Oh My God! The comments I'm reading are so uplifting. I really didn't think I would find much interest, especially with the low viewership of the solar shed videos compared to the videos about batteries. I really like to see the interest but far more unexpected was the outpouring of love and positive feedback. I like the cake but that is some awesome icing y'all.
I greatly appreciate your attention to detail and your thought processes on the projects. As a fellow left-hander, I enjoy creative ideas and looking for the "best" way to do something. It usually involves crazy ideas and engineering (Painting corrugated metal roof and barn in record time using a sand blast gun and pressurizing the paint to the gun using a tank from chemical sprayer).... I would like to see a occasional segment called Rays Corner... Just you setting with project notes.. going through ideas on a project (PuppyDawg going crazy in the background) Great channel Ray. God bless you with Faith for your days.
Ray you enjoying this wonderful sunshine were enjoying after the little storm we had yesterday here in Gods Country? Heading to Houston on Monday to pick up me modules!
Greetings Ray all the way from cold and snowy Sweden. I as many others here dreaming of an off grid living lifestyle with time to reflect and enjoy life with friends and family. I like your content and open personality and I really think your channel with grow faster than a bambu tree :)
for example, say a 2" foam board barrier 6 to 8 inches in from the outer edge of the pour around the perimeter between the inside of pour to stop the cold to transmit in from the outside of the concrete. Cheers
Ah, no, what I like to do is install the insulation on the outside of the concrete and then cover it with a finish material. On these small buildings I don't go to that trouble so there is some definite heat loss through the slab in cold weather but not problematic especially with the waste heat from the inverters contributing heat to the building.
Congratulations on your retirement, though it may be bittersweet. You can always consult with that gentleman part time. I think I am understanding your worldview and your vision for this channel, and I like it a lot. Enjoying our blessings and spreading them around to others is what we're made for! Also, I love your smile! Thank you.
I can't call it retirement since I'm working harder than before and with the cold weather and ice earlier in the week I'm working the weekend. That never happened before. The difference is that now it is what I want to do and in April I'll take another 7 week scuba trip and hang out. Thanks for your recognition. Giving is all we have to offer of real value. All we do and all we feel is based in one of two things, love or fear. Think about that. Greed, resentment, anger, jealousy and all the other negative parts are rooted in our fears. Charity, forgiveness, joy, faith and all the other positive parts are based in love. Be fearless! When Lennon said all you need is love, he was right as rain.
"Let me know, do you want me to take you down that path? I will anyway. I love that statement,it's your channel so you do you and we will watch and learn
Thanks Ray - in my opinion, let the other guys do the reviews. You build cool stuff. What drew me to your channel was your passion for the things you were making, and the desire to learn to make it better through the scientific process. Keep building cool stuff, things that excite you, and share your wisdom - either real-time as you gain it, or the wisdom that was gained over your great career.
Ray, I am located over in Blanco County. You keep the building videos coming. I watched this until the end and was sad when you got to the end. I just ordered lifepo batteries from Jenny Wu to replace a small lithium Ion battery bank after watching your video about her company. I am also an old man at 68 and am trying to move to off grid in my life. Keep up the great life lessons and videos. L. Moore
Hello Ray! I enjoy all your videos, but really liked this one particularly…and knowing more about you and your background. Learning a lot, & appreciate all your detail. I was offended when you called yourself an old man at 60! Lol. You are 60 years young! And more energetic than many!! Haha. I’m a 58 yr old from snowy, cold Toronto, Canada, and really look forward to all your videos. Keep ‘em coming! Thx so much! Best wishes, and best regards! Scott. 👍
Thank you Scott. I have many building science friends and mentors from Toronto and nearby Waterloo. It is a great area and I have explored it and the surrounding areas on my bicycle in the past. Thanks for your kind words.
Ray, Keep being you sir, And I'm speaking for a lot of people, but I know a lot of subscribers will be happy to see these type of buildings being built and what material to use when building. Take care bud!
Hi Ray Thanks for sharing more of your life with us. Have enjoyed you sharing your heart with your work. Would love to see videos on energy efficient homes. Have plans to build one in Washington in a few years and would appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Peace be with you. Thanks
Thank you for sharing yourself with us! So - 34 years ago - I was taking Mech Eng and just passed Thermo 1. I had just moved into my second place. I owned it. Now to give you an idea where I am - it is -5 F today. In the summer - while working - [mature student and a manager of 7 and 244 hrs a week] So I took a Natural Resources Canada - box of info to build Highly Efficient houses. It was marked 1978. So - I did the energy analysis on my house - to confirm my present power bill for the year. Them I spec'd all my future house reno. I kept increasing the R of everything till I got the results I was willing to press for. The house was built in 1960. Oil heat, thru the floor. Concrete. I put R40 in the slab - funneling up against the foundation. The walls went to R40 9 inches thick. Fiberglass and styro. The Attic had 32 inches of insulation. R4.5/inch. The first year - I dropped the power year to year by 40%. I built a house better than R2000+++ some 15 yrs before they were expected. Now I use heat pumps. I am now 60 - retired - have a great time working with ideas that I put to paper years ago and now I build them. Cheers and love to YOU Sir!
Some of the best building science comes out of Canada because the result of failure is way more costly that just dollars on the electric bill. The buildings and the people die if it is done wrong.
This is a refreshing channel, I would love it if you shared building techniques with us related to off grid homes, maybe throw in a rootcellar/basement design if given the chance. Thank you.
Hi Ray, So many things you talked about resonate with me. Having retired about two years ago things have never been so good. I am now able to complete some of the long list of projects built up over the years and its fantastic. The biggest thing I have noticed is not having responsibly for others excepting my family of course. Keep the videos as they are with that personal flavour. Cheers from New Zealand in the summer.
This exciting chapter that you have entered in your life is perfect for you. I hear your heart as a man wanting to share his life experiences and knowledge with others. I have such respect and gratitude for you! “Do what you love and love what you do” is what I hear you saying. I believe you will be even happier than you normally are. You have a wonderful heart and a true gift for sharing your wisdom and knowledge with this “TH-cam family”. I am excited and can’t wait to see more super efficient building techniques that I think will be on this channel. God bless you and stay healthy. P.S. I can’t wait for your next video!
It’s your channel, you can do whatever you want….. I watch channels like this to learn. So you have a yes for me. I remodel my whole house watching TH-cam videos. It’s crazy how much you can learn here
It would be wery interesting to see a low energy house/building built and then it will be possible to use the same technics to build any size house/buildings. Thank for all your good videos!
Outstanding share Ray! Love the passion and the voice of a genuine person that cares and loves the people around him. And now you have opened up to us to share you heart and passion regarding Building Science. It may be too late for my home to be retro-fitted for this science but still yet, you have my ear! And cannot wait for that next solar & battery cell building video. Waiting to hear more about all the individual components that you’ve found and have used to help with that project. Many thanks! Keep On Keeping On !!! mj
We live off grid in northern California and fire resistant structures should be required by law in these areas where living in a plywood box with asphalt roof is a recipe for disaster. We can do a lot to improve our residential building practices. I have built fireproof solar heated homes in the far north that needed very little energy input. So keep up the good work and teaching. I really appreciate your battery videos as well as we convert to lithium ion storage batteries. Stay awesome, Ray
Just found out about your channel and saw this vid. Amazing to see and hear your story. Hope I can learn a lot from your solar system as I also want to built off grid . Best of all!
Yes Ray, please add the efficient construction of building stuff to the channel. I have to totally agree with your concept of design. Build wise and make it fit into the constraints of your budget and use nature and efficiency to the max. I am a sponge ready to learn. Totally appreciate your very unique channel. Knowledge is power and we should all share this. Thank you for your Kindness.
Cost effective high performance building subject is a great idea! There are very good channels that already cover batteries, panels, inverters etc. Some channels are covering the construction of super tight homes too, but they are often also super expensive...
I'm on board with the construction.. I've been watching your other videos over the last few days.. I just hit the sub after this one.. YES I watched to the end.. Wish you just as much success with this new adventure Cheers
I live on a 50 foot sailboat and are interessted in self reliance - especially the prismatic cell development and the components that make it last for years. Thanks for high quality content. Cheers from Norway
Yes Ray I am endlessly curious and I am also a paint contractor. My life is always richer just by learning a little more. All these details of how to do things better is what I want every day.
Howdy Ray! I started watching your channel from another account when you first started receiving batteries and now I'm hooked into seeing what you will do next. I think it's amazing what one person can do and I really think I will be able to learn a lot from continuing to watch your channel. Thanks for letting us join you in this journey!
Hey Ray. I love your channel. I appreciate your smart, methodical approach to a project. But I guess, more than anything, you realize life is a whole lot more than the business at hand. The job is important. But we’ve gotta ‘smell the roses’ along life’s path. We’ve got to have balance. And we’ve gotta recognize the blessings around us - and stop for a moment to ponder, throw a stick for Rona, lead the cows out to the tall grass, or grab a lawn chair and watch the hens scratch (maybe in a future video?). Brother, I subscribe and watch your channel for many reasons; The ‘prepper’ / ‘survivalist’ in me loves smart, sustainable solutions. Harnessing the sun, in a variety of innovative ways, is one. Water management and creative systems is another. And I’m excited to view your new project, where you’re putting your decades of construction expertise into designing and building smart, efficient structures. Somebody’s gotta do it. And you have the experience and know-how. Btw… You don’t need a lengthy, flashy intro (I just appreciate the “Hey y’all”). You don’t need to do product reviews. There are plenty of folks doing that. No, just keep on doing what you’re doing. Thank you!
Thanks Ray. Appreciate all your insights and thoughts. Would love to hear more about building efficient homes. I am currently building an off grid rural house in the Australian bush so any tips I can pick up from your journey would be much appreciated. About 90% of the property was burnt out by the summer 2019/20 bush fires in New South Wales, so building smart and safe is a high priority.
I think that it would be very useful for you to share your knowledge. I am planning to build an off grid homestead and would truly appreciate you helping me build something that is sustainable and efficient.
Great attitude - hope you're reaching a lot of (younger) people to teach your style of doing things. You're a great mentor. Love your vids. God bless you.
I'm very interested in what you have to share about high performance building. I live in an experimental passive house built in 1983. Current building codes here still haven't caught up with it's performance. Guess who's laughing now with energy prices going through the roof. I set myself the goal of getting rid of all remaining fossil energy needs here, your channel is a big help!i
I'm excited for you Ray! Will be an interesting trip to see you on. I'm pretty old and, hopefully in my last home, but will be interested in your building projects, for sure.
Very interested in learning to build quality and efficient homes! Nobody else is covering this kind of stuff and it’s super interesting. I look forward to learning from your wisdom. Thank you mr Ray.
Nice, I love that you are as excited to show us as many of us are to learn what energy efficient buildings look like. You have a lot to say, but that's what 1.5 speed is for. 😄 Also, I'm glad your finding your happy place. My wife and I owned and managed a very small service business for 30+ years. It was a lot of work, spent mostly pleasing other people. We sold our business and retired when I was 57 and since then I really enjoyed helping others, learning, exploring, and pursuing everything that interests me. Solar and energy independence has been a huge interest of mine for years. I've just found your channel, but I'm buckling in!
Ray, we do listen to you, all the way till the end. I dont have words to explain how gifted you are at spreading knowledge and that too in a manner which makes us feel as if we have known you for years. Would love to see how we can make buildings more energy efficient, most certainly. Please do share your knowledge on that too once you find some free time since I know you're currently busy with the shed and other projects. And yes, what a lovely, beautiful place you have, peaceful. Thanks Ray, take good care.
Keep going with your life Roy! It’s the best decision one can make when it comes to decide between happiness, peace of mind and stress… especially at an age that bears experience, fulfilled life… I see myself in you and wish that in a few years I’ll have the chance and guts to walk the path you took! You have a clean, honest face and I enjoy very much to watch how you develop from now on… I’m gladly accepting being part of your channel family Roy! You are a good person! Thank you for all the advices and ideas and most important experience you share with us…
Thank you so much for sharing Ray! It's brings me joy to see you've dedicated yourself to following your passion and at the same time are able to help others build sustainably!
Having known you for a few years I can attest to your deep knowledge and passion for building sciences. But what really struct me in this video is your beautiful vision for how the building will positively impact those using it.
Hi Ray, I really happy that I come across your channel, so much in common , last year I left a very well paid job in high tech company and decided retire and to focus my energy on the off grid solutions, I’m also a part time builder so it all fits, looking forward to next videos
Congratulations on entering the new phase of your life. Thank you for taking us along for the ride. YES I'm interested in learning to build a very energy efficient house / building at a reasonable cost.
I enjoy watching your builds, very detailed, with lots of explanations in your designs. Thanks for sharing these videos.... Wish I had the money to take on a build.
From someone next to me: Hey Ray, this is Diana (Jodie's mom). I'm so glad to know what you are doing. I remember a time when you were visiting a site and showing me what you were doing (the D... house?), and you jumped into a trash bin to find empty paint cans. And they were not there. You said they stole the paint! I thought that's a man that pays attention to detail.
Yes, please. I would love to hear what you have to say. I know batteries and solar, but not how to do quality affordable construction. I'm originally from central Texas, but am now in the Pacific NW with a bit different set of challenges. Lots of moisture for half of the year and cool, then summers that can spike as hot as TX, if only briefly.
Love the PNW. Lots of good building science friends there. The systems and the science behind it will work perfectly in the PNW and is being done there to solve your issues with the moisture that seems to come from all directions for days on end.
Great video. I have had the same experience in another company. Retired at age 57. Best thing I ever done. But it was difficult to leave a job that you loved. I’m not in the process of building another house. That does not stop me from looking at your future videos. I just love to see when things are done right.
Joseph Lstiburek??? John Straube??? Building sciences YES PLEASE. Found this channel a few days ago. Subscribed and have watched 10 episodes. 12:01 at night and had to watch this exciting, and likely my favorite to date. I love building sciences and started using solar thermal in 1982 by building a solar green house attached to my home (I was 26 and started the project with no building permit :) ). I used 8 panels of patio door replacement glass. I am able to break a sweat sunbathing in a loft bed on a -2 degree sunny day. Added five more panels above an addition roof to pump heat into the second floor. Engineered my own trusses on a crazy two story garage. Built two storage buildings that withstood a derecho and tornado out of plastic fence panel walls with a roofs made out of 1" PVC pipe rafters and twinwall polycarbonate sheeted roofs. Tore out my 1950 forced air furnace and heating in Iowa with radiant floor heat 60,000 BTU 40 gal water heater (2660 sq ft). Take us along your next journeys.
Ray- Commented on one of your battery videos yesterday, thank you for liking. After exploring more of your archives I got a very unexpected but pleasant surprise with this video. I am also a Homebuilders in CTX and have a first hand connection with all your experiences as well. Trying to find a way out but I’m in to deep for now. In the mean time I have started a new project in line with your described methods to attempt to bring some fun back in the job. Looking forward to watching the rest of this series.
This is nice to hear. Keep working towards freedom and living your values. I try to remember what an old man once said repeatedly to me which is “it’s later than you think”.
Wow, Ray, big and exciting changes! I am really looking forward your future videos, I know we will all learn a lot. Thanks for giving back and I wish you the best!
Hi Ray, I really love your channel!! I watch a few of your videos every morning because I like how you view life and it's interesting. I really think you need to write a book. That would give you the time tell your story. I would buy it!! Take care! Aaron
Thanks for the background. I now know why your builds are soo precise. I would like to see how you build buildings and things. I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I live in a small place without much storage so have to get creative in trying to build something functional from scrap and quick and cheap and ugly and sometimes forgo heat so making something more energy efficient would be great. I strip parts off broken items to get the parts I need with budget orders of magnitude smaller than your builds. I have no formal education no this and use youtube to learn and some channels skip over lots of necessary details so it is very helpful to go in the detail you do.
Well Ray where does one start. I love to watch your content, it’s really nice to hear more about you. It is also fabulous that you are sharing your skills and ethic’s. I would love to see more building videos, especially if you can power A/C for less. I am interested in building with Adobe and possibly Straw Bales in Brasil. Have you ever built with those materials? Please keep your videos coming. I am so pleased to see that the channel is growing, I want to see it grow exponentially God Bless you and stay safe.
Thank you Jeremy. You are so kind. I never used straw bale or adobe but I've studied straw bale and advised a friend on the one he built for himself. The labor was quite intensive but he did it himself so it just took a long time. The thing that bothered me about it was that the lumber at the windows and top plates was all 2x12 instead of 2x4 so it used bigger slower growing trees. I'm not sure of a way around that. The other thing is the walls are the easy part. The big lumber consumer is the roof and that will be built with wood even with a straw bale house. Adobe doesn't work well here. It isn't dry enough. It can be done but all the problems I mentioned with straw bale apply with adobe as well. Do you have ways around these issues. Maybe I just don't know enough.
@@RayBuildsCoolStuff Hi Ray thanks for coming back to me on this. I was considering implementing Bamboo as it is fairly local to the region, also I believe used for scaffolding, so it must have some key strength for structure when pegged and affixed properly. If I do go down the adobe route I will probably consider waterproof spray on the outside with a moisture barrier on top of a concrete foundation and a top concrete beam with a moisture barrier below with ru bar also putting a cris cross section of thinner ru bar every four courses. I hope the application of water protection still allows a building to breathe properly. I will also be considering a veranda all the way round to protect from rain. I will only be going up one storey. Stay safe.
I will do some videos where I discuss buildings breathing because it is usually misunderstood. What we want to do is manage moisture in all its forms and ways of moving about. I will take awhile to make this because I need to decide how much to bite off at once. It’s rich topic that doesn’t lend itself to a 20 minute format. It can be broken down but that will lead to comments filled with pointing out examples of the video being incomplete because it relies on other videos that they haven’t watched or that haven’t yet been published. I’ll figure it out. There will be a whole series devoted to discussions of the second law of thermodynamics.
@@RayBuildsCoolStuff Ray thanks for looking into this I assume you are referring to Thermodynamic Insulation. I understand what you mean about moisture being a lengthy subject in it’s ways shapes and forms, It won’t hurt to bend a few ears, that’s me being selfish. I can see that having you sharing such experience could assist and enhance a builders solvency. Have a good weekend.
Ray, I’d be very interested in learning what you have learnt about energy efficient healthy homes. I suspect that Texas might be similar to Australia in many respects so will be very interesting.
I would definitely love to learn about energy efficient buildings and other stuff! I can relate what you say about working in company projects (any kind), there is always a long list of things to do, rushing the milestones and people with negative attitudes at the end of these. Keep the good work going in your videos and very important... enjoy doing them!!!
Ray, you'd doing us all a wonderful service by sharing the decades of experience and knowledge that you have accumulated in high end construction. Given the level of detail and planning that you have shown in your solar power system, I can only imagine what there is to come in a field where you are the SME. You are 100% right on how money can buy solutions and that there is no challenge there. I strive to balance cost with performance with bias to low maintenance and it truly is rewarding. Keep up the good work.
I'm definitely paying attention! Cant wait to learn and put some things in to practice. Really appreciate your perspective on relating to other people.
i like the way you put yourself across an try to things right the 1st time, building efficient buildings is the way to go, an it should be law that all new houses have a south facing roof, as far as i'm concerned. so looking forward to them.
If residential streets ran east west it would save tons of energy by encouraging windows on north and south exposures. Passive solar would be very easy then.
Congratulations, Ray - I’m so excited for you and for this channel! I look forward to the broader building science content. Super cool. Keep on keeping on 💜
i remember when i used to build, i love the carpentry, the sticks coming up and shaping a larger structure. something about having perfect 90 degree corners that made me feel really good about myself and the people i work with, i share your love for having projects and buildings, thanks for the video.
There is a great book by Robert B Crawford called "Shop Class As Soulcraft" that speaks of the value to our inner selves when we work with our hands and connect our bodies to our brains to produce work or product. The problem solving with our mind and our hands gives us a gift that nothing else can achieve. I think this is what you felt.
Heya, oh yeah I'm intrested, I would like to make my excisting house how do you call that "net zero" with isolation, rainwater cats system + filters for drink water I have a small garden were I want to bild a glasshouse for tomato's ect ect. here in my country we don't have much son in the winter but a lot of wind so I'm thinking of a hellix wind turbine to billd myself some day. love to see more.
Thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully put together your videos - just kind if stumbled across your video on battery cells (where you end up pleased with Docan) and this video popped up and I now fear that I may be hooked 🤣. Definitely interested in your building project(s) and battery/solar energy work - there is so much to learn.
Thanks for sharing your story. I have a similar background and can't tell you how many times I was shaking my head YES. At about 6 minutes into your video you mentioned the futility of trying to throw a bunch of solar at an electricity consumption problem rather than designing efficiency into the project from the start. So many times I've had this conversation with people who are unsatisfied with their still too high utility bill after installing solar. Interestingly, the typical response is just a blank look and no interest in performing an energy audit of their house. Go figure.
Hello Ray, looking forward to your next wonderful Videos....let me ask...( for sure you know about ) what you think about the Earth Ship buildings by Mike Reynolds. I like his approach to capture solar energy by the thermal mass of the building.... ....and by yhe way...60 is not old...we are just more experienced...😉 Love the way you are so very positive... Greetings from Berlin Frank
I love the earth ship homes for the passion of the people involved. They can work in certain climates and with certain occupant expectations but they are labor intensive to the max.
Ray , knowledge is king of a wealth ! I just put my DAILY 150A BMS 15s 48v and did not have any issues turning it on , I am interested in what ever you show to build , the Wisdom you have I see you try to teach with it and you do ! My battery bank is only for emergency back up if they throw the switch and shut off electricity like in Texas , the wisdom you taught was to form smooth concrete you need very smooth plywood 😏 thanks for that knowledge !
I grew up in the residential construction world with a very innovative father. He was building energy efficient homes before it was a thing. I find learning from others fascinating. All that to say, I love what you do, and I look forward to learning from a master.
Bifacial panels would give a great look for the breezeway, allowing a little natural light through. I'm surprised there is still no "roofing system" that uses traditional panels/bifacial panels to eliminate tin/tile/shingles. love your work, passion for quality and detail, keep it up!
Oh My God! The comments I'm reading are so uplifting. I really didn't think I would find much interest, especially with the low viewership of the solar shed videos compared to the videos about batteries. I really like to see the interest but far more unexpected was the outpouring of love and positive feedback. I like the cake but that is some awesome icing y'all.
I greatly appreciate your attention to detail and your thought processes on the projects. As a fellow left-hander, I enjoy creative ideas and looking for the "best" way to do something. It usually involves crazy ideas and engineering (Painting corrugated metal roof and barn in record time using a sand blast gun and pressurizing the paint to the gun using a tank from chemical sprayer).... I would like to see a occasional segment called Rays Corner... Just you setting with project notes.. going through ideas on a project (PuppyDawg going crazy in the background) Great channel Ray. God bless you with Faith for your days.
Ray you enjoying this wonderful sunshine were enjoying after the little storm we had yesterday here in Gods Country?
Heading to Houston on Monday to pick up me modules!
How refreshing. I am heading in this direction.
I predict 100K subscribers in a month. Thanks for teaching, keep it going. Thanks
Yes yes yes, built and show us. I'm in for that stuffs!
Yes please, do it. Really interested in energy-efficient houses.
Greetings Ray all the way from cold and snowy Sweden. I as many others here dreaming of an off grid living lifestyle with time to reflect and enjoy life with friends and family. I like your content and open personality and I really think your channel with grow faster than a bambu tree :)
I like the break from technical to real life talk
We are glad you are here too Ray. Keep up the good work!
for example, say a 2" foam board barrier 6 to 8 inches in from the outer edge of the pour around the perimeter between the inside of pour to stop the cold to transmit in from the outside of the concrete.
Cheers
Ah, no, what I like to do is install the insulation on the outside of the concrete and then cover it with a finish material. On these small buildings I don't go to that trouble so there is some definite heat loss through the slab in cold weather but not problematic especially with the waste heat from the inverters contributing heat to the building.
Yes please to videos about energy/heating/cooling efficient buildings!
Congratulations on your retirement, though it may be bittersweet. You can always consult with that gentleman part time. I think I am understanding your worldview and your vision for this channel, and I like it a lot. Enjoying our blessings and spreading them around to others is what we're made for! Also, I love your smile! Thank you.
I can't call it retirement since I'm working harder than before and with the cold weather and ice earlier in the week I'm working the weekend. That never happened before. The difference is that now it is what I want to do and in April I'll take another 7 week scuba trip and hang out.
Thanks for your recognition. Giving is all we have to offer of real value. All we do and all we feel is based in one of two things, love or fear. Think about that. Greed, resentment, anger, jealousy and all the other negative parts are rooted in our fears. Charity, forgiveness, joy, faith and all the other positive parts are based in love. Be fearless! When Lennon said all you need is love, he was right as rain.
"Let me know, do you want me to take you down that path? I will anyway. I love that statement,it's your channel so you do you and we will watch and learn
Thanks Ray - in my opinion, let the other guys do the reviews. You build cool stuff. What drew me to your channel was your passion for the things you were making, and the desire to learn to make it better through the scientific process.
Keep building cool stuff, things that excite you, and share your wisdom - either real-time as you gain it, or the wisdom that was gained over your great career.
Ray, I am located over in Blanco County. You keep the building videos coming. I watched this until the end and was sad when you got to the end.
I just ordered lifepo batteries from Jenny Wu to replace a small lithium Ion battery bank after watching your video about her company.
I am also an old man at 68 and am trying to move to off grid in my life. Keep up the great life lessons and videos.
L. Moore
Simply go go go Ray! Thank you so far for the great content.
Hello Ray! I enjoy all your videos, but really liked this one particularly…and knowing more about you and your background.
Learning a lot, & appreciate all your detail.
I was offended when you called yourself an old man at 60! Lol.
You are 60 years young! And more energetic than many!! Haha.
I’m a 58 yr old from snowy, cold Toronto, Canada, and really look forward to all your videos.
Keep ‘em coming! Thx so much!
Best wishes, and best regards!
Scott. 👍
Thank you Scott. I have many building science friends and mentors from Toronto and nearby Waterloo. It is a great area and I have explored it and the surrounding areas on my bicycle in the past. Thanks for your kind words.
Ray, Keep being you sir, And I'm speaking for a lot of people, but I know a lot of subscribers will be happy to see these type of buildings being built and what material to use when building. Take care bud!
I'm excited to see you building this :)
yes please ... all knowledge is good ... cheers and happy new year ..
always a pleasure ray, look forward to new building insights too :)
Marvelous. Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to future videos. Stay well.
Hi Ray
Thanks for sharing more of your life with us. Have enjoyed you sharing your heart with your work. Would love to see videos on energy efficient homes. Have plans to build one in Washington in a few years and would appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Peace be with you. Thanks
I'm interested in learning how to build more efficient buildings that can be energy independent. Great channel good luck with the new adventure.
Yes please. Very interested in the building projects.
Good on you mate👍
Thank you for sharing yourself with us! So - 34 years ago - I was taking Mech Eng and just passed Thermo 1. I had just moved into my second place. I owned it. Now to give you an idea where I am - it is -5 F today. In the summer - while working - [mature student and a manager of 7 and 244 hrs a week] So I took a Natural Resources Canada - box of info to build Highly Efficient houses. It was marked 1978. So - I did the energy analysis on my house - to confirm my present power bill for the year. Them I spec'd all my future house reno. I kept increasing the R of everything till I got the results I was willing to press for.
The house was built in 1960. Oil heat, thru the floor. Concrete. I put R40 in the slab - funneling up against the foundation. The walls went to R40 9 inches thick. Fiberglass and styro. The Attic had 32 inches of insulation. R4.5/inch.
The first year - I dropped the power year to year by 40%. I built a house better than R2000+++ some 15 yrs before they were expected. Now I use heat pumps.
I am now 60 - retired - have a great time working with ideas that I put to paper years ago and now I build them. Cheers and love to YOU Sir!
Some of the best building science comes out of Canada because the result of failure is way more costly that just dollars on the electric bill. The buildings and the people die if it is done wrong.
Ray, it would be verry interresting, special for all the off-grid people who are in the pre-building stage, like me!
This is a refreshing channel, I would love it if you shared building techniques with us related to off grid homes, maybe throw in a rootcellar/basement design if given the chance. Thank you.
Hi Ray, So many things you talked about resonate with me. Having retired about two years ago things have never been so good. I am now able to complete some of the long list of projects built up over the years and its fantastic. The biggest thing I have noticed is not having responsibly for others excepting my family of course. Keep the videos as they are with that personal flavour.
Cheers from New Zealand in the summer.
Based on what I have seen in your previous videos, any future videos you make are guaranteed to be interesting and a pleasure to watch.
This exciting chapter that you have entered in your life is perfect for you. I hear your heart as a man wanting to share his life experiences and knowledge with others. I have such respect and gratitude for you! “Do what you love and love what you do” is what I hear you saying. I believe you will be even happier than you normally are. You have a wonderful heart and a true gift for sharing your wisdom and knowledge with this “TH-cam family”. I am excited and can’t wait to see more super efficient building techniques that I think will be on this channel. God bless you and stay healthy. P.S. I can’t wait for your next video!
It’s your channel, you can do whatever you want….. I watch channels like this to learn. So you have a yes for me. I remodel my whole house watching TH-cam videos. It’s crazy how much you can learn here
It would be wery interesting to see a low energy house/building built and then it will be possible to use the same technics to build any size house/buildings.
Thank for all your good videos!
Outstanding share Ray! Love the passion and the voice of a genuine person that cares and loves the people around him. And now you have opened up to us to share you heart and passion regarding Building Science.
It may be too late for my home to be retro-fitted for this science but still yet, you have my ear!
And cannot wait for that next solar & battery cell building video. Waiting to hear more about all the individual components that you’ve found and have used to help with that project. Many thanks!
Keep On Keeping On !!! mj
We live off grid in northern California and fire resistant structures should be required by law in these areas where living in a plywood box with asphalt roof is a recipe for disaster. We can do a lot to improve our residential building practices. I have built fireproof solar heated homes in the far north that needed very little energy input.
So keep up the good work and teaching. I really appreciate your battery videos as well as we convert to lithium ion storage batteries.
Stay awesome, Ray
Absolutely interested in building science! thanks, Ray!
Just found out about your channel and saw this vid. Amazing to see and hear your story. Hope I can learn a lot from your solar system as I also want to built off grid . Best of all!
Yes Ray, please add the efficient construction of building stuff to the channel. I have to totally agree with your concept of design. Build wise and make it fit into the constraints of your budget and use nature and efficiency to the max. I am a sponge ready to learn. Totally appreciate your very unique channel. Knowledge is power and we should all share this. Thank you for your Kindness.
Ray, We want to now how to build a great house 🏠
Cost effective high performance building subject is a great idea! There are very good channels that already cover batteries, panels, inverters etc. Some channels are covering the construction of super tight homes too, but they are often also super expensive...
I'm on board with the construction.. I've been watching your other videos over the last few days.. I just hit the sub after this one.. YES I watched to the end.. Wish you just as much success with this new adventure Cheers
You are an inspiration Ray, great listening to you.
I live on a 50 foot sailboat and are interessted in self reliance - especially the prismatic cell development and the components that make it last for years. Thanks for high quality content. Cheers from Norway
Yes Ray I am endlessly curious and I am also a paint contractor. My life is always richer just by learning a little more. All these details of how to do things better is what I want every day.
Amen brother! Sharing your blessings is what life is about. I’m on board and look forward to learning from your wisdom.
Howdy Ray! I started watching your channel from another account when you first started receiving batteries and now I'm hooked into seeing what you will do next. I think it's amazing what one person can do and I really think I will be able to learn a lot from continuing to watch your channel. Thanks for letting us join you in this journey!
Hey Ray. I love your channel. I appreciate your smart, methodical approach to a project. But I guess, more than anything, you realize life is a whole lot more than the business at hand. The job is important. But we’ve gotta ‘smell the roses’ along life’s path. We’ve got to have balance. And we’ve gotta recognize the blessings around us - and stop for a moment to ponder, throw a stick for Rona, lead the cows out to the tall grass, or grab a lawn chair and watch the hens scratch (maybe in a future video?). Brother, I subscribe and watch your channel for many reasons; The ‘prepper’ / ‘survivalist’ in me loves smart, sustainable solutions. Harnessing the sun, in a variety of innovative ways, is one. Water management and creative systems is another. And I’m excited to view your new project, where you’re putting your decades of construction expertise into designing and building smart, efficient structures. Somebody’s gotta do it. And you have the experience and know-how. Btw… You don’t need a lengthy, flashy intro (I just appreciate the “Hey y’all”). You don’t need to do product reviews. There are plenty of folks doing that. No, just keep on doing what you’re doing. Thank you!
Thanks Ray. Appreciate all your insights and thoughts. Would love to hear more about building efficient homes. I am currently building an off grid rural house in the Australian bush so any tips I can pick up from your journey would be much appreciated. About 90% of the property was burnt out by the summer 2019/20 bush fires in New South Wales, so building smart and safe is a high priority.
You explain many of the "why's" behind the how. That is how I personally learn. Thank you.
I think that it would be very useful for you to share your knowledge. I am planning to build an off grid homestead and would truly appreciate you helping me build something that is sustainable and efficient.
Great attitude - hope you're reaching a lot of (younger) people to teach your style of doing things. You're a great mentor.
Love your vids. God bless you.
I'm very interested in what you have to share about high performance building. I live in an experimental passive house built in 1983. Current building codes here still haven't caught up with it's performance. Guess who's laughing now with energy prices going through the roof. I set myself the goal of getting rid of all remaining fossil energy needs here, your channel is a big help!i
I'm excited for you Ray! Will be an interesting trip to see you on. I'm pretty old and, hopefully in my last home, but will be interested in your building projects, for sure.
Very interested in learning to build quality and efficient homes! Nobody else is covering this kind of stuff and it’s super interesting. I look forward to learning from your wisdom. Thank you mr Ray.
Nice, I love that you are as excited to show us as many of us are to learn what energy efficient buildings look like. You have a lot to say, but that's what 1.5 speed is for. 😄 Also, I'm glad your finding your happy place. My wife and I owned and managed a very small service business for 30+ years. It was a lot of work, spent mostly pleasing other people. We sold our business and retired when I was 57 and since then I really enjoyed helping others, learning, exploring, and pursuing everything that interests me. Solar and energy independence has been a huge interest of mine for years. I've just found your channel, but I'm buckling in!
Hi Ray, love that you follow your passions to the "T". Keep it up and enjoy life as I know you do...
Thank you for sharing your projects! And following your heart is a good thing!
Ray, we do listen to you, all the way till the end. I dont have words to explain how gifted you are at spreading knowledge and that too in a manner which makes us feel as if we have known you for years. Would love to see how we can make buildings more energy efficient, most certainly. Please do share your knowledge on that too once you find some free time since I know you're currently busy with the shed and other projects. And yes, what a lovely, beautiful place you have, peaceful. Thanks Ray, take good care.
So very kind. It inspires me to do my best.
wonderful idea, I look forward to learning from you! Thank you dear Ray 👍👍👍👍👍
Keep going with your life Roy! It’s the best decision one can make when it comes to decide between happiness, peace of mind and stress… especially at an age that bears experience, fulfilled life… I see myself in you and wish that in a few years I’ll have the chance and guts to walk the path you took! You have a clean, honest face and I enjoy very much to watch how you develop from now on… I’m gladly accepting being part of your channel family Roy! You are a good person! Thank you for all the advices and ideas and most important experience you share with us…
All good, keep it going. Here in Asia watching and doing the same. My cells purchase a lot less than USA but all good
Thank you so much for sharing Ray! It's brings me joy to see you've dedicated yourself to following your passion and at the same time are able to help others build sustainably!
Thanks Vallie!
Having known you for a few years I can attest to your deep knowledge and passion for building sciences. But what really struct me in this video is your beautiful vision for how the building will positively impact those using it.
Thanks Fred. Glad you found this channel. Hope to see you soon.
Hi Ray, I really happy that I come across your channel, so much in common , last year I left a very well paid job in high tech company and decided retire and to focus my energy on the off grid solutions, I’m also a part time builder so it all fits, looking forward to next videos
Congratulations on entering the new phase of your life. Thank you for taking us along for the ride. YES I'm interested in learning to build a very energy efficient house / building at a reasonable cost.
Yes would be very interested to learn more about building energy efficient buildings. Keep the information coming.
I enjoy watching your builds, very detailed, with lots of explanations in your designs. Thanks for sharing these videos.... Wish I had the money to take on a build.
From someone next to me: Hey Ray, this is Diana (Jodie's mom). I'm so glad to know what you are doing. I remember a time when you were visiting a site and showing me what you were doing (the D... house?), and you jumped into a trash bin to find empty paint cans. And they were not there. You said they stole the paint! I thought that's a man that pays attention to detail.
Yes, please. I would love to hear what you have to say. I know batteries and solar, but not how to do quality affordable construction. I'm originally from central Texas, but am now in the Pacific NW with a bit different set of challenges. Lots of moisture for half of the year and cool, then summers that can spike as hot as TX, if only briefly.
Love the PNW. Lots of good building science friends there. The systems and the science behind it will work perfectly in the PNW and is being done there to solve your issues with the moisture that seems to come from all directions for days on end.
Thank you for sharing Ur knowledge. please continue..... 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍❤❤❤❤
Great video. I have had the same experience in another company. Retired at age 57. Best thing I ever done. But it was difficult to leave a job that you loved. I’m not in the process of building another house. That does not stop me from looking at your future videos. I just love to see when things are done right.
Joseph Lstiburek??? John Straube??? Building sciences YES PLEASE. Found this channel a few days ago. Subscribed and have watched 10 episodes. 12:01 at night and had to watch this exciting, and likely my favorite to date. I love building sciences and started using solar thermal in 1982 by building a solar green house attached to my home (I was 26 and started the project with no building permit :) ). I used 8 panels of patio door replacement glass. I am able to break a sweat sunbathing in a loft bed on a -2 degree sunny day.
Added five more panels above an addition roof to pump heat into the second floor. Engineered my own trusses on a crazy two story garage. Built two storage buildings that withstood a derecho and tornado out of plastic fence panel walls with a roofs made out of 1" PVC pipe rafters and twinwall polycarbonate sheeted roofs. Tore out my 1950 forced air furnace and heating in Iowa with radiant floor heat 60,000 BTU 40 gal water heater (2660 sq ft). Take us along your next journeys.
My dear friends among many more in the building science world. Sounds like we may have to discuss the second law. We were going to anyway. hehe
Ray- Commented on one of your battery videos yesterday, thank you for liking. After exploring more of your archives I got a very unexpected but pleasant surprise with this video. I am also a Homebuilders in CTX and have a first hand connection with all your experiences as well. Trying to find a way out but I’m in to deep for now. In the mean time I have started a new project in line with your described methods to attempt to bring some fun back in the job. Looking forward to watching the rest of this series.
This is nice to hear. Keep working towards freedom and living your values. I try to remember what an old man once said repeatedly to me which is “it’s later than you think”.
Wow, Ray, big and exciting changes! I am really looking forward your future videos, I know we will all learn a lot. Thanks for giving back and I wish you the best!
Genuine man very rare nowadays. Keep up Ray!
Love what you are doing and where you are going. Looking forward to learning from you.
Thank you for continuing to share, one day hoping to build in the next few years and always looking for more information on better building processes.
Hi Ray, I really love your channel!! I watch a few of your videos every morning because I like how you view life and it's interesting.
I really think you need to write a book. That would give you the time tell your story. I would buy it!! Take care!
Aaron
10,000sf, I hope your ideas is scalable down for 1,500/3,000sf homes. I love your channel and your calm demeaner.
Just found your channel today. I'm excited to get to know you better.
Thanks for the background. I now know why your builds are soo precise. I would like to see how you build buildings and things. I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I live in a small place without much storage so have to get creative in trying to build something functional from scrap and quick and cheap and ugly and sometimes forgo heat so making something more energy efficient would be great. I strip parts off broken items to get the parts I need with budget orders of magnitude smaller than your builds. I have no formal education no this and use youtube to learn and some channels skip over lots of necessary details so it is very helpful to go in the detail you do.
You're like the Bob Ross / Steve Irwin of solar. Calm, happy and very intelligent
Well Ray where does one start. I love to watch your content, it’s really nice to hear more about you. It is also fabulous that you are sharing your skills and ethic’s. I would love to see more building videos, especially if you can power A/C for less. I am interested in building with Adobe and possibly Straw Bales in Brasil. Have you ever built with those materials? Please keep your videos coming. I am so pleased to see that the channel is growing, I want to see it grow exponentially God Bless you and stay safe.
Thank you Jeremy. You are so kind.
I never used straw bale or adobe but I've studied straw bale and advised a friend on the one he built for himself. The labor was quite intensive but he did it himself so it just took a long time. The thing that bothered me about it was that the lumber at the windows and top plates was all 2x12 instead of 2x4 so it used bigger slower growing trees. I'm not sure of a way around that. The other thing is the walls are the easy part. The big lumber consumer is the roof and that will be built with wood even with a straw bale house.
Adobe doesn't work well here. It isn't dry enough. It can be done but all the problems I mentioned with straw bale apply with adobe as well.
Do you have ways around these issues. Maybe I just don't know enough.
@@RayBuildsCoolStuff Hi Ray thanks for coming back to me on this. I was considering implementing Bamboo as it is fairly local to the region, also I believe used for scaffolding, so it must have some key strength for structure when pegged and affixed properly. If I do go down the adobe route I will probably consider waterproof spray on the outside with a moisture barrier on top of a concrete foundation and a top concrete beam with a moisture barrier below with ru bar also putting a cris cross section of thinner ru bar every four courses. I hope the application of water protection still allows a building to breathe properly. I will also be considering a veranda all the way round to protect from rain. I will only be going up one storey. Stay safe.
I will do some videos where I discuss buildings breathing because it is usually misunderstood. What we want to do is manage moisture in all its forms and ways of moving about. I will take awhile to make this because I need to decide how much to bite off at once. It’s rich topic that doesn’t lend itself to a 20 minute format. It can be broken down but that will lead to comments filled with pointing out examples of the video being incomplete because it relies on other videos that they haven’t watched or that haven’t yet been published. I’ll figure it out. There will be a whole series devoted to discussions of the second law of thermodynamics.
@@RayBuildsCoolStuff Ray thanks for looking into this I assume you are referring to Thermodynamic Insulation. I understand what you mean about moisture being a lengthy subject in it’s ways shapes and forms, It won’t hurt to bend a few ears, that’s me being selfish. I can see that having you sharing such experience could assist and enhance a builders solvency. Have a good weekend.
Look up the second law of thermodynamics. It relates to entropy. It explains almost everything that we see and experience in the natural world.
Ray, I’d be very interested in learning what you have learnt about energy efficient healthy homes. I suspect that Texas might be similar to Australia in many respects so will be very interesting.
I would definitely love to learn about energy efficient buildings and other stuff! I can relate what you say about working in company projects (any kind), there is always a long list of things to do, rushing the milestones and people with negative attitudes at the end of these. Keep the good work going in your videos and very important... enjoy doing them!!!
Ray, you'd doing us all a wonderful service by sharing the decades of experience and knowledge that you have accumulated in high end construction. Given the level of detail and planning that you have shown in your solar power system, I can only imagine what there is to come in a field where you are the SME. You are 100% right on how money can buy solutions and that there is no challenge there. I strive to balance cost with performance with bias to low maintenance and it truly is rewarding. Keep up the good work.
Time to live. That's a luxury these days for most.
Enjoy your life man👍
Great content keep it going Ray you're a great man,and watched all the way through
I appreciate that!
Congratulations Ray. Good luck going forward 👍
Thank you Jono. Hope all is serene in your life.
I'm definitely paying attention! Cant wait to learn and put some things in to practice. Really appreciate your perspective on relating to other people.
i like the way you put yourself across an try to things right the 1st time, building efficient buildings is the way to go, an it should be law that all new houses have a south facing roof, as far as i'm concerned. so looking forward to them.
If residential streets ran east west it would save tons of energy by encouraging windows on north and south exposures. Passive solar would be very easy then.
Congratulations, Ray - I’m so excited for you and for this channel! I look forward to the broader building science content. Super cool. Keep on keeping on 💜
Thanks so much! You are a very special person to me.
i remember when i used to build, i love the carpentry, the sticks coming up and shaping a larger structure. something about having perfect 90 degree corners that made me feel really good about myself and the people i work with, i share your love for having projects and buildings, thanks for the video.
There is a great book by Robert B Crawford called "Shop Class As Soulcraft" that speaks of the value to our inner selves when we work with our hands and connect our bodies to our brains to produce work or product. The problem solving with our mind and our hands gives us a gift that nothing else can achieve. I think this is what you felt.
@@RayBuildsCoolStuff thank you, i’ll look it up
Heya, oh yeah I'm intrested, I would like to make my excisting house how do you call that "net zero" with isolation, rainwater cats system + filters for drink water I have a small garden were I want to bild a glasshouse for tomato's ect ect. here in my country we don't have much son in the winter but a lot of wind so I'm thinking of a hellix wind turbine to billd myself some day. love to see more.
Thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully put together your videos - just kind if stumbled across your video on battery cells (where you end up pleased with Docan) and this video popped up and I now fear that I may be hooked 🤣. Definitely interested in your building project(s) and battery/solar energy work - there is so much to learn.
Thanks for sharing your story. I have a similar background and can't tell you how many times I was shaking my head YES. At about 6 minutes into your video you mentioned the futility of trying to throw a bunch of solar at an electricity consumption problem rather than designing efficiency into the project from the start. So many times I've had this conversation with people who are unsatisfied with their still too high utility bill after installing solar. Interestingly, the typical response is just a blank look and no interest in performing an energy audit of their house. Go figure.
Hello Ray, looking forward to your next wonderful Videos....let me ask...( for sure you know about ) what you think about the Earth Ship buildings by Mike Reynolds. I like his approach to capture solar energy by the thermal mass of the building....
....and by yhe way...60 is not old...we are just more experienced...😉
Love the way you are so very positive...
Greetings from Berlin
Frank
I love the earth ship homes for the passion of the people involved. They can work in certain climates and with certain occupant expectations but they are labor intensive to the max.
Ray , knowledge is king of a wealth ! I just put my DAILY 150A BMS 15s 48v and did not have any issues turning it on , I am interested in what ever you show to build , the Wisdom you have I see you try to teach with it and you do ! My battery bank is only for emergency back up if they throw the switch and shut off electricity like in Texas , the wisdom you taught was to form smooth concrete you need very smooth plywood 😏 thanks for that knowledge !
I grew up in the residential construction world with a very innovative father. He was building energy efficient homes before it was a thing. I find learning from others fascinating. All that to say, I love what you do, and I look forward to learning from a master.
Bifacial panels would give a great look for the breezeway, allowing a little natural light through. I'm surprised there is still no "roofing system" that uses traditional panels/bifacial panels to eliminate tin/tile/shingles. love your work, passion for quality and detail, keep it up!