Generating power

Jobsites need electricity to charge batteries, power pneumatic nail guns and staplers, and more. In the middle of a dark Anchorage winter, when the sun goes down before 4pm, electricity is needed to create light too.

Ideally, power can be run from a preexisting point on the electical grid to a metered temporary electric panel on the jobsite. Unfortunately, things were a little more complicated for my project. The electric company needs to erect a power pole on one side of my lot with a new transformer before running the power underground. Though I initiated the process over the summer, there were some delays and the work won’t be completed until after framing is done. To keep things moving, the framing crew is using a gas-powered generator to create electricity. It’s noisy and less efficient (read: more costly) than power from the grid, but still better than delaying the project.

During an undertaking as big and complicated as building a house, sometimes the scheduling just doesn’t line up. Knowing whether to be patient and “do things right” or just muscle forward with less-than-ideal workarounds is one of the biggest challenges of owner-building.

Photos taken December 28, 2019. Posted January 8, 2020.