In a mixed humid climate (Central Virginia) the attic is probably the most important element when trying to achieve a healthy, energy-efficient, and durable solution. There are a lot of problems in this one – what do you see? I will post my thoughts tomorrow.
We spend a lot of time thinking about the health impacts of the building when designing an energy-efficient home. The ventilation rate needs to be designed and the materials used should be selected with care.
Then construction starts and it is cold outside. The next thing you know there is a portable heater sitting in the future living room. These machines are terrible for air quality for those building your project. Fuel oil off-gassing can have serious health impacts. The chemicals from the burn process can be absorbed by wood and drywall in your project and held until the project is finished.
Here is a solution used on a project we designed to be LEED Certified to keep the burn process outside the building envelope while sending the heat to the inside of the building.
From a report done by Michigan State University: Following tests of 18 types of portable, unvented heaters, Consumer Reports states that: “We calculated the concentration of four gases produced by these heaters — carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide — in a 10x12x8-foot room with normal ventilation. The levels of each gas were high enough to be a serious health hazard to high-risk groups, including pregnant women, asthmatics, people with cardiovascular disease, children, and the elderly. The levels we calculated for some pollutants may pose risks for healthy people.”
Here is where we started. The task was to make the kitchen part of the “family space”, update it, and improve the efficiency of the entire home.
So first we did a master plan for the entire home to determine what was possible with the existing spaces. Our goal is to maximize the value invested in the renovation so the home is functional for a lifetime, but within the budget constraints for the project. It was determined that a new open family space was needed to integrate the kitchen for the best results on this home.
The existing kitchen / living room was converted to a formal dining / living room space and a light filled addition was added to the rear of the existing home. While many kitchens can be updated in place, this home just needed more space to make the entire program function.
Lack of building science when building a home or addition can create real horror stories. This home addition has had its share of problems. Outdated wiring, interiors, and fixtures. However, the big problem is water damage, as you might expect from the flat roof and sloping landscape.
Here you can see the overhang has rot caused by lack of gutters and water running over the surface for years. This is amplified by the overhang never getting direct sun to dry it out.
A flat roof does not guarantee a roof leak, but certainly raises the possibility. However, pooling water on that flat roof makes it very likely. As you can see, this home has experienced some neglect that has led to rot, termite, and moisture damage.
To learn more about how building science affects your home, read this blog post.
There has been a lot of water issues in the news as of late. Do you trust your water? What happens in an emergency – do you have a water plan?
Poor water quality can impact us all from wildlife to humans. Virginia has reported $6.1 billion in drinking water infrastructure needs over the next 20 years according to a report from the 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. Our systems are getting older and it is hard to maintain them in this tight economy. Here are some recent news reports about water quality issues.
West Virginia chemical spill spurs long-term health study
More gunk spills in West Virginia, turning creek black
We have been fortunate with water quantity in recent years, but it was not too long ago we were facing water restrictions in our area.
17 California communities running out of water
So what can you do at home?
1. Get a water quality test to determine what is in your water.
2. Have a water safety plan in case something happens to your main water supply. A good rule of thumb is one gallon of water per day per person.
3. have a water filtration system installed in your home. If your water is provided by a well, ultraviolet lights provide protection against most water borne bacteria according to Phil Witry of Commonwealth H2O.
4. Capture rainwater in a cistern
5. install water efficient fixtures to minimize your usage
Most homes built to code minimum standards (the worst possible home you can build by law) are energy hogs. This home is no exception.
Doing an energy audit and using a thermal image camera, you can immediately see there are problems. The band board in the basement is glowing, showing a huge thermal bridge to the outside. This is often an area lacking proper air sealing and insulation in this type of home. It does not cost more to get this right, it just takes time and education for your builder.
There are many more issues found from missing insulation to leaking duct work. Here you see air leaking from an interior wall showing a lack of proper air sealing in the attic.
Recessed lights are also often not installed with any thought put into insulation bridges. You can see this one is neither air tight nor insulated right.
Avoiding these common issues is not hard. Having the proper specification included in your initial design will stress the importance to your builder of energy efficiency goals. Give us a call if you want to learn more about how a proper set of construction documents can save you more money than it costs to create them.