| The
Goal: Build a new home using
as many environmentally-friendly features and technologies as possible.
The over-arching strategy was
to build a structure that consumed as little energy as possible and
would have extremely low operating and maintenance costs. This meant
focusing investment on the efficiency of the building "envelope".
Beyond that we tried to source sustainably produced building materials
wherever the cost was within reason. The project was a 4 bedroom single
family home with an Accessory Dwelling Unit in the daylight basement.
We relied on the experts at Martha
Rose Construction for project oversight and consulting. Martha and
foreman Bob Schmelzle were fantastic.
It started with the DEMOLITION
of our old house - In January of 2006, the permits for our
plans were approved. We used sledgehammers, sawzalls, and muscles
to take the old junker down. Check out these videos of the maison massacre:
1st smash! 2nd
smash!! 3rd smash!!! -- Check out the
house pre-demo. We were able to recycle
and/or sell a lot of the materials by putting them on craigslist or
taking them to a building salvage business - see the resources
page for further detail. People on craigslist will take almost anything
if it's free (e.g. a pile of dirt, a half gallon of orange paint, six
pieces of old cedar siding).
February 2006 - Excavation
for the new foundation begins. We had placed ad's on Craigslist for
free topsoil in the months preceding the excavation. About seven people
came by and loaded up dirt which helped a little with excavation costs.
Our neighbor came over with a sod cutter and took half the grass from
the front yard. The foundation was sealed and a moisture shield was
installed. The ground in Ballard is topsoil for about 1 foot - under
that is clay and rock that will break your shovel (and your back!).
March-April 2006 - and Framing
and then Plumbing and interior rough-in.
We had planned to have a view of Mt.
Rainier while lying bed, we now have confirmation that we got the
calculations right! We used plywood instead of OSB to cut down on formaldehyde
leaching, but we couldn't find sustainably harvested framing timber
at a price even close to reasonable (maybe on the next house?). The
house is framed with 2x6 timber to allow for deeper insulation fill
and uses a raised heel truss (aka Energy Heel) to accommodate full ceiling
insulation coverage. There is a layer of 3/4 inch rigid foam insulation
between the framing and the exterior plywood sheathing layer. In the
basement apartment, there's a 3 inch thick layer of insulative foam
under the slab.
May-August 2006- It all seems like it's moving so
fast. In go the windows and doors
- they're Atrium argon-gas filled and have a low "E" coating.
We reused the front door from the demolished house as a back door. Up
goes the drywall and orange-peel
texture. Up goes the siding -
we used cement board from James Hardie. It should only require paint
every 15-20 years.
September-December 2006 - Now everything seems to
move in slow motion. Mainly because we started doing more of the work
ourselves. The cabinets go in.
Coming Soon - Tile, Heating, Vent, Finish Concrete, Exterior Decking,
Landscaping and getting the Final Inspection.
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