Flooring is an important set of choices in any home.  From a green building perspective the considerations include not only beauty, but durability, maintenance, and indoor air quality just to name a few.  From the modern design perspective the goal is simple, clean, and dramatic; with natural materials to soften spaces and add balance. 

At 1105 dwell the decision was to go carpet-free.  Carpet, carpet pads and carpet adhesives can be a major source of volitile organic compounds in a home.  There are options available such as all natural wool carpeting, and even a variety of products that are certified under the CRI Green Label, but here the choice here was to go without them.  For this project there is a combination of flooring applications and products.  They range from the polished concrete on the lower levels, a concrete topping slab on upper floors, and the extensive use of rift oak flooring throughout.  Each one of these homes is different than the next, and the layout of flooring varies between units.

As we mentioned in a previous post the homes at 1105 dwell have hydronic radiant as the heat source.  This radiant heat is delivered through a network of tubes that run through the concrete slab on the lower level and are attached to the subflooring on the upper levels.  The choice for the topping slab was part aesthetic and part practicality.  While it looks great it serves a specific function as well.  It will be a thermal mass capable of effectively delivering heat during cooler months and remaining cooler than the air that surrounds it during the summer months.  Both of these concrete surfaces will require little if any regular maintenance outside of general cleaning and it will be a very, very long time before it would run it’s life cycle. 

Lastly let’s look at their choice for wood flooring.  Careful consideration should be taken to decide which type of wood flooring is used in conjunction with radiant heat.  The primary consideration is stability.  Quartersawn, or rift-sawn is preferable to plainsawn.  If possible engineered flooring can also provide greater stability, but in it’s absence narrow strip flooring is preferable to plank flooring.  The reason for this is that narrow boards expand and contract less than wide boards, and the added benefits of an engineered floor include superior stability at varying temperatures and moisture levels.

If this is the first post you have read regarding 1105 dwell please take a few minutes to scroll back through previous posts.  We have been following the construction of these homes from excavation onward and hope that they shed some light on the construction process for today’s modern, green homes.  The homes are now available for pre-sale, the details of which can be viewed here.  If you would be interested in a tour of the homes please contact Anthony Maschmedt from Dwell Development.  The Dwell team would be happy to arrange to meet you at the site to see up close all that has gone into these homes.

This is an exciting time.  After all the structural work has been completed and the systems and materials that will make these homes comfortable, healthy, and efficient are in place, it’s time to do part of what Dwell is known so well for; creating their striking interiors.  We are going to take these posts in stages and provide some background information on the the finishes they have chosen and the considerations involved in this process. 

Let’s start with tile, one of Dwell’s trademarks.  Much, if not all of Dwell’s work includes the extensive use of tile for everything from accents to entire wall surfaces.  On a number of their projects, including1105 Dwell they have chosen Ann Sacks products as their ceramic and glass tile of choice.  Ann Sacks started their operations in Portland, Oregon in 1981 and have been creating amazing tile and other finish details in a range of designs and materials ever since.

In a general sense, the major factors in green building are sustainability, efficiency, health, durability, and environmental impact.  Finish choices address all of these.  Much of the ceramic tile at 1105 includes 30% post cosumer recycled content and the mosaic glass tile they have chosen contains at least 25% recycled content.  While they require more energy to produce than say wood or bamboo this is in great part offset by the durability and longevity of the product.  From a health perspective, tile and natural stone represent a minimal impact on indoor air quality.  The release very few, if any Volatile Organic Compounds once they are installed and cured.  Glass and ceramic tiles do consume non renewable resources, however the ingredients are abundantly available and recycling is a natural part of the production cycle.  Overall when thoughtfully chosen glass and ceramic tile is considered a time honored low impact building material.   

Here are a few in process shots of the tile being installed at 1105 Dwell.  The main image above is from another of Dwell’s projects and will give you an idea of what the finished product will be once construction is complete. 

If this is the first post you have read regarding this project take some time to scroll back through previous posts.  We have followed the construction of this project from the beginning with the hope of communicating many of the details that go into today’s green homes.  If you have any questions or comments please share them.  This project is now available for pre-sale.  For more information please contact Dwell Development.  We would be happy to arrange a tour of the site if you would like to see these and others aspects of this project up close.

Buyer’s at Taltree will be essentially designing their own  custom homes.  While the basic footprint of each home will be somewhat determined by the choices of location and size; the interiors, finishes, placement of windows, and configuration will be the result of a collaborative design process with the YS Development design team.  This is an opportunity to get the home you wish for, without having to make the compromises so common in other new construction homes.

The open house will held Saturday, March 6th and Sunday, March 7th from 2-5 pm at the Kirkland Duo project; another by YS Development.  The Duo serves well as an example of the architectural styling, quality of construction, and similar finish details planned for Taltree.  Yuval Sofer of YS Development and Matt Muhsam will be on hand to share details of the project and walk people through the process.  There will be preliminary floor plans and conceptual floorplans displayed as well.

Click Here for directions to the Kirkland Duo

Buyer’s at Taltree will be essentially designing their own  custom homes.  While the basic footprint of each home will be somewhat determined by the choices of location and size; the interiors, finishes, placement of windows, and configuration will be the result of a collaborative design process with the YS Development design team.  This is an opportunity to get the home you wish for, without having to make the compromises so common in other new construction homes.

The open house will held this Saturday, February 28th from 1-4 pm at the Kirkland Duo project; another by YS Development.  The Duo serves well as an example of the architectural styling, quality of construction, and similar finish details planned for Taltree.  Yuval Sofer of YS Development and Matt Muhsam will be on hand to share details of the project and walk people through the process.  There will be preliminary floor plans and conceptual floorplans displayed as well.

Click Here for directions to the Kirkland Duo

SIP Detail

Over the course of these posts following the construction of Dwell Development’s latest project, 1105 dwell we have touched on many of the steps they have taken to increase the energy efficiency of their homes.  We have talked about the Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) that form the exterior envelope of the homes, the Heat Recovery Ventilation system, and the windows, just to name a few.

Now we want to talk a bit more about insulation.  The SIPS that were used for the exterior envelope, or perimeter walls of the homes serve a number of functions; they replace the need for stick framing; reducing the thermal bridging that occurs at each stud location, they provide excellent insulation and greatly minimize  air gaps, creating a tight home. 

Spray Foam Detail

But there is more to it than just insulating the exterior walls.  In between each floor of a home there are floor joists that meet these exterior walls at a rim joist.  In most homes the bays in between these floor joists would be left untreated.  Without any insulation they would essentially be a heat sink, as warm indoor air loves to find locations where heat transfer can occur.  To avoid this Dwell has chosen to use an expanding spray closed-cell foam insulation in these bays (see photo).  The foam is applied as a liquid which expands to 1″ thickness, filling in any air gaps that occur where the floor joists meet the rim joists.Not only will this foam provide insulation it will also reduce the air leaks, greatly improving the efficiency and comfort of the homes.

Insulation Between Floors

In between floors and within the walls separating the homes Dwell is installing a product called EcoBatt that will serve a few functions.  In the bays of the floor joists the insulation will help to direct the heat from the radiant heat system upward into the rooms and will provide sound insulation between floors.  In the walls separating the homes (the party wall) the insulation will not only provide R-Value it will also greatly minimize the transfer of sound.  EcoBatt is a fiberglass insulation manufactured by the Knauf Company.  Traditional fiberglass insulation is notorious for it’s high embodied energy and an ingredient list that includes phenol, formaldehyde, and artificial colors.  EcoBatt contains none of these ingredients and utilizes a plant based binder and technology that reduces the embodied energy of the binder by 70%.

Increasing the overall efficiency of a home has to do with dollars and cents, yes.  However, it also has a lot to do with comfort and livability too.  A well insulated home feels good, and sounds good.  The difference between a well insulated and properly air sealed home is immediately recognizable.  Once the drywall is in place we don’t see the steps that have been taken, we just feel them (and see them in our utility bills).  These are important steps and notable improvements in the quality and thoughtfulness that has gone into these homes.

If this is the first post you have read about this project please take some time to go back through prior posts and enjoy learning about how homes, green homes in particular are constructed.  Please contact us with any questions you might have and if you have a comment please share it.  If you have an interest in seeing these homes in person, Anthony Maschmedt would be happy to arrange a private tour.  Clicking on the prior link will take you to the contact page for Dwell Development.  These homes are available now for pre-sale and will be completed in late April.

For this month’s tour we will be visiting Beau Developments new urban lofts project in Seattle’s Judkins Park Neighborhood.  This community of homes are very unique not only for their extensive use of green building materials, but for the fact that they will be the first homes in the city of Seattle to be certified under the US Department of Energy Builder’s Challenge program.  They are estimated to provide their homeowner’s with a 40% reduction in energy costs over homes built to the 2004 IECC home. 

As with all of our tours, they are intended to be more than just a tour of a home, but a complete green building experience.  Participants are given an introduction to common green building materials at ecoHAUS and then a quided tour of a selected green project led by the people that are responsible for the homes design and construction.

Tour starts at ecoHAUS at 11:00 am on Saturday, February 13th and will conclude at roughly 2:00 pm at the Beau Development site.  Refreshments will be served at ecoHAUS before carpooling to the tour of these homes. 

RSVP matt@greendwellingseattle.com

Click here for directions to ecoHAUS

Click here for directions to 2415 South Norman Street

January 31, 2009.  Seattle, Washington.  Dwell Development is one of a select group of Seattle Design + Build firms that have risen to the top during a very challenging period in the local and national real estate markets.  They have established a strong brand identity and have set a high bar for residential infill development with their skillful blend of design, quality, environmentally friendly building practices and community involvement.

Dwell has been dotting the urban landscape with their striking designs since 2005 with a simple goal of creating positive additions to Seattle’s neighborhood communities.  They have chosen to focus on areas with strong connections to public transportation, a high degree of walkability, and an elevated sense of community involvement.    

With recent code revisions that allow for Backyard Cottages to be constructed on conforming lots citywide, Dwell is proud to announce a complete service for individual homeowners who would like to take advantage of all the benefits of Backyard Cottages and do so with the high design they have come to expect from this boutique design + build firm.  This “Dwell in a box” approach will enable homeowners to increase the value of their home, provide affordable housing, generate income, and provide for aging family members, amongst a host of additional benefits.  They will work closely with homeowners to manage the permitting, design, construction, and finishing details; all within an affordable budget.         

Dwell has made a conscious decision to grow slow, to make better homes that constantly strive for increased efficiency and reduced environmental impact.  They have always highly prioritized their emphasis on design and have stuck to that vision with every step.  “We want to be known for making the coolest homes, for making designs that inspire and surprise people” says Dwell Founder Anthony Maschmedt.  He continues “we build our homes to be as efficient and environmentally friendly as we possibly can, and try to improve on those goals with each new project.  Building green means building better, add great design and we think we are building the best homes in the city”.   

Dwell continues to create hip, urban homes and is under construction on their latest project 1105 Dwell, scheduled for completion in April 2010.  They have uniquely prepared themselves to provide Seattle’s urban homeowners with an opportunity to contribute to increased population density and to make positive contributions to their communities.  They see that they are in a position to make a broader impact on thoughtful, forward thinking development outside of the speculative residential market and are excited for what the future will hold.

In our last post about Dwell Developments project 1105 dwell, we talked about creating a comfortable, healthy efficient interiors within these homes.  Specifically we touched on the Heat Recovery Ventilators they have installed.  These HRV’s will keep the homes supplied with plenty of air, manage indoor moisture, and will do so in a very efficient manner.

Another one of the many unique features of these homes is the choice they have made to heat the interior spaces and meet the homes domestic hot water needs.  The single piece of technology they have chosen for these purposes is a Navien Condensing 98% Water Heater.  This is an all-in-one unit comprised of a boiler that heats the water as needed and utilizes heat exchangers within the unit to deliver the proper temperature water for the radiant heating  while simultaneously delivering hot water for use in laundry, dishwashing, showers/baths, and sinks.

The Navien system is 98% efficient meaning that out of every dollar spent to heat the water only 2¢ worth of that energy is lost to the exhaust.  The way this is achieved is through heat exchangers.  These units are equipped with two heat exchangers; one for turning cold water into hot and the other being a condensing heat exchanger that uses the condensation that is created as a result of the cold water cooling the hot gases inside the unit.  Normally these hot gases would escape through the vents in a conventional hot water heater.  In this case the heat in the condensation is utilized to help heat the water, dramatically increasing the efficiency of the unit. 

Both for the radiant heat system and for domestic hot water it is necessary to bring the water to a specific temperature.  This is achieved by sending the hot water through mixing valves that are controlled by a thermostat to deliver just the right temperature water on a constant basis.  These mixing valves will introduce just enough cool water to the heated water to maintain the desired temperature.  With the capabilities of the Navien unit homeowners can enjoy a virtually endless supply of hot water.

At 1105 dwell the radiant heating systems has been installed in two seperate applications.  On the lower levels the pex tubing has been embedded in the concrete floors.  Heating this concrete slab creates a significant amount of thermal mass that can be taken advantage of for heating during cooler months.  In the warmer months of the year this same thermal mass will contribute to the cooling of the home as it will remain cooler that the air that surrounds it when it is not being heated.  On the upper floors the radiant heat is being delivered through the same pex tubing, however in this case the application method is known as staple-up.  It is just what it sounds like.  The tubing that carries the heated water is attached to the sub-flooring with large staples that stradle each side of the tube.  The contact the tubing makes with the floors in combination with the insulation that has been placed between the floors will direct this heat into the flooring surface and spread that heat evenly across the interior spaces. 

Radian heat provides a comfort at lower thermostat settings, aides in healthy indoor air quality, is quiet, and greatly reduces drafts in homes.  On demand hot water systems are an efficient, space saving means of providing an ample supply of hot water as it is needed, rather than maintaining a volume of heated water even when it is not in use.  These are just a few of the ways that these homes will give back to their homeowners just as much as has gone into their design and construction.

If this is the first post you have read about Dwell Developments 1105 dwell project take a few minutes to look back through past posts.  These homes are available for presale and we are happy to coordinate site tours for interested homebuyers as well as those of you who may just be interested in seeing how these homes are constructed up close.  We will cover the remaining aspects of these homes construction in future posts and encourage your comments and feedback.

This will be the first of many posts related to communicating the efficiency measures that have gone into Dwell Developments most recent project, 1105 Dwell and how they are intended to create not only a comfortable interior, but to also dramatically reduce the homeowners energy bills and to ensure healthy indoor air quality. 

In a past post we discussed the Structural Insulated Panels that make up the majority of the exterior structure of the homes.  These panels offer an average R-Value of R-45 for the Roofs and R-23 for the Walls; create an envelope that is extremely airtight.  Combined with the extra care that has been taken to seal venting penetrations and window openings these homes will far outperform typical homes that lose as much as 40% of their heat through air leakage.  

Creating such an airtight home brings proper ventilation into greater consideration in order to minimize moisture build-up on the interior and ensuring healthy indoor air quality.  To alleviate any issues that could arise due to poor ventilation and air circulation Dwell has decided to use Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV) which are an excellent means of introducing a steady supply of fresh air into the home, to vent the indoor air and to manage the overall moisture levels within the home. 

HRV’s are a very efficient mechanical addition to the home.  As cool fresh air is drawn into the interior it is passed through a heat exchanger which utilizes the warmth of the indoor air to preheat the cool air before it is introduced to the house.  This can have a measurable effect on the energy which is required by the homes heating system resulting in lower heat energy costs.

A network of small diameter ducts are installed throughout the home to vent the indoor air and to introduce the preheated fresh air.  The heat recovery ventilator is set to run as often or as little is needed to accomodate the number of fresh air exchanges required by the square footage of the home.  The fans within the HRV operate at a relatively low CFM and are all but essentially silent in their operation. 

As we continue to talk in future posts about the efficiencies that have been built into these homes we want to impress upon you the role energy efficiency plays in green building.  As energy rates continue to rise and our energy infrastructure becomes more and more stressed these efficiencies will not only reduce the operating costs to the homeowner, they will add value to the home on an ongoing basis.  We are working hard to find ways to clearly, simply communicate the benefits of efficiencies and we are excited to introduce simplified explanations of them to you. 

As 1105 Dwell moves toward completion we are happy to provide guided tours of this outstanding project.  If you would like to know more or schedule a time to visit the project please let us know.  If this is the first post you have read regarding 1105 Dwell please take some time to review past posts.  We will continue to follow this project right up to it’s completion and have group tours and events planned for the coming months.

As we continue to follow the construction at 1105 Dwell we want to take a quick look back at what we have covered so far and then to move forward as the siding is applied and the homes really start to take shape.

In past posts we have covered the Foundations, the Structural Insulated Panels (SIP’s), and the Windows on this project.    Now it is time to move on to siding and roofing, after which the majority of the interior work will be completed.   All homes are basically a layering of materials built upon a solid foundation, and all of these systems work in conjunction with one another to provide a home that is beautiful, efficient, and durable.

At key intersections, say at window openings special consideration is needed to assure that moisture is properly dealt with and directed away from the home.  You will see from the image that the window openings are wrapped with a self-adhering flashing that seals the union of materials that come together at window openings.  When the windows are installed additional flashing and air sealing will not only keep moisture from entering at these window openings it will also provide an airtight seal around them.

Moving on to preparing for the siding to be applied, the entire exterior surface of the homes (with the exception of the roof systems which we will cover in a future post) will be covered in a waterproof sheeting known as tar paper.  This is a waterproof, yet breathable material that will allow moisture vapor to move from the interior spaces out and away from the home, but will not let moisture in from the outside.  At this point another layer of self adhering flashing is applied as duplicate insurance from the intrusion of moisture.  The exterior and openings are now ready for the final layer, siding.

Dwell Development has chosen to use a combination of siding techniques at 1105 Dwell.  The grey material in the first image is called fiber cement siding.  Fiber cement siding is made of cement, sand, cellulose fiber, and fly ash.  It is fire resistant, recyclable and a particularly durable and low maintenance material.  The other they have chosen to use is called a Rainscreen Wall.

Rainscreen Walls are a siding technique that employs four major components to produce an assembly that is effective and durable.  The four components are 1) A rigid support wall (SIP’s), 2) A drainage layer (tar paper), 3) An air gap (See battens in image), and 4) Exterior siding which in this case is cedar that as you can see has small gaps between boards.  The siding in a Rainscreen wall serves primarily to protect from direct impact of rain and objects.  It is the drainage layer that is the weather proof seal of the home.  The battens hold the siding material consistently away from the homes drainage layer so moisture that does come behind the siding has a quickly and effective way to get out.  This air gap will not only aid in the transfer of moisture from the interior spaces it will also help to cool the home in warmer months through natural convective heat transfer.

Next week we will be talking about the roof top decks that these homes will have.  Especially in urban settings rooftops are an ideal place to create outdoor living space.  In this case they also offer outstanding views and a place to grow food.

These homes will offer a behind the walls tour by the architect and builder on Saturday, December 19^th.  Visit the tours page for more information.