First, it's not "my" work. The builder-owner is hands-on; he built his last two houses himself; as in: bought skidloader, dug foundations, took the local tests [w/spouse] then did did own wiring & plumbing and roofing and windows....This time around, he's less able - he hurt his back badly on that one, and has far less time thanks to his Day Job responsibility.
There's a local licensed contractor, electrician, architect, coordinator;....and then the [literally] $100K worth of experts and plans Santa Cruz County requires before he gets a building permit. They alone are more money then the last house cost the two of them.
He's a friend, he trusts me to ask [sometimes blunt] questions, and maybe answer them. He pays me well enough; but I can tell & do him he's wrong.
This is in a redwood forest/treefarm in NorCal; carefully set to cause no trees to be cut. There's an attached poolhouse. [Dijaknow that an interior pool, with concrete/tile deck, must be sprinkled to meet 13D? I was worried the water would catch on fire was how he put it...] The power part is only a fraction of the tasks; there's also the water, the HVAC and comms -- he and his spouse's jobs are highly dependent on good 'net access but that's making the PG&E issues look easy. He's 5 miles from a 1600 ft antenna on a 2000 ft. mountain, and we can't see it....
He really hates it when the water fails at his current suburban house. Even if ALL power fails, or the 13D pump; at least the 1st fl and basement toilets will flush, and with 20K of water reserve, you don't go thirsty.
Best part may be the neighbors; basically the decadents of the old man who homesteaded the area in ?1860? There is a collective "tool library" where you can borrow things.....things like a Fiat-Allis HD 30 {~Cat D6}, a road grader, backhoe, 9000# offroad forklift, Ditchwitch, and such.
The solar system... There will be SMA Sunny Boy backup inverters 4x5KW. Then somewhere around that of Sunny Island grid-tie units, SMA promises that after PG&E takes the day off, and the ATS has swung over; the grid-tie units will come back up and get in sync with the backup ones, recharging the battery bank even without the generators, iffen there's sun enough. And if the generator is commanded on, the SMA's get in sync with it, reducing its loading.
We were doing it all in 3ph, with 480/277 from PG&E, but the PG&E connection charges plus other issues forced us back to 240/120, saving ~$40K. Even so... Today I was told they will not accept 2" Schedule 80 HDPE for the primary feed; it has to be the far weaker DB120 PVC. The pullbox they require, a 025601, is $2500. I think the concrete is laced with gold. Plus, their Greenbook's links, every one, are broken.
But it's fun to learn so many new things.