Overview of Building Materials & Assemblies
Building Design Profile
- 1290 square feet first floor, 750 square feet second floor (2040 ft2 total)
- 2-car garage with storage room, attached via breezeway
- Site orientation along true north-south for solar gain
- One bedroom and full bath on first floor
- Two bedrooms, one study, and full bath on second floor
Foundation
- Monolithic concrete slab with hydronic tubing and frost protected details
- 4" XPS (R-20) under the slab and vertically around perimeter
- 3" XPS (R-15) horizontal wing insulation
Exterior Framed Walls
- 9 1/2" deep double stud walls (2x4 framing)
- Dense pack cellulose insulation (R-35)
- Structural fiberboard exterior sheathing (R-1)
- Cement fiber lap siding over continuous air barrier
- Interior gypsum board over continuous, sealed polyethylene vapor barrier
- Insulated rim board (R-13) w/3" closed cell foam insulation (R-18) - total R-31
- Triple pane windows with insulated fiberglass frames (avg overall U-value 0.2)
Roof
- Standing seam metal roof and flashings, prefinished
- 30# roof felt and ice and water shield over OSB sheathing
- Engineered trusses with 16" heel height
- Blown cellulose attic insulation (R-60)
- Continuous soffit and ridge venting
- Interior gypsum board ceiling w/continuous, sealed polyethylene vapor barrier
Renewable Energy Systems and HVAC
- 2 kW grid-tied solar photovoltaic array, roof mounted
- 16 tube solar thermal array, integrated with domestic hot water and heating
- Sub-soil heat exchange ground loop to pre-temper ventilation air
- Heat recovery mechanical ventilation with winter heated air distribution
- Efficient wood stove
Environmentally Preferable Finishes and Materials
- Porcelain floor tile (long lasting, low toxicity, low impact material extraction)
- Floating cork floor (natural material harvested without killing the tree)
- Formaldehyde -free MDF cabinet interiors (recycled wood fiber, non-toxic)
- Shetka Stone countertops (recycled, regionally produced product)
- FSC-certified wood floor (sustainably harvested renewable resource)
- Low or no-VOC interior paints (low toxicity, no off-gassing)
- Cellulose insulation (high post-consumer recycled content)
- Metal roof (recycled content, recyclable)
- Fiber cement siding (exceptional durability)
- Reclaimed lumber at porch and interior columns