Solar Panels in our Future?

One thing that has occurred to me is that this roof is absolutely perfect for solar panels. The house faces NNE which means the backside of the house faces SSW which is really the perfect angle. Plus, the design makes for a lot of space for panels.

Over the past few years I've noticed more and more homes with solar panels around where we live today. With energy prices as severe as they are, the business case has got to be improving. Fun! Another thing to look into down the road.

Another noticeable thing about the roof is that there are very few pipes protruding through it. This is a good thing, since less pipes = less likelihood of leaks down the road. I've noticed in our current house that builders have really caught onto this and minimized vertical protrusions. Most vents now go through the walls.

Now that the roof is completed, the large external changes are about to slow down for a while. The focus of the work is shifting inside. We noticed in some other homes that there wasn't much lighting in the bathrooms so we requested extra lights above each bathtub. Rich at DR Horton took care of that and sent us over a reasonable change order. Thanks Rich!

Yesterday I went by the house and found a cheerful team installing the HVAC and PVC plumbing. 

I suppose it makes sense to put in all the pipes and ventilation first and then do the wiring. It's much easier to route wires around pipes than to move pipes around wires!

I also inspected the plywood placed around the exterior of the house. For the most part if looks great. But there are a few places (I noted 3) where there must have been damage during transport or assembly. The holes are small and can probably be easily patched with foam or something. But definitely worth pointing out to the construction manager before they put on the siding!

That's it for now. It will be fun to watch the inside come together!

Update - we see that they taped over all of these holes. Luckily none of them were too big. 

We also noticed that the number of roof penetrations has gone up significantly. They all go in on the back side of the house. But it will make solar panel installation a bit trickier than before. Each bathroom has a vent penetration for instance. Was this necessary? I think it's a design philosophy thing. Each builder has their own approach. Horton's is apparently not to prioritize roof penetrations. I think we have about 9 of them. There are probably trade offs involved with the minimizing approach, which places furnace exhaust in our back yard, for instance, and the Horton approach.