Building a Hybrid Wall

I am one of the 'Pro's' on the Green Home Guide Website and as so I answer technical questions every month regarding green building. It is a very informative site!

Here is a link: http://greenhomeguide.com/

Below is one of my most recent question/answer's:

Q: New Construction, is a hybrid system the way to go for a 2x6 walls, 1 inch foam and the rest blown cellulose? Hybrid system vs just blown in cellulose for 2x6?

Asked by Scott

Paw Paw, MI

 

Hi Scott

As an Architect who designs only sustainable homes I am always a fan of the hybrid wall. But you have to do it right. You climate will heavily influence the type of hybrid wall you should build.

I see that Paw Paw, MI is in climate zone 5 but the northern edge of climate zone 5.

I live and work at the southern edge of climate zone 5 and a lot of our work falls to climate zone 4 or is right on the edge of 5 and 4. 

Why am I saying all of this? Basically there is a ratio of exterior foam board insulation to interior cavity insulation that is ideal to achieve a great thermal envelope and at the same time avoid issues of moisture and mold occurring within the wall cavity. Basically the warmer the climate zone, the less exterior vs interior insulation you need to avoid air travelling into the wall cavity, reaching the dew point and turning into moisture.

So, in Zone 4 you can easily get away with 1 inch of polyiso rigid board insulation on the outside (about an R5) and 2x6 walls on the inside filled with foam or cellulose or some other cavity insulation. But when you get to Zone 5 you will get into trouble when you do that. In my area (southern Zone 5) you need at least an R7.5 (generally speaking) which is about an inch and a half. As you get more northern you need more- up to 2 or 2 ½ inches of rigid foam to your interior wall cavity.

The ironic thing is that – because this is all about the ratio of exterior to interior- if you build a 2x4 wall you need less exterior insulation. But in the colder climates what is the point of that? If you do that you significantly reduce the overall R value of your wall.

The biggest complication of putting more than 1” of rigid insulation on the exterior turns out to be construction. If you are only using 1” you can shoot your siding right through that to the stud beyond and it really does not complicate the construction process.

However if you are using more than an inch you have to introduce battens on top of the rigid insulation and lag through to the studs beyond and then attach your siding to the battens. (If you are using lap siding this is simple- battens are vertical to allow water to run down the wall, lap siding fastens horizontally across. But if you are using shingles or vertical panels you have to add horizontal nailers on top of the vertical battens and then attach shingles, panels etc. This is called a rain screen. There is more labor and a bit more material cost (battens are cheap).

This is a GREAT wall. Probably the best wall you can get. You get a lot of continuous insulation around the house plus you have an air space (the rainscreen) between you siding and the house itself. This air space makes the siding and the siding’s finish (no matter what kind of siding) last longer and require a lot less maintenance/ painting. If there is enough money in the job I will always go for this wall.

In your northern climate you deserve this wall! Your house will perform really well and you would not be sorry.

Another way to do the wall (my friends in Minnesota do this sort of wall primarily) is to simply build a double wall. Maybe a 2x4 wall, then a 2 “ gap, then another 2x4 wall. Fill the whole thing with whatever insulation you like. Cuts thermal bridging and you avoid the ratio issue.

One big factor of getting your wall to perform well is to focus on air infiltration as well as R Values. Some insulations like spray foams and rigid foam boards have their own innate air barrier properties, whereas batt and loose fill insulations like cellulose, cotton batt, blown fiberglass, etc do not.  If you use one of the latter you should also pay very close attention so sealing all air gaps in the wall assembly. (You should do so with the foams as well, of course. There are simple less gaps in the foamed walls. ) That is a whole other topic.

In summing up- hybrid walls are great, you just have to do them right. There is a lot of information and complexity to true building science. You can usually get more help form one of your local green building professional to talk through your exact project. Just make sure whomever you talk to really knows their stuff and didn’t just recently become ‘green’ for marketing reasons!

Best of luck!

Elizabeth DiSalvo, Architect

To Window or Not To Window?

To Window or Not to Window?

Below is my response to a post by Martin Holliday on the Green Building Advisor Web Site.  See article here:

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/more-energy-myths#comment-34970

Basically part of the article states that it is really not worth it financially to get new windows because though they do save energy, you will not get 'pay back' for those windows during the life time of those windows. Something we hear regularly enough in the green building world. The recommendation is to basically just buy storm windows instead.

MY RESPONSE:

I understand every point that Martin is making about windows- I have heard it many times- but there are a few points that engineers never (rarely) take into account in the window replacement argument. (And I get that this is the engineer's job- cold hard data- and 'get a storm window' is the answer when you are just looking at the cold hard data of energy saving vs cost of new windows - both monetarily and in embodied energy. So fine- I get it.) 

BUT, I am an architect and I am very pro 'window replacement' for the following reasons:

1. Good windows DO save energy and money. (Ok you don't get to full payback on energy alone.)

2. Good windows give you the actual feeling of comfort in a house- better than a storm does (believe me I live with both right this second.) You do not have the experience of sitting next to a very cold surface with a good new window.

3. Safety. Most old windows barely open. Add a stiff, hard to operate storm window (and we all know they are that way) and you double the problem. I changed the windows in the house I live in when my 7 year old was afraid of fire and kept asking me 'but how mommy- how can we open the windows and get out?' I looked at our crappy single pane double-hungs with their impossible storms (that, btw, no fireman could fit thru),  and I put an ax next to my son's bedroom window and ordered new windows. Neither my son nor my 72 year old mother could open any windows in the house more than a crack when the storms are on in the winter, I can only  open them a bit more than they can. We don't have the strength. There are THOUSANDS of houses like this in the U.S.

4. Aesthetics. Want to up the value of your house? Want to get some curb appeal? Try new windows. Yes some historic homes look way better with their original windows but most houses built between 1940 and 1990 would be greatly enhanced with decent windows. This may seem like a minor point to some but - hey - your house is your biggest investment. Re-sale is usually important. Windows often 'make' the house. 

5. Leakage; Leakage DOES matter. Even if it is not as much as your attic or basement (Note also that one of the things on the recommendation list (above) is to have a blower door test and another is to insulate the attic ONLY AFTER sealing the ceiling below the attic - so it MUST matter right?)  When you replace your windows you actually have a chance to do it right, kill much of the air infiltration and also stave off, or mitigate a lot of moisture rot. We all know that basically every house from the 50's and 60's with single pane windows is rotting at the sills as we speak - if they have not already been cobbled with trim, flashing and caulk 'band-aids' many times already.

Anyway- I know the point Martin is making about windows is valid- sort of- but I am so tired of the green industry telling everyone to not waste their money on new windows!! These 5 other reasons are very strong reasons to get new windows and I think we should all be taking a more integrated, whole house approach to our buildings. And speaking more carefully about getting new windows. 

Also - curtains in the windows may not really help- by the numbers- for keeping your house warmer/ saving energy- BUT they sure do make you feel better in a room with those cold windows in the

winter....

Elizabeth

In the News!

 

Our latest LEED Registered home was featured in the Darien News last week! We were happy to spread the word about living alternatively in Fairfield County. More and more people of wealth are considering a simpler life style with a smaller carbon footprint. You can read here about a family who chose to build a smaller home and to make it as clean and green as they possibly could! We love the story behind this house and the process was such a great experience for everyone involved that we hold it up as the model for what we think every home building experience should replicate. 

Here is the link:

/darien-news-9-30-11/

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

Farmer's Market!

We had a great time at the Westport Farmer's Market today! The Westport Market is perhaps the most established and respected markets in Fairfield County. Amazing produce! Delicious food! Interesting and purposeful people. 

We spent four hours talking to visitors about prioritizing their green home renovations. So much fun to talk to such an educated and conscientious group. People of such conviction and compassion are truly our very best clients! We encourage everyone we spoke with to give us a call when you are ready to do some renovating! We would love to work with you!

We will be at the market once a month next summer and will likely appear at the Winter Market too. Look for us there and please stop by and say hi!

http://westportfarmersmarket.com/

LEED Walk Through - LEED Platinum Home Progress

LEED Walk Through Takes Place

LEED Checklist - LEED Platinum Home Progress Report

LEED Checklist- Getting the Details Pinned Down.

While Demolition is still going on we meet in our office to go through the LEED checklist adn try to decide - for sure- some of the details that are outstanding. Generally our meetings are with the owner and the wife of the contractor team and maybe the landscape designer or an appropriate engineer or installer.

What Has the World Become?

I hate to get so heavy on the first day back to reality after summer has ended but I really need to talk about the sate of the world. I realize that this may turn some potential clients off but I guess that is the risk I take for taking a firm stance.

The last few weeks of the summer have been weird to say the least. Weird is a bad word but what is another word? 'Unexpected', 'abnormal', 'troubling', 'disorienting', 'disheartening', hmmm so many plausible alternatives. 

Here in the North East we had both an earthquake and a hurricane in the last 2 weeks. Unexpected! These two events both truly re-enforce the concept that global climate change is having an effect on our weather patterns and we should probably do something about it. Even people who have always poo-poo-ed (or aggressively denied) global warming are now basically admitting that there is something afoot with the weather and if we keep on with our current trajectory we could be having some really big problems really pretty soon. This too me is scary, but honestly I have been 'on this page' for so long it doesn't make me freak out- it just makes me know that we are on the right track in trying to make an effort to build homes with smaller and smaller carbon footprints. Though, really, I think these effort are still not enough - not nearly enough! At least we are trying to do things in the right direction.

Also the stock market and politics have both been absolute roller coasters of insanity with basically the feeling (or the plain old knowledge) that no one is at the helm of this ship. None of our leaders or experts seem to have any better idea than you or I of what is going on or how to fix it. Terrifying.

What is really making my head spin lately, however, is a different shift that has happened over the last 10 years. It is the ever growing rift between rich and poor, and the ever increasing sense of entitlement and shallowness in our society. It seems like the only people who get financially rewarded in our world anymore are people who are either in the financial industry or people who become super starts on TV - for whatever reason, no matter how stupid and empty. This is really such a sad state of affairs.

I am personal friends with people who are artists, doctors, writers, scientists, deep thinkers, musicians, sculptors, dancers, contractors, builders, craftsman, brilliant inventors,marketing people, teachers, clergy, firemen, police, nurses, and yes architects (the list goes on and on) and it is getting so that almost none of us make a decent living relative to our neighbors. Hell sometimes we don't make a decent living, period. Never mind the people who have always had to work super hard just to get by- you know- the road crew, the people who clean your house and serve your food and do your laundry and mow your lawn and pick up your trash?

It is like the frog in the hot water story. You know the one - you put a frog in a pot of cool water and slowly heat the water and before he even realizes that the water is too hot the poor guy is cooked all the way thru. I used to feel guilty because I wasn't getting rich being an architect. I used to feel like I was doing something wrong. I now see things in a totally new light. This water has been getting warmer and warmer these last 5 - 10 years for all of us people I listed above. Our jobs - the creative and thoughtful, the needed, the very difficult and the extremely dirty, and yes often very meaningful or brilliant work we all do quietly on a daily basis is being utterly disrespected financially....and socially.

I see it paralleling directly the state of affairs in which our society finds itself. It is a state of shallow and empty disrepair. A state in which there is no respect for creativity, art, spirituality, the making of things, helpfulness, caring, and certainly not an honest days labor. I heard the results of a survey recently in which teenagers were asked to prioritize a list of 10 things in the order in which they valued them. You got it- fame and money were the top of the list. Being a good person, doing the right thing, being true to your self and morals were the bottom of the list. Ugh. how really, really sad.

Maybe this is all more evident in Fairfield County and other very wealthy parts of the country. 

Isn't it time that we made efforts to correct the course of this ship?

We design houses that bring families together and focus more on time with your loved ones instead of time with the computer or tv alone in your room. We design houses that let people connect with the world outside and the changing of the seasons. We make more from less. We help people use less. We find true, honest products and natural textures and nooks and crannies and light open airy-ness to inspire the soul and the mind. We do this all for a reason! We are trying to bring some balance back to the world. Some connection- to each other and to the planet. 

We here at Trillium and the contractors, designers and craftspeople we work with all care. We care a lot. We all do very honest good work and we expect this work we do to be recognized and appreciated. Sometimes it is, sometimes it is not.

I have a great deal of respect for our clients in the financial industry who in turn respect all of the hard work that the rest of us do and who see that the direction of the world could be troubling, and so put a lot of their own work and money behind very helpful causes that frankly the rest of us cannot afford to put our money into. There are so many people in Fairfield County and beyond who make a difference. Shouldn't we all (and I mean all of us) try to do our best to make the world a more meaningful and respectful place for all people?

I believe that starts not with simply respecting our environment but respecting the people - all people- who live and work hard amongst us every day to try to bring meaning and value back to this world.

Magazine Worthy - LEED Platinum Home Progress Report

Contractor’s Notes 8-22-11

Hello Everyone,

Jon and Dan will be working on the punch list this week.

The shower doors are due to come out on Thursday.

The replacement sashes to meet town code arrived yesterday.

Dana from Dean’s said that they can come to install the fireplace doors either September 3^rd or 22^nd. Anthia and Sam, if you could let me know if you are going away for Labor Day weekend and if that weekend would work.

Barbara, Phyllis and I met last week to get the checklists in order and work on the manual. Josy can come down once we have the CO and the PV system is up. Anthia and Sam, have you decided on when you would like to install the PV? I want to give Josy a time frame to keep us in mind.

Parking Pads - LEED Platinum Home Progress Report

Contractor’s Notes 8-15-11

Hello Everyone,

For this week we will be finishing up the basement.

Peter Petrino will be out to hang the pendants.

Cliff will be out Tuesday to hook up the irrigation pump. Then Chris from Growing Solutions can come out to test his portion. Jon did want Cliff to do a walk through to make sure all of the plumbing was working properly. Anthia and Sam, if you have noticed anything, please let me know so I can tell the guys.

Attached are 2 more options for the parking pad. Our rep said Yankee and Millstone qualify for 3 LEED credits for reflectivity, raw materials and manufacturing. They can also get the tiles down to us in 3-5 days. Anthia and Sam, I attached the first sheet that I had sent over to you. If you could look through the options and let me know on Wednesday which tile you would like to use, then I can order it and have it delivered to the site.

Darien LEED Home: Supporting Local Industry

Trillium Architects' newly constructed Darien home is green in many ways.  Aside from being a LEED registered home due to receive LEED Platinum status upon completion, the house is full of not only sustainable materials, but also locally crafted materials.  Here is a breakdown:

FURNITURE + FABRICS:

~ The built-in furniture (frames and upholstery) was made in Cheshire, CT, with all organic or natural fabrics free of flame retardants and heavy metals.  The built-in seating cushion stuffing is an organic latex from Massachusetts.  The Dining Room table and Master Bed frame will be made by a craftsman in Bethel, CT.

~ The window treatments for the home were made of all organic fabrics (Belgian and Italian linen) by a stay-at-home mom in Trumbull, CT.

LIGHTING, DOORS, ETC.:

~ Many of the interior light fixtures were made in Brooklyn, NY.

~ The window hardware was hand-forged by a Massachusetts blacksmith.

~ A single 100 foot spruce tree from the existing property was a hazard, leaning in on the house- ready to fall and in need of removal.  From this tree, all of the window and door trim for the house's interior was produced.

~ The custom Dutch doors were created and insulated by a craftsman in Fairfield, CT.

 PLUS!

~The crew of contractors on site made a promise to be good neighbors throughout the construction process. (Easy for these guys! They are 'great neighbors' before any promises are necessary). This promise included things like no smoking on the site, no littering, and watching out for the small children who lived - very closely- on each side of the job site. These guys would never have done anything but. You have never seen such happy neighbors who just lived through a 10 month construction job!

Bed Rest - LEED Platinum Home Progress Report

Contractor’s Notes 8-8-11

Hello Everyone,

For this week our guys have been working on completing the basement. They sheetrocked yesterday and will be taping today and tomorrow. They will also be waterproofing the basement floor tomorrow.

Cliff will be out to complete the irrigation hook up this week.

Anthia and I have been working out the pavers for the parking pad and driveway apron. Anthia and Sam, I will send an email tomorrow if there are any price differences with the 4 styles we talked about and also lead times.

Jon will also be working on the punch list and trouble shooting anything that needs tweaking before the final inspection.

While Anthia and Sam are away, Jon and Dan will be touching up all of the paint.

Josy has contacted me about the solar panels. She can come down without them up, but it makes more sense for her if they are up. Let me know what you are thinking for a timeline on those so I can tell her.

Moved In! - LEED Platinum Home Progress Report

Contractor’s Notes 8-1-11

Hello Everyone,

Our guys will be working on the accessories and basement this week. Unfortunately, due to a leak in our store’s floor slab, the engineered floor that we had saved from the garage that we thought we might be able to use in the basement, got wet and moldy and is unusable. It was not enough to do the job, but it is unfortunate that it could not be reused. Let me know what you would like to do with the basement floor. If we were to tile it, it would postpone moving contents in. If we can complete the framing, sheetrocking and taping, then we can get your contents in sooner than later.

Cavaliere needs 25 more pieces of the top rail for the tile in the laundry room. Mayson is out of town and Mary Lynn is looking into it for me. Were the tiles purchased at Fordham or Waterworks? As soon as we get them, then he can install them.

The central vac guys will be out to their scheduled day of Wednesday of this week. I am sorry about the confusion, I was not told that they were coming out on Friday, since I had scheduled this Wednesday.

Pur2o will be out on Friday to finish their installation.

The excavator will be out this week to install the apron drain and finish the driveway.

We are waiting on updates for the shower doors and tempered windows.

Anthia, just in case you need extra help you can try to contact our professional organizer friend, her. She is a sweetheart and has a great eye.

This Weekend ~ SoNo Arts Fest!

As happens every year Trillium Architects will be at the SoNo Arts Festival Aug 6 and 7, 10-5. Please come on by for free architecture advise and newly added sat. afternoon cocktail hour featuring free Dark and Stormies! 3-5! Come on by!

 

http://sonoarts.org/

Light Bulb Moments - LEED Platinum Home Progress Report

Contractor’s Notes 7-25-11

Hello Everyone,

The 1^st and 2^nd floors are almost done!

The painter and tilers were out all weekend.

Jon was out all weekend as well installing baseboard and working on hardware.

The laundry room countertop was installed and is getting polished today.

New Canaan Alarm will be out to install the CO2 alarm tomorrow.

Cliff will be out tomorrow to finish up the plumbing.

Peter will be out tomorrow to work on the 3^rd floor wires. He did have a question about bulbs. For LEED we should use either LED or CFLs. To do LED would add about $600 to the job. If you would like to see samples he can get some. The cost for CFLs is comparable to those of incandescents which he was going to install.

The central vac company is scheduled for August 3^rd. They may be able to come out earlier if their shipment comes in.

Pur2o is scheduled to come out August 5^th.

Dean was let go from B&D which muddles the issue of the Merv 13 filters for the 2^nd and 3^rd floor. Josh the site technician said that units that are currently installed are too small to accommodate Merv 13, they would have to retrofit the units to make them compatible for Merv 13. It is not as easy as just replacing the filter screen. We had checked repeatedly with them that Merv 13 was going in and kept being told that they were. We will not be able to get the 2 points for the Merv 13 filters. Anthia and Sam, how would you like to proceed with this? I can either hold them to the contract and have the retrofit the system, which will add days to the schedule, or request a credit for failing to abide by their contract. Please let me know so that I can get started on the process tomorrow.

Re-Assessing - LEED Platinum Home Progress Report

Contractor’s Notes 7-19-11

Hello Everyone,

The crown molding for the first floor has been finished. The carpenters are
now completing the baseboard.
The new Paperstone countertop arrived just a few minutes ago. The fabricator
can pick it up tomorrow and start fabrication. Once he has it installed,
Cliff can install the plumbing and then the Cavaliere can tile the
backsplash.
Cavaliere has been on site tiling this past weekend and this week.
The painters are also on site.
The cabinetry install will be complete by early next week.
The Dutch doors have been installed as well as the hardware.

New Canaan Alarm will be out tomorrow to wire the windows and doors.
We are also looking to lay the stones for the driveway at the end of this
week.

There will be 2 site meetings tomorrow. The first will be at 7am with Jon,
Sam and Trillium. The second will be at 10am with Jon, Anthia, Peter and
Tom.

Barbara and Phyllis, if you need to take pictures, feel free to stop by
whenever works for you.

Stress! (Contractor on the DL) - LEED Platinum Home Progress Report

Contractor’s Notes 7-12-11

Hello Everyone,

This week is another busy one.

The tiler was on site this weekend and will be on site this week.

Dan was trimming out the 3^rd floor and will finish that up this week.

The painter was also on site this weekend and will be back out later on this week after the variety of trades are done doing their portions.

Fordham delivered and is installing the kitchen countertops and fireplace surround.

Cliff will be out toward middle of the week to set more fixtures (he is waiting for the tiler to finish up so he can get his portions done).

Peter will be out throughout the week also installing fixtures.

The back patio is getting finished.

The Dutch doors will be ready for delivery tomorrow (the hardware is in, so Jon and Dan will start installing them as soon as they are on site).

The tub will be getting delivered this week.

Tom D. will be onsite installing cabinetry.

During the fabrication of the laundry room countertop, the hole for the sink was cut too long. I have had to reorder the slab, which has shipped out.

For the temporary CO, we need New Canaan Alarm to finish installing the smoke and CO2 detectors (they also need to finish wiring the doors and windows). The soonest I can get them out is Wednesday the 20^th. They said if there are any cancellations they will squeeze us in this week. Since Anthia and Sam have the contract with them, maybe if one of you try calling we can get higher up in the schedule.

Jon is still moving a bit slowly due to the mono. He will be on site managing, but probably will not start carpentry work until mid week. I know this may slow things down but he was in bad shape this weekend and we all need him to recover to get he job done right.

Down to the Wire - LEED Platinum Home Progress Report

Contractor’s Notes 7-5-11

Hello Everyone,

The wood floors were finished this weekend. We are putting down floor protection for the remainder of the job.

Plumbing and electrical fixtures are getting installed.

Tom is working on the inglenook in the shop and will be bouncing back and forth from site to shop to install more cabinets.

The re-glazed tub is getting delivered.

Aegis is coming out on Thursday to hook up the domestic water tank.

CT Basement Systems is coming out on Monday the 11^th to finish the waterproofing and set up the dehumidifier.

The Dutch doors will be delivered at the end of the week as well as the door hardware (they are making 4 sets of keys, one key will service both the front and side door).

Fordham Marble is working on the countertops and fireplace surround.

The mason has been working on the back hard scapes.

The site meeting is for tomorrow at 7am. If anyone has any questions, let me know.

The Deadline Approaches - LEED Platinum Home Progress Report

Contractor’s Notes 6-27-11

Hello Everyone,

For this week on site:

The carpenters are trimming out the first floor (the 2^nd is complete).

Tiles are being laid.

Electrical and plumbing fixtures are being installed.

The alarm company is complete.

Paint is going on the walls and ceilings.

Cabinets are getting installed.

At the end of the week, the floors are getting refinished.

The marble slabs for the showers have been delivered so the shower door templater is coming out Wednesday to measure.

The weekly meeting has been moved to Thursday morning at 7am. Barbara and Phyllis, you can come anytime on Wednesday to take pictures.

The excavator is installing the layers that Josy and LEED requested for the permeable driveway.

B&D mentioned that they did put the anti-termite mesh over the vents. One of the B&D guys can direct you so that you can get a picture.

The Paperstone countertop should be here by the end of the week.

The only subs who may be working on the 4^th are the floor refinishers or painters. We have asked that all big trucks stay off site and to keep the noise down due to the holiday celebration at Tilley Pond.

Anthia, please keep the appliance delivery for July 6^th.

Paint Colors - LEED Platinum Home Progress Report

Contractor’s Notes 6-21-11

Hello Everyone,

It has been a busy weekend and we are looking at another busy week.

The guys are working on the siding in the front for the ZBA, it has been held up a bit by the weather and front patio install.

The front grading is done.

We have called and emailed the surveyors, so far I have not heard from them.

New Canaan Alarm and CT Basement will be out to finish their portions of the job Wednesday and Thursday.

The propane tank did get permitted and installed last week.

The cabinet installers will be on site this week.

The plumber is installing fixtures. The electrician is installing fixtures as well.

Our goal is to get the floors refinished next week. Then have the appliances installed, any luck with Albano’s, Anthia?

The guys are also working on the interior trim. We are picking up more today from the mill.

Anthia, when you send over your paint list, can you please include which ceilings you would like painted at 50% and which are to remain white. It will be easier to work off a written document.