'x15.5'x5' = 3100 cubic feet = 23,000 gallons
I can extend the roof of the shed, which currently is 12' wide x 8' long to be about 14' wide x 14' long.
It appears that the rule of thumb is that one needs 1/2 area of the pool in flat panels or 1/4 of the area of the pool in evacuated panels to heat it adequately. If I extend the roof, I will have more than 150 sq. ft., which is 1/4 of the area of my pool, which should be OK. Later, if needed, I can add more panels on the adjacent roof, or even on the ground.

SunMaxx Evacuated Panels
Wikipedia Article on Solar Hot Water
Powermat -- they sell control units, have great diagrams, and lots of info. Alas, only flat panels.
American Solar Works evacuated panels
Heliodyne -- they seem to have flat panels only, but high end ones, it seems

Library book-shelves creation

Original owner of the house built a bar in a square space 79"wx79"dx96"h. Since we don't plan on having any alcoholic orgies, we decided to use the space more effectively for a library. (No, we don't plan any literary orgies either, sorry). Our original choice was for light colored shelves, since the library is in a window-less and originally dark and not too well lit space. Our first shot was Ikea's Billy system. We decided to pass on it, though, since it is made of MDF which, purpotedly, outgasses formaldahide. Also, it looks pretty cheap. Also, we looked at the shelving systems from Scandinavian Designs, but it is also made of MDF, and was of a totally wrong size for our dimensions.

Subsequently, the walls and ceiling in the library were painted white, and 6 recessed lights were installed in the ceiling, providing ample lighting for the space and allowing the use of darker wood. One of the first candidates, and the top one currently, is Lincoln collection from Costco.

Furniture and Art Stores and Manufacturers

Bellacore : One of the largest and (almost) cheapest lighting collections. We bought our "Elf" chandeliers here.
Costco : Carries a pretty interesting furniture collection, contradicting their low-end connotation.
The Guild : A collection of furniture, lamps, and art by individual artists with high prices but very original.
Home Decorators : A large collection of inexpensive decorative items. We bought the sink cabinet s with glass bowls and faucets here, which arrived seriously damaged, and one of the faucets was bad too.
Sillux : An Italian manufacturer of very artful, original, and expensive lighting. "Flag" light is from their 2nd or 3rd from the top classical collection.

Fence

Large collection of fence-related articles, including the ones below

Vinyl Fencing Overview, including mono-extrusion vs. co-extrusion discussion

1. Go with co-extrusion, as it is likely to mean a larger more serious company

Chain-link fence tutorial

1. Pick one between 11-1/2 and 9 gauge
2. Fabric must meet ASTM specifications
3. Zink coated is good, aluminum is stronger but damaged areas rust
4. combination coatings are probably best, including zinc-aluminum, or zink with vinyl on top
5. framework should have minimum yield strength of 45,000 pounds per square inch

Manifesto

The purpose of this blog is to document the knowledge I gather
in the process of remodeling of my new house.