San Damiano Center for Sustainability:
Siding in progress, Roofing complete! Part II
by Eric Fitts, Director
An update is overdue!
We hosted engineering students from the University of Dayton’s ETHOS program, who learned sustainable practices around the Farm and helped insulate the solar hot water system, replace the old side curtains on the high tunnel greenhouse, and install underlayment and siding similar to stucco siding panels on San Damiano. A thin layer of material, such as fiber, felt, rubber or foam, serves as flooring underlayment. Speaking of underlayment, we figured that it is something really interesting. It is a thin layer of material that provides cushioning, sound absorption and insulation, as well as reducing wear on your flooring. It is apparently imperative to install underlayment, especially under a laminate flooring. Laminate floors are floating floors, so they must be evenly distributed across the subfloor. Floor underlayment such as ones like Gypsum Leveling, provide stability, support, noise reduction, and supports locking mechanisms to ensure the sturdiest floors.We completed the underlayment on the west and east walls, which means underlayment is complete and we are dried in before winter. Oh, and all of the siding was measured, labeled, and stacked where it will be needed. And the first two pieces of siding were installed.
Meanwhile, the roofing crew from Forbes Copper Works, Josh, Tim, Chris, Tyler, and others, completed the installation of the standing seam metal roof. It was similar to the metal roofing installed by Four Seasons Kanga Roof, which is a great comfort heading into harsher weather. Metal roofing has a number of benefits. Unlike wood and other roofing materials, metal roofing is fire retardant. So, it won’t burn in case of a fire. In summer, metals reduce heat gain by reflecting radiant energy from the sun. Furthermore, metal roofs can be easily insulated to keep homes cozy throughout the winter, keeping energy bills down. Therefore, it could be understood why the chosen roofing crew, who tend to provide services similar to a roofing contractor Winston Salem, focused on installing a metal roof.
Next steps are installing the root cellar door, pouring concrete into cinder block cores around the posts to firm them up, installing the 36″ ³ steel door to the picnic area, completing the metal trim and siding, and plenty of interior work. Work has slowed as Eric focused on the garlic planting and admin work, and as we have fewer hands to help at this time of year.
“Rebuild My Church” Capital Campaign