The drywall is now close to being completed (and is looking great!) and the insulated box in the basement for the furnace and hot water heater has been built. Once the drywall is finished, it will be painted, and then the heating system and baseboard registers will be installed.
We're now well underway with making our finish selections as well. We've been working on the lighting design and selecting fixtures (our goal is for all lighting fixtures to be Energy Star Certified and/or installed with compact flourescent lightbulbs). We have also have selected our window and door trim.
This past week, we visited a neat operation in Springfield called Antique and Specialty Flooring Co, Inc. The business owner, Tony, reclaims wood from old barns, refurbishing it into beautiful flooring. We are still working out our exact flooring plan, but our basic plan is to reuse the existing wood flooring in the downstairs and upstairs of the original home, to reuse the ceiling wood we recovered above the rafters in the first addition (which we may use to box the exposed collar ties, or it could be used as flooring), and to purchase a mix of Tony's red and white oak from two barns taken down recently in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. More on the flooring plan when we nail down the final details...
Oh, and as you may have noticed if you are in the neighborhood, we picked a front door color... and then we picked another one! The new one is much better we think! We are using a red called "Sundried Tomato" to paint both the front door and the coop! This work is underway...
We wish you all a happy and thankful Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Before and After Floor Plans
Speaking of big reaveals, pasted above is a "before and after" comparison of the old and new floor plans (a larger picture of the new floor plan is at the end of this blog). In the old home, when you first walked into the home, directly in front of you there was a staircase, a bedroom to the left, and hallway running to the kitchen.
You can see in the new floor plan drawing that now when you enter the room, you face the living room and are in a large open space from which you can see the kitchen, dining room and staircase.
The downstairs bathroom has been moved into the newest addition, which has been divided up from a single large space into three smaller spaces: a bedroom, a bathroom with laundry facility and the family room. We also added a back exit to the home, which has a double wide sliding glass door.
Upstairs, we started out with two small bedrooms. We took the original walls out and reconfigured the staircase to create a master bedroom suite. When you get to the top of the stairs, you enter a master befroom loft. There are two walk-in closets on the way to a nice sized master bathroom with a clawfoot tub (recovered from the original home and refurbished), a walk-in shower, and a linen cabinet, vanity and toilet. We'll post a more detailed diagram showing the bathroom and kitchen layouts pretty soon...
To create this new home layout, we considered how the home would look, feel and function for its new residents, and we're really happy with how it has turned out. This layout is the final result after many draft designs, consultations, and walk-throughs. Big thanks to all those who gave their two cents (or much more than that), particularly Peter and Henry, and also Jenn, Lisa, Matt, Jess, Andrea and Dennis!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Ta Da! (and what a week)
If you live in the neighborhood, you've probably noticed the house being painted and the siding going up. And if you don't live in the neighborhood, then is the big reveal. Nice color, hey? We also think the front door looks pretty fabulous, and we're excited about the colors we are considering for the front door and shed.
A big part of this week was occupied by dealing with all the damage from the fallen tree. Henry and his crew did a great job moving quickly to keep the damage and delays to the project to a minimum. The fallen tree was carefully removed from the roof of the shed and the newest addition, and the remaining trunk that was still standing was removed as well. Thankfully, the tree didn't do much damage to the roof - only a few small spots need to be fixed.
Meanwhile, even though the site turned into a temporary disaster due to all the tree debris, everything else kept chugging along. Wood siding repairs were made, exterior paint was applied, the hardiplank siding went up, and foam insulation was sprayed. We had to iterate a few times on the spray foam application to make sure this very critical piece of the project was completed exactly as needed for LEED Certification. On Friday, we had our LEED inspection for the spray foam, and a few more touch ups were completed after the inspection. This morning (Saturday), we took pictures (for LEED Certification) to document the final spray foam touch ups, and we met with Henry to discuss the window caulking (sealing) and a few other small items that need to be addressed before drywalling starts next week.
So, here at the end of the week, drywall has been delivered, the site has been cleaned up, and we are ready for the spray foam insulation to be inspected by the city. A significant amount of debris has been removed from the site, the accumulated cardboard and clean wood have been taken away for recycling, and this morning the Silver Maple was being trimmed where it had suffered some limb damage. We also spruced up the site's erosion control measures (silt socks), cleaned up leaves, and removed sediment accumulated near the storm drain.
And of course, we're still moving as quickly as possible to finish all the weather sensitive work before it gets too cold...brrr
Monday, October 31, 2011
If A Tree Falls...
If a tree falls, and everyone in the neighborhood hears it, then it surely did fall.
Yes, unfortunately, a large tree fell during the snow and wind storm this past weekend. And of course, we finished the roof replacement not long before the tree fell on it. But, on the bright side, nobody was hurt and the damage really could have been much worse. So, we're counting our blessings and working as quickly as possible to clean things up and keep moving forward with the renovations.
Last week, the exterior paint started going up (and we think it looks great!) and the siding repairs to the original home and first addition were completed. A significant portion of the insulation work was completed as well. The cleanup in the aftermath of the storm is holding work up a bit, but we're still hoping that the painting and insulation can be finished by the end of the week. We are, after all, still racing against winter...
We hope you all weathered the storm well and have your power and heat back at home!
Yes, unfortunately, a large tree fell during the snow and wind storm this past weekend. And of course, we finished the roof replacement not long before the tree fell on it. But, on the bright side, nobody was hurt and the damage really could have been much worse. So, we're counting our blessings and working as quickly as possible to clean things up and keep moving forward with the renovations.
Last week, the exterior paint started going up (and we think it looks great!) and the siding repairs to the original home and first addition were completed. A significant portion of the insulation work was completed as well. The cleanup in the aftermath of the storm is holding work up a bit, but we're still hoping that the painting and insulation can be finished by the end of the week. We are, after all, still racing against winter...
We hope you all weathered the storm well and have your power and heat back at home!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Notes From The Yard
In other news, we removed the clothesline and it really opened up the backyard. Although a clothesline is a great eco-friendly feature for a home, the one that came with the house was huge and took up some of the best space for hanging out in the backyard. We also did some yard cleanup and shrub removal in the past week, and we began repairs to the coop. We haven't picked a coop color yet though - That decision will be made once the new siding is up and the exterior painting is done.
Finally, a number of original foundation stones were moved from the basement and piled in the yard. We've been considering a few different ideas for using these old foundation stones. One early idea we had was using them to build a fire pit. Another idea was to use them in the front yard or driveway to build a small retaining wall. Then, last week we gave a tour of the home to our friends and they gave us the idea of building planters with these beautiful old stones. The more we have mulled that idea over, the more we like it. We haven't made any final decisions yet however.
Finally, a number of original foundation stones were moved from the basement and piled in the yard. We've been considering a few different ideas for using these old foundation stones. One early idea we had was using them to build a fire pit. Another idea was to use them in the front yard or driveway to build a small retaining wall. Then, last week we gave a tour of the home to our friends and they gave us the idea of building planters with these beautiful old stones. The more we have mulled that idea over, the more we like it. We haven't made any final decisions yet however.
Rough Electrical and Structural Inspections Passed!
The rough electrical work was completed on Tuesday. It looks great and passed its inspection on Thursday. The home's structural work also passed inspection on Thursday. Meanwhile, we met with John, our painter, who is getting started on the exterior of the home on Monday, and the insulation work will now start on Monday as well. We pushed the insulation work off to next week in order to install additional strapping for hanging the drywall. In preparation for the exterior painting next week, Henry's crew has begun the siding repairs and purchased the exterior window and door trim.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Not quite a warm blanket
While it perhaps isn't as sexy as picking out cabinets, flooring or plumbing fixtures, the energy measures taken in a building are critical. Perhaps our grandchildren will have the opportunity to choose between a plethora of recycled metal plumbing fixtures, ready to assemble cabinetry made from reclaimed materials, and the like. But, we're stuck in the "green" dark ages where significant focus is placed squarely on energy (which IS very important, of course). So...with that...let's pull up our sleeves and talk about the heating system.
This house will have a condensing boiler "combi" system. That sounds simple enough but is actually pretty sophisticated equipment. While our heating systems are not even close to approaching the complexity of your car...we've come a long way. When the fuel in your boiler is burned, the chemical reaction produces water vapor (which requires energy to form). It used to be that this water vapor would be exhausted into your chimney...dumping energy out the chimney. Now, we take those warm exhaust gases and allow them to decrease in temperature, which causes the water vapor to condense into liquid water ... in turn releasing energy. It's a relatively small amount of energy that is captured ... but this gets your boiler from 85% to 90% efficiency. That's the "condensing" part.
Now, the "combi" part means that we are combining the boiler with the water heater. Rather than having a combustion system in the water tank and a second (typcially more efficient) one in the boiler ... wouldn't it be smart to have just one combustion system? So...there are two main ways that a combi system can be made. One is to circulate water through the combustion system "on demand", meaning that if you open your hot water spout, your heating unit kicks on and heats the amount of water you need when you need it. This can require a really big combustion system ... but you don't have to store a tank of water. On-demand systems are an efficient choice for small and/or intermittent uses (like vacation homes) or may be a good choice for homes with limited space. The other option is to store a tank of water, and periodically circulate the water through the heating system burner in order to keep it hot until you are ready to use it. This system is quite similar to a conventional water tank except that the tank does not have it's own combustion system, but borrows the combustion system from the space heating system. That's what we picked out...the tank option is more efficient than the tankless option when you use hot water frequently.
Still with me? Ok, one of the last (and I think coolest) tricks is that the latest and greatest heating systems now measure the outdoor temperature to adjust the water flow rate through the house. That way, when it is warmer outside you dump less heat into the house than when it is colder outside. Remember a time (usually in what we call the "shoulder season" during Fall and Spring) when you were a little cold, the heating system would turn on, and you would roast...then open your windows? This was because the heating system could not regulate the amount of heat added to the house ... only whether or not to add heat. Heating systems were sized to make sure you got enough heat in the coldest part of winter ... and the rest of the time, you could always open your windows! The amount of fossil fuels literally thrown out the window over the past 100 years is astonishing. Arguably, adding variable speed pumps to heating systems is one of the greatest energy savings measures made to heating systems over the past few decades.
Now for distribution. There are two main ways that energy generated in the combustion reaction is distributed within the home nowadays....with liquid water or air. We chose liquid water becuase it holds more energy per mass, has a lower profile (small baseboard heaters rather than larger openings for air ducts), and is considered to be more efficient (although this depends on quite a lot of things ... but generally, air ducts are leaky sieves and a huge pain to keep tight over the years). A heat exchanger (think of the radiator in your car) sits inside the heating system. When the fuel is burned, it transfers heat energy to the liquid water, which is circulated through baseboard radiators throughout the house.
We've also elected for 4 thermal zones within the house, one for each bedroom and one for the living room/kitchen/family room/dining room "communal" spaces. 4 zones are way overkill but this is such a nice feature in a home. The homeowners will be able to set different temperatures in these spaces depending upon how they choose to use the rooms (office, playroom, sleeping room, ...).
So, as you can see, we really invested in making sure we had a robust, reliable and incredibly efficient heating system. It's nice to know that someone will thank us for that!
This house will have a condensing boiler "combi" system. That sounds simple enough but is actually pretty sophisticated equipment. While our heating systems are not even close to approaching the complexity of your car...we've come a long way. When the fuel in your boiler is burned, the chemical reaction produces water vapor (which requires energy to form). It used to be that this water vapor would be exhausted into your chimney...dumping energy out the chimney. Now, we take those warm exhaust gases and allow them to decrease in temperature, which causes the water vapor to condense into liquid water ... in turn releasing energy. It's a relatively small amount of energy that is captured ... but this gets your boiler from 85% to 90% efficiency. That's the "condensing" part.
Now, the "combi" part means that we are combining the boiler with the water heater. Rather than having a combustion system in the water tank and a second (typcially more efficient) one in the boiler ... wouldn't it be smart to have just one combustion system? So...there are two main ways that a combi system can be made. One is to circulate water through the combustion system "on demand", meaning that if you open your hot water spout, your heating unit kicks on and heats the amount of water you need when you need it. This can require a really big combustion system ... but you don't have to store a tank of water. On-demand systems are an efficient choice for small and/or intermittent uses (like vacation homes) or may be a good choice for homes with limited space. The other option is to store a tank of water, and periodically circulate the water through the heating system burner in order to keep it hot until you are ready to use it. This system is quite similar to a conventional water tank except that the tank does not have it's own combustion system, but borrows the combustion system from the space heating system. That's what we picked out...the tank option is more efficient than the tankless option when you use hot water frequently.
Still with me? Ok, one of the last (and I think coolest) tricks is that the latest and greatest heating systems now measure the outdoor temperature to adjust the water flow rate through the house. That way, when it is warmer outside you dump less heat into the house than when it is colder outside. Remember a time (usually in what we call the "shoulder season" during Fall and Spring) when you were a little cold, the heating system would turn on, and you would roast...then open your windows? This was because the heating system could not regulate the amount of heat added to the house ... only whether or not to add heat. Heating systems were sized to make sure you got enough heat in the coldest part of winter ... and the rest of the time, you could always open your windows! The amount of fossil fuels literally thrown out the window over the past 100 years is astonishing. Arguably, adding variable speed pumps to heating systems is one of the greatest energy savings measures made to heating systems over the past few decades.
Now for distribution. There are two main ways that energy generated in the combustion reaction is distributed within the home nowadays....with liquid water or air. We chose liquid water becuase it holds more energy per mass, has a lower profile (small baseboard heaters rather than larger openings for air ducts), and is considered to be more efficient (although this depends on quite a lot of things ... but generally, air ducts are leaky sieves and a huge pain to keep tight over the years). A heat exchanger (think of the radiator in your car) sits inside the heating system. When the fuel is burned, it transfers heat energy to the liquid water, which is circulated through baseboard radiators throughout the house.
We've also elected for 4 thermal zones within the house, one for each bedroom and one for the living room/kitchen/family room/dining room "communal" spaces. 4 zones are way overkill but this is such a nice feature in a home. The homeowners will be able to set different temperatures in these spaces depending upon how they choose to use the rooms (office, playroom, sleeping room, ...).
So, as you can see, we really invested in making sure we had a robust, reliable and incredibly efficient heating system. It's nice to know that someone will thank us for that!
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