Tower Grove South Family Watches Green Home Turn Gold
About a year ago, my wife, son and I were looking to spread our wings beyond the increasingly cramped quarters our modern downtown condominium provided. Our experience living downtown was great. All of the people we met, all of the things we did, not to mention watching buildings kicking off their rust and being reborn. But, with a 2 year old and another one on the way, our loft living experience was quickly coming to end.
As events unfolded we settled on a plan that called for building a new historically accurate home in the Benton Park neighborhood. After purchasing land and spending thousands of dollars on architectural drawings, we found that the project would never move beyond the planning stage. We spent nearly three months wrangling with the neighborhood historical commission and the 9th ward alderman to no avail. While homes were falling down around them, they chose to make it nearly impossible for a young growing family willing to build a new home on a lot that had been vacant for as long as anyone could remember. Kind of a head scratcher, but I digress…
As we recovered from that experience, and with our home already sold, we now had to spring into gear looking for were we would live next.
We decided to purchase one of the first mainstream Green Homes built in the St. Louis region. This past week, our home was awarded Gold Level designation by the National Association of Home Builders according to their Green Building Guidelines. The program, administered locally by the Green Building Council of the Home Builder’s Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri and facilitated by Laclede Gas Company, is a big deal.
The guidelines are fairly complex. But, in general our home was graded in the areas detailed below. Based on our home’s features and performance, it won the Gold Level designation.
- Lot Preparation and Design - Even before the foundation is poured, careful planning is done to reduce the home’s impact on natural features such as vegetation and soil; and enhance the home's long-term performance. Such preparation provides significant value to the homeowner, the environment, and the community.
- Resource Efficiency – Advanced framing techniques and home designs effectively optimize the use of building materials. Careful material selection can reduce the amount of time and money needed for home maintenance; and demonstrates equally important construction waste management concepts.
- Energy Efficiency – This is the most quantifiable aspect of green building. This incorporates more energy efficient mechanical systems, appliances, and lighting into a home, yielding long-term utility bill savings and increased comfort for the homeowner.
- Water Efficiency/Conservation – The concern with adequate supply is becoming more widespread. This incorporates indoor and outdoor water use technology that can reduce utility bills.
- Occupancy Comfort and Indoor Environmental Quality – Effective management of moisture, ventilation, and other issues can create a more comfortable and healthier indoor living environment.
Some may say, “What is the big deal?” The big deal is that the Tower Grove South neighborhood has become a pioneering home construction incubator for how the rest of the region will build homes in the future. The recognition is the pinnacle of quality homebuilding.
What is a Green Home and why is it so unique? Green Homes incorporate design elements much different from traditional homes. Examples of this include passive solar (orientation to sun, roof overhangs, better day lighting, use of shade trees), eco-friendly sitting considerations, higher density developments, green framing techniques, high efficiency/ energy star and green components
Efficient use of space is essential. Aspects such as the elimination of spaces that are rarely used (separate formal dining and living room) and use multi-purpose rooms; combine rooms. In general, the smaller the house, the more functional, easily maintained and energy efficient it will be.
Due to efficient use of space, homes are sometimes a bit smaller. This allows for easier upkeep and maintenance.
Finally, Green Homes make good use of lighting. Maximizing the use of natural and indirect lighting while avoid harsh lighting is very common.
The benefits of Green Homes are infinite. The most important include the following:
-More Efficient & Economical- A well sealed & insulated exterior building envelope and a highly efficient HVAC & hot water system yields substantial savings every month on utilities; savings that increase with time, as energy/fuel costs continue to rise.
-More Healthy- Superior ventilation, air purification, controlled humidity, and less use of materials with off-gassing chemicals yields better air quality, less allergies/asthma, and better overall health for you and your family.
-More Comfortable- A tight building envelope and a top-notch heating and cooling system yields more even temperatures and no draft. Fully zoned (more than 2 zones) HVAC means no rooms that are too hot or too cold.
-More Eco-Friendly- Less energy use & use of eco-friendly building practices and products mean you are doing your part to protect the environment.
-More Sustainable- Better quality building practices yields a more sustainable building – your home will last longer - and, indirectly, a more sustainable community.
-More Enjoyable to Own- Quality construction of the building envelope means fewer bugs, less noise from outside and less maintenance work needed.
-More Safe- More substantial structure means less weather related concerns; better waterproofing of the basement and exterior walls means less likelihood of structural failure down the road.
-More Solid Investment- As more and more people demand a better, greener home, existing green homes will increase in value at a faster pace than other existing homes and are likely to sell more quickly.
So why did our home win a gold medal? The gold was spun in the granular details, materials, technology, selections and finishes used in its construction. Some of those elements are detailed below:
Exterior Construction
1) Structural Insulated Panel System (SIPS) exterior wall construction (Insulation level R-25) (Enercept)
2) Exterior vapor barrier and taped seams (Enercept)
3) Triple protection on basement waterproofing (Tuff n' Dri, Warm n' Dri, footing drainage system)
4) Site-mined boulder retaining walls at front, side and rear of home
Exterior Finishes
1) Energy Star-rated, insulated entry door (Therma Tru)
2) Aluminum-clad, low-e, Argon gas insulated wood windows (Kolbe)
3) Architectural, insulated steel garage door (Clopay)
4) Fiber-cement stucco hardipanel siding (James Hardie)
5) Weather resistant exterior trim (Miratec)
6) 30-year architectural shingled roof (Owens Corning)
Interior Construction and Finishes
1) Whole house PEX plumbing system (Zurn)
2) Tankless hot water heater (Rinnai)
3) Dense-pack, dry-blown, mold and pest resistant cellulose insulation in ceiling (R-44) (Fiberlite)
4) 93% efficiency, two-stage furnace (Coleman)
5) 2-ton, 13 SEER air condensor (Coleman)
6) Whole house media air cleaner (American Standard AccuClean)
7) Exterior vented, digital timer-driven moisture fans in all baths
8) Extensive compact fluorescent recessed can lighting throughout
9) Solid-core interior doors
10) Designer low VOC interior paint colors (Porter Paints)
Bathroom and Plumbing Selections
1) High performance, low flow faucetry
2) Dual flush low flow toilets
3) Custom green manufactured vanity cabinets
4) Cambria solid surface countertops
Kitchen Selections
1) High performance, low flow faucetry
3) Custom green manufactured vanity cabinets
3) Cambria solid surface countertops
4) Energy Star-rated Appliances
Flooring and Tile Selections
1) Commercial grade bamboo flooring
2) Environmentally friendly manufactured carpeting
Light Selections
1) Energy Star-rated light fixtures and ceiling fans throughout
The great thing is that we did not set out looking for a home of this type or the accolades that came with it. We have a great home in a great neighborhood. After having been exposed to this building method it is our hope that our unique style of home becomes more and more mainstream. We hope there are future gold medal winners in Tower Grove South. Only time will tell….
