The Incredibly Green Home Blog

Just in time for the blizzard that's heading our way, we are putting the roof trusses up on the Greif home at 5120 Fairglen. For this project, we've contracted with CSSI to supply a turnkey framing package using Porter Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS), and engineered trusses. Their crane showed up this morning to set the trusses, and they got the whole thing done in 2 1/2 hours. Productivity!

This is the first time Bethesda Bungalows is using SIPS, and I'm anxious to see how they perform. This will be a LEED-certified home, and we're shooting for a HERS rating of under 40. Coupled with the insulated slab and foundation, and the sprayfoam on the underside of the roof, the envelope should be extremely tight.

Now if we can get the roof sheathing on in the next 5 hours, we won't have to shovel snow off the second floor on Monday.  Go Go Go!

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At Bethesda Bungalows, we are always looking to ensure that our building methods are improving. That's why, at our latest LEED project at 5120 Fairglen Lane, we have incorporated a new idea from the mind of Dr. Joseph Lstiburek, building guru extraordinaire. We've sprayed the footer with a waterproofing liquid (E-Pro EcoBase) which forms a capilllary break that prevents water from wicking up into the foundation walls. This is especially important on a lot like this one, where we encountered poor soil and significant ground water. This measure, coupled with drainage tile on either side of the footer, and EcoDrain-E dimple board installed on the exterior of the foundation, goes a long way to ensuring that water will not be entering the home.

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Even though The Incredibly Green Home is finished, it is sometimes easy to over look the small details of the house. I was reminded by guests touring the house how much of a difference the flooring makes. For this project, we selected EcoTimber brand FSC-certified Brazilian Cherry. Per LEED requirements, all tropical hardwoods must be FSC-certified.

Also known as Jatoba, the floor is open-grained like oak, but is more than twice as hard. This allows the floors to stand up to more ware and tear over time, which adds to the durability of the house.

The floors also earned points for indoor air quality as they were finished with BonaKemi Commercial Gloss finish, a low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) product.

Installed and finished by Select Floors of Rockville, the flooring really makes a statement.

Sometimes the small things make a large difference, even if you don't notice it everyday.

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The "walkability" of a particular neighborhood is a key factor in determining the desirability of the homes in that neigborhood. This is why Bethesda Bungalows identified Fairglen Lane in Chevy Chase as a prime location to focus our building efforts. Now, a new study by CEOs for Cities has validated this concept. Entitled, "Walking the Walk - How Walkability Raises Home Values in U.S. Cities", the study analyzed data from 94,000 real estate transactions, which was evaluated using the Walk Score algorithm.

The Walk Score website (www.walkscore.com) determines your proximity to key community resources such as stores, restaurants, public transportation, parks and green spaces, schools and other facilities. Based on that data, it gives your address a score between 1 and 100. The study found that in 13 out of 15 U.S. cities, higher walkscore translates to higher home values.

The Incredibly Green Home of Chevy Chase has a Walk Score of 91!! This falls into their highest category - Walkers' Paradise. For this, the USGBC awards points in the Locations and Linkages category of the LEED standard. And since our office is right across the street, Bethesda Bungalow's headquarters falls into the same category. Which makes me want to take our mascot, Romeo, for a walk.

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What a day! This past Tuesday marked a major milestone for The Incredibly Green Home, as we had a team of four green building pros from Everyday Green perfom multiple inspections. In one 4-hour period, we went through LEED, NAHB, EnergyStar and Indoor airPLUS inspections. Everday Green founders Asa and Andrea Foss were joined by Jim Conlon and Janice Romanosky as they went over the home with a fine-toothed comb.

We started by going over the LEED Durability Inspection Checklist, moved onto the entire pre-drywall inspection for the NAHB National Green Building Standard, then the EnergyStar, then LEED pre-drywall, and finally thru the Indoor airPLUS. Whew.

Asa commented, "The pre-drywall inspection went quite well. The house is very well insulated and air sealed, from the foundation walls to the duct work. We found a few small issues that were quickly and easily addressed...that's why we inspect the home at this stage when it's still possible to find and fix small insulation oversights. The moisture management system was also in good shape. The Incredibly Green Home is off to a terrific start towards meeting their green building certfication goals: LEED for Homes, Energy Star with the Indoor Air Package, National Green Building Standards, and Builder's Challenge."

Oh and did I mention that the entire thing was captured by Jeff Bankert and his crew from NAHB Productions. The will use the peice as a builder training video on the NAHB website, to be released in the near future.

Overall, the Everyday Green team has been exceptionally helpful. They are also working on another LEED certification for one of our custom clients. Their knowledge and expertise is an invaluable resource to Bethesda Bungalows.

Christian Gladu discusses duct layouts with Asa and Andrea Foss of Everyday Green.

Asa Foss inspects for proper installation of vents.

Just one more shot and its a wrap.

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Christian Gladu, designer of our homes and generally awesome guy, just sent me this note:

"Today I leave for Passive House Consultants Training in Troutdale, Oregon. The Passive House Concept is to reduce the energy required to heat a home by up to 90%. Passive Houses are primarily heated by passive solar gains and internal heat gains from people and equipment. Energy losses are minimized by very well insulated, air tight building envelopes. Exceptional Indoor air quality is maintained by the use of an energy recovery ventilator. Proper shading, window orientation and glazing selection reduces the cooling load. The U.S. Energy Administration states that buildings are responsible for 48% of all green house gas admissions and 76% of all electricity produced by U.S. power plants is consumed by the building sector.

In Europe during past 10 years more than 6000 buildings ranging from single family residential buildings to factories and schools have been design, built and or remodeled to meet the Passive House Standard. Energy efficiency is the key to reducing green house gas admissions and preserving our natural resources.

To make a substantial difference in energy consumption we need to leap frog beyond our current codes and standards to create a culture where energy conservation is engrained. Green initiatives such as LEED need to be more focused on measurable energy efficiency of buildings. A primary goal of the Passive House is to create not only energy efficient buildings but to create them at an affordable level. Architecturally Passive houses can take many esthetic directions and work in all climates. It is my goal to incorporate the concepts and principals of Passive House into as many of our new projects as possible."

Looking forward to incorporating his new found knowledge into our homes!
 

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The quality of a Bethesda Bungalows home is reflected in hundreds of building components that make up the structure. However, the windows are perhaps the most complex and in my opinion, the most interesting part of the home's design. They allow light in, and if opened, provide fresh air. They also are the critical connection between the exterior and interior spaces. The downside is that they are weakest link of the home's thermal envelope, allowing significant heat loss during the winter, and heat gain during the summer. But a better performing window reduces these effects. And in no part of the home is "you get what you pay for" more evident.

In all of the homes we've built, we've only used JELD-WEN windows. They consistently deliver a top quality product backed by outstanding customer service. After each home is delivered, their local customer service rep comes out to double check each window and make minor adjustments. This is a huge deal for our customers.

In The Incredibly Green Home, we've selected the JELD-WEN Siteline EX series. They are dual pane, aluminum clad casement, Argon-filled, Low-E 270. U-factor is .34 with a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient of .24. They provide "exceptional performance" by USGBC standards. They are also EnergyStar rated for all climates.

All of this is necessary and good for a home seeking Platinum LEED certification. They certainly pass that test.

But just as important to the potential home buyer is how they look and function. And this is where the JELD-WEN brand really shines. The windows on The Incredibly Green Home are absolutely gorgeous! With 64 windows in the home, they are a critical part of the design.

Many thanks to JELD-WEN for their continued support of The Incredibly Green home and Bethesda Bungalows.

Peter on the front porch with a triple set of JELD-WENs.

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