Alviston Blog

We’ve been working on a big remodel in Kula, Maui for the past year. The three acre property has a 3,500 square foot main house and a separate building that houses a four car garage, gallery, and a studio apartment.  When I was there the first time in January, I noticed a lot of building materials still there from when the house was built in 1991.  I started to get the feeling.

I’d felt it many times before: it was the anxiety of the unused wood. Lumber that had many years earlier been brought from far away forests with the promise of becoming something wonderful: a house on the side of Haleakala with an incredible view of the island and the amazing Hawaiian sunsets.

While most of the wood purchased for the job was used, a great stash of lumber had remained untouched, lonely and unfulfilled for over twenty years. As is common, the builder had obtained extra lumber, (always better to have extra than not enough) and some of it was big:  4 X 8s, 4 X 10s and even some 6 X 12s. Plus a ton of 2Xs.  This wood had some time ago resigned itself to an existence of dimness and the muffled sounds of humans from upstairs;  so close to the dream but never quite able to see it.  Still, after all this time, the wood looked on the bright side. The lumber had been stored in a dry place under the house. Which meant, although dusty and occasionally visited by mice, it was perfectly fine. Its destiny might one day still be fulfilled.

I think it was Michelangelo who thought, that when he sculpted he wasn’t creating a statue as much as releasing it from the marble.  That’s the sense I had of all the unused lumber laying under the house.  It was meant for something much more.

Contractors sometimes call this “repurposing.”  To me, it’s more like helping the wood to find the true expression of its soul.  We got to work.

Using some of the old beams, we built the structure of a new deck in front of the house.  Inside, we used the 2 X 4s to frame the walls of a new bedroom.  But there was still more.  So once the deck was done, we built two massive benches out of the 6 X 12s and placed them at the ends of the deck. Next, we built a set of hand rails out of the 4 X 8s.  It took some time to do the work on the big pieces of lumber, cutting and shaping them to match the contours of the house.

It took a while, but once the benches were done they seemed to fit right in, like they had been there all along.

–Mark Alvis

“When one tugs on a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” –John Muir

We held “An Evening of Natural Energy” last week at the Riding Ranch in Sanger. The food was great and the music was even greater. Virginia ended up doing tours because Bob was still working on his presentation. It was great to see her leading around groups of 30 and 40 people, eager to learn more about native plants and LED lighting.

The concept of the event was to entice people to come together to have some fun with “green.” The Ridings have spent the past several years turning their home into a showcase of cost effective, energy efficiency.

At the beginning of the year, we did a major remodel of the kitchen and dining room, plus we turned the third bay of their garage into a “meeting hall” complete with LED and skylighting, and of course, evaporative cooling. The kitchen received new, locally sourced granite counters, new high efficiency bay windows, high efficiency appliances, and LEDs who’s wattage totals less than one of the lights we replaced.

Bob gave a talk about how they did it and about how our history effects who we are.

And then Lance Canales and the Flood took to the Solar Powered Mobile Party Stage.  They were simply fabulous.  If you’ve never heard Lance and the band, go find out where they are playing next. They are a treasure.

Lots of people asked me how it could be a solar powered party when we had it at night?  This is exactly the kind of question I hoped people would ask, it is the reason for holding this series of events: to get people to really think about what we can do with “green.” The Solar Power Mobile Party uses a bank of batteries that are charged by an array of photovoltaic panels.  We can power lights, amps, mixers, and projectors for hours.  Plus, the electricity supplied by the system is very “clean,” and maybe it’s just me, but I think it actually sounds better than when you plug-in.  The lights are all LED so they make plenty of light without draining the batteries. We have a big screen so we can show movies too!

Oh, we nicknamed the stage “the Noodle” because it’s so long and floppity when it’s moving.  Once it’s set up though, it is solid green.  Who knew “green” could be so much fun.

–Mark Alvis

We haven’t worked a great deal with solar thermal, solar panels that make hot water using the sun, but after our experience installing a Velux system on Maui, I’m sure we are going to do a lot more.

Like many of our projects, we didn’t shy away from complexity. It was a job just getting the parts out to Hawaii. Plus, we didn’t just install a stand alone system: we tied it into and existing tankless unit, and added a hydronic, forced air heating system to it as well.  It was complicated, and a lot of work, right on the edge of being too much for the client, which is never a good thing.

Fortunately, Mike Rhoden from Velux had consented to help us out as it was a very complicated system.

The house we were working on was up around three thousand feet on the side of Haleakala so it had an incredible view of the island. But being up this high also meant that it actually gets cold.  In fact, it was the need for a heat source that led me to recommend the Velux system with hydronic heat.  The house was built on a slope so there was a basement size space under it. This is where the tankless heater was located so it was the natural place for the solar storage tank as well.  We built a retaining wall and poured a small pad and then started running pipe.

It took a couple days, but we had most of it done before Mike arrived.  We had a little trouble finding the right pump to pressurize the system, but once we did it went fine.  By the time we got the thermistors hooked up, the panel temperature was already 140 degrees.  Thermistors are like thermometers that measure the temperature of the fluid in the system.

Once we had the the solar panels on line, we made sure that the tie-in to the tankless worked properly, and then we tied in the hydronic heating system. By the evening, we were using the Sun’s energy to make domestic hot water and to heat the house.

It was a lot of work and wasn’t cheap.  But in the end, I think it was one of the most satisfying jobs we’ve ever done.  It’s easy to do the “no-brainers” like insulation and windows. But a complex project like this is something different.  Most home owners don’t like being the guinea pig.  It takes a very special effort on everyone’s part to make this kind of leap forward.  It’s not just thinking outside the box, it’s thinking into the future and realizing that it’s up to us if things are going to change.

Thanks to Mike from Velux, Cameron Park from Bella Sol and our intrepid home owner, Frances, we were able to put together a system that instead of using propane, uses an energy source that there’s a lot of on Maui, the Sun.

–Mark Alvis

I didn’t really plan it, but somehow, in each of the past three months, I’ve ended up at a dump. One here in Fresno County, one on Maui, and one in Sonoma County.

Now I don’t imagine visiting a dump would be the ususal tourist destination when in Hawaii, but I was working there, not on vacation. The first thing that struck me about the dump on Maui was that believe it or not, it’s free. My guess is that it’s the only way they could figure out to keep their island from being burried in trash, as it’s not a very big island and while throwing garbage into the ocean may be tempting, fortunately, the Hawaiians have a great respect for the sea.

The Fresno County dump impressed me by it’s orginization. And amazingly, virtually no smell. I went there to get some video for a TV show we are doing called “Green Planet.” One of the employees there offered to drive me around the site and I was amazed at how much things have changed in the world of landfills. For one thing, there were pipes running all over. My guide told me they were gas pipes that were collecting methane, which was brilliant, fuel from our garbage.

Last week, I went to the Sonoma County dump near Petaluma. And like the Fresno County dump, they were collecting methane as well. Another thing they were doing is carefully seperating the “trash” the stuff that really was garbage, from things that could be recycled, which turned out to be almost everything.

But by far, the most impressive thing about all three dumps was their immense size. Though the roads were just dirt, they were litterally as big as freeways. They were huge. And even though they are all called land “fills” they did way more than just “fill:” they were making mountains, by far larger than the pyramids in Eqypt. I wonder, in two thousand years, with all the money and effort it must have taken to building these mountains, will people think that we were making mounuments to our trash?

–Mark Alvis

I have to tell you, we here in Alviston are just bustin’ at the seems to bust out the latest version of the Sun Stage: aka, “the Solar Powered Mobile Party.”  We now have a professional PA system and professional video  system complete with cameras, projector and big screen.  And of course we have our 32 foot, mobile stage, “the Noodle.”  But the best part is all of it is powered by the Sun, which means we can go just about anywhere pollution free.

I’ve been working with Mike Avila setting up Solar Powered Events for several local businesses here in the Valley.  We are talking with four or five bands about doing special events in places where there is no power and where a noisy generator would just be awful.  Just imagine a small concert or wedding right next to a beautiful Sierra Nevada stream. Or a party out in an orange grove or in your vineyard.  Peaceful and serene.

Or really loud and obnoxious. Yes you can actually watch your favorite game on a 35 foot screen wherever your heart desires.  (That is as long as it’s legal.) 

I think a lot of people think that being “green” means having to sacrifice.  But it seems to me, that if we work with nature instead of against it, it’s going to be one big party.

–Mark Alvis

If you think about it, having a 150 degree attic doesn’t make it easy to keep your house cool. Unfortunately, most of us don’t think about it.

I don’t know why, but for some reason we have been trained not to think about the relationship between money and energy. I often hear “experts” talking about “consumers” not wanting to have to think about saving energy. They’ll say something like, “Consumers don’t really want to know how an air conditioner works. They just want to be cool.” We’ve heard this kind of thing so often we believe it. But it’s just not true. We all want to save money and energy is directly tied to money and we all know it. What we may not know so well, is what to do about it. We keep getting treated like we’re idiots and can’t figure out simple thermodynamic equations. But let me ask you, “If we treat people like they are stupid, will that make them any smarter?”

Look, I know it may be scary, but what if I told you that learning a little bit about “the heat monster” up in your attic can save you a ton of money. And not only that, but you will be more comfortable and our air will be cleaner and your dog will love you more. Really.

Try this. Find the access to your attic and stick your head up there. You don’t need to actually get in the attic. You might need a flashlight and you can take a thermometer with you if you want. For the full effect, do it around three or four in the afternoon. Don’t stay up there too long, but take a look at how much insulation there is and take a look at the thermometer. Also, take a look and see if the ducts for your AC are run in the attic and if they are insulated. OK. That’s enough. When you come down, you’re going to know a lot more about thermodynamics.

If you’re house is older, there’s a good chance that you don’t have a lot of insulation. I’ve been in many attics with three or four inches or less. Now you probably know that the insulation’s job is to keep the heat in the attic from getting into your house. So of course you ask, “Why does the heat want to get into my house?” The answer turns out to be the first law of thermodynamics: Heat always wants to go where cool is.

By sticking your head up in the attic, you experienced first hand the first law of thermodynamics: you, just like the heat, desperately wanted to immediately go to where it is cooler.

Once you understand how heat thinks, the answers are easy. Since air conditioning takes a lot of electricity and electricity costs money, air conditioning is expensive. Therefore, the less we need it the better. So we need to keep the house as cool as possible to begin with. The insulation in your attic and walls acts as a barrier to heat. We can’t do much about the temperature outside, but we can do something to keep the temperature in our attics as low as possible by using ventilation and using roofing materials that reflect heat instead of absorbing it.

–Mark Alvis

It’s amazing how we are able to block out things we just don’t want to deal with. Unfortunately, this can be extremely costly, as I’m finding out in regards to the “heat monster” in my attic. Here’s what I mean.

A couple months ago, I asked the City of Fresno’s Sustainability team to come and do an energy assessment on my house. Which they did. A few weeks later, they sent me a very nicely done report complete with thermal images of some of the places where cold air was coming in, leaks around pipes and vents etc.

They suggested that I seal up the cracks and add insulation to the floor and attic as well as installing radiant barrier. 

What did I do? Well come on, it was April when I got the report and the weather was great, so of course I did nothing. Times have changed and so have the temperatures. As of yesterday it was 145 degrees in my attic. The walls actually feel hot.  Yikes! This can’t be good for the PG&E bill. Luckily, we had two cool days last week and I actually did a couple of things up in the attic.

First, I added some blown-in, fiberglass insulation. We used the AttiCat, the pink stuff. We’ve been using if for the past year on both commercial and residential projects and are very happy with it. We also installed a whole house fan, a device that brings in cool outside air (if there is any,) and blows the hot air out of the attic at the same time. This greatly reduces the load put on the AC.  PG&E offers rebates for both insulation and whole house fans. 

Another thing on the list was radiant barrier, which is sort of like foil paper. When I first used it, many years ago, I couldn’t believe it would work. But it does, it just works in a different way than regular insulation. As the sun heats up your roof, the heat comes right though it like a pan heating up on the stove. As long as you have an air space, radiant barrier reflects some of that heat, ten percent or more.  Whereas the insulation is sitting on the ceiling duking it out with the Heat Monster, the radiant barrier keeps it out of the attic in the first place.  Aha! That’s what we’re talking about. 

So, my next step to conquering the “heat monster” up in the attic is putting up a layer of foil, just like the kids on the movie, “Signs” did to keep the aliens out. I’m going out to get the radiant barrier right now.

–Mark Alvis

July is hot in the Valley. The thermometer on my front porch is hovering around 102 right now and it’s barely noon.

I wonder, if it’s that hot outside, how hot is it up in my attic? To find out, I decided to put the thermometer up in the attic. The access to my attic is via ladder in a hallway closet.  As I was climbing up the ladder I could feel the heat increasing like an angry beast.  I lifted up the access cover and stuck by head into the attic.  It felt like a sauna, quiet and hot.  Some cracks of light poked through the dormer vents. I touched one of the metal ventilation ducts and thought I was going to have a blister.  It felt like I could cook and egg on it.  I laid the thermometer on top of the insulation and could see he red bar rising.

I left it there and started to climb back down with sweat already running off my face.  I glanced at the thermometer as my foot touched the top rung of the ladder. Right then it occurred to me, “what if it’s hotter up here than the thermometer can show?” Sure enough, when I looked at the thermometer again, it had already maxed out 130. I needed another thermometer.

I went into the kichen and pulled out a meat thermometer. I took it back up to the attic and set it on rafter.  I don’t know how accurate a meat thermometer is, but after about a minute it read between Tender Ham and Beef rare: Around 145 degrees.

I thought for a moment about cooking steaks in the attic, but decided against it because climbing up a ladder with a plate of meat seemed a bit risky.

This did get me thinking though.  How is it possible, that if is only 102 outside, it can be 145 in the attic? Shouldn’t I be able to at least keep the temperature the same as the ambient air?  How does this effect my AC bill? And what can we do to keep our attics cooler? Looks like I’m going to have to do some research.

Tune in tomorrow and I’ll let you know what I find out.

–Mark Alvis

Dateline: Reedley College.

As the Solar Powered Mobile Party team was setting up for the 3rd Annual Reedley College Green Summit, they were approach by a disgruntled employee. She didn’t say anything about the music being all powered by the Sun and how very cool that was. In fact,  they hadn’t even turned the system on.  Apparently, she had been waiting for some time to approach the unsuspecting crew, probalby since the first Green Summit when a very raucos blue grass band had taken the stage right outside her classroom windows with their fiddles and banjos.

Never-the-less, she proceeded to complain about the volume stating that she hadn’t been told about the event in enough time to reschedule an exam that her students were taking on precisely the day of the Green Summit.  Assuming that most teachers at Reedley College read neither the memos sent out by their department heads, nor the the gigantic marquis sign out in front of the school that had been advertising the event for months, how can you blame her.  Who is the administration to put on an event that could possibly give some very “green lights” to so many students who may have never had a chance at the types of jobs that will actually make them a decent living.

The incident sparked heated reactions from the cafeteria staff as they came out with aprons on chanting: “Let the music play,” and “Don’t turn it down, turn it up!” The Solar Powered Mobile Party crew offered the head chef the mic, but she had to go back to work. Solar powered staff, sensing the building tension, immediately informed College administration.

As in most cases of difficult decision making, it was the young people who were to resolve the issue. The  students were the ones who saw how silly the whole thing was. The band, as requested, ceased playing until notified the test was complete. But not before the teacher, standing in front of the entire audience while the band was performing, made a huge scene.

It should be noted that adjacent to the Solar Powered Mobile Party stage, also known as the Sun Stage, we’re some incredible examples of what solar power can do for college students.  All during the teacher’s rant, the solar ovens were quietly and cleanly cooking pizza, chicken and cookies. There was even a Stirling engine pumping away. A Stirling engine is a device that converts the Sun’s energy into mechanical energy, something that many of the kids missed that day as they were paying attention to to much more interesting confrontation taking place in front of the Solar Powered Stage.

In all fairness, the teacher had no idea that the music was solar powered and she wasn’t complaining about that. It was simply that the music was too loud. Unfortunately, the incident caused the Sun Stage staff to miss the opportunity to tell the audience that it was indeed powered by the Sun, as they too were caught up in the emotion of the moment and unable to focus on the true focus of the event.

–Mark Avis