Congratulations to B P C Green Builders + Trillium Architects!
Yes we are patting ourselves on the back. Yesterday we did the blower door test for the house in Rowayton. For those of you who don't know what a blower door test is you can read about it here. Basically it is a test to see how air tight and generally awesomely well constructed for energy efficiency a house is.
The lower the number the better. As a reference:
The
IRC’s current energy code requires 7 ACH at 50 pascals.
Energy Star requires less than 5 or 6 ACH, depending on the climate zone.
Tight house Less than 5 ACH/50
Moderate house Between5 and10 ACH/50
A Leaky house Above 10 ACH/50
The Rowayton House (drum roll please.....) 1.2 ACH/50 !!!!
This test just how awesome a job the contractor did at building the house. The truth is hidden in the walls and once the drywall is on the inside and the siding is on the outside you have few ways of knowing what is really happening within the walls. And if you are not on site all day everyday watching the contractors work, you could miss a lot. An architect's best friend is a trustworthy contractor. A trustworthy contractor is - of course- also the owner's best friend.
They are hard to come by but they definitely exist. BPC Green Builders (Chris and Mike Trolle) are definitely a great example.
Every construction project takes a team. The owner has a dream, the architect draws the dream and the builders constructs the dream. Along the way there is a ton of planning, changing, detailing, thinking ahead, worrying and bill paying. We all discuss and work on detailing the house and figure out exactly how it will be built. But a lot of times no matter how much you figure it out ahead of time or how well the architect details a house...it doesn't always get built the way it was planned.A bad contractor cuts corners when architect and owner aren't looking. A good contractor builds it better than the architect and owner expect.
I just want to publicly thanks Chris Trolle for a job VERY well done. Every job meeting was -if not simply very pleasant - actually fun. The entire construction project was a smooth sailing. And the results are undeniable.
I also want to thank Leslie for being an awesome client. They don't come any better: Smart, savvy, good at communication, completely understanding of the process and great at allowing the process to happen, plus a fabulous eye for design and wonderful taste. A true and equal team player.
