With its holistic approach to sustainable design, this custom home showcases dozens of green ideas.
> Project Name: New Canaan Residence, Conn.
> Builder: Chris and Mike Trolle, BPC Green Builders
> Architect: Jim Edgcomb > Landscape Architect: Didona Associates Landscape Architects
> Landscape Professional: Plantscapes Organics
> Poolscape: J & J Pool & Concrete Service
> Photovoltaic and Solar Panel Installer: Alteris Renewables
> HVAC Contractor: B&D Controlled Air Corp.
The Adirondack-style shingled home, complete with a pond and running stream, holds its own along the estate-studded back roads of New Canaan, Conn. But it is a beauty that’s simply the veneer on a highly engineered and efficient home.
“The couple’s goals were to build the greenest, most energy efficient house possible,” says architect Jim Edgcomb. “This site had attributes they were looking for: natural water features and open areas for photovoltaics, along with beautiful views.”
The homeowners also had a long list of materials and systems that they wanted to include in the program.
“An indispensable part of our process is making the box as airtight as possible,” says Chris Trolle, the project’s engineer. The super-insulating process was extensive. Crews insulated the precast concrete walls with 1” of rigid foam board followed by spray foam. The floor slab sits on a 6” bed of crushed stone and 2” of foam board. Above-grade walls are 2x6, 24” OC. Roofing was framed with 2x12, also 24” OC.
Contractors filled the void left by 2x3 strapping in the basement and other parts of the house with spray foam insulation, further increasing R-values (R-58 roof, R-31 above grade, R-39 basement).
Most windows are triple-glazed casements with two layers of low-E coatings and two 1/2” air spaces filled with argon; frames are solid wood and aluminum clad so that they are virtually maintenance free.
Because the clients wanted the visual aesthetic of stained-shingle cladding, they selected FSC-certified cedar from local sources. To increase the durability of this material, the builders installed a special mesh fabric between the building wrap and shingles, allowing moisture to drain out and away.
FROLING P4 PELLET BOILER
Wood pellets made from compressed sawdust are the resource and cost-efficient fuel for this automatic feed heat source. A larger hopper was custom-designed to feed into the smaller hopper that is attached to the boiler.
www.woodboilers.com
ECOSTAR MAJESTIC SLATE SHINGLE
Made of 80% post-industrial recycled rubber and plastic, these shingles are 50-year rated, and come in a variety of colors.
www.ecostar.carlisle.com
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GreenBuilder 12.2010
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