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Project Description:
A difficult decision to tear down a 60-year old lakeside bungalow led to construction of a Challenge Home-certified, LEED platinum home that takes
energy efficiency to new heights in New Fairfield, Connecticut. Owners James Gainfort and Hayden McKay learned the old home’s concrete block walls would not support the second-story addition they hoped to add to take advantage of views of Candlewood Lake and to increase storage space in this escape-from-New York weekend retreat that will one day be their year-round retirement home. So the husband and wife architects decided to make the most of the situation, tearing down the old, asbestos-tiled building to the foundation slab, salvaging everything possible, and designing a new, modern two-story home that captures commanding views, lots of daylight, and significant energy savings.
The couple hired local builders BPC Green Builders to construct the home, which was completed in December 2012. When they moved in, they immediately noticed how comfortable and quiet the home is. “We can turn the heat down to 55°F while we are gone during the week and it takes five days to drop from to 70 to 62°F,” said McKay. The home’s double-wall construction and triple-pane glass windows also keep it very quiet inside. “We don’t hear anyone’s weed whackers or snow blowers.” McKay, who now works as a lighting designer, was concerned that the triple-pane windows’ two layers of low-emissivity coating would block out too much light but she said the coating is barely noticeable to the eye, although it’s certainly contributing to the projected $2,817 in annual utility bill savings. The home achieved a low Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score of 39
without photovoltaics (PV). The home’s flat roof has been structurally reviewed, an inverter location has been identified, and conduit has been installed for the addition of solar panels at some future date. If a 9-kW PV system were added, the solar power production would offset energy use to bring the home very close to net zero with a HERS score of 2.
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Other Awards:
LEED for Homes Platinum certification
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Site description:
Located in New Fairfield, the lot is on a hill overlooking Candlewood Lake. The new house sits on the footprint of the original 60 year old house that was sustainably demolished, with significant recycling and some reuse.
Materials:
Other “green” features include"
The use of low VOC sealants, caulks, adhesives, primers,and paints.
Patio and walkway materials are locally sourced or repurposed from the original structure.
Maple flooring, the cast iron whirlpool bathtub, cabinets, sinks, door handles and hardware, and concrete block from the old home were reused on site. Usable doors, windows, skylights, cabinets, and appliances that weren’t kept for the new home were donated for reuse in other buildings.
Clean debris was separated off site for recycling or disposal and asbestos and lead in the original structure were properly disposed of.
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Subslab assembly:
Over the existing slab, R-20 (4 inches) of extruded polystyrene (XPS) rigid foam insulation is laid down and then a new slab is poured. Rigid XPS (R-15) is installed along the foundation walls, 3 inches thick on the exterior and 1.5 inches thick on the interior, before the new slab is poured.
Above grade wall assembly:
The double-wall construction consists of a 2x6 24-inch on-center outer wall and a 2x4 24-inch on-center inner wall spaced 0.5 inches apart with staggered studs to provide a 9.5-inch cavity that is filled with R-33 of blown cellulose. The outer wall is sheathed with CDX plywood, covered with a layer of vapor-permeable, self-adhered, air and water barrier house wrap over which are installed 1x3 furring strips and fiber cement siding.
Flat attic assembly:
The highly insulated roof has R-33 of blown cellulose between the ceiling joists,plus R-39 of rigid insulation installed above the roof sheathing for a whopping R-72 insulation value. The isocyanurate foam is protected with an adhered cover board plus a modified bitumen roof membrane. The roof surface is slightly tapered to direct water to two drainage points, where stainless steel piping carries the rainwater to two outdoor cisterns, 1,000 gallon and 750 gallon, for garden irrigation.
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The home is designed to maximize solar shading through overhangs on east, south, and west facades. The windows feature: fiberglass frames, triple glazing, argon gas fill, two low-E coatings and a U-value of 0.20.
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Window Description:
The windows feature: fiberglass frames, triple glazing, argon gas fill, two low-E coatings and a U-value of 0.20.
Mechanical Equipment Installation Details and Comments:
A 94% AFUE high efficiency, condensing, propane-fired boiler will create hot water for both domestic use and space heating purposes. A combination of radiant tube floor heating on the 1st floor and a hydro-air system on the 2nd floor will provide the space heating. The cooling will be from a high-efficiency, 16 SEER, AC condenser.
Ventilation is provided by an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) which draws exhaust air from the bathrooms (and ventilates them) while simultaneously providing fresh air to the entire house.
Daylight will be the primary source of light. The electric lighting will be a mixture of CFL and LED fixtures.