Whidbey's First 5-Star Built-Green Project

Landscaping: Where the Checklist Meets the Road

2008-12-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

I’m told that Europeans don’t use checklists to achieve resource-efficient building the way we do in the U.S. Perhaps they’ve been doing it so long, they don’t need to.
The U.S. covers a lot of area, and our site requirements might vary so widely that we’re reduced to checklists. Still, some don’t make sense. I’m reviewing my landscape designer, Fran Abel’s (www.franabelonwhidbey.blogspot.com) comments on items that get property owner’s points on the Skagit-Island County Builder’s Association (SICBA) Built Green checklist.

Item 2-37 Use slow-release organic fertilizers to establish vegetation. FRAN: I don’t use any fertilizers for native plants as they’re not recommended. I like to follow the rule of ‘Feed the soil, not the plant.’ If necessary I add aged manure and sawdust to the existing soil for my planting mix. LB: We didn’t achieve 2 points for using slow-release organic fertilizer. No points for no fertilizer unfortunately.

Item 2-63 Work with WSU (Washington State University) Master Gardener Volunteer to develop landscape design and implementation plan. FRAN: Well, I’m not a Master Gardener and refuse to be a Master Gardener because they focus too strongly on chemicals, so I don’t agree with what they preach. I think this is poor advice for that reason. LB: We didn’t achieve 1 point for working with a WSU Master Gardener.

Item 2-65 Install rain barrels to store rainwater for reuse. FRAN: This is minimally helpful in the Pacific Northwest. We get lots of rain in the winter, and rain barrels overflow. In the summer – when we need the water for irrigation – we don’t actually get that much rain. If not properly covered, they create a mosquito problem. LB: I have no need of irrigation water, as I’m a firm believer in tough love for plants. If they can’t survive beyond first watering, they’re dead.

That said, Chris Onstad with Whidbey Artisan, whidbeyartisan@hotmail.com, did a great job of hand building the rock wall and manhandling some of the larger rhodies into place. On time and under budget. What more could an owner want?

Take Away

2008-11-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

On November 15th, Robert Drucker Architects, Jade Craftsman Builders and I hosted an open house for people in our area interested in green building.

Robert prepared a "take away" information sheet summarizing the project's environmental pluses. It's reproduced below.

Our Goal is Delight
In 2007, after a falling tree crushed her car, the Client hired Lydia Marshall and Robert Drucker Architects to design a guest house with a garage. The Owner, Architects, and Builder wanted to create a bright, healthy, and efficient apartment. We incorporated the quality and detailing of the main house. The Client wanted the guest house to match the assymetry and surprise of her house, and to incorporate green building principles.

Lydia and Do2 Architects had designed the main house in 2000. Lydia and Robert, Certified Sustainable Building Advisors, and Jade Craftsman Builders, are leading the project to a Five-Star Built Green certification.

Proper Siting makes Green Easy
The Guest House takes advantage of the site’s southern exposure with passive solar warmth and daylighting in every room.

Careful Construction Saves the Land
In addition to documenting the home's health and energy efficiency, the Built Green program is concerned with preserving the land, as are we. After construction the soils will be amended with compost and the land will be restored with meadow grass, native salal, and evergreen huckleberry that do not require irrigation.

Efficient Design Saves Money
The building footprint is 616 square feet, placed on a ‘brownfield’ part of the site that has been the parking area for seven years. The apartment includes a galley kitchen, full bath, laundry, and storage. The living areas are flexible and multi-use. This saves money, energy, and maintenance.

Sustainable Building Techniques Save Money
The house uses advanced framing and is super-insulated. Daylighting was physically modeled and is combined with efficient lighting and managed solar gain. The house is pre-wired for future photovoltaic panels. O’Brien & Company used REM-Rate software to model the building’s energy use, which could be 16% less than Washington State Energy Code.

Materials Selection makes the House Healthy
The interior and exterior materials include recycled or recyclable content. The finish floors are exterior grade fir plywood without urea-formaldehyde. The cabinets use formaldehyde-free particle board, The paint is zero-VOC. The bathroom floor is true, natural linoleum.

Home Energy Rating Test

2008-10-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

The Blower Door Test

On October 9th we scheduled the Blower Door Test – an energy efficiency rating conducted by Colleen Groll of Seattle’s O’Brien & Company, http://www.obrienandco.com/. Its aim is to tell you how tight your building is and to locate air leakage sites. A blower door consists of a calibrated fan for measuring an airflow rate, and a pressure-sensing device to measure the air pressure created by the fan flow. The combination of pressure and fan-flow measurements is used to determine the building’s air tightness.

The blower-door fan is temporarily sealed into an exterior doorway using the door-panel system. The fan is used to blow air out of the building, which creates a small pressure difference between inside and outside. This pressure difference forces air through all holes and penetrations in the building enclosure. The tighter the building (e.g. fewer holes), the less air is needed from the blower door fan to create a change in building pressure.

After much sealing of light and plumbing fixture outlets, we succeeded in conducting our test that revealed a reading of 1.94. According to Colleen, the apartment might be too tightly built for adequate outdoor air circulation. Robert pointed out that the exterior air vent had been sealed during the test, so that probably would not be the case.

The blower door test is one part of a home energy rating – an analysis of a home’s construction plans and onsite inspections. Certified energy-efficient homes qualify their eligible contractors for a credit of up to $2,000. Most builders will pass this credit along to their clients.

The Skin of Our Building

2008-07-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

Architects use the word cladding to describe what covers a building’s exterior. When we use metaphors to equate a house to a person, we speak of windows as eyes, doors as mouths, cladding as skin.

We used Hardi panel cement board in 4’ x 8’ painted sheets to cover the exterior of both my home and the new garage/apartment. It is a composite material made up of cement and recycled cellulose that is heavy, but extremely durable. In the six years since my home was built, all I’ve done is to wash down the siding with soapy water to cleanse it of bird droppings and slug trails. Long-lasting materials like cement board not only require fewer resources for replacement, but also reduce maintenance and repair costs.

According to the Web site, http://www.jameshardie.com/, Hardi panel is endorsed by the National Association of Home Builders and James Hardie Company is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. Hardi panel resists damage from wet, humid environments, wind impact, insects and fire. It also holds paint well.

James Hardie has 10 manufacturing facilities around the country – the nearest to us in the Pacific Northwest is Tacoma, WA – which reduce long-distance materials transport. The materials themselves, wood pulp, cement, sand and water, are low in toxicity.

On the down side, I’ve never met a builder that didn’t complain about how difficult it is to cut. That adds time to your labor costs, so Robert and Lydia drew the panel layout carefully to minimize cuts. On this project, we bedded the edges of each panel in sealant and concealed them in an aluminum trim piece.

building wraps

2008-06-16T14:34:00.001-07:00

Perhaps it hasn’t been 40 days and 40 nights of deluge here in the Pacific Northwest, but it sure feels like it. All the rain and cloudy days get on peoples’ nerves. It’s slug nirvana. Weather like this makes the Jade Craftsman Builders’ motto, “Think like a drip,” seem particularly astute. Our construction schedule is delayed a week due to the soggy weather. Robert said, “For many of us whose work never takes us away from our desks, this is a reminder that there is a natural world out there.”

This week the builders are beginning to wrap my garage/apartment in a black thermal paper produced by Fortifiber. According to their Web site, Super Jumbo Tex 60 Minute is used in production, custom residential and commercial construction needing a high performance weather-resistive barrier. It delivers over six times the water protection of standard Grade "D" paper and provides optimal breathability to prevent moisture condensation within exterior walls. More, it resists tearing and puncturing on the jobsite while providing an effective air barrier to reduce energy leakage.

“Is this stuff more durable than Tyvek?” I asked the head carpenter, Chuck, yesterday morning. “Much better,” Chuck said. He thinks that Tyvek doesn’t work well against cedar.

Our new project manager, Mark Clark, plans to use electric heat to dry the interior of the building to 10% moisture content prior to enclosing the walls – an increase of at least 5% over typical standards.

Recycling Building Materials

2008-05-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

As the roof trusses were going up, the builder enclosed an adjacent hemlock with protective tape to keep workmen from parking or piling heavy materials above its root system. He also posted a recycling checklist of how to segregate and recycle different building materials. It included addresses of local recycling centers and what materials each one accepted.

Lydia and Robert came out on Monday to take stock of their creation. Robert particularly liked the long, horizontal window that you look through as you drive into the garage. I think we need to plant something spectacular there. They checked measurements and we agreed that a medicine cabinet was needed if there were to be no storage drawers in the vanity. And Robert told a funny story about anchor bolts, the metal strips that connect the foundation with the framework of the house. It seems another architect friend designed a home for a family in Michigan. Visiting the site, he noticed the contractor hadn’t installed them.

“Where are the anchor bolts,” Marvin asked.

“What are anchor bolts?” said the contractor.

“They’re the things that keep a house from shifting off its foundation.”

“Oh,” said the builder. “We don’t have much of a problem with houses shifting off their foundations. Out here in Michigan, we just use gravity.”

An Interlude

2008-05-23T06:14:00.000-07:00

I love the humility of my original home’s site in the cup of two slopes. Rather than parading itself at the land's highest point, it became part of my 5 acres by backing up against hillsides of second-story forest growth. It looks uphill at old logging road clearings and west toward wetlands pioneered by alders.

When I woke this morning, the second story south wall was underway. It looked huge and looming from my home’s living room windows. Lydia Marshall (Drucker Architects) and Dan Neumeyer (Jade Craftsman Builders) arrived soon after for a budget and what-happens-next meeting. Lydia said she was forever thankful to the cedar we’d protected that will visually break up the south façade of the building as you drive in. Its two-stories don’t look so intimidating from that approach, but seem enormous as I gaze uphill at them from my house.

Part of that is the bright color of the new wood, which will be clad in HardiPanel painted Ranger Green like my house – blending with its cedar and hemlock backdrop. Much of its bulk will disappear in the trees.

Lydia asked today if I’d climbed to the 2nd story. I did that after work, but didn’t have the nerve to step off the ladder onto the new footing. There was a bad experience from my own roof, not being able to find the first step of the ladder on the way back down. Even so, I gazed out from 2nd floor level and saw this will be a tree house. Perched a third of the way up 30-60’ cedars, occupants will see robin nests, barred owl perches. Coyotes and black tail deer trotting by at dawn and dusk. It will be a good place to live.

Framing

2008-05-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

Framing on my project began in late April. We considered alternatives and decided that a two-story structure would reduce the footprint and ground disturbance of the garage/apartment.

My architects chose a technique called advanced framing, or optimum value engineering. Unlike conventional framing that uses wood inefficiently, advanced framing only uses studs and headers where absolutely necessary. For example, studs are spaced 24" on center rather than the conventional 16", corners have two studs instead of three. We eliminated headers in non-load bearing walls and modified the technique a little by using scrap lumber at the corners instead of metal drywall clips. Robert and Lydia dimensioned the building to match standard sizes of materials such as plywood to reduce cutting and waste.

Less wood means less waste and allows more room for insulation. Homeowners can save $500 to $1,000 on materials and 3 to 5% on labor costs by using advanced framing according to Department of Energy estimates. Savings on utility bills can be as much as 5%. Builders are still unfamiliar with this method, however, and that learning curve can slow the process. Once Chuck and Ryan of Jade Craftsman Builders started framing, though, they realized how easy it was.

Take a look at the DoE’s Web site, www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/designing_remodeling/index.cfm/mytopic=10090, for more detailed information.

Early Planning

2008-05-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

We’re going to follow my garage-studio apartment project week-by-week so you can see the choices my architects, builders and I made to reach our BuiltGreen certification. In the planning stages, I worked with Lydia Marshall and Robert Drucker of Robert Drucker Architects to design a small, innovative space that would function in a variety of ways. The 560 s.f. studio apartment above the garage comfortably combines living, working, sleeping and cooking areas.

We took advantage of existing infrastructure and reduced development of undisturbed woodland by incorporating the new building into my home’s septic system, well, water filtration system and utility lines.

Ted Clifton, the Skagit-Island County Builders’ Association (www.sicba.org) Built Green certifier, met with us to review our plans and clarify what our options for reaching 4 or 5-star certification would be.

Though I live in an area of second and third-growth forest, we oriented the building to face south so that it could capture solar energy and installed infrastructure for future photovoltaic installation.

Jade Craftsman Builders (www.jadecraftsmanbuilders.com) agreed to limit heavy equipment use to avoid compacting soils, and we preserved a 30’ hemlock adjacent to the building site. Tarp fencing downhill from the building site was erected to prevent silt runoff from disturbed soils, and we saved topsoil from the foundation excavation to be reused in post-construction landscaping.

In the foundation, we specified concrete combined with flyash – a by-product of coal-fired electric generating plants. It offers environmental advantages by diverting the material from the waste stream. Flyash also improves the performance and quality of concrete by increasing strength, reducing permeability and reducing the corrosion of reinforcing steel.

Our failures: We weren’t able to save and transplant my favorite mature huckleberry bush, which broke into dozens of pieces as it was being dug up, and some small critter took a liking to a section of the exposed propane line connecting the tank to my house. He chewed so many holes in it that I lost most of the tank’s contents before we discovered the problem.

Choosing Your Collaborators

2008-04-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

When you’re remodeling or starting a new project, you’ll begin by researching the people you contemplate working with. Whether they’re architects, designers or builders, make a point of asking for an initial interview that will include looking at some of their projects. I’m always amazed by how accurate our instincts can be. Most of us know within a few moments of meeting someone whether we’re comfortable with them. While there are a number of criteria you want to examine, simply liking the person you plan to collaborate with is significant. You’re going to experience some pitfalls, nasty surprises and down moments in the process of building. They will be a lot easier to overcome when you trust and respect your collaborators.

Ask the obvious questions about what attracted them to their chosen field and how many projects they’ve completed that are relevant to yours. Find out what gets them really excited about their job. See if they’ll tell you what they find most difficult or stressful. How many other projects will they be working on simultaneously with yours? Do they have the time and/or manpower to handle them all efficiently? What green practices, systems or products are they most enthused about? When I first interviewed general contractors for my house, my architect said, “Ask them what’s their favorite power tool?” Evidently there are clues to be gleaned, but I’m still not sure what they are.

Ask to see projects that are similar to yours and talk to the owners. Were they happy with the person? Did the job finish on time and on budget? If not, why not? What did they find most challenging about working with this individual? What was most rewarding? Would they do it again?

If you’re planning a green project that will require third-party certification, you need to involve the certifier early on. Every site is different. Every project presents unique challenges and opportunities. Review the checklists or other criteria the certifier will be using with the people you’ve chosen to work with to make preliminary decisions about what makes sense for your job and your budget.

Budget – there’s a loaded word. It will be larger than you hope. Try to find a balance between being dogmatically inflexible and a good-natured pushover.

BuiltGreen Programs

2008-04-11T17:34:00.001-07:00

BuiltGreen is a program sponsored by local builder associations that promotes environmentally-friendly projects that are cost-effective to own and operate. It's intended to educate contractors and property owners on green building options that will result in homes crafted to exceed local building codes.

Projects are rated on a 1-5 star standard, with 5-star being the most rigorous. One to 3-star ratings can be self-certified, following the BuiltGreen checklists. Ratings of 4 to 5-star must be verified by qualified third-party consultants.

Colorado has been in the forefront of the BuiltGreen initiative, but many other states and regions now have their own programs. Take a look at the Web site, http://www.builtgreen.org/ for additional information on participating builder associations in your area and to review checklists that will get you to the rating you desire.

Our local association, the Skagit-Island County Builders Association (SICBA) is currently developing its criteria for 4 and 5-star ratings. They are using King County's standards as a starting point, but modifying them for our more rural setting. We'll talk more about that as my building project proceeds.

You, too, can build green

2008-04-10T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hi. My name is Linda Beeman. I'm a 60-something native of the Pacific Northwest committed to doing what I can to preserve our environment. Welcome to my building green blog, which I hope will inspire people planning their own construction projects. Often we want to build in an environmentally responsible way, but just don't know where to start. Perhaps this chronicle of my garage/studio apartment project -- we hope it's going to be the first 5-star BuiltGreen project in Island and Skagit counties in Washington State -- will offer you the encouragement you need to begin one of your own. Maybe you're just remodeling. If so, you can pick and choose from the elements we used to try to achieve that rating.

Let me tell you a bit about myself and then explain the Skagit Island County Builders' Association (SICBA) BuiltGreen program.

My commitment to green building was reinforced by my move to Whidbey Island -- a 50-mile long amoeba squiggle in Puget Sound -- in 2002. For the first time in my life I owned acreage. With it came the realization that I was personally responsible for the animals and plant life on my land. Since the beauty and quiet of the forest drew me here, those were the elements I most wanted to preserve. I built small, using energy-efficient systems, appliances and recycled materials wherever possible.

Three years of coordinating an alternative house tour on our island kept me abreast of new developments in green building. Like health food, green houses used to be preachy, clunky structures that saved on energy and resources, but that few wanted to call home. They were the unadorned tofu and sturdy Birkenstocks of the 1970s and 80s. Advances in technology and new thinking about design changed all that. Now green building sings of its connections to the earth, safeguards our health and increases resale value. It's the perfect way to do well by doing good.

Our island has the potential to become a showcase for environmentally-sensitive building. As a realtor and a certified EcoBroker, I'm excited about encouraging my clients to go green.

Enough about me. In the next post I'll tell you a little about SICBA's BuiltGreen program. Succeeding posts will take you step-by-step through the process I'm experiencing -- the choices and trade-offs that I make -- to construct a project that's both visually exciting and environmentally innovative.