December 29, 2009

Building The Team

Grand ideas propel us toward our vision and provide the goal for a project, but the world works in the present, hammer and nails, permit by permit. Practically, how does one produce a sustainably built house that is energy independent? How would one go about it? Certainly, I don't know. I'm not a trained engineer or architect, but I'm not afraid to ask for help. The U S Green Building Council http://www.usgbc.org/ which seeks to improve the built environment, has set guidelines for building. They have even developed point systems to measure how "green" a building is. Many corporations and academic institutions have built to these standards. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the third party certifier for the program. You may hear of a building that is LEED platinum or LEED gold, for example. Now homeowners can also participate in the LEED program through LEED for homes.

Who could help me with this project?

Obviously, an architect needed to be involved right from the start. This community, Vero Beach, FL, has many fine architects who do wonderful work. Some have won awards for residences they've designed. All are well respected professionals. But choosing someone to work with is very personal - a balance of personal aesthetic, work style, and know how. The project will take almost a full year, so compatibility is important. In addition, this job presented some special challenges, e.g. the desire to produce all (or almost all) my own power. Nor does everyone thinks this interest in "green" building is worthwhile. Aren't all good buildings "green", after all? Well, no, not in the sense I mean. This building needs to fill two functions: both to fit into the neighborhood in scale and aesthetic and to be an energy efficient and non-toxic living environment. After speaking with five architects, looking at their work and calling references, I found someone whose work I admired and who shared my interests in energy efficient design. Matthew Lee Gore ( http://www.blogger.com/mlgarchitect@rocketmail.comhas been designing houses and commercial properties in Vero Beach since 1978. In addition to his competence in the field, Matt shares my enthusiasm for innovative engineering solutions that do the job in an unobtrusive manner. A beautiful house that quietly takes care of its occupants is our goal here. His ideas as to how to accomplish this particular task will be featured from time to time.

Choosing a contractor turned out to be easy. My architect often works with Chuck Roberts of Roberts Construction, ( http://www.blogger.com/robertsconst@bellsouth.net ), a local contractor. Matt and Chuck have completed many projects together here on the barrier island. Generally, Chuck and his son, Adam, work on only one project at a time, so their full attention is on this project. Using local professionals and tradespeople is important to me as I hope to encourage local businesses to include "green features in more residence. This house is a "lab experience" as much as anything.

After about an hour's conversation, Dan Ford, (danfordandassociates.com); a local landscape architect, drew a design that exactly captured the spirit I wanted. A house within a garden - a tranquil space- with special destinations (seating areas, sculpture gardens, etc) - is one of the most exciting aspects of this project. The architect and contractor had worked with him on an earlier project, and have a cordial working relationship - another important factor in building the team.

To be honest, my notion of a "green" building may be idiosyncratic and far from what others think. As a reality check, I asked a local consultant, Amy Thoma of TierraVerde, Inc (http://www.blogger.com/www.tierraverde.com) and certifier for LEED to help keep us on track to meet US Green Building Council standards.

So that's the team - local professionals and one enthusiastic homeowner embarked on a very big endeavor!

December 26, 2009

In the beginning ....


When an issue begins to intrude into my sleep, I need to act. Maybe it's my own nervous nature, but it seems that we - users of lights, cooktops, air conditioning, tv's, computers, washing machines and dryers, etc. - depend on big power companies too much. They, in turn, suffer at the vagaries of mother nature, the oil cartel, and government regulators. With so many interests affecting the price of power, how does a homeowner control costs? Any one of the players can affect the number on an individual energy bill. For example, when the price of a barrel of crude oil goes up; per kilowatt cost goes up; when the EPA decides CO2 is a health hazard and forces power companies to install new equipment (on the timetable set by the regulator) or even, to change to a different fuel altogether; cost per kilowatt hour rises more.

* Wouldn't it bring peace of mind to be energy independent?
* Why can't individual houses supply their own power?
* Wouldn't the power companies appreciate power supplied on
  a distributed basis?

Good questions !

This project seeks to answer that question. A simple Florida house (one room deep/windows on three sides of each room) is the laboratory for this experiment. That sensible design wasn't apparent when I first walked into the house, however. Over the years, the basic house had seen large additions to both ends causing a rambling ranch-like structure. The walk from the master bedroom to the kitchen as so long and dark it was positively scary! The house had some insulation, but the overhangs were minimal, so there was a lot of sun and heat coming through the 1950's single-glaze windows.

* Query: Can this structure be taken off-the-grid?
* Would that effort be so hugely expensive as to be impractical?
* Would such a house look weird and industrial in a residential
  neighborhood?

Fortunately, there are like minded people in this area (six that I've located thus far). After looking at their efforts, it seemed that yes, a highly efficient, perhaps totally self-sufficient house is doable, even here where air-conditioning, that necessary requirement of modern living, sucks large amounts of energy.

So the decision is made: I will renovate this "house of the wandering footprint" and work to make it "off the grid" or, in my more sensible moments, as far off the grid as is possible with present technology. Join me in this journey - it's going to be quite a ride!