Green Crossroads in Upstate House

We approached the Upstate House project with a commitment to several objectives. First and foremost was to build a more environmentally-friendly home -- one that would cost less to operate and maintain and that would also have less impact on the environment. As we’ve often said, our goal was not to be green for green sake; rather, to find that crossroads where more sustainable decisions were also economically viable. If green is to make progress then it must be price competitive – at least in terms of total cost of ownership (original purchase price + operating cost + life expectancy and/or maintenance cost).

Yogi Berra said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Here’s a quick summary of the green crossroads that we “took” in this project.

Recycled Lot: The selection of our building site was perhaps one of the most critical of our green decisions. Rather than seeking to build on a virgin site, we opted for a recycled lot – a property that had once supported a house. Thus, the site already was supplied by the full range of utilities from cable to sewer. Another aspect of the site is location -- an “inner city” lot. By choosing to locate nearer services, we can literally meet many of our daily needs on foot. We’re less than a half-mile from a diversity of restaurants and even a small grocery store.

Open space conservation: We purchased not only the lot for the house but also an adjacent lot – the only never-developed parcel in the Pettigru Historic District. We intend to subject the property to a permanent conservation easement that will forever restrict development and turn the property into a public Woodland Garden.

Protecting Tree Cover: We worked with a certified arborist and sought registry under the National Arbor Day Foundation’s “Building With Trees” program to protect every mature tree on the property. Thus, even though the house is new, the grounds have an established feel and much shade. In fact, we don’t get direct sun until afternoon.

Aspect: We took a couple of pages from historical building practices. We re-oriented our original house footprint to take advantage of nature. We aligned the largest face of the house to the south and west to capture the afternoon sun.

Wide Overhangs: We are taking further advantage of the sun by having extra wide over-hangs – another historical building practice. Thus, when the summer sun sits at a higher angle in the sky, fewer rays enter the windows. In winter, when the sun rides a lower angle, more light (and thus warmth) is drawn into the house.

Shared Drive: The property adjacent to ours had been converted from a cute Sears Kit house to a commercial building several years back. To meet parking and other commercial codes, the owner built a large drive and expanded parking behind the house. We obtained an easement to allow the drive to be shared between the two properties. Thus, we didn’t have to add additional paved surface that would further exacerbate runoff.

Insulation: I’ve often been asked what “one thing” would you do to make your house more efficient. While the question is a difficult one, perhaps nothing yields more benefits for the investment than ensuring a sound building envelop. We opted to invest heavily in insulation. Here we got multiple benefits. Not only did we go with spray foam insulation for its superior insulating qualities but due to the fact that we used BioBased, we supported a product that replaced a significant portion of its petroleum base with soybean oil. The foam yielded a tighter envelope that also addresses allergens and dust as well as providing a superior sound barrier.

Windows: We opted for top-of-the-line double-pained/argon gas filled windows from Marvin. We also went with casement windows vs. double-hung ones because the casement ones provide a much greater seal against airflow. Finally, the exterior of each window is clad in aluminum to address the serious weathering and decay issues common to exposed wood on window seals.

Framing Lumber: All of our framing lumber came from suppliers who have been independently certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) Program Standard as being from forests that are well managed.

Engineered Wood Products: Our trusses were designed and manufactured, again using SFI certified wood. By using trusses vs. on-site building, we were able to ensure superior quality and reduced wood waste. We also used exterior Oriented Strand Board (OSB) and flooring that was SFI certified. OSB is produced from waste and/or lower quality wood yet yields a superior product.

Using Local Suppliers: Wherever practical we opted for locally grown and produced products to support the local economy and to reduce the cost of shipping and use of fuel in transportation. For instance our framing lumber and OSB both came from manufacturing facilities within a 50-mile radius of the house.

Woodstove: The fact that we’re on a heavily treed lot made the decision to go with a woodstove a natural one. We sought one of the most efficient models made – Jotul of Norway, where heating with wood isn’t something taken lightly.

Natural Lighting: We wanted to pull natural light into the house wherever possible both to reduce energy needs and to benefit from the therapeutic effects of natural lighting. We put Solatubes in the office area and Velux operable skylights in the dining area. The operable nature of the skylights will allow us to vent warm air in summer and take advantage of natural air flow on spring and fall days.

Wallboard: Thanks to advances by Georgia-Pacific, we were able to choose drywall without the traditional paper face. This product offers superior resistance to mold and mildew growth.

Flooring: Our choices of flooring offered a multitude of environmental as well as health gains. We opted for hard floors throughout to reduce allergy issues common with carpeting – both the dyes and glues in the carpet and the dust and other allergens that they harbor.
· Once that decision was made, we decided to go with different flooring types in different areas. In the two guest rooms, we went with bamboo flooring. The product offers an attractive look and extra hardness from a rapidly renewable product.
· For the office area we featured a product developed by the US Forest Service and manufactured by Oaks Unlimited from recycled wooden pallets.
· For the living floor we decided to showcase Lyptus, a new product grown on old farms in Southern Brazil. The wood, produced in 14 years, shares the qualities of mahogany or North American hardwoods that take 80 years to grow.
· All of our flooring came in pre-finished form, thus eliminating the need for on-site finishing and associated volatile organic compounds.

Roofing: We wanted a roofing material that would have exceptional life and that would also mimic the slate roofs of several of the more prominent structures in the greater Pettigru Historic District. We found it in CertainTeed’s lifetime warranted Centennial Slate that also contains copper to impede algae growth.

Hot water: We made two decisions that should augment each other in reducing energy demands required to heat water.
· Solar Hot Water: We installed a 50-gallon roof-mounted solar hot water heater.
· On-Demand System: With the solar tank serving as the hot water tank and pre-heater for an on-demand whole house system by Eemax, we avoid the need for a traditional hot water heater that runs 24-hours/day.

Insulated Concrete Forms: The house foundation and basement walls were constructed using Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs). These “Lego-like” foam blocks speeded construction but more importantly yielded a sound foundation with an R-50 energy rating.

Gutters: With a heavily-treed site and an exceptionally tall roof line, we chose to eliminate gutters completely. This avoids the issue of clogged gutters that require frequent cleaning as well as the problems associated with rot so common on fascia board behind gutters. With gravel poured around the foundation of the entire house and the extra wide overhangs, runoff will be directed away from the house.

HVAC: After making the envelope as tight as we could, we were able to go with a single 3-ton system as opposed to two smaller systems. We specified an Amana 14-SEER efficiency system with zoned controls. With a single super-efficient system rated higher than current regulations (10-SEER was required when the house was planned; 13-SEER became the new standard on 1/1/06), we have less equipment to maintain and a system that should take us many years into the future.

Paint: Sherwin-Williams’ new family of GreenSure paints offer exceptional durability with low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fumes for interior paints.

Appliances: All kitchen appliances are energy efficient models made by Whirlpool. Each promises at least 30-40% greater energy efficiency than standard models as warranted by EPA’s Energy Star program.
· We also went with Whirlpool’s Duet® Washer and Dryer because they not only offer greater energy savings but also substantially less water usage for each load. (We’re very pleasantly surprised and pleased with how clean our clothes are and how much less wear and tear they are exposed to with the more gentle, non-agitating system).

Decking: The screened porch, front porch and small deck are all made of ChoicDek®, Weyerhaeuser Company’s engineered product comprised of wood fiber and recycled plastics. Not only does ChoiceDek offer a lifetime product but it additionally eliminates the annual waterproofing treatment necessary for traditional treated wood decks.

Native Plants: All plants for the Upstate House landscape plan are native to the Upstate area. Thus, we’re addressing two issues – avoiding the introduction of invasive exotics and using plants acclimatized to our weather. We opted not to install any irrigation systems, further reducing maintenance needs and water use.

Siding: We wanted an exterior siding that fit well with other structures in the Pettigru Historic District and that offered low maintenance. We opted for board by James Hardie an engineered product comprised of wood fibers and cement. The new generation of Hardie, ColorPlus®, comes pre-painted and offers even lower maintenance.

Bathrooms: It seems that modern houses are vying for at least one & one-half bathrooms for every person who might ever visit. We purposefully designed for two bathrooms to meet both the needs of residents, guests and clients who might visit. By so doing, we not only avoided additional high-cost items, but more importantly, lessened the long-term problems associated with slow leaks so common in rarely-used toilets and sinks. We also specified Toto toilets for their superior construction and flushing capacity using very low amounts of water.

Fluorescent lights: With the exception of emergency floodlights on the exterior, all interior lighting will feature new generations of compact fluorescent lighting – operating without giving off unwanted heat, but also using far less energy and providing longer life per bulb.

Conditioned attic and basement spaces: Through the beauty of ICF’s as the basement walls and BioBased spray foam insulation in the roof trusses versus the ceiling, our attic and basement are conditioned space. Thus, in summer our attic will be only a couple of degrees hotter than our interior. Likewise, all ducting is in spaces that are conditioned and therefore don’t serve to counteract the heating and cooling systems.

Art & Recovered Wood: The front door was custom-designed and crafted by Bob Ripley from heartpine recovered from an area textile mill. It is truly a recycled work of art.

California Corners: Traditional building techniques in the south (and perhaps nation-wide) have two two-by-fours arranged perpendicular to each other at corners. This construction technique leaves a gap that no insulation can adequately fill, thus leaving multiple places for potential air infiltration. Simply by placing the two two-by-fours in tandem the gap is eliminated.

Cultured stone: We used stone accents for three columns on the front porch as well as for a decorative barrier and thermal mass behind the wood stove. In both cases we specked “cultured” or manufactured stone. The product is made of recycled rock and cement to form a more uniform material that saves significantly on installation.

Concrete: We studied both super high ash content and pervious concrete for our two concrete applications. We reviewed the potential for high ash concrete (currently most concrete contains 25% fly ash from coal fired plants) for the foundation and ICFs. However this would have required the addition of cement thus increasing costs and off-setting gains. Additionally, as we opted for standard impervious concrete in the small section between the current shared drive and the garage as the location would not have benefited greatly from a pervious surface.

Recycled concrete and stone: Wherever practical on the site we reclaimed rock and concrete for use in retaining walls, landscaping and/or to serve as water management devices. Too, for all our decorative stone needs -- wood stove hearth and three front porch columns -- we opted for manufactured stone. Manufactured stone is comprised of waste product from natural stone and cement operations and requires about 60% less labor to install.

Building standard: Underlying all of our decisions was a commitment to build not with just a few “green features” but to build a truly “green home.” We wanted neither to reinvent the wheel nor keep our learnings and savings to ourselves. Therefore, we used the Upstate House project as a lever to help bring the EarthCraft House Standard to South Carolina. Currently homebuilders in both Charleston and Greenville are piloting the standard for the entire state. Our greatest hope is that others – especially those building for low-income individuals (Habitat for Humanity, public housing) – will adopt the standard for its gains to society as a whole and because of the energy savings as well. We are especially appreciative to Southface Institute in Atlanta and the South Carolina Energy Office for making the adoption of EarthCraft House possible.