I have a Dream 2

[T Legg]

How many square feet of solar collectors do you think is it going to take ? I would guess you would be circulating water through whenever the sun is out to store as much heat in the concrete as possible between snowstorms. Tinting the concrete dark could help collect more solar heat also. Does the snow slide off of the solar collectors fairly quickly ?

[giantkiller]

I won't be able to afford the solar panels until next year. Not sure about antifreeze yet Pat. Will study that for a while. My ground coils use ethanol
I'm leaning towards some panels that are 48" × 10'. Have room for 12 panels. 10 of them is 170,000 btus I'm going to get 2 of the biggest electric hot water heaters I can find for storage tanks. 1 for the main driveway from the road biggest zone and 1 for the other 2  smaller zones. Going to build basically a triangular shape lean-to on the whole south wall of the house. Up to the eves. It's over 12' to the eves. So the panels will be more vertical. Better for collecting the winter sun. And not so for summer.
Thus won't have to worry about snow on panels. My 3 photovoltaic panels are on the lower roof. And lay flatter so snow sits on them longer. But the 25 panels on the upper roof melt off really quickly.

[Motofun]

Very impressive!  My cynical side forces me to ask.....What happens to the water that melts off the driveway?  I know in my case when I plow my driveway the snow often stays around for weeks if not months.  Did you do a pay back evaluation?  True, it would be hard to find comparables,,,, say against have a plowing contract?

[giantkiller]

Very impressive!  My cynical side forces me to ask.....What happens to the water that melts off the driveway?  I know in my case when I plow my driveway the snow often stays around for weeks if not months.  Did you do a pay back evaluation?  True, it would be hard to find comparables,,,, say against have a plowing contract?

It should be liquid so will be ice off the edge of the driveway but I  really don't care if it stays there all summer. This whole thing is an experiment. Could not find any previous examples. Not really worried about pay back. Just no bills to worry about. Zero. Other than sewer water and taxes. If i do ever retire. And no work (general maintenance)when I get a little older.

And free up time and money for fun things now.

[giantkiller]

They came and poured the main part of the driveway from the road to half-way through the main center garage door. They used a huge conveyor truck. From the road.

[giantkiller]

Oh yeah I forgot to say 4 truck loads for the first section. 4 trucks for this section.

[giantkiller]

They came 3 days later due to weather and did the last section. Got there in the morning before I got home from work. 3 more truck loads.

[giantkiller]

Poured the approach and sidewalk last

[giantkiller]

My favorite picture of my house so far.

[giantkiller]

Had landscaper come and fill in around the slabs seeded and straw mulched.

[giantkiller]

More pics

[Ted Schefelbein]

Really looks awesome Dan. That is a whole lot of mud!

Ted

[giantkiller]

Really looks awesome Dan. That is a whole lot of mud!

Ted

Yep 11 really big cement truck loads.

[Millietant]

My favorite picture of my house so far.

There's a house in that photo ??

All I can see is a really awesome garage and workshop 

[giantkiller]

My favorite picture of my house so far.

There's a house in that photo ??

All I can see is a really awesome garage and workshop  

1000sqft of living space upstairs 2400sqft of shop and storage below.
My older brother says it's my MAN-SION. Lol. It's designed  by Me for Me. Entire downstairs is always heated and cooled to what ever temperature I want it to be. And doesn't cost me anything.
Me being a forklift driver. I accidentally designed and self built a Net  Zero shop/house.  

It's another one of my crazy creations.

Thanks for traveling along with me on this LLLOOONG journey.

Like I said before if any of my fj brethren need a place to stay.  Or a place to fix their bike on their way through my place will always be available.