Ken and Deb Sagan decided to build a green home after discovering that many of the features in their existing plans already fell within the recommendations of the Model Green Home Building Guidelines from the National Association of Home Builders. Thanks to the Internet, Ken was able to find plenty of sources for the materials they would need.
Finding a green home builder, on the other hand, took research and patience. Ken and Deb feel fortunate that they met builder Dan Force.
"We were excited when Ken came to us and gave us the opportunity to build this home," Dan says. "One reason was that we were going with ICF [insulated concrete forms] blocks, which we're trying to promote. We think it is the way of the future. I think that the ICF blocks over the next five years are going to take more than 40% the housing market."
The owner of a decorative concrete company, Dan convinced Ken and Deb to use concrete throughout their home. "Concrete has no laminates, no glues, so there are no fumes," Dan explains. "It's at least a 30-year product, if not longer, so you're not looking at replacing it every so often. You can change colors by doing an overlay. You're not confined to one pattern. It can be changeable."
Most of the floors throughout other parts of the home are reclaimed lumber. The kitchen floor is cork–a product that is not only environmentally friendly but also naturally hypoallergenic, durable, comfortable and highly insulating. There is no carpet anywhere in the house.
"The products are available, although people aren't aware they're green building products," says Ken. "I think it comes down to educating builders and consumers about how beneficial these alternative products are."
Sealing in good air quality
Most residential builders are not familiar with Icynene insulation, an environmentally friendly product that has been used in commercial applications for two decades. Because it is blown in with water and provides an air barrier, Icynene eliminates the need for extra sealing material and dramatically reduces waste. It stops the convection inside the walls, making for a warmer home.
"What you want to do in a house is to not filter the air through the walls and the assembly," explains Chris Rehm of Foammen Insulators, the insulation contractor for the Sagans' house. "You want to stop the air. Then you have the ability to ventilate properly, whether it is mechanical ventilation or natural ventilation. Icynene gives you the opportunity to control the indoor air quality."
Icynene stops the convection inside the walls, making for a warmer home.
Ken and Deb chose three systems to heat their 4,000-sq.-ft. home: geothermal, a gas-log fireplace and radiant floor heating. "We've done the heat loss calculation," Ken explains. "We found that the heating-system requirements are a lot less than in a conventional house."
The home's windows are not Energy-Star-rated, but their fixed position offers a better R Value, lowering the energy cost. The U value or heat loss rating for the windows is 0.31, and they provide a solar heat gain coefficient, or heat gain from sunlight, of 0.30. However, the efficiency of the windows created another problem.
"With the fixed windows and the ICF, we had to make accommodations for air changes," Ken says. "With the heat-recovery ventilator and the air filtering that the furnace does, the air quality inside is better than it is outside."
With a move-in date of April 2005, Ken and Deb are excited to put their new home to the test. . "It was very easy to fulfill the requirements for a green building. All it took was a little bit of research on the Internet," Ken points out.
Overall, going green hasn't been a sacrifice for Ken and Deb. The experience has even encouraged them to serve as green building consultants.
"When most people hear green building, they think, 'Well, I have to build it according to what "they" want,'" Ken says. "But with the green building program, that is not necessarily so. The green building products fell into place with our lifestyle."
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