Building for a Benchmark - Fine Homebuilding FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Main Menu
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Main Menu Subscribe
Houses By Design

Building for a Benchmark

Turning challenges into opportunities, TC Legend Homes secures Built Green certification for this new build in Seattle.

By Kiley Jacques Issue 293 - Aug/Sept 2020
Article Image

“When you have a benchmark you are trying to achieve, you pay far more attention. It brings a mindfulness to the project that might not otherwise be there, despite good intentions.”

—Ted Clifton, designer/builder

This project is the second home in Seattle to meet the Emerald Star Built Green standards—the green-home certification program of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. Ted Clifton, owner of TC Legend Homes, the company responsible for the house featured here, came to the project with a number of similar builds to his credit—including the city’s first-ever net-zero-energy home.

According to Clifton, the homeowners were looking for a house that would reflect their ethics. “They wanted to build something sustainable that went beyond net-zero,” he says, noting that the design plan had to suit a five-person family that includes twin toddlers and a grandmother. “They were looking for a credential. They didn’t want to just build a supergreen house, they wanted a benchmark to achieve.” The homeowners considered LEED and Passive House certification, but found that the Emerald Star Built Green standards set a high bar while remaining affordable. “It’s not an expensive program to participate in—just a few hundred dollars,” says Clifton. “But it has a pretty exhaustive green-building quality to it.”

Half of the site sits at street level; the other half is roughly 10 ft. below that, on grade with the alley. “We had a lot of interesting design challenges to work with,” Clifton notes. “There was the sloping site, which lent itself to a daylight basement, and there was a huge concrete retaining wall—it was like a subterranean basketball court [at the low end of the site].” Because of the waste and expense of demolishing the wall, they decided to keep it. “We wanted to make it useful even though it is about 10 ft. away from where we wanted to put the house,” Clifton says. To that end, the wall became integral to the design of the 10,000-gal. catch-basin water-retention system. The wall sits beneath the western toe of the entry deck, and the water tanks occupy nearly the entire space beneath. According to Clifton, storing storm water on-site was the way to go, in part because it would have cost another $10,000 to direct runoff into the storm sewer; they would have had to cut through the concrete retaining wall and then cut another 10 ft. into the street. That decision has resulted in a rainwater harvesting system that supplies approximately 80% of the homeowners’ water.

Because every drop of water that falls on the site will stay on the site, Clifton was able to get a variance for stormwater management. “The catchment system is sized so that even during a big rain year, the tanks will never overflow,” he explains. “As long as they are living in the house and using the water, they will never generate stormwater. For an infill project, that’s pretty cool. Imagine if every house in the city had zero stormwater runoff.”

Another issue was figuring out where to position the new house to optimize solar panel exposure for the client without blocking the neighbor’s PV array. The solution was to site it farther east than the previous house had sat. Clifton also designed the south-facing roof expanse to be larger than the north-facing slope, which helped to avoid shading the neighbor’s panels. The location supports passive solar strategies too. In the winter months, light pours into the house; in summer, custom-built sunshades on the lower windows protect against heat gain, and roof eaves shade the upper windows.

Not surprisingly, materials were a special consideration. “Every single product had to be vetted to ensure it was accepted by the program,” says Clifton. “It was a pain from a builder’s perspective, but the advantage is that it really made us question every material we use. We even did zero-VOC finishes on the exteriors.” He notes, too, that typically he specs Hardie fiber-cement siding but here he needed to use Allura to be in accordance with Built Green’s checklist. And all wood had to be Forest Stewardship Council-certified (FSC). Clifton adds that he was grateful for Greenhome Solutions, a supplier in Seattle that carries many third-party verified green-building products.   

Asked about his decision to use structural insulated panels (SIPs) for the shell, Clifton says the product’s performance is compelling. “Even though they have styrofoam, my feelings about SIPs have changed. If I can build a net-zero house out of an affordable product, I have to ask, ‘What is that worth? Is that an appropriate use of styrofoam?’ For me, the answer is yes. The same is true for OSB. Otherwise, we are just burning lot of fuel to heat our houses.” He also appreciates how malleable SIPs are—making potential future remodels less complicated. “SIPs are a post-and-beam type of load-bearing construction, which means internal walls can be moved easily during the life of the building.”

Regarding interior finishes, Clifton points to one of special note: the tongue-and-groove cedar wood that lines the soffits. The lumber was sourced from Blakely Island Timber Company, a local, independently owned mill respected for its sustainable approach to forest management.

As for mechanical systems, Clifton spec’d the Chiltrix CX34 for heating/cooling and hot water. He says it is four times more efficient than electric resistance, and more than double the efficiency of natural gas for the dollar. For ventilation, he went with the Zehnder ComfoAir 350. “I use this ventilation system in my house, and the indoor-air quality is consistently better than the outdoor-air quality.… It has changed the way I build houses. I have never put so much thought into fresh air and ventilation as I have after monitoring this system.”

In terms of the floor plan, Clifton says the leading objective was flexibility, which is why two rooms were fitted with egress windows and minimum floor area to meet code as future bedrooms. “Anytime we are going over 2000 sq. ft., I push people to think about multigenerational living or including an ADU, so as the population grows, the house is still relevant.” Despite there being a first-level ADU, the grandmother is accommodated on the main level; the living area could have been bigger but her bedroom and a shared bathroom made sense there because they wanted to use the ADU as an Airbnb rental as well as a guest house.

The homeowners decided not to do a master bath off the bedroom because when their kids become teenagers, they would be crowding the only bathroom on that floor. Instead, Clifton moved the toilet out of the bathroom to be more of a water closet, and there is a room with a shower/bath and sink. “They thought hard about how to make it most functional for the most people at the same time,” he explains. “It’s broken up so all functions can happen behind a closed door.” He also kept the bedrooms small and avoided wasting space on hallways and a dining room.

SPECS

  • Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score: 0
  • 9.9kw solar PV system
  • Two EV charging stations
  • 6-in. graphite SIP walls; 10-in. graphite SIP roof
  • R-23 ICF stem-wall foundation; R-20 rigid-foam insulation under slab
  • Wood-framed triple-pane windows (no PVC, vinyl, or aluminum)
  • Chiltrix air-to-water heat pump w/ 4.5 COP for in-floor radiant hydronic heat
  • LED lighting
  • Energy Star appliances
  • Low- and no-VOC paints, finishes, adhesives, and sealants
  • Insulated garage air-sealed from house with automatic exhaust fan

Photos by Yuriy Manchik, courtesy of TC Legend Homes

An excerpt of this article appeared in Fine Homebuilding #293 titled “Concrete and Catch Basins“

If you have a project that might be of interest to our readers, please send a short description and images to [email protected].

For more on net-zero homes:

  • Net-Zero Historic Victorian
  • Extreme Green
  • Net Zero-Ready Community

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Sign Up

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

×
X
X

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

View Comments

  1. marwoodconstruction | Jun 22, 2020 07:48am | #1

    Turning a challenging open piece of land into building a luxury home is something straight out of the dreams. This particular house is the perfect mix of how strategic planning can convert a space. Space-saving furniture, energy star appliance, and a solar PV system, among many other features, only enhance the entire appearance. The result is excellent.

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

More Houses By Design

View All
  • High Design at Home in Nature

    High Design at Home in Nature

  • Retrofit of a Timber-Frame Farmhouse

    Retrofit of a Timber-Frame Farmhouse

  • Celebrating Efficient Post-and-Beam Construction

    Celebrating Efficient Post-and-Beam Construction

  • Building a Prototype

    Building a Prototype For Net-Zero Neighborhoods

View All

Up Next

Featured Story

FHB Podcast 317

Podcast 317: Natural Air Changes, Flashing Windows in Brick Walls, and Cleaning Construction Messes

Rob, Kiley, and Patrick hear from listeners about going all-electric and air-sealing adventures before taking listener questions about natural air changes, flashing windows in brick openings, and how clean a job site should be.

Featured Video

Video: Build a Fireplace, Brick by Brick

Get an overview of the process of creating a traditional-style fireplace that burns well and meets current building codes from experienced mason Mike Mehaffey.

Related Stories

  • Fast, Flexible Car Charger

  • Fine Homebuilding Issue #297 Online Highlights

  • How to Install Flared Sidewall Shingles

  • Timeless Tip: Tunneling Under Slabs

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

  • Fine Homebuilding All Access
  • Fine Homebuilding Podcast
  • Tool Tech

    Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

  • "I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

    Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

    Sign Up See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • flared cedar shingle siding detail

    How to Install Flared Sidewall Shingles

  • FHB Podcast 317

    Podcast 317: Natural Air Changes, Flashing Windows in Brick Walls, and Cleaning Construction Messes

  • FHB Podcast 316: Pro Talk With Dennis Bessette

    Podcast 316: PRO TALK With Dennis Bessette

  • FHB Podcast, Episode 315

    Podcast 315: Perfect Roofs, Heated Decks, and Multifamily High Performance

View All

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • 2020 Fine Homebuilding Archive

    Buy Now
  • Musings of an Energy Nerd

    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition

    Buy Now
  • Fine Homebuilding Magazine Slipcase

    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 297 - February/March 2021

    • Foundations for Success
    • Staircase Renovation
    • Ditch the Hose
  • Issue 296 - Dec 2020/Jan 2021

    • Insulating Glass Keeps Getting Better
    • Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb
    • Making Sense of Minisplits
  • Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths

    • Condo Kitchen Reimagined
    • Row-House Remodel
    • Rise of the IAQ Monitor
  • Issue 294 - Oct/Nov 2020

    • Schoolhouse Reimagined
    • Tool Test: Folding Sawhorses
    • A Better Way to Build Tall Walls
  • Issue 293 - Aug/Sept 2020

    • A Practical Guide to Fall Protection
    • Installing Frameless Cabinets
    • Make Any Tablesaw Safer

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Manage Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility

© 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Account

  • Log In
  • Join

    Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

    Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

    All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

    Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

    More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

    Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Follow

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 52%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in