After spending some time with the engineer at the local steel yard, Ron the builder had him design the steel beam spanning the wall of windows in the living room. By using a 12" wide flange beam, we do not need to have any steel columns/supports within that span. Additionally, the engineer determined that the lateral support on the walls of windows in the greenbelt/dining area/foyer could be handled with multiple 2 x 10 members, as opposed to the much more costly option of using steel. However, I would still require steel to support the cantilevered front and rear balconies. Still, the engineer specified a less-costly C-channel steel that would be used on the top and bottom sections of the balconies.
After some crafty negotiation between Ron the builder and the framing crew, they gave me a proposal to do all of the interior/exterior framing (including balconies), sheathing and installation of windows (all 4 bazillion of them!) for a flat fee for labor only. As before, I would supply the materials. It was a fair proposal, not a great one. In the unlikelihood they would come down in their pricing, I asked if they could throw in the siding installation (second floor only) as well. Since there isn't a lot of siding on this house, I figured this would be a fair strategy. As it turned out, they agreed to throw in the siding into the proposal for the same cost.
The framing of the interior walls and the second floor exterior walls began in earnest starting on August 24. I was actually shocked by the amount of progress made by the time I visited the site on August 27:
The view from the living room to the kitchen:
A sectional view of the lateral support spanning the greenbelt:
The C-channel steel for the balconies was installed shortly after the steel beam in the living room. However, the engineer insisted that the steel had to rest atop concrete, rather than wood framing members, which would likely deform. As such, we had to have the framing crew form concrete posts on top of the Superior Walls to support the balcony steel. Theoretically, the C-channels could have been placed directly on top of the Superior Walls; however, this would have made the balcony floor much thicker and it would have just plain looked "chunky," for lack of a better term. Ralph Rapson also indicated that this would not have been the a good approach when we spoke in June. Anyway, here is a view of the balcony steel:
Here is the front view on September 1:
...and a few more views:
SUNNY SIDE SOUTH
After doing a lot of research on solar/renewable energy and HVAC systems, and after some failed dalliances with solar/HVAC contractors, I think I have finally come up with a REALISTIC strategy for my electrical, heating and cooling needs. My plan is to use the pitched (27 degrees) roof section over the greenbelt/atrium to hold a 4500 watt array of photovoltaic cells, which would generate approximately an average of $90/month worth of electricity (LIPA has the highest electrical rates in the country). This will be used to power the HVAC system, which will be a groundwater heat source heat pump, aka, geothermal heat pump. Unfortunately, this means strictly a forced air system, but apparently this is an ideal system for a two-level house with high ceilings and large expanses of glass (i.e., lots of heat loss/gain). It is my current understanding that this is the most efficient way to power, heat and cool this house, and it does seem to make sense.
Fortunately I found a single local contractor to perform the solar and HVAC work. After rebates and tax incentives, the net cost of the solar PV system is going to be $9,300. The geothermal heat pump system (six tons), including all ductwork, two zones, two thermostats, two wells (supply + return), etc. has a net cost (after LIPA rebates) of $29,200, which is actually only about 20% higher than a conventional oil or LP system in a house of this size/design (which is far more complicated to duct than a house with an attic). Even after the rebates/incentives, this is still quite a chunk of change. But I really love the notion of having a practically non-existent electric bill and no reliance on oil/gas whatsoever, especially considering the rapidly escalating demand and price for fossil fuels. But most importantly I like the fact that there are no emissions.
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