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I've been struggling to figure out how to heat water without propane, and knowing that heating is the most inefficient use of electricity I thought it might be hard to get enough power from my solar array, but this week I finally caught up with Zachary Dusseau, my solar guy, and he says we can probably get 2000 watts from my roof, enough to easily run an on-demand water heater!
It makes the plumbing plan WAY simpler.
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I want to introduce you all to the people I'm working most closely with right now. George Smichinski is our landlord at U-Haul of Somerville. Not only has he donated the space for us to build in, he's endlessly helpful, using his forklift to unload materials for us, sharing cleaning supplies and generally being the best landlord ever for a project like this.  Our landlord George, making sure the door mechanism doesn't scrape the roof as the trailer is backed in. Dave Halloran and Paul Breneman from Community Builders Cooperative are the lead builders and do most of the hands on work. Right now that means grinding down welds that stuck up from the floor, sealing gaps that could let water and dirt in from below, placing brackets to hold the insulation in place from below . Very soon it will mean installing the metal plate that is our subfloor, and we won't have to balance on bits of plywood anymore. One of the most pleasurable parts of this project is solving problems with other people. I love thinking things through with these guys, and will always remember the afternoon we spent figuring out how to structure my ceiling. Johnny Osband is an architect and also works as a crew member. Johnny has been invaluable in translating my ideas into precise measurements and drawings that the builders can work from. Gary Ainsworth of Metal Supermarkets has gone above and beyond as a supplier, even joining the search for a site before we found George. Gary has been incredibly helpful with making choices about materials, and answering a slew of questions. And although his part is technically over, Jim Groveau of Advantage Trailers is only a text message away, answering questions and asking for updates. Last but most definitely not least is Brittany Rode, my intrepid assistant, who tracks down suppliers, researchers everything from corporate giving programs that might help me, to sources for materials I need, to the best price for my IndieGoGo premium mugs, places orders, reminds me of appointments, and keeps a flowchart of all the things that need to be done, and makes sure I don't lose track of them. None of what I'm doing would be possible without them.
 On Thursday I went to Newton to buy Safecoat non-toxic caulk at Terrene, a "healthy interiors" store that supplies all kinds of materials, from counter tops to...caulk. Much of my early inspiration for materials came from browsing a similar, though much bigger, business in Berkeley, California: Ecohome Improvement. Insulating the floor:
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AuthorAurora Levins Morales is a chronically ill and disabled writer, historian, visual artist, and activist Archives
January 2017
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