Project Description
On a freezing December day in 2008, an electrical fire burned through the center portion of this home and destroyed the lower level,. The kitchen floor above collapsed into the basement as the fire spread to the 2nd floor. What was not destroyed by the fire, was ruined by smoke, and water damage. The family came home to a devastating site, their home and everything in it, frozen into a carbon crusted pile rubble.
The architect, a friend of the family, assembled the design/build team, a group of local tradesmen interested in honing their sustainability skills and applying their knowledge. Getting the family involved in their new home and on the road to recovery was a priority for the architect. Shortly after the fire, the team began meeting weekly with the owners to review and coordinate all project goals. The team members, including the general contractor and major sub contractors, agreed to provide all work at cost, and get the family back in their home as soon as possible.
While the family was busy sorting the remains, the architect worked with the three teenage children to help keep them involved and interested. One helped with on-line research for the LEED for Homes program and communicated with the architect via email, the others learned about renewable energy systems that might be appropriate for their new home. The kids became more excited about renewable energy and turned their tragedy into extra credit by reporting on their proposed energy systems at school. The budget was limited to the insurance claim plus the family’s contribution for the additional square footage. The LEED checklist provided a valuable focal point for the family and team and all agreed that we would collectively use, re-use, recycle, scrounge and find sustainable solutions for every situation.
A “Pizza Party” was organized to de-nail the exterior cedar deck, and another for staining interior trim and exterior siding. Friends classmates, design/build team members and the family all came together to pitch in. The general Contractor offered leftovers and end runs of lumber products for the architect to use as appropriate. The father, never had any wood working experience, but with the assistance of the architect, spent many weekends ripping and staining reclaimed lumber to become most of the trim components for the new interior and exterior.
Design, drawings and permits took 6 months. A gut renovation and 1500 SF addition was completed 9 months after breaking ground in July of 2009. The family occupied their new home on March 31st, 2010, 15 months after the fire. LEED Platinum Status was awarded by USGBC in September of 2010 with 104 points, one of the highest ratings in the country. Although this tragedy was a terrible experience that ends well, its not really over. The school has run tours of the home and its systems as educational classes, the design/build team learned invaluable lessons to be carried to future projects, and even municipal leaders were invited to learn more about energy and high performance buildings. The family, grateful to be back in a home they helped to create, is active in monitoring their new systems and opens their home to anyone interested in looking and learning.
What were you asked to do by the client?
• Move the basement bedroom up to the second floor providing 3 bedrooms for the three children.
• Create an open and connected Living/Dining Kitchen with a good connection to the outside patio.
• Create a new and functional entry at the front and mudroom/Laundry in the garage area.
• Relocate the Master suite to a new addition on the north side of the house.
Esthetics
• It was requested by the family to design the home in a “Lodge” style.
• Design any renewable energy systems so that they appear to be integrated into the design to the greatest extent possible.
• Use simple and natural materials that fit the budget.
What were the agreed upon goals of the project?
1. LEED Certified to the highest level financially achievable.
2. Aim for Net Carbon Neutral for the project including embodied energy of materials venders and contractors
3. Energy Goals – make the best of the existing frame with respect to an efficient envelope and incorporate renewable energy to include grid-tied Solar PV, Solar Thermal, Geothermal Heat Pump and the systems integration that allows these systems to work together in an efficient way. Net Zero energy was the ultimate energy goal.
4. In the process of rebuilding the house, educate the family, friends and community on the Energy Systems.
How did the completed project address these goals?
1. LEED Certified Platinum
2. Certified Carbon Negative via energy audits of all Contracting companies, their vehicles, office staff and uses as well as embodied carbon of all materials used. Carbon Offset Credits were purchased by the General Contractor and all major sub-contractors. – The project was reviewed and certified by VERUS – Carbon Neutral Partnership, Atlanta GA, Carbon Negative status was achieved with credits we received due to landfill avoidance via the EPA Waste Reduction Model.
3. Our energy goals are not fully assessed because all systems have not been online for a full year. We are in the process of fine-tuning the renewable systems for optimal performance. It has been established that the home uses significantly less energy now, including the 1,500 sq ft addition than it did before the fire.
4. The entire family has participated in the research, design and implementation of all systems and to some degree, has been hands-on in the construction process. The children have all used the project for extra credit for school science research projects.
How did you address the design problems(s)?
The original house was constructed as a modular spec home. Removing the ceiling and floor of one of the modules required a new girder and some reinforcing, but the resulting two story living room is dramatic, as expected. The walls removed left a perfect opportunity to express the structural requirements on the interior.
The owners wish to change the style to a “Lodge” style home was not difficult. The owner is from Canada and enjoys the northern, Adirondack style and use of wood accents. By adding rafter tails to the existing trusses, we were able to get the proper overhang lengths for shading and enough length to add the thin film solar voltaic panels.
The contractor had a great inventory of scrap and left-over lumber, most of it needed to be re-sized, but was offered for free and the natural wood trims and finishes fit right in to the Lodge style look. All the exterior trim was created from re-purposed cedar decking, reclaimed from the original house and resized as needed by the owner and architect.
The functional requirements were met by moving a bedroom from the basement to the second floor above the garage and by adding a family room addition to the rear of the house with a master bedroom above, it freed up space to open the living room ceiling. The living room kitchen and dining, separate and cu-off prior to the remodel, is now open and filled with daylight. Outdoor decks attached to two of the 2nd floor bedrooms completed the functional changes.
Fortunately, the existing house was oriented perfectly for a south facing roof, so we took advantage and installed 7 kW of thin film on the south facing roof, integrated into the Blue metal standing seem panels.
How does the architecture of your project affect the community?
• The local Cable TV station, Plum TV, has produce 3 – two minute spots and a half- hour documentary of the project. They have been running the spots, which describe the tragedy, the project and team since construction began in July 2009, on local cable channel.
• The school has conducted formal bus tours of the home, where members of the design/build team, including the architect have led educational tours.
• The home was the first house of its size to achieve a HERS Energy Score of 95+ (HERS Index 25) The local municipality recently passed energy code legislation requiring HERS ratings for all new homes and substantial renovations. Higher ratings are required for larger homes. It was argued that a HERS Rating of 95 or higher on a large home was not achievable, and the rating requirements were dropped to a maximum of 90 for any home over 3,500 sq ft. As proof that higher HERS ratings are both achievable and affordable, the HGA house became a model for the chief building inspector.
• Municipal leaders, our State Senator and State Legislator and our US Congressman, have toured the home to see first hand that highly efficient design solutions do not mandate a modernist solution.
• The project received a “Legislative Resolution”, recognizing the efforts of the team, and the from both the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, “. . . to promote green building and maintenance practices . . “