One of our homes that is currently under construction was recently featured on WBIR Channel 10. This home is expected to gain LEED Gold Certification. Watch a clip from that broadcast below…
Archive for the 'Sustainability' Category
Every so often we stretch our wings and reluctantly try new construction materials. I say reluctantly because we have been burnt in the past by materials that were cutting edge and overtime ended up being major problem products: ie, PVC membrane roofing, EIFS, and most recently Tendura Plank porch decking.
However, after consulting with members of our project team we felt it was time to try an insulation system we have been hearing about for several years now – Icynene. We decided to use it on a LEED-certified and Energy STAR qualified project in Knoxville, TN. The Icynene system’s strength is not in a higher R-value as much as in its ability to seal the home tightly and prevent unwanted air leakage.
Iceynene explains on their wesite that “R-value measures energy moving in and out of a home through the insulation material (conduction). But the real energy-waster is air leakage (convection) – the cause of up to 40% of a home’s energy loss (Source: U.S. Department of Energy).”
I like how quite this insulating system makes the home even before gypsum board is applied. I also like the ability to insulate the ceiling deck so that all attic mechanical ducts are within the insulated envelope of the home providing additional energy performance. And it is fun making hand and face prints in the stuff before the wall boards go up. Once the insulation is installed, the house is so tight that the HVAC system must provide fresh air to keep the indoor air healthy for the inhabitants, so a poor mechanical system with this product could be a real problem. My biggest complaint about Icynene so far is the strong odor the product emits when being installed. Also, like most chemically created products, it consumes a great deal of energy during manufacturing. Icynene cost about %40 more than standard Fiberglass batt insulation but the trade off is some significant payback on the utility bill. In the end, I am confident the product will perform well for the home’s inhabitants for generations to come.
Steve Mouzon from The Original Green Blog posted a few thoughts about The Simpler Way, in which he describes how buildings used to be built utilizing local materials and building methods, and how those same building methods can be used adapted to build a range of structures from a utilitarian farm shed to a refined mansion. He calls this spectrum the Classical/Vernacular Spectrum.
Go read Steve’s post and then come back and read my comment to him below. I completely agree with Steve’s thoughts, but as I read through the post I felt that there was an underlying issue that had not been brought up: the question of why? Continue reading ‘Great Thoughts from Steve Mouzon’
Lovable Place No. 2
Simply put… Home. What is there not to love about white clinker brick, steel windows, slate roof, old towering oak trees and whistling radiators, all filled with children laughing and lots of love. Living in a “lovable old home” there is much I gripe about, but in the end my affection for it always wins out.
The home is a simple arts-and-crafts inspired English Tudor built by a father-son/builder-architect team in 1927. The concept is classic Tudor: side facing gable ends with a single dominant front facing gable, and of course, the well proportioned entry turret. It is on an up-hill site, has a wonderful walled courtyard in the back to retain the terrain above. Some fascinating details include the use of teak wood for the interior paneling and trim, no interior wood casings on the windows, self-supporting precast concrete spiral stairs, and no exposed exterior wood – truly a low maintenance home.
The architect (the son) Edwin Peckinpaugh was 24 years old when he designed the home, a recent graduate of Penn University. He went on to design some of our city’s great homes before moving to Sacramento, CA in the 1940’s – he was a real talent. You can read more about Edwin at the now Stafford King and Wiese Architects.