I missed all the action this morning. It looks like they dug the holes and poured the concrete for the piers as well as the stairs and planter box in the lower courtyard. There were track marks on the right side of the property. I don't know if they were made by the drilling rig or by a small bobcat. I'll have to ask Brad, the next time I see him.

Obviously all the water had been pumped out of the lower courtyard (and also the other two light wells). I noticed a sump pump sitting in one of the light wells -- Brad must have used it to pump out the water. It doesn't look like the plumber has been here to install the real pumps yet.

Another question I have for Brad is about the last few steps in the stairs leading down to the lower courtyard. As you can see in the third picture, it seems like the steps will be in contact with the plywood from the wall. Also that small blue tube coming out of the wall is supposed to hold the wires that supply power to the lights along the stairs. I think that tube should go into the building so it can eventually be connected to a power source. More questions for Brad...

I didn't expect to see anyone working on the site today, as it was Columbus Day, but clearly lots of things have happened. In fact, the crew from KC Construction was there all day, working on the joists for the second floor.

On another note, I finally heard back from Dru Sutton of RecSolar last night. Based on our usage pattern, he recommends a 4.8 kW system comprising 28 Mitsubishi 170 W panels. This system would require about 450 sq ft of space, and he recommends putting it on the SE side of the house.