Background
A mid-block rowhouse
built circa 1888 in the historic neighborhood of Mount Pleasant. Although the upper two levels of the house were occupied by a long-term
owner, the entire house had clearly been neglected for quite some time. The building configuration consisted of one single-level,
1-bedroom unit on the main floor, one two-level, 2 bedroom unit on the top two floors and an unfinished, barely head-height,
basement. The goal of the renovation was to convert the property into a 4-bedroom single family home above grade with
a 1-bedroom English basement apartment with separate access leading to both the front and back yards. The design priority was
to minimize environmental impact by implementing numerous green/sustainable design strategies-the most fundamental of which
is to re-use an existing building in an urban area, taking advantage of both the embodied energy of the building as well as
the urban infrastructure (particularly non-auto transportation). In addition, the creation
of the tightest possible envelope is a priority to maintain the highest levels of energy efficiency.
Deconstruction/demolition of the property began
the first week of February 2006. The bulk of the deconstruction work took about a week. An entire lifetime worth of personal/household
items was donated to Salvation Army. Salvaged building materials including tubs,
toilets, shower doors, cabinets and molding were donated to community forklift. All
metals including copper, steel and iron went to Metro-Re-Uze-It for recycling. Minimal unuseable/unrecycleable
items went to the dump. The original wood framing was salvaged, de-mailed and
planed for re-used cosmetically. Subs, architects, consultants and LEED rater were
all finished with input and final plans were approved and permitted. Total construction took approx 12 months.
Specific Goals and Philosophy
The project was guided by
the following goals:
• Create a VERY
low energy use home:
§
Super insulation of building
envelope via bio based spray foam (from soy beans!)
§
Double paned, low-e, low
u, low air infiltration, krypton filled replacement windows
§
Ceiling fans to reduce
cooling loads
§
Utilizing southern orientation
by incorporating solar water heating on roof, taking advantage of natural daylight afforded by a south-facing rear exposure
§
2 high efficiency air
source heat pumps for upper three levels and ductless minisplit system for basement unit
§
ERV unit
• Maintain high-indoor
air quality though careful attention to material selection and ventilation
• Reduce overall
building water use by implementing low-flow fixtures, dual flush toilets and energy star appliances
• Reduce storm-water
run-off
• minimize use of
PVC
• use of 100% recyclable
Aquatherm piping for water supply
• Use recovered/recycled,
locally-sourced, and/or FSC or equivalently-sourced materials and wood
• Reduce lifecycle
maintenance needs and costs
• Include attractive,
timeless features that will not go out of style easily to avoid frequent remodeling
• Enable higher-density
occupation:
§
by creating a single-family home on the three upper
floors with a 1-bedroom apartment below it in the basement, the density of this building’s footprint will increase from
4 to 6 people.
