Posts Tagged ‘custom builders’

The ORO coating complete

August 13 2009

“When you start looking and keep your mind open – you’ll be amazed at the number of options you really have.”

This is something we learned on one of our custom homes projects. With green building, one really finds many viable and better alternatives if one looks long and hard enough. Take the case of this current project. One of the issues builders always face while building or remodeling is how to ensure stability of the house in a seismic zone like the one in Olympia. Using quality building material is, of course, a must — but not enough. Conventionally we’ve been using cement-based stucco to go apply an exterior finish to ICFs, (insulated concrete forms) but since it is cement-based, it normally tends to crack in the event of movement which happens to all houses here in all the Northwest. We found the answer in Oro coating.

Oro coatings is a synthetic stucco system, that can be used in place of traditional stucco to provide great coating, finishing, stability, adhesiveness and pliability which makes it the perfect stucco system for homes that are prone to damages during settling, due to seismic shocks and due to thermal expansion. However, most of all, 48% of this system is made from recycled or reclaimed materials and is 100% acrylic resin-based with no cement. One of the four components of Oro coatings is reclaimed rubber which contributes to its pliability. The entire system consists of a base, prime and top coat in 24 different colors, three textures and custom colors. We realized later that using Oro coatings also helps us gain credits for LEED certification. Our designer Tessa Smith had us router some clover details on the walls, which look absolutely fabulous with the Oro stucco. To know more about the Oro coatings, you can visit their website: http://www.orocoatings.com

The other great thing we learned on this project was related to insulation. Traditionally, attics are hardly ever heated. With this home, the attic was quite small with a shallow sloping roof. There were three things that needed to be taken care of. First, the heat recovery ventilator was to be installed inside of the attic, which meant additional insulation for its duct work. Secondly, because the attic was small, it would be impossible to have use blown in insulation due to  limited access. This meant we would have to use batt style insulation installed between the bottom cords of the trusses. No matter how good of a job your installers do, with this type of installation you always get air gaps, which allows heat to escape. Thirdly, if the framing members, ( 2 x 4 bottom cords) are not covered completely, (which is always the case when you use batts), a thermal bridge is created. In the absence of proper insulation, heat escapes easily through the wood member. We solved all three problems together using 2 lb foam spray insulation on the underside of the roof deck. This created a conditioned space within the entire attic. Thus, there is no need for insulating the duct work for the ventilator, since the entire ventilator now lives with in the conditioned space. Next, it takes care of the gaps that will result out of the batt style insulation, since the foam expands as it is applied and  penetrates into every gap in the framing members thus eliminating  all air gaps. Thirdly, since it is five inches thick, it covers all of the plywood roof sheeting and the top cord trusses member thus eliminating the possibility of thermal bridging. All in all, we have a very tight house that should be very inexpensive to heat.

In the next few weeks the drywall gets installed as well as the exterior hand rails and window sills.

The Red clovers really add to the look of the house

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US tax advantages of Solar panels (both water and electric)

Here’s another ‘sunny’ incentive to go green: Using solar panels and other solar powered equipment can help you avail of a tax credit of up to 30% of the cost, with no upper limit. The tax credit is available for both – solar water heating systems and for photovoltaic cells that produce electricity. Solar water heating system must create at least 50% of its energy from the sun and must be for use in a residential property. Tax credit cannot be claimed if you’re looking at heating up your swimming pool, Jacuzzi or hot tub, only for simple every day usage within the house. It is important, that your system be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation or the Energy Star.

With photovoltaic cells, you can avail of similar 30% of cost tax credit for residential electricity needs. It is also important that the panels meet the necessary fire and electrical code requirements.

The tax credit is available only for systems ‘placed in service’ before the 31^st of December, 2016. To avail of the tax credit, you will need to file the IRS Form 5695 for the year during which you’re claiming tax credit. Along with this, you will also need a statement of certification from the manufacturer, certifying that his products meet the qualifying criteria for the tax credit.  

The passive house standard for the best energy efficiency your home could have.

The Passive House standard (passivhaus in German) is a very strict and rigorous standard for energy efficiency in homes and other closed structures. Passive House standards lay down guidelines for creating houses that have ultra low energy requirements for their cooling and heating creating highly energy efficient structures. Passive House standard is often confused with Passive solar building design. Although both look at same ends – creating energy efficient buildings – passive solar building design is one of the techniques involved in creating a house that meets the Passive House standards. As such, Passive House can be said to be a broader building concept when it comes to green building.

The unique feature of houses created using the Passive House standard is that they save up to 90% heating costs, largely by employing passive solar techniques and excellent insulation and ventilation systems, AND it is possible to create such a house even in regions with relatively little sunlight at costs that can equal those of regular homes. In fact, passive houses are largely found in European, specifically Scandinavian countries, where sunlight is much less than what may be thought desirable to induce solar heating. Thus, it is easily possible to execute such a system in the kind of weather we have and more importantly, to make it sustainable.

Also, because of the kind of ‘air-tightness’ and insulation these houses provide, the indoor air quality of a passive house is much better than what is found in other houses (That’s one more credit on the LEED rating system in your pocket)

We brought in two crew members from ICWalls, Inc. This is the company that installed the ICF’s (insulated concrete forms) on the first floor of the house. We hired four local carpenters to assist them with the walls. The walls were completed on  April 30th.

Constructions also began on an eight foot high retaining wall in the front of the house. Once complete, this wall will give the Coopers a 12 foot wide level front yard.

Forming up the footing for eight foot retaining wall in the front of the house

All the retaining walls, and the footings on the house, have perforated pipe installed at their bases. The pipes have been wrapped in silt fabric to prevent infiltration of dirt. Drain rock was then put over the pipes, and covered in silt fabric before backfill soils were added. These pipes were connected to the city storm drains in the front of the house so all water along the foundation or retaining wall is now carried away from the structure. In the future, the Coopers hope to add a water collection system that would capture some of the rain water and store it for irrigation in the summer.

Tomorrow the framers will start the interior walls and then the trussed roof.