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Rob, I like your ideas and it sounds like your trying to take everything into consideration. I must admit something strikes me odd here. The issue of the garage, two steps and carbon monoxide. Steps up from the garage can provide no protection from CO as it’s 3% lighter than air and mixes readily. The only code requirements I’m aware of deal with fire protection and gasoline vapors and thats a 4″ raised sill at the door. 4″ can be easily dealt with, but 2 steps? It seems to have to build a breezeway to avoid this makes no sense and adds costs to the project. Is this a local requirement or part of a code I may not be familure with? I’d like to know.
Good Luck, Keith
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Rob: I am in the preliminary stages of designing a similar residential facility (X 32!). Many of our details sound the same. I am also thinking about using Concrete walls with Stay In Place Foam Forms. While construction costs will be a little more, heating and colling will be less and I believe this type of construction is nearly fireproof. Just a thought.
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The only thing I don't like about those sytems is the vulnerable exterior foam. I know they put in additives to "deterr" them, but that sounds like a compromise to me. There is a large local RV dealer that repairs lots of ant damage in RV's. The walls are essentially stressed skins with foam in the middle and aluminum on the outside. These are vehicles that contact the ground in only 4 places, and the ants still invade!
I forgot to mention residential sprinklers. Though not designed to protect the building, firends that are fire fighters tell me they still don't burn down. I think if you want to design for thermal performance and fire resistance you have to address them individually.
I am planning on using Gene's staggered stud wall system for the framing. I have toyed with the idea of staggered metal studs for fire resistance but the details get cumbersome. Two layers of drywall on exterior walls combined with sprinklers seems to be nearly overkill from a fire protection standpoint.
-Rob
*Rob, You are to be commended for going the extra several miles, to make life more care-free for your relatives. We'll be building our own retirement home in less years than I like to think about, and are keeping a file of good ideas.I wonder, though, about calling 2,000 SF, for two people, "smallish." We, too, hope to reduce energy costs, so we've reduced SF to about 1,500, and are hoping to cut it to more like 1,200. One way we've saved several hundred feet is to eliminate all hallways; all rooms will open directly to LR/KIT/dining area. (I added up the SF wasted in hallways in our present (1,600 SF) house, and discovered it would be enough for a decent office/computer room.)I may be overly worried, but I've been looking for (mac-comp.) software for heat/cool/loss/load, to be able to simulate yearly energy use, with an eye toward possible large escalations in costs in the years ahead. But it stands to reason that the smaller the dwelling, the less it will cost to heat/cool.....and the less time spent to clean, paint,etc.Jim
*Jim, Concerning your search for software to simulate heating and cooling loads, I was looking for something similar recently and came to the conclusion that the reason there is no good shareware available is because this is not a simple thing to simulate - there are a lot of variables. There is plenty of software targeted for professional HVAC contractors but it costs what you might expect good professional software to cost. "Elite" is one company that has a website. Since I was just satisfying my own curiosity instead of designing anything, I ended up building a couple of spreadsheet models that calculated convective and conductive heat losses and gave me a chance to do some what-if scenarios. For instance I found that in my house I could reduce the heat loss by about 3,000 BTU/Hr by reducing the convective losses by 0.1 air change per hour. To get the same benefit from the insulation I would have to increase it by R4.5 (I have a lot of windows). It turned out to be a good exercise since it forced me to understand the relationships.
*Yes, John, that's been my experience. Either you find online resources that are VERY basic (not configurable beyond thickness of insulation in attic, for instance), or, as you point out, are for commercial use and quite expensive.There are, however, many programs, some free or inexpensive, listed athttp://www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/tools_directory/Since I have a mac, I ignored all the PC software, which was the majority. There's at least one free unix program, out of Scotland, that looks promising. I found no demo packages. I have had no experience with emulators (software to enable macs to "emulate" PC's), but understand that they work very well with some software, and are very gummy with others.I wish I could find a program that would let me run through what-if's to my heart's content! What if, after specifying location, setting up basic floor plan, floors/walls/roof, etc., I could see what 32 SF of x-windows on the south wall would do, on a yearly basis, as opposed to 50 SF. And with KWH's at various rates. Or R38 vs. R-52 cathedral roof. Or if I added or subtracted 300 SF. And so forth.Since this is becoming a tangent thread, I'm also starting a new one with this input.Jim
*The ADA sets certain standards for design of the physical environment to accommodate disabled persons. The object is non-discrimination and independence. Although most people as they age begin to suffer greater and greater degrees of disability, their needs are considerably different from those of younger people who may have even greater physical impairment. Speaking from the on going personal experience of dealing with my mom and dad as well as considerable research into the matter, I realize that the needs of am older person are often best accommodated by access to services. Often the first loss of independence experienced by a older person is the inability to drive. To a younger person in a wheel chair, who can drive a van, a 6" step might be a formidable barrier. To an older person, to whom a 6" step is no problem, lack of access to public transportation can be devastating. My mother and father live in a second floor apartment. There is an elevator to the second floor, but there are several steps from the street to the lobby of the building. There are no special accommodations in the apartment. Neither one is in a wheel chair, so 40" doors or 36" doors are not important. Yet they require full time care. One of the most important things in designing for the elderly is to provide accommodations for a care giver. Availability of transportation to shopping, health care, and other services is very important. An unfortunate truth is that mental capacity often diminishes before physical. A younger disabled person may be better equipped to function than an older person who is physically fit. My mother can no longer make phone calls, but she can talk to people on the phone. She can't read, she can't watch TV. The only pleasure she has is visitors. She needs social interaction in a way that cannot be compensated for in her physical environment. For the most part as people age they become more dependent on others. Often this implies that they are better in an urban situation where there is constant interaction. I don't want to suggest that what you have in mind is wrong, but you should be aware that aging is a complicated social process that involves more than good houses.
*Rob -Check out The Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University. The following is a quote from their main web page:The Center for Universal Design is a national research, information, and technical assistance center that evaluates, develops, and promotes accessible and universal design in buildings and related products. We make every effort to provide information in a variety of ways to ensure access to all.
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I am getting closer to actually formalizing plans for my mother-in-laws house. I know, you've been hearing about it forever (It has a job number from '97) but she is actually going to buy the land!!
Anyways - this is the last house she will live in. On top of this, her 86 year old mother will be living there as well. Design for the aging (is that the AIA recognized term?) is outside my usual experience. Some ideas I have are as follows. Any comments or additions are welcome and encouraged.
Not a single deviation in floor height on the whole first floor. Including door thresholds. There will be large porches all around so I have no weather concerns.
Not a single deviation in height from the driveway to the garage to the sidewalks to the house. I think I can get around the garage issue with carbon monoxide (2 steps mandatory) by detaching it with a short breezway that I enclose with sliding glass panels (for winter)after the C of O is issued.
Radiant heating of all sidewalks, slabs, porches, etc. Turned on at the appropriate age. I referr to this as broken bone or hip insurance.
40" wide doors for all doors
6' wide hallways, or no hallways
Large shower (shower room) with divider wall so that there need be no door. Or biswing door - 40" wide access, with handrails, etc. Pan and concrete under whole bathroom, with floor (trench)drains near shower entrance and next to tub.
No w/w carpet
Home automation system for lighting, heating, etc. Custom (by me) with large buttons, color coded. "Vacation" settings and "Winter" settings, all installed lighting and appliances monitored or controlled, as well as panic buttons, nighttime lighting, etc. Watch for future post by me regarding home automation.
All functions of the house handled on the first floor with extra or spare spaces in loft and basement.
Metal roof, stone veneer bottom half of walls, redwood or cedar T&G or B&B top half.
Not sure about central vac
Russian fireplace (ma splits wood for excercise) and hotwater for radiant or baseboard, seperate zones for bedrooms and baths.
Well built, tight, high R-value. Low utility bills, for minimum variable costs later on in life.
Cost is of little (perhaps reasonable) concern, since current house is valued at over 300k, will sell to move in to this one.
Smallish (2000 +/- sf) floor plan with minimal maintenance finishes (looking for help here)
Ma likes wood, informal, cozy spaces.
Land will probably be 32 acres, 20 wooded, gently rolling/sloping overlooking the Genesee River Valley - Great views, so probably a wall of windows there somewhere.
No steps in exterior walks - all ramps. What is comfortable for non-senior citizens as far as pitch goes?
Start the bloodletting.
-Rob
*Wow, I think I'd like to live there now!The Americans with Disabilities Act has spawned extensive regulations that, while a mess, i found interesting reading. The elderly face many hazards that the ambulatory wouldn't think of. Burns are a big hazard; many older folks do not detect the pain as quickly. If, for example, you make the sink wheelchair accessible, you have to be sure to enclose the hot water pipe. Balusters are illegal on ramps because someone in a wheelchair could get a limb caught while rolling... I thinks ramps can be no more than 1:20? Which makes for a LONG ramp.You didn't mention the kitchen. There are a lot of neat ideas in barrier-free design. One that I used here is to lift the dishwasher 8-11" off the ground, eliminating stooping to load/unload. It will be interesting to hear what designs you develop... Oh, my grandmother, whose kness and hips are wearing out, has this really neat bathtub where the side opens like a car door -- no climbing in or out. It might be nice to provide for installing this sort of thing down the road.Don't forget the "Help, I've fallen and can't get up" sort of thing...
*Rob, nicely thought out. I'll assume the halls and doors are planned to accomodate a rolling stretcher if needed (EMS call). Don't forget a turning radius too. Are you locating up or down river from the GeneseeBrewery?
*Rob, I like your ideas and it sounds like your trying to take everything into consideration. I must admit something strikes me odd here. The issue of the garage, two steps and carbon monoxide. Steps up from the garage can provide no protection from CO as it's 3% lighter than air and mixes readily. The only code requirements I'm aware of deal with fire protection and gasoline vapors and thats a 4" raised sill at the door. 4" can be easily dealt with, but 2 steps? It seems to have to build a breezeway to avoid this makes no sense and adds costs to the project. Is this a local requirement or part of a code I may not be familure with? I'd like to know. Good Luck, Keith
*ADA requirement on ramps is 1:12, but the 1:20 would be better if feasible. The 1:12 can only go for 30 feet, then a level platform is required for rest. If I remember right, the 1:20 would need a platform after the 30" rise (50 feet I guess). The platform needs to be five feet.ADA calls for clear 36" wide (but I build 38", 36" just seems too narrow). Also a curb and handrail are required.Rich Beckman
*Way upriver! Downrivere is nothing but inner city and boat docks. As soon as the 5 feet of snow melts mom can come up and sign the deal. Pray for warm weather.-Rob
*I believe the two steps is a local thing. Friends parents just built and they has to do this. The only two steps in the whole house! The breezeway is something mom liked. Right now she does a lot of woodworking, finishing, fumes, etc. I saw this as the only guaranteed way to keep fumes out of the house (during summer anyways).-Rob
*I like the idea of the built-in dishwasher! Moving it up the wall is a cool idea. We planned this with the stove, and also planned on custom cabinets and counters to match height (with some shrinkage factored in for osteoporosis)-Rob