I finally have some tradesman show up to do the mechanical work in the house. The plumber and electrician will be in next week. At least that is what they said. We installed a mini-split unit instead of a traditional ducted system.
Advantages:
1. This system gives each individual unit their own control over heating and cooling.
2. Bills are lower as only individual areas are heated/cooled as needed
3. No shafts or bulkheads needed for ducts to run throughout the house
4. Better air quality as dust is not blown out of the ducts every time the system is turned on
Disadvantages:
1. Cost a little more
2. Not a lot of tradesmen are familiar with this system
3. The units hang on the wall so they are visible. Concealed units may be bought but are double the price.
I was really happy to see the guys beginning the installation. This is the back of a unit. These are very common all around Europe and part of South America. It is slowly gaining popularity in the USA.
On the exterior of the house Jose continued to backfill around the house. hopefully he finishes most of it today. I decided to let him continue the process even though the city has yet to approved the new detail. I'm cautiously optimistic that the detail will be approved because the Soils engineer and Superior Wall Rep have both determined that the on-site soils are adequate as long as we don't use the clay like soil. I also spoke to the building department reviewer and they would agree to the revision as long as I could support these facts. I submitted the revised plans this morning and it will take up to 10 business days to get an answer.
Backfill in process. Let's hope we get that detail approved.