Demolition

This renovation involves making the house smaller -- by 1200 sq ft. Specifically it means removing a master bedroom suite and part of the family room. Today the demolition began! The difficulty lay in trying to preserve the 6" x 12" x 15 ft ceiling beams so that they could be reused in the new construction. To begin, some brush was removed to widen the road. Next, Mike Saski the operator of the backhoe, placed the back of the bucket very gingerly between two beams and gently lifted the roof. When that part was lifted a little, he moved his machine to the section between the next two beams. And so on. Gradually, the whole roof was lifted enough so that the claw could take the material away. Next the sides of the building were removed. By the end of Day one, the Master Bedroom and Bath were gone!!

energy efficient houses nearby: Willet Family, Ft. Pierce, FL

There are many reasons to build an energy efficient house but the most persuasive is the realization that the electric grid on which we depend is itself dependent on forces outside its control. Several independent minded homeowners have installed photovoltaic systems so that solar energy can run some or all of their electric appliances. From time to time, one of these homes will be featured here.

Willet Family: a family home of over 4,000 sq.feet with a 18ft x 50ft. heated pool.

year built: 2001

Power Source: 24 solar panels plus panels to heat pool plus a battery bank to back it up as well as a 20 kw LP gas generator.

---Solar system runs indoor lights, microwave oven, refrigerator, washer, outlets, ceiling fans. Pool pump and heat is solar. Also, 120 gallon hot water tank is solar

---FPL's power grid runs other major systems

---Battery back up supplies the indoor lights, microwave over, refrigerator, washer, outlets, and ceiling fans as needed. The batteries are of the sealed variety to reduce maintenance. They require a ventilated space.

Building envelope: Walls are Insulated concrete block (ICF) reinforced with rebar horizontally and vertically every four feet. Insulation rating - R-30. Metal lathe on outside/ stucco/ elastic merit paint (usually used on commercial buildings, but is great at keeping water out.)

--Roof has waterproof membrane/ vinyl soffits with extra caulking and screws to hold them in place. Metal roof trusses (rather than wood)

Floor of attic is 1 inch blueboard/ 1/2 inch plywood/ 1/2 inch sheetrock. This allows workmen to walk in the attic.

--Windows: hurricane windows plus shutters. However, low-e glass was not available in a hurricane window at the time house was built.

--Soundproofing: 5/8 inch sheetrock and fiberglass between walls.

Insulation: closed cell spray foam/ attic insulation R-40

Water: all main lines are 1 inch pipes

--has city water and well water backup

--filters city water to remove chlorine, etc. Also, softens city water.

--All water pipes - hot and cold - are insulated.

--recirculate hot water so that it will be available throughout system.

--perimeter of house has trench filled with pebbles and pipe to drain water away from the foundation

Air conditioning system: Lennox units with 2 stage compressor

--variable speed a/c

--humidistat

--piped to drain water out of building

--media filter with ultraviolet light to prevent mold and dust build up in ducts and on coils

--ceiling fans everywhere

Options: whole house surge protector

--central vacuum

--prewired sound system

--wired for computers and cable tv

--switches on all appliances to cut energy drain

Regrets: putting in a skylight and a solar tube as they are too expensive and created a break in the roof.

Resources: Home Power http://www.homepower.com/ / Solar Today http://www.solartoday.org/

What do you call a ....

New interests almost always challenge us with a new vocabulary. Think of all the terms particular to baseball - home plate? outfielder? high and inside? - ??? Consider the words special to your gardening project - mulch? prune? nematode?. You see what I mean.

In renovating a house so that it is "green" (that's the first new word; it is overused), you will be introduced to many new words. Here is a list of just a few to start. We'll learn more as we go along.

conditioned-space: A space in which an HVAC system supplies conditioned air to produce acceptable thermal comfort and indoor air quality conditions.

cool roof: A roofing system (often metal) with high solar reflectance (reflecting visible, infrared, and ultraviolet light) and high thermal emittance (releasing a large percentage of absorbed and non-reflected, solar energy). This reduces heat transfer to the building and energy needed for cooling.

dsire (Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency): provides state by state info on tax credits and rebates. http://www.dsireusa.org/

energy star: A joint program of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Dept. of Energy begun in 1992. It helps consumers identify energy efficient products and also identifies tax credits. http://www.energystar.gov/

HERS : a scoring system established by the Residential Energy Services Network which compares the energy use of a home to a reference home. The reference home has a score of 100; a zero energy home scores "0".

green power: A source of regenerative or virtually inexhaustible energy considered to be non-polluting and environmentally friendly.

green roof: A roof that is partially or mostly covered with vegetation and soil (or a growing medium), planted over a waterproofing membrane. Such roofs reduce heating/cooling loads. Also called eco-roofs, vegetated roofs and living roofs.

green wash: To falsely claim a product is environmentally sound.

HVAC: A term generally used to describe a buildings' comfort system. In older buildings, heating (radiators), ventilation (windows), and air conditioning (window units) may be separate, but usually these services are integrated into a single system that conditions air throughout the zones of a building.

icynene: a spray foam insulation with superior air sealing capabilities. Qualifies for the Home Improvement Tax Credit up to $1500.

inverter: A device that converts Direct Current (DC) generated by solar panels to Alternating Current (AC) used in homes.

low-e: also "low emissivity": Windows with special coatings that transmit most of the sun's light but block heat radiation from passing through.

Out-gas: The emitting of fumes into the air that are unpleasant to breathe and may be hazardous to occupant health. Many new paints, carpeting, sealants, adhesives, and other building materials will do this for a time after installation.

overhang: A projecting part such as an architectural structure.

photovoltaics: A solar power technology consisting of devices or an array of devices that convert light into electricity.

post consumer: material taken from used consumer products that is used again, e.g. paper, cardboard, wood, stone, concrete, glass.

recycle: To extract and reuse useful substances from waste; to use again; to reprocess

renewable: relating to a natural source which is never used up

renewable energy: also "green power" and "alternative energy" A source of regenerative or virtually inexhaustible energy considered to be non-polluting and environmentally friendly, such as geothermal, wind, water, biomass, and solar power

seer (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio): A measure of the efficiency of air conditioners with the BTU of cooling output during its normal annual usage divided by the total electric energy input in watt-hours during the same period. The higher the number, the more efficient the device.

sustainablity: improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting eco-systems"

Definitions come from online dictionaries and the Green Building and Controls Glossary from KMC controls. Thank you!

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!

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!