Granite, Marble or Quartzite?

Wandering around Stone and Surface in Melbourne, I’m amazed by the hundreds of outstandingly beautiful slabs of granite, marble and quartzite. I’m here with my friend Chris to choose something for a kitchen island. This is to be a largish island, 48 in by 126 in. No seams, please, so it needs to be a very large stone.* After checking her computer, Sylvia identifies seven suitably sized pieces, we sign a liability waiver, and go into the yard. Some stones are boring, some too light, some too dark. But they have very intriguing names. There’s “Absolute Black” – a honed, non-shiny granite. Dark, dark, so dark it won’t show the inevitable crumbs. There’s “Costa Esmerelda” – sea green with waves of sandy ripples. Verde Uba Tuba, River Storm, Rosso Fiorentino, Madreperola…(who thinks of these names? Why not me? Wouldn’t it be fun to be paid for dreaming up enticing names for beautiful stone?)

But, finally, we come upon a piece of quartzite called “Mona Lisa” that catches my eye. It is stunning. Chris is beside herself enjoying the color, the layers, the swirls!! All the colors of the earth in striations and then waves. This could be the centerpiece of the kitchen/family room, I’m sure.

One problem, they won’t tell me the price. Can I afford it?

Sylvia says, “it’s expensive.”

“Can you give me a ball park figure – just something general, plus or minus a bit? Is it a thousand? Two thousand?”

“Well, no,” she smiles as she tells me, “I cannot break our procedure. We only give the prices to the fabricator. What is the name of the company who will make the island?”

So I hand over the name of the local fabricator and go home convinced that the countertop will cost more than all the cupboards in the kitchen plus the cabinets in the bathrooms added together.

The next morning, Chris calls to learn the price. I call the fabricator. Dave says, “we really need the architect’s drawing.”

Argh!!!

I take a copy of the kitchen design to the factory. The next day, no call comes. The weekend is here; no call. Still no idea how much this potentially eye catching focal point of the kitchen will cost.

Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa, will you be the centerpiece of the most important room of the house, or the one that got away?

*Some readers might wonder why I’m looking at stone instead of recycled tile, concrete or another “green” option. Truthfully, these surfaces do not appeal to me aesthetically. My goal was to have a home that is not only “green” in the sense that it meet a high LEED standard, but also is truly an exquisitely beautiful environment. One that makes me smile as I enter. Concrete countertops do not make me smile.

Video Update

It's July and the house renovation is in full swing. You can hear the hammers and saws! Here's a peek at how it looks now.

Back to Basics

A homeowner who has made the decision to use sunlight to power his home has several choices, since no “standard” or “best practice” has been established as yet. Cost, preferred roofing material, aesthetic appeal, and the availability of rebates are often the drivers of choice.

Here are the current options for generating electricity from the sun:

Solar Panels: Seen on rooftops since the 1970’s, the number of panels depends on the desired kW produced. Roof mounted panel sizes vary with the application; the active ingredient is silicon; the housing is metal (usually aluminum); the panels are attached to the roof using metal braces and clips. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr6UEtngtdU

Thin film solar panels are flexible panels that are glued to the roofing material. They are thinner and lighter, but slightly less efficient, than the standard panels.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYJe12X6T50

Building Integrated Photo Voltaics (BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or facades. For a homeowner, there are solar electric roofing tiles ( or shingles ) or cells imbedded in cement tiles. The tiles do not change the profile of the roof and appear almost exactly like the rest of the roof (they do have a slight shine and are dark, so would be more obvious against a light colored tile). Other BIPV options are solar awnings which serve the double functions of generating electricity and providing shade. Check out the website of 4 Times Square, New York City to see an impressive commercial use of BIPV.
http://www.iea-pvps.org/cases/usa_01.htm
--or for a more general presentation: http://www.ornl.gov/sci/solarsummit/presentations/ORNL-Coonen/pdf

Once installed how does the homeowner use the solar generated power?

The system can be tied to the electric grid, so that it is added to the regular source of electricity for the home. Many Utility companies track any electricity produced, give the homeowner a credit against the power bill or mail them a check for the excess.

System tied to the grid but with battery backup to capture excess production for use when sunlight is low.

Off grid, independent solar electricity systems use solar collectors plus a backup generator.

References:
http://www.thesolarguide.com/solar-power-uses/cost-faq.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell

Team Members

Matt Gore, Architect + Structure Expert. With the vision to the benefits of renovation vs. removal, Matt transformed a little, Florida winter vacation home into a beautifully designed, energy efficient family home that will be comfortable year round. He challenged the team in the pursuit of LEED certification. We are all aware of the energy used by every device in the house and make that a factor in our choices of appliances and fixtures.

Adam Roberts and Chuck Roberts, Contractors. Professionals to the core, Chuck Roberts and his son, Adam, approach the job carefully and with great attention to detail. When they have arrived at an understanding of the clients vision for the project, they will do everything they can to make that vision a reality. Adam was a "Certified Green Builder" before the project began, so his help was invaluable.

Amy Thoma, LEED Certifier. In a field as new as the LEED certification, the homeowner requires the help of someone who understands the goals and methods of the system. Amy has been involved since the beginning, insuring that the decisions made at the early stages set the project on the correct path. As well as being a rater, Amy prepares architects for the LEED AP certification exams.

Decisions! Decisions!!!!! So Many Decisions!!!!!!

Have you ever tried to quantify the number of decisions required in building or renovating a house? I will try to do that for just one room - the master bath. This should be relatively simple and straightforward, eh? We'll see....

Decide: What overall look do you want?

Subtotal: Master Bath (1)

 

• What color do you want on the floor?
• What kind of flooring? Wood? Tile? Marble? Cork?
• What size pieces for the floor? 18 x 18 in tile? Uneven boards?
• What pattern for the floor?
• All the same or not, e.g. large format tile with small patterned border?

Subtotal: Master Bath (6)

• What kind of commode?
• Two piece or one piece?
• Dual flush? Single flush?
• How many gallons per flush?
• How high do you want the seat?
• Seat should be oval or elongated?
• Design should be modern/traditional/transitional?
• Color?
• Do you want a privacy wall?
• Will you install grab bars against a future infirmity?

Subtotal: Master Bath (16)

• How many sinks? One or two?
• What shape sink – oval, round, square?
• What color?
• Free standing or in a cabinet?
• If a cabinet, what style? What finish? What kind of hardware?
• If in a cabinet, will the sink will be self rimming or undermount?
• Will it have a single hole faucet?
• If not, will the faucets be wide spread or narrow spread?
• What style will the faucets be?
• What finish will the faucets have – brushed chrome, bright chrome, etc?

Subtotal: Master Bath (28)

• Will you have a bathtub?
• Free standing or encased?
• Acrylic or cast iron?
• What shape?
• What length?
• What width?
• What color?
• What kind of faucet?
• Wall mounted?
• Standing on floor?

Subtotal: Master Bath (38)

• Will you have a shower?
• What size will it be?
• What material will be on the walls and floor – tile, marble, silestone, etc?
• Will that material be on both walls and floor?
• Same size or different size?
• Will the material go to the ceiling?
• Will the shower have a shelf? A niche? A seat?
• What kind of hardware? A stationary shower head? Hand held shower? A bar for the shower head?
• Soap dish?
• Will the door be glass? With a frame or frameless?
• Put in a grab bar against future infirmity?

Subtotal: Master Bath (49)

• What kind of mirrors?
• Separate mirrors over sink or one large mirror?
• Framed or frameless?

Subtotal: Master Bath (52)

• What kind of lights? Twin lights beside mirrors? Strip light above mirror?
• Ceiling fixture: Light near tub? Light in shower?

Subtotal: Master Bath (58)

• What will be on walls? Paint? Flat? Special finish? Paper?
• Will there be artwork?
• What kind?

Grand Total: Master Bath (64)

So the final number seems to be 64 decision points in putting together one bathroom. Choosing each item takes time for research into availability, quality, and price. So take pity on the homeowner who takes on a renovation – her brain is swimming with details about materials, colors, design elements, environmental requirements, etc, etc.

And, in this case, the Folly has 4 full baths and a powder room! Yikes!

Lights! Water! Windows!

There have been big changes at the little house. The place is abuzz with activity – automatic hammers hitting nails, electric saws buzzing, workman maneuvering windows into place.

The underside of the roof has been sprayed with icynene foam insulation. The product is very environmentally safe and friendly. The product itself is made of castor oil. It is sprayed on with a water born spraying system and then sets as a soft solid. In the interest of super conservative safe working conditions, all openings are covered in plastic, the workers wear coveralls and masks. The job took two days so I had to stay away for that time.

Now that it’s done, it’s expected to save 50% on the a/c bill. Immediately, one can feel that the indoor temperature is moderated from Florida’s summer heat.

The rafters are supporting yards and yards of electrical wiring. Before beginning, the electrician, architect, contractor, and I met for several hours to discuss what kind of lighting to put in and where to locate fixtures. Since we plan on generating our own power, using highly energy efficient fixtures is key.

All lights will be LEDs. Oddly, we found that buying a standard fixture plus a kit to adapt it to LEDs was less expensive than buying a fixture designed for LEDs. Obviously, the market for retrofits gives those manufacturers economies of scale. To gain even greater efficiency, most lights will be on dimmers to lessen the load further. This system, called Verve, also allows the homeowner to control the lights from up to 150 away via remote control providing greater security when approaching the house.

Most water lines are in place. With three and a half baths, two laundries a wet bar and a kitchen there are many lines. Also, a new septic tank and drainfield has been put in. Rainwater to be used for irrigation will go to a buried tank, although the house itself will use city water filtered again by a whole house purification system.

Hurricane rated impact windows are heavy! Impact rated windows are designed to withstand winds of 120mph and are made of tempered glass that will shatter rather than break and fly apart. So if an object, e.g. a coconut, rock, etc. is blown against the window, it will not send shards of glass flying.

In addition, a film between the layers blocks 80+% of the sun’s rays. This low-e film will keep the radiant heat from entering the house and so reduce the energy load on the air conditioning system. I chose aluminum clad wood windows with low-e glass by Kolbe.

Most people in Florida would use either an aluminum or vinyl windows to minimize maintenance. My choice was to go with aluminum-clad wood for aesthetic reasons rather than practical ones. Good idea? We’ll see. One nifty feature of these windows is that they tilt in to make them easier to clean.

Recycle: Renew and Reuse

A house which has stood through several hurricanes (including the evil twin hurricanes, Francis and Jean, in 2004) and sheltered several generations must be made of stern stuff. This reasoning led to the decision to reject the advice of some architects to "scrape it away and build new". Our decision was to renovate instead. It turned out that the "stout little house" had much in it worth saving.

Here is a list of our effort to recycle.

The first order of business was to remove all decorative elements that could be reused, if not in this house by someone else. These included the lucite drawer pulls, stained glass windows, leaded glass windows, spiral staircase and kitchen cabinets and ceiling fans.

Left in place as much of the original landscaping as possible.

All the sand set pavers for the driveway and pool deck were taken up by hand and stored on pallets for later use. That is about 14 pallets of material.

Chicago brick taken from old fireplace; stored for reuse.

Left in place as much of the concrete slabs, blocks, beams and structural columns as possible.

Re-used all 2x lumber from he old structure in the new construction.

Left the 1 1/2" furring strips on block walls.

Carefully removed the 6"x12" cedar beams, planed and sanded them for re-use as the supporting beams for the sleeping porch and the front balcony. [Photo]

Recycled all wire, copper and aluminum from the old house.

Removed the solar panels for sale.

Removed the electric shutters for sale. [Photo]