global warming!

It’s too hot to blog. So I’ll just post some cool recent pics of the Deep Energy Retrofit progress. Roofing! Siding! Need I say more?

And a quick note regarding these extreme temperatures we’re having here in the Northeast this week… yesterday we closed all the windows before the temperatures started to sky-rocket. And you know what? It was easily 20º cooler than outside when I got home. That’s 75º instead of 95º. Not bad for 2 inches of rigid foam and a whole lotta dense pack cellulose!

And our first Open House went really well! Visitors were interested and excited about the project, and we were happy to promote this type of home improvement. I’ll post some picks and share some of the details this weekend.

Raise the Roof

Before we get into the roof and other facets of our ever-looming Deep Energy Retrofit, let’s talk about where I was supposed to be right now. Barcelona! I seriously had every intention of blogging from a relaxed Spanish cafe, sipping wine and enjoying tapas. And after so much planning and bending over backward to carve out some time for myself, my mom, and my daughter to get away for 10 days, we were thwarted by the volcanic ash cloud. Oh, the environmental drama! I know we can’t exactly blame global warming for the Icelandic volcano eruption, but it never hurts to consider how much the earth, weather, and environmental conditions affect our daily lives. I mean, this stubborn old ash cloud may very well put airlines out of business.

So I’m here, and having mourned the loss of my much-needed and deserved vacay, my sights are on the next steps of our DER project. First, the roof goes on this week! I think. We have geared ourselves up for this process before and discovered that other issues had to take precedence. But I think it might actually happen for real this time. So to celebrate our slate grey standing seam icing on the already space-aged shiny silver foam insulated cake, we’re having our first Open House!

Come one, come all, and see the mythical DER beast for yourselves. Stand face to face with the legend of 70% energy reduction! A week from today, Saturday, May 22nd, 10-2. And more details on the invite below:

This event is going to be super fantastic! Our home is in just the right staight of flux for visitors to get an accurate sense of what these energy efficient improvements really look like and how they impact our daily life. We’ll have experts on hand from Beyond Green Construction, National Fiber, Holden Humphrey, Harvey Building Products… and of course we, the homeowners, will be there. And if you ask us any questions we promise not to sugar coat the answers.

Now, the dilemma. I will tell all of you that the money we are spending is really starting to freak me out (see what I mean about not sugar coating?). I have a ton of faith in this work, though, and that’s what’s getting me through. I also have a ton of faith that fuel costs will raise considerably, and now with this oil spill, maybe faster and sooner than expected. But we’re already tipping our financial scales and maxing out every resource to get this project done without even a plan for how to pay for the windows or solar hot water.

Based on recent blower-door tests that BGC has performed, I (and they) would say that the windows are going to have one of the biggest impacts of any of the other puzzle pieces. Futuristic insulation is great, but if the holes in your walls aren’t properly sealed and protected by efficient windows, then the insulation doesn’t count for much. So the window plan will require some fundraising efforts (stay tuned to be hit up for some cash). And the solar thermal? We might have to nix it altogether. The consensus from the building science gurus involved is that it just won’t have a huge impact with our lifestyle.

So how do we save that extra 2.5%? Here’s a novel idea that we’re seriously considering. We may retire our dryer. Turns out the dryer is the biggest energy sucking appliance of them all. It makes sense, of course, but we all think the dryer is a necessity. I actually lived for about fours years in Queens, NY with only a clothes line that ran the distance of the courtyard, and it was totally fine year round. Sure, sometimes the clothes came in a little icy, but it just requires some planning, checking the weather forecast, and maybe having a backup, like a sizable rack in the basement for that relentless rain and snow that we sometimes endure in New England.

So I’m really excited about this idea, and I hope the utility company will allow this strategy to be part of our building science model.

Think that dryer plan is a good idea? Check out the movement and learn more here. When you stop to think how much conservation can be so much more effective, affordable, and realistic, it’s really quite eye-opening. Doesn’t make more sense to get rid of the giant appliance, rather than use the resources to create alternative energy systems in order to keep them? It’s summer and we all love to grill, right? So use some hardwood charcoal and skip the gas grill or indoor stove. Fire good. Gas bad.

And for all of you loyal environmentalists and waste-haters, diligently toting your reusable bags everywhere you go, check out ecobags.com for small washable produce bags and all sorts of waste-resistant everyday vessels.

Now I can’t wait to post photos of the roof and the siding going up. The hardieplank is going to be totally awesome, by the way. So stay tuned for some more frequent updates. And save your change, ’cause we’re gonna need it for the windows.

from green machine to silver bullet

Have you always wondered how to get that space-aged Tudor look and feel for your home? Here’s how:

Silver Bullet 05.03.10

Simply encase the outer walls with 4 to 6 inches of sexy silver rigid foam and add wood strips for that hip striped effect. I suppose it wouldn’t be the worst looking siding in the world, but don’t worry, we’ll be putting that fiber cement board on top.

We are planning to leave the foam exposed for a little while, though, so we can invite people from our community to come down and get a glimpse at the underworkings of our Deep Energy Retrofit. Once the siding is up it’ll be hard to get a complete and clear view of what super insulation really looks like. And leaving this muscular layer exposed also emphasizes the precise work on the window and door frames, as well as the roof line trim.

Roof Line Trim 05.03.10

That’s what the guys are working on right now in fact. No really, we are getting a roof one of these days. And it’s going to be awesome! I always secretly (or not so secretly) snickered at those homes with exposed Tyvek and tarped roofs for extended time periods. Now our home is one of them. And I totally understand why that happens. There are often unforeseen difficulties along the way that can include budget issues, contractor availability, weather, materials, or just simply human behavior.

I will say in our case it’s mostly budget-related. Being part of the utility company’s pilot program, there are unavoidable delays involving paperwork, contracts, checks, etc. And we don’t want to get in too far deep debt-wise at any stage of the game, so sometimes it makes sense to wait until we’ve planned each phase properly on a financial level.

Oh the drama… perhaps I’ve mentioned the part where we have sought contributions to the project from materials manufacturers and suppliers. Well, that causes delays too. I’m not too sure why it takes a (small) company two months to say no, but maybe I’m just bitter, because I see the value in contributing to the community and the “the cause” in my own business as a graphic designer. These things really can be quite symbiotic. I’m sure companies look at our teeny tiny little project on our teeny tiny little 1/3 acre and think, “why bother?” but perhaps they underestimate the volume of the big green loud mouth. And no matter how small our home or community is, 70% energy reduction is HUGE!

We have had luck with some very local companies, either donating, discounting, or just being “involved” so I encourage all of you to check out our list of partners at our project-dedicated site.

So here we are in the beginning of May, cranking along with foam, flashing, trim, additional cellulose and other details. On the most humid day we’ve had this year, our home is a sanctuary, resisting the insidious moisture with every inch of insulation and vapor barrier. I can already see how the DER will improve our hot weather conditions and comfort as it did with the cold weather.

What’s next? Our very first OPEN HOUSE! Right here at our Easthampton home on Saturday, May 22nd, 10am-2pm. We’ll have light refreshments, self-guided tours with dynamic signage throughout the house, and a casual and optional Q&A with members of our Beyond Green Construction team and other contributors. For location details and more info please email info@hers30orbust.com.