LEED Home in Rowayton, CT
02 December 2010
30 November 2010
Congratulations to B P C Green Builders
Yesterday we did the blower door test for the house in Rowayton. For those of you who don't know what a blower door test is you can read about it here. Basically it is a test to see how air tight and generally awesomely well constructed for energy efficiency a house is.
The lower the number the better. As a reference:
The
IRC’s current energy code requires 7 ACH at 50 pascals.
Energy Star requires less than 5 or 6 ACH, depending on the climate zone.
Tight house Less than 5 ACH/50
Moderate house Between5 and10 ACH/50
A Leaky house Above 10 ACH/50
The Rowayton House (drum roll please.....) 1.2 ACH/50 !!!!
This test just how awesome a job the contractor did at building the house. The truth is hidden in the walls and once the drywall is on the inside and the siding is on the outside you have few ways of knowing what is really happening within the walls. And if you are not on site all day everyday watching the contractors work, you could miss a lot. An architect's best friend is a trustworthy contractor. A trustworthy contractor is - of course- also the owner's best friend.
They are hard to come by but they definitely exist. BPC Green Builders (Chris and Mike Trolle) are definitely a great example.
Every construction project takes a team. The owner has a dream, the architect draws the dream and the builders constructs the dream. Along the way there is a ton of planning, changing, detailing, thinking ahead, worrying and bill paying. We all discuss and work on detailing the house and figure out exactly how it will be built. But a lot of times no matter how much you figure it out ahead of time or how well the architect details a house...it doesn't always get built the way it was planned.A bad contractor cuts corners when architect and owner aren't looking. A good contractor builds it better than the architect and owner expect.
I just want to publicly thanks Chris Trolle for a job VERY well done. Every job meeting was -if not simply very pleasant - actually fun. The entire construction project was a smooth sailing. And the results are undeniable.
I also want to thank Leslie for being an awesome client. They don't come any better: Smart, savvy, good at communication, completely understanding of the process and great at allowing the process to happen, plus a fabulous eye for design and wonderful taste. A true and equal team player.
08 September 2010
23 June 2010
01 April 2010
Rowayton- Solar Day
Today we had the guys from C-Solar out to the Rowayton,CT house to map out the PV and Solar Thermal systems. The roof faces due solar south- perfect orientation - (because we planned it that way!)and we have 2 different roof slopes. The main roof will be optimal for winter sun PV and year round solar thermal. The big shed dormer provides and excellent angle for the summer sun. We can easily fit a 10kW PV system alone, OR 7.5kW PV system with 3 or 4 solar thermal panels for hot water. The guys are going to crunch the numbers (show us the rebates and tax incentive numbers and energy use estimates) and then the client will decide which way to go.
This house also has a geothermal system.
With these three systems working together- as well as the super energy efficient building envelope, LED can lights throughout, low flow plumbing fixtures, and energy saving controls - the client will see a great reduction of grid based energy use. We will tell you the exact break down of numbers later after all is up and running.
Now we just have to pick a floor stain color...
70 degrees and sunny! Happy spring.
Elizabeth
16 March 2010
Rowayton - Design Drawings and Concept
This house in Rowayton, CT is approximately 4,000 sf including the basement, 1st and 2nd floors. It is being built on the site of a previously existing 2,200 sf home. The original intention of the owner was to keep as much of the existing structure as possible. In this case, however, the ceilings of the existing home were all 7’-0” tall and the structural members of the home could not economically support any additions. (Large quantities of steel would have had to be added. This was a disappointing revelation for both the home owner and the architect shared the goal of creating a very green, LEED certified home and keeping the existing home from entering the landfill is a big first step in sustainable construction.
Once it was decided to tear the existing house down and start fresh, we were given a bit of a blank slate as far as design went. We had a few parameters to work with:
1. The footprint would be limited by zoning code to approximately 1400 sf.
2. The house would be turned to face due solar south for a roof PV installation.
3. The driveway could not be moved.
4. The major living spaces in the house should face the view (a small pond and stream in the back yard.)
5. The first floor would be open living space, the second floor would hold 3-4 bedroom for the family of 4 and the walk-out basement would house playroom, guestroom, mudroom and garage.
6. The clients were invested in the idea of having a great house for entertaining.
7. The clients were very invested in the idea of having an extremely energy efficient and healthy house that they would have LEED certified and would do so for the purpose of promoting environmentally friendly building.
With these parameters in mind we came up with these floor plans.
The house is highly suitable to the family and every space is utilized. There are no useless living rooms and dining rooms that are only used 2 times a year. The spaces are flexible enough to work for the family during day to day life and for friends and parties when needed. For example, the dining room is designed to be intimate in its located space but able to expand out into the foyer when a long table is desired. The bedrooms were designed as more intimate spaces for sleeping only with large closets storage, sitting rooms and bathrooms for other uses that often creep into bedroom living.
Rowayton Foundation and Basement
This image shows the foundation of the Rowayton house. The foundation is constructed with a product called Superior Wall. Superior Wall is a a pre-manufactured insulated concrete wall system. It comes to the site in large panels shipped on trucks and lifted into place by crane. The panels are set on a gravel foundation and bolted together on site. The manner in which they lock together creates a weather and water tight bond which is then also water sealed along all of the outside underground surfaces. The benefit of something like superior walls is that they are pre-insulated (Similar to ICF’s*) and due to their T-shape they break a great deal of thermal bridging*.
