If You Are Thinking About A Tankless Water Heater...

So you are building a new home, or maybe you are just tired of running out of hot water in your current home.  Thinking about getting a tankless water heater?  Planning for that comes in the very beginning stages of your home.  How many showers will you have?  How many people live and use water in the home?  This will determine the size of your tankless water unit.  Will you have an electric or a gas tankless water unit?

While buying a tankless water unit may be a bit of an investment up front, it will save you a lot of energy consumption (and money) since it only heats water when it is needed, not like a traditional water heater which keeps a huge tank of water hot at all times by burning gas continuously. Much like a car idling in the garage, you wouldn't want to leave it running all night, only when you needed it, right?

Tankless water heaters are also built to last 15-20 years.  These units take up a lot less space and are mounted on the wall, something to take into consideration when drawing up your plans.

Here's another consideration if you are in an area with hard water:  lime scale tends to build up over time.  If you have a traditional water heater and you sliced it open, you would see a large chunk of lime scale at the bottom of your tank.  It just happens over time.  The same thing will happen inside the pipes of your home if you are using a tankless water heater and do not have soft water.  If you are building a new home, you should have your sub-plumbing done to accommodate a water softener to all areas of your home except the refrigerator lines, other drinkable faucets, and the outside hose bibs.  If you are retrofitting your home with a tankless water heater, you can buy "Un-Clog-It-Kits" to descale your pipes periodically.  Also make sure you have a minimum of a 3/4" gas line to the unit if you are choosing a gas tankless water heater.

Give Greenify a call at 801-948-4464 and let us help you determine which tankless water heater would be the best for your family's needs.
http://www.greenifyenergysavers.com/tankless-water-heater

Damp Proofing, Gravel Slinging, and Slab Pouring

The foundation was poured and left to rest over night before Storstad's crew came back to strip the wall forms down.  

 They worked hard and fast to strip the forms on the north side of the house first so Percy Johnson, 801-318-7111, could damp proof that side of the house first before the holiday began the next morning.  Percy began damp proofing at 4:00 pm to get his portion done, even though he was leaving town later that evening.  Nice job.

 Also coming to the job site late in the day was Stone Pro Slingers, 801-602-8785, who sent a gravel truck out at 4:00 pm to fill the garage basement and cold storage floors with pea gravel.  We wanted to pour those floors first thing Friday morning ahead of the other basement slabs in preparation for I-beams and b-decking to be put in as the suspended garage floor next week.  Stone Pro Slingers were an important piece in the string of details needing to run like clockwork.  One piece missing, and it would cause a domino effect on everybody coming up the line.

Dean arrived right on time, and did the best with what he could.  We had miscalculated how much gravel we would need, and came up short.  The gravel pit was closed so finishing the job would have to wait until Friday morning -- right before the concrete was scheduled to be poured.  Timing was going to be tight, but Stone Pro Slingers pulled through and were there ahead of schedule Friday morning to finish up both garage basement floor and the cold storage floor.  The slabs were poured and ready to cure over the weekend.

Footings and Foundation Poured - Storstad Concrete

Inspection passed and forms were ready to receive concrete July 17.  Footings and foundation were done by Storstad Concrete, Darren 801-358-0898, whose prices were very competitive.  His hardworking crew did a nice job laying out a difficult, custom footprint and were very reliable.  Concrete pumping was by Dudley Concrete Pumping, 801-763-1339.

 Foundation was scheduled to be poured Monday, July 21 at 9:00 am.  The Geneva Rock Concrete trucks showed up 20 minutes ahead of schedule, but the pump truck was late.  We waited as long as we could, but when the second concrete truck showed up, we knew we had to get creative or risk losing $1000 of concrete.  The concrete driver pulled his truck up as close to the hole as possible without sliding into it, and Storstad's crew was able to fill the foundation forms without the concrete pump truck until he came.  Mission accomplished.

Excavation Done, Ready for Footings

House footprint is excavated thanks to Mike Little of Osmond Development.  We recommend Mike if you are looking for a knowledgable excavator who is easy to work with, attentive to detail, punctual and hard working, and knows how to move a water meter and pressurized irrigation line in a pinch.

That's right.

The water meter and pressurized irrigation happened to be located directly under the future driveway -- against city ordinances.  Mike knew what to do, contacted city public works, arranged for the fix, and got it done pronto.

Excavation Begun - O.L.E. Osmond Little Excavating

July 3, SWPP requirements were completed by O.L.E. Osmond Little Excavating, Mike Little 801-362-3227 and Jared Osmond 801-787-1063.  The lot was grubbed and the house staked July 4th in preparation for excavation.