sjdehner

Interesting little snippet.

I like reading about new ways of looking at things, making better use of the things we already have.

Thanks for posting.

Shawn

Not smoking and having proper wiring (esp. on older homes) would reduce many deaths.

Residential sprinklers should be optional. Who knows - maybe home buyers would demand them.

The National Safety Council reports the following causes of death in 2000:

Exposure to smoke, fire and flames: 3,377 (Nearly 1,000 of these were related to cigarette smoking)

Fall on and from stairs and steps, bed, chair or other furniture or slipping: 2522

There's no guarantee that residential sprinkler systems will save lives.

Banning smoking (although perhaps difficult to enforce) WOULD likely save lives.

Enforcing a residential sprinkler code means the use of even more material resources and fossil fuel.

In the end that's a lot of plastic and emissions for what will likely be very little return.

I think the article misses some important considerations.

But I'll keep my subscription!

Hi Charles,

I like the energy use decal idea quite a bit.

At the moment, my wife and I are in the (unexpected) process of selling our house in Maine. It is an energy-efficient, passive solar house (please see link):

(http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4436/from-washington-to-maine-building-a-house-for-the-first-time)

The average cost of heating oil in our area is about $2200 per year (on a cheap year). Last year our house used about $500 worth of propane in conjunction with a passive-solar design and Icynene spray-foam insulation to keep the house at 70 degrees throughout the entire cold season. We also used a wood stove in the evenings.

So we are selling an energy-efficient house.

Of all the potential buyers that have come to the house only one has expressed ANY interest in the "green" features of the house. In Maine at least, an extremely oil-dependent place where one would think energy-efficiency would be of the utmost importance, it's basically a non-issue.

To hammer this home, we even had one agent tell us that "all new houses are this tight nowadays" when comparing our house to others in the area.

Our reply was: Are they?

Perhaps. But I seriously doubt it when I take a look at the walls going up around the area.

I suppose that the agent is doing me a favor by shedding some light on a huge problem, mainly that buyers believe banana-oil statements like "all new houses" are energy-efficient and then quickly move on to other issues.

A decal stating energy use would certainly eliminate this gross misconception.

I now think that buyers in general DO NOT care enough about energy efficiency to educate themselves in order to make a responsible house-buying decision.

We might think, let the buyer beware - after all they have to pay the fuel bill.

And that's true.

But everyone is effected by this sort of intellectual laziness whether it's the addition of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere or the expansion of dependency on a distance limited resources, it's a shared problem.

When I hear the comments of people looking at a house for sale in 2009 what I learn is that "good looks, big and cheap" are the important issues.

A house SHOULD be beautiful! It should meet the needs of the people who are going to live in it. And it should be affordable. I think these are givens.

But a house is none of these things if it is not reasonably energy-efficient. I think this is also a given.

And that so many buyers think that "all new houses" are equally energy-efficient is a serious misunderstanding.

I'm all for posting some decals.

Thanks for the nice comments.

Building a house has been full of lessons and we enjoyed being able to share our experience on the website.

Fine Homebuilding was a great resource for us!

Shawn & Jamie Dehner

Hello from Downeast!

Well,it appears that you made the long calculus from Utah to Vermont. And we from the photos that you've opted for a simpler canvas design this time around. How are the bugs! They're biting and chewing around here like mad thanks to all the moisture. You too must be water logged. The rains this spring have been tremendous. Not to mention all the clouds (it;s beginning to feel more like home in Western Washington than New England these days).

To our surprise, we won a full subscription to Fine Homebuilding so we enjoyed seeing your Salt Lake City kitchen in print with our first issue. You must be thrilled! And the attention should be a nice addition to your portfolio since you're now a couple of pros.

Congratulations on a job VERY well done.

We ourselves are heading back to the Pacific Northwest (home!) and are eager to get busy on the next project, whatever it turns out to be.

And we will look forward to reading more about your latest house too.

Take care, stay dry and enjoy!

Shawn & Jamie

Our house is insulated with Icynene and we can report that it is a VERY effective insulation! Here in Maine we used less than 300 gallons of propane (along with a little wood) last year to heat our two story house from basement to attic. While not perfect Icynene insulation is certainly a reasonable end use for petroleum.

Another insulation we are considering for our next house is a product called Air Krete, made from magnesium oxide, and I quote from their website (www.airkrete.com):

1. air krete® Insulation sample was resistant to mold growth at both 75% and 95% relative humidity. Neither molds were found to amplify in the materials at either humidity.

2. air krete®, over time, maintains a very high insulation value. (R = 3.9 at 2.07 lbs/ft3)

3. air krete® seals very effectively around the edges from infiltrating air.

4. air krete® does not expand, shrink or settle and is 100% cavity filling. It fills around and behind any obstructions and crevices. ( Dimensional stability- ASTM C 951: zero shrinkage)

5. air krete® does not inflict damage to environment or man. Material is non-toxic, does not create any ozone-depleting CFC’s and does not contain any formaldehyde or carcinogenic fibers.

6. air krete® does not burn and does not release any smoke and is also used as fire-stop material. ( ASTM E 84: 0- flame spread, 0- fuel contribution, 0- smoke-Test extended to 30 minutes with no further flame progression)

7. air krete® has a de-oiling effect and deters any rodents or insects.

8. air krete® is fully recyclable and can be used to enrich soil.

9. air krete® is very flexible and adaptable in its use in wall, roof and ceiling cavities in new or old construction.

10. air krete® is very cost-effective.

11. air krete® has the ability to absorb moisture without loss of insulation value. It therefore tempers and regulates indoor air humidity and enhances healthy and comfortable air quality.

12. air krete® is also a soundproofing material and used very effectively in interior sound partitions. In encasing plumbing pipes, water noises are very effectively reduced.

13. Because air krete® is Magnesium Oxide (MGO), a refractory cement it is ideal for high temperature applications.

While I have not used Air Krete it seems to be a "greener" product than any of the other spray-foams mentioned with several added benefits such as being non-flammable and 100% recyclable, et al. This product is impressive.

Great article by the way.

Shawn

Preserving that handsome maple added character to your project.

Nice job and congratulations on your first deck!

not only did we build an entire house but the drill is still working!

Justin, I have to agree with you, when it comes to drill there are too many choices!

My wife and I remodeled a cottage and built a entire house using a single Makita cordless drill. And it was just fine.

The "more-is-better" myth continues to radiate an array of problems, including ecological ones.

Personally, I think its better to build (and own) a few good tools that are consistent in quality.

Beautiful work, just beautiful. Not to mention resourceful and creative. Thanks so much for posting. Shawn & Jamie

The Bosch 4100 model is a well thought out tool.

Aside from the safety features - which are great - the fence is refreshingly reliable for smooth, accurate cuts.

Highly recommended.

My wife and I are from Seattle and are familiar with the bungalow neighborhoods that add so much to its character.

We are specifically from the Greenwood area, which has a wide range of comfortable little bungalow streets.

So much of Seattle is comprised of this style of architecture - from the U-District, Wallingford & Greenlake to Capitol Hill, Queen Anne Hill & Ballard (and beyond).

To imagine such distinct Seattle character being replaced by more generic apartment complexes (and they are popping up all over the city) is a real disappointment.

You've done excellent work and have added to the longevity of Seattle's character.

Thanks for that...and congratulations.

Shawn & Jamie - all the way from Maine!

Hello Weston & Amy -

Let us be the first to say...congratulations!

Truth be told, we had a hunch you'd be selected - your work together stands out.

Will you be posting some more photographs soon?

Talk with you soon,

Shawn & Jamie

Weston...

Your place looks great - great work.

Shawn

Correction:

I suspect one reason the roof stood out as NOT being a genuine slate roof is the fact that it's a new installation - too shiny!

But that will fade quickly I'd imagine.

Justin -

Thanks for the update, I appreciate the information. I'm becoming increasingly curious about the roofing...

This afternoon while driving down the Maine coast I actually came across a remodeled winery, a former 1 1/2 story New Englander, that clearly used a similar synthetic slate-style roofing.

I can report that it did not look exactly like slate; but it looked really impressive! I liked it quite a bit (and so did my wife).

The roofing has a robust and pleasing texture that (to me) seems to be missing from an asphalt shingle roof. On the winery, each tile stands out while working together to form a handsome whole.

I suspect one reason it roof stood as NOT being slate roof is the fact that it's a new installation - too shiny! But that will fade quickly I'd imagine.

I'll echo the other posting too: I am also interested in a cost comparison.

Thanks again,

Shawn

I found a similar product (Authentic Roof Tiles) from New Zealand:

It is important when choosing a synthetic roofing manufacturer to make sure that the product is not made with any harmful materials that may lead to off gassing or leaching which could in turn be harmful for outdoor air quality and toxic rainwater runoff.

Authentic Roof Synthetic Slates according to Jimmy Crowe, the Executive Vice President of Authentic Roof, "is NOT made from any harmful and/or toxic chemicals whatsoever; neither does it emit or leach anything of the like - subsequent to installation. To further substantiate this claim, the Authentic Roof product has been tested, approved and certified by the governments of Australia and New Zealand in the department of contact immersion with water. As a result, Authentic Roof slates are used for the collection of rain water; to ultimately be used for drinking."

I'd like to see a similar statement from Davinci!

That's leaching (not leeching) by the way!

I'm not too worried about leeches on the roof or gardening water.

Shawn

I agree that these tiles have an impressive look!

As an avid gardener who harvests rainwater for veggies one of my concerns would be potential leeching of the product.

The FAQ section of the company's website states that the tiles are "impregnated with a fire retardant" which, correctly or incorrectly, conjures up bromides, which are coming under increasing criticism (and bans).

Davinci offers a little more detail in the Sustainable/Green portion of the site:

"True sustainability demands manufacturing processes that protect the planet. That’s why we manufacture DaVinci tiles with two different types of ThermoPlastic Olefin (TPO), organic fire retardant, proprietary color and UV stabilizers and inorganic pigments that are safe for the environment."

I'm not a chemist. But I know that there are all sorts of brominated "organic" compounds in use. I'd definitely want to read a MSDS (which I could not find at their site) before purchasing the product.

I enjoyed your article and hope to learn more.

Thanks again.

Shawn

Weston,

I really can't get over that funky lime green fridge...it's the same color as my now-retired 1971 Dodge Dart!

Anyway, I replied to your comment on our post but I wanted to let you know - and thought I'd check up on your progress, too, to see if you've had time to do any updates.

You're certainly getting plenty of thumbs up! There are impressive makeovers posting but I think yours really stands out.

Hope you and Amy are having a great time and keep up the great work!

Shawn

Hi Weston,

The contest rules say that "Your before picture should scare us and your after picture should delight us"

The photo-link you have attached to your profile says it all...

Along with presenting stellar finishing work, the collection of before photos are frighteningly good (some gave me the willies)! What a great series.

I also chuckled when I saw you wearing that respirator because there's a picture on the fridge of me in my own respirator after one of our "rat harvests" from the old house we worked on in Washington state.

Truly great work and continued success and enjoyment. You've certainly earned our admiration!

Jamie and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Shawn (and Jamie)

By the way, we think you have a good chance of winning the contest. Your project stands out.

Best of luck!

Shawn & Jamie

You two have done an outstanding makeover! That triplex has been utterly transformed; and it looks as if it was quite an undertaking.

Our first house was a remodel - and what an absolute mess it was; but we kept at it, just like you, and it gave us quite an education in building. It was a labor of love from the get-go.

We were (it seems) the same age as you are now when we took on the challenge, which is to say, late-twenties (Jamie) and early-thirties (me).

We sold that house (and our beloved garden) and now we're here in Maine in our mid- and late- thirties considering doing it all over again, this time back home in Washington state. Maine is a wonderful place but we miss our family and friends in the Northwest.

You never know where the adventure will lead you. The important thing is to do good work.

Seeing the good work you've done in Salt Lake City we think you'll enjoy the building process in Vermont.

We will keep up with you in the Gallery. And please send us an email if you find yourselves in Belfast. With a little luck it may be harvest time!

Keep up the good work.

Shawn & Jamie

Mikecla,

It sounds as if you've got your work cut out for you with six different roofs! Will you be posting any photos? The house sounds interesting and we understand why you're hiring on some help.

If you would like recommendations on any of the contractors that helped us, we'd be happy to send them along.

Our experiences with local builders were overwhelmingly positive.

One plug: Our site work was done by Derek Davis of Davis Dirt Works in Thorndike, Maine. If we have one contractor to recommend, it is Derek. He was on-time for work, on-schedule in completing the jobs and on-price every time. Aside from being efficient and doing great work, he's also young, energetic, friendly and very bright. We certainly found it refreshing to have someone around with a sense of humor on occasion!

All the best,

Shawn & Jamie

Hello BlueHooba,

Thank you for the positive feedback! We have posted more photographs if you're interested.

And, sure, we'd enjoy building you house! Although, truth be told, we're not likely to get "into the business."

Perhaps you might start your own project!

Shawn & Jamie

thenrie,

We just started a small series on how we went about building our house, including a cost analysis along with some comments on the building process.

Shawn & Jamie

Mikecla,

You sound dubious about our budget!

Since we were on a pay-as-you-go budget - i.e. without a loan - this amount is certainly within 2-3% of $125,000.

We did pay for site-work (although we cleared the trees ourselves) and this was $35,000. This amount included grading, a driveway, septic system, foundation and our well.

We paid a local mason, A.J. Dutch, for the chimney and hearth.

And we had an electrician and plumber "rough-in" our systems while finishing off the rest of the work ourselves.

The Icynene insulation was $10,500 for the entire house - basement to attic. A very reasonable amount given the cost of energy.

Aside from roofing and siding, the rest of the work we did by ourselves. This work includes framing, drywall, windows, doors, decks, stairs, ceilings, floors, - all finished carpentry, including hand-building our own cabinets. In addition this house is hand-spiked! And, frankly, we'll swing the hammers again if given another chance!

In addition, we started building the house August 5th, 2007 with the sill-plates and had it closed-in with the electric roughed-in by the end of October of that same year. We amazed even ourselves with this amount of work.

I expect if we had paid others to do the work we're still doing the cost would be substantially higher.

Some of our most valuable inputs have been *free* and come in the form of one local builder in particular, Roy Smith, who took us under his wing, the internet, the local library, internet resources such as Fine Homebuilding, and a "contractor's discount" from the local (Belfast) EBS store.

We learned that you cannot beat the value of your own personal labor. Do-it-yourself pays! Without our sweat equity this house would be out of our price range altogether.

The paybacks of doing it yourself are literally incalculable!

Good luck on your own project!

Charcoals:

It took us a long time to come up with a house plan that we thought was sensible and met our needs (about a year).

The house also underwent a metamorphosis once we bought the land and began situating the foundation. The house slowly worked itself out on-site even though we had a good plan ahead of time.

In any case, we will post a floor plan in the next week or so. I know we have one around somewhere!

Thanks too for writing.

Shawn

Hello Dallas!

Nice to hear from someone from "back home" in Point Roberts! Our old house was in the South Beach area of the Point. We're having a great time but do miss our friends in Point Roberts.

Thanks for writing and all the best on your own project.

(By the way, will you be posting photographs of your own work?)

Your outbuilding is handsome. I really like the site-built doors, I think you did a great job. I have been considering building some interior doors and find your work encouraging. Also, that you were able to obtain local wood was great. Thanks for posting.

Hello Robyn,

To start, thanks for the encouraging comments and for featuring our house. This is a great forum with a wide range of experience and it is enjoyable (not to mention educational) to participate.

I read the Alex Wilson blog you mentioned: Is the US ready for the passive house?

I can confirm that our passive-solar house combined with an air-tight insulation system works astonishingly well (and we also have a heat-recovery ventilator, which Wilson mentions). Even on cold days, if it's sunny, the back-up heating system typically will not come on until late in the day. And as long as the sun is out during the day the house will not fall to a dangerously cold temperature. In fact, it would likely hover around 60 degrees after several days.

As a note, our house has been easy to keep at 70 degrees throughout the coldest part of winter. During January 2009 we saw many nights in the -20 range and our propane usage was unexpectedly low. We were bracing for a huge bill and it turned out to be the lowest of the season thanks to the wood stove, passive solar and spray-foam insulation.

My wife and I highly recommend passive-solar design coupled with an air-tight insulation system like Icynene. The design need not be ultra-modern in appearance (although these can look great too!) or be cost-prohibitive. We were able to build a traditional concept on a tight budget.

We have posted additional photos and will add more in the weeks to come.

Thanks again!

Shawn

This is a beautiful table. The bowl is unique; and the stones are a creative touch. My wife keeps a retired butter churn banked with stones from our travels - although they cannot be enjoyed (let alone seen) inside the jar.

What species of wood did you choose for the top? I'm asking because the piece is so heavy! And how did you create the splitting effect? Very handsome work.

We also appreciate your comments re: our house. It is encouraging to get feedback every now and then. We have certainly gained from plenty of feedback locally. We also intend to post some photo-updates if you find yourself curious about our progress.

Shawn.

Thank you kindly for the helpful comments, it is always nice to get feedback since there is still a big learning curve for us when it comes to building. We will add photographs as we progress into our next project(s). The suggestion regarding the pendant light is worth considering. My wife and I are not very tall, 4'11" and 5'7" respectively, so the light may hang lower than it ordinarily would. That said it "feels" perfectly fine when standing in the kitchen so it could simply be a skew from the camera view. In any case, we will get a second opinion the next time we have a visitor at the house. Thanks again!