360 Winnett » green

Roof Torch Down

jeremybell — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:17:46 +0000

We began weatherproofing the roof this week, despite a continued beatdown from Mother Nature. The sky has been perpetually grey and in between the snow and rain, we’ve been rolling out and torching down a SBS modified bitumen membrane (I know you want to say that 5 times fast).

We’re using a product called TorchFlex, which is described as:

A strong reinforcing mat (polyester or fiberglass) which is coated with SBS modified bitumen. Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) is a rubber-based chemical that endows the asphalt with some amazing qualities: superior elasticity, excellent moisture resistance, and exceptional cold weather flexibility. The end result is a long-lasting, durable membrane which can be applied to a wide variety of surfaces on roofs of almost any shape or design.

Installation seems pretty straightforward—The roof was first sprayed with an asphalt primer and then covered with sheets of fire-retardant protector board. Two layers of the TouchFlex were then rolled out and affixed by “heat-welding the membrane, fusing it to the protector board and using the same process to seal the seams.” Once that’s all complete, all of the aluminum flashing will be installed and everything will be caulked.

For aesthetic reasons, we’ve also foregone traditional eavestroughs in favour of a parapet with hoppers (or flow control roof drains). These have built-in strainers that will prevent large debris from clogging them, further reducing the likelihood of a leak. The rear downspouts will be connected to a rainwater tank (probably a Rainwater HOG) which will be used for irrigation in the backyard, and the other downspouts will direct their runoff to an underground drainage pit. This pit is also connected to our weeping tile, with the sole purpose of capturing the excess rainwater and allowing it to naturally dissipate into the soil (as opposed to, oh, running back into our house… which has happened to a few or our neighbours). Apparently we have incredibly dense soil that doesn’t absorb water particularly well.

We had also considered a green roof early on, however it was FAR more expensive than we expected. Beyond the plants themselves, you also have to account for the added waterproofing requirements, plus the increased structural demands (waterproofing and drainage layers, plus the soil, plus the plants, plus the water they hold). And let’s not forget that the plants need to be watered on a semi-regular basis, which meant we needed roof access. There are a few lower maintenance solutions, but they were all something we simply couldn’t swing (read: afford).

Shades of Green

jeremybell — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:43:42 +0000

To date, the number one question, comment and critique of this project has been about our “green” commitment. Are we really being “eco-friendly”, or is this all just a vanity project? I suppose one wouldn’t put this all online if there wasn’t a hint of narcissism involved, but I like to believe I’m a little more humble than that. Regardless, I welcome all of the comments and I hope the criticism keeps us honest.

So what are our green strategies? As I’ve mentioned before, we hadn’t originally set out to build a green home. We simply wanted a larger home, and while this remains true, our priorities have changed along the way. We’ve come to realize we should be building a smarter home and not just a bigger home. We’ve also come to appreciate our eco responsibilities and felt it was important to document the realities that came with this decision. And there are realities that come with those decisions. Financial realities. We’ve evaluated a variety of eco-friendly solutions-~~and I’d love to use all of them~~-but we simply cannot afford to.

Many of the specifics are still in the air and won’t be finalized until we’re well into construction, but I thought I’d take this opportunity to shed some light on what green features we’re planning for:

Energy Star certification
Compact house footprint that fell below allowable coverage
ICF foundation
Closed cell, medium density spray foam insulation
Low E II insulated, argon-filled windows
High efficiency furnace + heat pump + HRV
On-demand hot water
Passive heating & cooling (solar chimney + cross ventilation + window shading)
Daylighting (clerestory + internal windows)
Energy Star appliances
Rainwater collection

CFL and/or LED lighting
Similarly, we’ve also had to abandon a variety of other green solutions as a result of their costs:
Green roof
SIPs
Geothermal heating & cooling
Grey water collection (although we haven’t completely ruled this out…)

Solar & wind power
I plan on discussing each of these topics in greater detail as we progress through the project, and I’m sure things will evolve as we continue to evaluate our options.

I’m assuming we will continue to face accusations of greenwashing, but hopefully this clears a few things up and illustrates that we are indeed trying to build the greenest home we can. Even if that shade of green isn’t as bright as we’d like.

How Green is Green?

jeremybell — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:07:57 +0000

What exactly spurs someone to take on a project like this? After 5 years in a small pre-war bungalow, my wife and I decided we wanted more room to start a family. So for us, this project was born out of a need for more space.

However, at some point along the way, our priorities changed. We still need the extra space, but I came to realize we could build a better home instead of a bigger home.

I’m sure “better” means something different to everyone, and for us it originally meant a modern esthetic with nice fixtures. And while we still want this, I’ve also come to appreciate how sustainability must work into the equation. So I’m left wondering… how green is green?

I’m not sure I have a definitive answer for this, but we are trying to do as much as possible given our budget. I’ve heard many claims that “green” doesn’t necessarily equate “expensive”, and while this is true in some cases, it’s hard to argue when you look at the budget. The fact is, we could have built a much larger home if we wanted, but instead we reduced the footprint so we could build it greener. I’m not suggesting it’ll be the poster-child for LEED construction, but it’ll definitely be better than it would have been.

I’m planning on discussing these more in future posts, but here a few things we’ve considered with the design of the house:

Window shading
Passive lighting
Passive heating & cooling
Rainwater collection
ICF / SIP construction

Spray foam insulation
Beyond the products & practices we’re considering, I’m often asked about the existing house. Why did we decided to bulldoze it? Why not build on the existing foundation? If we are going to demolish it, what will happen to the waste?

These are all excellent questions, and I must admit I hadn’t actually considered all of them. We had originally intended to build on our existing foundation, however proximity to our neighbors made this problematic. And I would love to recycle/reuse everything… I just don’t think that’ll be entirely possible.

Crushing and reusing the foundation is an intriguing possibility given our flat roof (we’re investigating covering it with crushed gravel). As for the rest of the house, we’re going to be selling/giving away as much of it as possible (the kitchen cabinets, radiators, boiler, etc). However, I realize that won’t make much of an impact and I assume most of it will end up in a landfill.

Not exactly the most eco-friendly solution, but that’s where we stand today. I hadn’t considered recycling the rest, but it’s something I’m definitely going to look into it now.

So these may not all be the greenest of steps, but hopefully they’re steps in the right direction.

Photo via Flickr user CasualTea

Prefab Considerations

jeremybell — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:13:26 +0000

My first instinct was to investigate a prefab solution when we began this project. I find the concept of prefabricated eco-modern homes very attractive, but living in Toronto definitely limited our options… apparently there aren’t many nearby factories. Who knew? I was particularly fond of Michelle Kaufmann’s Sidebreeze, but the shipping costs definitely made it cost prohibitive. Royal Homes apparently has a factory nearby that builds modern homes, however none of them would fit on our lot. Sigh.

Regardless of my situation, it’s great to see that Michelle Kaufmann is finally getting some attention with her eco-friendly prefab homes. More people should be paying attention…

Even if you’re not interested in going prefab, you can’t ignore her environmental message.