Posted by Sloan Ritchie on January 24, 2013
I’d like to test out this little Lunos E2 through wall HRV unit on a project. It looks so simple, installed in pairs for balanced operation, and achieving 90% efficiency, says on the brochure it works in Passive House. I wonder how many you’d need in the typical house? 3-4 pairs maybe?
Posted by Sloan Ritchie on December 25, 2012
We’ve been toiling away on our first passive house project for several months now, and are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Well, almost. I’ve had the opportunity to discuss the project in person with several people but have been remiss about blogging on it for wider consumption, so I thought I would share some highlights.
So what is passive house? I’ll just gloss over that concept, since you could find more info here, here and here. It is a building standard that results in unsurpassed comfort & energy efficiency. For the builder it means hitting a very airtight test number (0.6 ACH50), which is about ten times the current code required air leakage maximum (i.e., how drafty your new house can legally be). It also means optimizing the placement of windows to capture solar gains, and procuring super high performance windows. Ours came from Lithuania, made by a company called Intus. So far so good, though we are still waiting on the last couple windows to be delivered. They are comparatively heavy, with triple glazing and steel frames, so instead of packing them up the stairs manually, we had a crane help lift them into place.
In this picture, you can also see some of the double wall system. The taped sheathing is OSB with Siga tape, and Joint & Seam compound at some of the joints. Also visible is the plywood window box construction. We subsequently added vertical TJIs on top of the taped OSB, for our outer wall. The OSB layer is the air barrier, and it is the location that stops air leakage. This house will be entirely draft free. Behind the OSB, there is a standard structural 2×6 wall, so in total we have 5.5″ + 9.5″ = 15″ wall cavity, all of which will be blown in dense pack insulated.
Here’s that same window, but now with the outer TJI wall built around it. As you can see the windows are recessed into the wall system, not just stuck right on the outside of the wall in line with the siding. It will be more apparent once the siding is installed.
Is all of this overkill? Current energy codes suggest that a 5.5″ wall cavity is sufficient for our climate – why do more? most builders never get beyond this question. In my view, 5.5″ inches of insulation is insufficient for comfort, not to mention the overuse of precious natural resources (oil, coal, hydro, pick your source), and doing your part to reduce climate change might only be a few more inches of insulation. Passive House may be overkill, it is after all, a very strict high standard that barely anyone adheres to, mostly because it’s perceived to be too difficult or expensive. I figure the only way to find out is to try it and see how it works.
Siding is going up. We have a vapor open system, so it can breath from the air barrier out or in. I will update as the project progresses! If you have any interest in Passive House in Seattle or this particular house, feel free to contact us.
Posted by shauna on November 15, 2012
Rendering courtesy of NK Architects [enlarge]
Seattle-based NK Architects and Cascade Built are building a house in Madison Park that will meet the standards for Passive House projects.
The team said in a press release that they expect the three-story, 2,400-square-foot house to use 90 percent less energy for heating than a typical house.
Marie Ljubojevic and Lauren McCunney of NK said it will have an open floor plan, with high ceilings and natural light. Wood from a tree on the site is being used for built-in storage units.
The designers said they reduced the need for mechanical heating and cooling, reduced the carbon footprint and dramatically improved indoor air quality by focusing on air sealing and insulation. There is as much as 16 inches of insulation in the walls and ceilings.
They also are using high-performance windows, solar hot water, zero-VOC finishes and a heat recovery ventilator.
The project is scheduled to be done early next year.
Ritchie said every Cascade Built project meets green building standards set by third-party organizations, including LEED and Built Green and now Passive House Institute US.
He said the development process for Passive House has been “a lot more intense than anything I’ve done before.”
Ritchie estimated that a Passive House-type project costs 10 percent more to build than a conventional house. The biggest expenses are for ventilation, insulation and better-performing glass.
Long term, Ritchie said he would like to apply passive techniques to multifamily projects. Apartments have fewer exterior walls that lose heat and require less expensive windows than single-family structures.
Rob Harrison of Harrison Architects was involved with the initial design and later modifications to help meet the Passive House standard. Dan Whitmore Hammer and Hand is providing additional Passive House consulting during construction. Yu & Trochalakis, PLLC were the structural engineers. Jonathan Cohen of ImaginEnergy provided mechanical consulting. Landscape design is by Allworth Design and Donna Bergeron of Donna Bergeron Interior Design is doing the interiors.
Read the complete article at: http://www.djc.com/news/en/12047101.html?query=park+passive&searchtype=all
Posted by shauna on October 9, 2012
We entered one of our very first awards this year with our Alley House 2 single family residential project, and are proud to relay that it has been named a finalist in the Green Builder® Home of the Year Awards competition. As a refresher it is a LEED-Platinum, modular home on an urban infill lot about 1 mile from downtown Seattle. The house sold in Spring 2012.
The Alley House 2 will appear in the December issue of Green Builder magazine and we should know more about specific placement in the awards program in early December. Stay tuned. And in the meantime, check out the video of this house being constructed.
Posted by Sloan Ritchie on August 13, 2012
We are very excited to be working on a modular shipment to Maui, in design now. Check back for details, images, and the inevitable recon trips out there to make sure the site is level, etc., etc. It will be modeled after some of our other recent projects: modern, efficient, sustainable…
The view from the front porch might look like this:
Posted by shauna on August 2, 2012
To Carpet or Not to Carpet: Our List of Pros and Cons
If we were moving into a new house today, we would gravitate towards those without carpet or make existing carpet removal one of the first items on our to-do list. When we build new homes, we typically choose to not carpet floors, unless there is a definitive reason we must for comfort purposes. And then as homeowners, we purchase area rugs to soften rooms and make sitting on the floor more comfortable. So why not just carpet?
Here are the pros and cons of carpets:
Pros
- Carpet adds warmth, color and comfort to a room
- It can also provide added insulation for heat and from sound
- It is less expensive than hardwood or tile flooring
Cons
- Carpet holds dust and other allergens that can be problematic for those with respiratory challenges
- It is a conducive environment for dust mites and other pests
- It can retain moisture creating mold that can be toxic for those with allergies
- It is difficult to clean
- It captures stains and odors, particularly in households with pets and children
Are you in the ‘to’ or ‘not to’ camp?
Posted by shauna on July 17, 2012
We’re excited to start construction on Cascade Built’s most energy efficient project to date: Park Passive.
Designed by Nicholson Kovalchick Architects, the 2,300 square foot single family home located in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood has been designed and is being constructed to meet the rigorous standards of the Passive House Institute US standards for Passive House certification by reducing heating energy consumption by nearly 90%. Jokingly, we tell people we plan to heat the house with a hairdryer, though that does represent the approximate level of heat needed, as a result of extreme attention to detail in air sealing, high levels of insulation, and high-performance windows. The 4bd/3ba home also features solar hot water, PV ready, salvaged woodwork from a site harvested tree, zero VOC finishes, a heat recovery ventilator, and more. True to our style, this beautiful home is built on an in-fill city lot that measures just about 2,000 SF.
Watch this space for progress!
Posted by shauna on June 29, 2012
We take windows very seriously – pun intended. While we strive to source building products locally, we recently used a California-based manufacturer whose product works so well, it inspired us to write a blog entry about them, and on the topic.
SeriousWindows and SeriousGlass products, from Serious Energy, combine outstanding performance, reducing resource loss while improving thermal comfort, with a pleasing aesthetic. The company offers both vinyl and fiberglass window frame options in the styles you would expect. View the SeriousWindow residential home project gallery here.
SeriousWindows was our choice for windows in the Alley House 2.
And while we are on the topic, here are our five reasons why it’s worth paying more for windows:
1. Inefficient single or dual pane windows account for 25-35% of energy loss
2. Most windows are not recyclable (except aluminum) which puts a lot of material in the landfill (consider doing this less frequently with a longer-life window)
3. Replacement is costly and inconvenient: Window prices are not decreasing, pay now at a lower rate for 50 year windows so you don’t have to pay again in 10 or 20 years for inexpensive windows
4. Good windows are a source of ambient comfort – whether it is warm or cold. Bye, bye drafty windows
5. You may benefit from a tax credit, further offsetting your investment in better windows up front
Posted by shauna on June 11, 2012
The first phase of the Clearwater Commons custom homes is complete. As a refresher, Clearwater Commons is a deep green co-housing community, located on North Creek near Bothell, WA.
An intentional, ecologically-responsible residential community on a 7.4 acre site which includes wetlands, forest, garden space, and salmon-supporting creek habitat, Clearwater Commons’ properties are a blend of contemporary-designed single family and multi-family townhomes. All homes (even those that will be constructed in the future) use advanced framing to minimize material use and allow for greater insulation, low-toxin materials, a heat recovery ventilation system, and a unique pin pile foundation in place of a poured concrete foundation to allow shallow ground water to move unhindered through the site, preserving ground water flow paths on the wetlands.
Check out the photos below and if you are interested in living in the community, lots are currently available for purchase: visit the Website for more information.
The Duplex
Interior of unit 5
3 bed/3 bath single family home
2 bed/2 bath single family home with sound studio and green room
Interior of duplex unit 14
Interior bath of duplex unit 15
A complete photo album is available at www.facebook.com/cascadebuilt
Posted by Sloan Ritchie on May 21, 2012
It’s official, the Alley House 2 has new owners! And, were even more pleased to share that the new the decision to purchase the house over other properties was not just for its modern, attractive design and finishes; it was driven by the house’s quality, thoughtful construction and rigorous sustainable certification.
If you didn’t get to tour the Alley House 2, here are a few notable highlights and photos as well as the video of its construction.
What is so unique about Alley House 2?
Next Up for Single Family Homes: Our Passive House Project in Madison Park.
For further information or to obtain answers to questions unanswered by our Website or FAQ, please contact Sloan at Cascade Built.
