Utilization of Existing Infrastructure
The home was built on a lot in a subdivision over twenty years old.

Preservation and Protection of Sensitive Areas
An organic farm and a farm & fire pond owned by the local Fire Department abuts the property. These areas were protected during this home's construction, especially from stormwater runoff.

Consolidation of Utilities
All utilities run to the huse in an underground trench 130 feet long from the main lines.

Preservation of Trees and Existing Vegetation
The house is set on the edge of the field, so only three trees were cut. They were cut and milled into the flooring for the loft and the custom stair case.

Minimal Impact on Site Topography
A shallow frost protected foundation limited the scope of the excavation.

Modest Size Design
The home's foot print is 24x32 feet.

Orientation for Use of Renewable Energy
Solar water heater panels supply part of the energy necessary for domestic hot water and a radiant heat floor system.

Orientation and design for daylighting
The interior's open design allowed for sky windows on the gable ends. The stairs leading to the loft was built with open risers to allow a view to the front yard and to allow daylight to wash into the kitchen.

Window Sizing, Location and Shading
The percent of windows installed was less than 15% of the conditioned floor area. The majority was located on the southfacing side of the house for passive solar gain.

Other
The design called for the intergration of five elements - 1) an insulated foundation, 2) Structual Insulated Panels for walls and roof, 3) high performance windows, 4) a low temperature radiant heat system (low temperature because the home is so well insulated), and 5) balanced ventilation.

Foundation
The shallow frotected foundation is built on a concrete footing on top of 6" of crushed stone. The foundation, itself is made of six inch thinck R-22 Insulated Concrete Forms. Sub-slab ventilation is piped through the slab and into a plumbing chase, so that it could be extended through the roof if necessary.

Structural Framing
The SIP walls are secured with an engineered lumber product frame; the SIP roof is supported by engineered beams. No sawn lumber was used structurally. 2x6s, 2x8s, & 2x10s were used only to give a nail bed at the panel edges.

Sub-Floor
All engineered wood products used in the building use exterior grade glue which does not out gas after a "burn in" period. See Structural Wood Panels and Formaldehyde by John Emery enclosed.
The front deck is made of an engineered (plastic?) Trex deck and hand rail.

Windows
Triple pane Kohltech rated with U-.12 These windows are basically walls you can see through. There is no condensation and no cold air washing down the interior face of the glass face. The interior temperature of the glass was never more than one degree cooler than the surface of the SIP panel next to it.

Doors
Steel clad doors with vinyl clad jams by Kohltech were used.

Exterior Wall Finishes
All of the exterior trim and siding is James Hardy Fiber Cement. There is no wood on the exterior of the building. The soffit, facia, window and door trim, and corner boards are all James Hardy Fiber Cement.

Roof
First R-50 SIPS were nailed on the trusses. Then a water proof membrane made up of Ice & Water shield was installed three feet up from the drip edge and in the valleys, and 30# tar paper over the entire roof. Elk shingles with a 50 year guaranteed were installed over that. The goal was to make the roof waterproof before the shingles went on.

Finish Floor
Entrance areas of the home were tiled to provide a low maintenance place to collect wet shoes and road dirt. Maple flooring, a New England product that offers low cost and beauty, was used elsewhere. Because the builders had access to a saw mill they were able to mill the trees that were cut down at the site into flooring and a custom stair case.

Cabinetry and Trim
The cabinets are made of Maple. All cut edges of the MDF cases were coated with polyurethane.

Efficient Use of Materials
SIPs use 60% less wood fiber than a stud wall. No sawn lumber larger than a 2x10 was used and then only as blocking on the roof Panels. Wood scraps were given to the neighbor for kindling.

Employee Waste Reduction Training
All the trash that was generated throughout the project was recorded. Most of the trash was packing. A 2 yard dumpster was emptied six times.

Inventory and Housekeeping Procedures
The site was always kept clean and tools were properly stored for safety.

Packaging Return and Reduction
Most of the trash produced was packaging that, at the time, could not be recycled. Now it can be. All cardboard was recycled.

Waste Reduction through Process Modification
This building was designed to use the window and door cut outs as a pony wall to minimize panel scrap.

Weather Protection for Stored Materials
All engineered wood products need to be protected from water damage.

Alternatives to Burying or Burning Construction Waste
Wood scraps were given away as kindling.

Products with Minimal Off-Gas
The manufacturer data sheets on all of the products used on the interior, showed no out gassing shortly after installation.

Water-Based Finishes
Water based paint was used in the interior and exterior. The only exception was the commercial oil base polyurethane on the wood floors. The contractors feels that the increased life of the finish outweighs the down side of the solvent base.

Sealed Combustion or Power Vented Appliances
The Propane back up heating is a 95% efficient Polaris domestic water heater.

Reduction of Textiles, Maximized Hard Floor Surfaces
There is carpet only on the stair treads between the first floor and the second floor to assure a non-skid surface on the stairs.

Bathroom and Kitchen Fans and Dryer Vented to Outside; Tested
The ERV provides bath fan and kitchen exhaust. Dryer ducted to exterior.

Ventilation Design (related to climate conditions)
Because this building will be closed up for more than half the year, the ERV system provides air changes from zero to .75 ACH to control indoor air ventilation.

Water Management for Foundation, Attic and Walls
SIP walls is a vapor barrier so there is no moisture coming through the building envelope. That allows use of a simple water proofing system to keep the exterior panel skin dry. Here is what was done: As soon as the SIP box is complete, we paint from the mud sill up the panel three feet with exterior latex paint. The builder used excess paints that are returned to the hardware store. A peal a stick damp proofing was stuck to the ICFs. Note: the builder now has access to an egg crate type drainage plane that hangs against the ICF with no glue. Next that part of the wall is covered with Grace Ice & Water membrane. Then the entire building was covered with 30# tar paper.

Harmful Gas Monitoring and Control
The Form-a-Drain system provides for sub slab ventilation. A 4" pipe was roughed in to the chase on the main floor for ventilation. It can go through the roof, if necessary.

Building Envelope
This is a SIP building with 6" walls (R-26) and a 10" roof (R-50) and an ICF foundation (R-22). Every interior seam between the panels was foamed and caulked. The drywall inside corners were taped with No-Coat Ultra Flex, which gives a structural corner that has a "hinge". This eliminates cracks and air leakage.

Mechanical Systems
The sun provides more than 75% of the home's total heat and domestic hot water, suing a combination of active solar collection and passive distribution. The system was designed by Bob Starr of Radiantec. The radiant heat system uses the 16" of sand under the first floor slab as a thermal mass to use the low temperature solar gain that is common for most of the year. Warmed by solar hot water panels during the winter, this pre-warmed fluid does not supply much heat, but it will provide BTUs to the mass. (According to the builder, "That will make the building think that it is sitting on the beach in Aruba." In the summer the system will provide 100% of the domestic hot water.) The warm fluid circulates through radiant tubing to a water storage tank with an integral heat exchanger. Preheated water also goes to the propane water heater for domestic hot water.

A fully ducted RenewAire energy recovery ventilator (ERV) is also an integral part of the system, as properly built SIPs houses have little leakage. This sytem brings in fresh air, preheats and circulates it, and gets rid of stale, humid air. It also helps maintain equal pressure between the inside and outside of the home, which minimizes infiltration and leakage. The system provides air changes from zero to .75 ACH to control indoor air quality. More detail on this system is available here.

Water Heating
There is a 95% efficient Polaris propane back up radiant/ hot water system to meet household demands for heat or hot water.

Appliances
An Energy Star refrigerator and dishwasher are included.

Lighting
Energy Star fixtures or compact fluorescent bulbs were used in all hard wired locations.

Report performance data if available
The blower door test gave a rating of .04 Air changes per hour (ACH).

Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Stormwater
The driveway is porous.

Landscape Design
Native plants were used, fitted to the area's environment.

Site Covered and Stabilized at Construction Completion
The site was seeded, planted, and landscaped.

General living space
All doorways are 36" wide.

Bathroom
The main bath has a 5" circle and blocking for grab bars.