Housecraft

💦 Rainwater collection 🌧 - easy to implement in existing homes and soo critical during an endless drought. Fortunately in California, it is legal to collect rainwater for specific purposes. We have two 5,000 gallon rainwater barrels in which the water is filtered, treated, and delivered to landscape drip irrigation and non-potable indoor uses including toilet flushing and clothes washing.

It's amazing that our 10,000 gallon rainwater barrels are already full after the 6 inches of rain we got in Santa Cruz from the 2 atmospheric rivers. Every inch of rainfall we collect off our 2500 square feet of roof area gives us 1500 gallons of water. We can't use the water fast enough since we don't have any outdoor plants or fruit trees to water, so our barrels are overflowing!

In an existing home, if anyone has a yard/garden that requires water to flourish, desire to build an outdoor sink or kitchen, want to hook up their washing machine or hot tub to rainwater (some of these projects may require a licensed landscape contractor to help), I highly recommend installing a smart rainwater collection system - the benefit-cost ratio is well worth it! 🌧🌈

Sharing a video of the fabrication and installation of the roof which is "metal standing seam." The metal pieces are cut on-site and then carried up to the roof where the pieces are interlocked to each other - the final look is modern with clean lines that accent the pitch and plane of every roof angle.

Here are the reasons why we picked metal standing seam:

- Durable, lasting up to 50 years (metal lasts longer than asphalt shingles for example)
- Reflects solar heat, keeping the house more cool
- Choice of recycled materials
- Little or no maintenance required
- If you are doing a remodel, it can be used over existing roofing material
- Fire resistant properties in a place where wildfires happen!

A con so far is when it rains, the *tink tink tinky d**k* of the raindrops could be of annoyance. But I kind of enjoy the sound of amplified raindrops since we get so little of it in California 😆

Fabricating and installing the roof We did a standing seam metal roof. This video shows the metal being sliced on-site and carried to the roof. The panels are then locked together at the seams.

Wood framing is one of the quickest and most dramatic phases of a build - the 2 structures were erected in less than 2 months - way faster than the ground and foundation work (especially since the lot was a bit sloped). It was really a trip to see the buildings take shape and dimension, coming alive from the 2D plans we designed.

Erecting the Framing Framing for the house goes up really quick compared to ground and foundation work - framing was erected in less than 2 months!