Lambert LEED Home

Final inspection achieved!

2010-02-14T10:48:00.014-05:00

After several months of hard work, a final inspection was obtained. I would like to extend a special thanks to all of the sub-contractors that made this project a reality.

The big items that remain, and won't occur until the weather becomes more favorable, include completion of painting the brick on the outside of the house, landscaping and minor trim work inside of the house.

Enjoy the latest photos...and yes, we actually got a lot of snow in Columbia SC!

Construction Progressing.....

2009-07-03T09:34:00.010-04:00

exterior trim work on-going

drive under master bedroom with planting strip

garage trim completed, painting is next

cement board panel and batten system for exterior trim

stained glue-lam and decking system at kitchen ceiling

Interior door installation on-going

master bath vanity location, casework to be installed next week

shower with pre-molded pan and cement board surround

stained concrete floor in kitchen and basement

Lots of progress since the last post.....

On the exterior, the site has been rough graded and the drive has been poured. The site is being cleaned up, the exterior trim work is reaching completion and exterior painting will begin soon. The front doors will be installed next week which will allow for the house to be acclimatized. Hardwood flooring will arrive on site next week and installation will begin later in July. The interior doors are currently being installed. All cabinets will be installed within the next two weeks once the house has been acclimatized. The stained concrete floors have been completed in the kitchen and basement. The glue-lam and pine decking ceiling/floor assembly has been stained and finished. All gypsum board installation has been completed and interior of house has been painted.

Long time, no post.....

2009-03-11T17:37:00.003-04:00

Construction is continuing along! In fact, sheetrock is going up right now. I know, I know, my posts are way behind. I will try to catch you up soon! Anyone in the Columbia area can come on Friday and see part of what has been taking my time lately - I am presenting the project as a case study for the USGBC Midlands Provisional Branch lunch meeting. Here is a link to the meeting info:

http://www.usgbcsc.org/branches.htm#midlands

Hope to see you Friday - remember to RSVP!

Here is a picture of the open cell spray foam insulation - more info to come on that!!

Wow, it is a small world....

2009-02-04T08:41:00.003-05:00

So, Architectural Record picked up the Real Life LEED blog which picked up our blog, so welcome to anyone just tuning in! Maybe now is a good time for a recap. Scott and I (I am Gretchen) are both owners at different architectural firms in Columbia, SC. Scott is with Garvin Design Group and I am with Studio 2LR. We are about 2/3 of the way through a gut rehab of and addition to a home built around 1915-ish. We have registered the project as a LEED for Homes project and have learned a lot since we started construction last July.

We are doing some of the work ourselves, but we have had great contractors and friends who have helped us complete a lot in a short amount of time. We have also gotten some really cool products for the house. We have a tankless water heater from Rinnai, energy efficient windows from Jeld Wen, energy efficient mechanical units from Carrier, and numerous other products. One of our really cool upcoming installs will be foam insulation from Icynene. So keep following us, we will be explaining the LEED for Homes chapters one by one as well as sharing progress photos up to our project completion in July!

Check Out Another Blog

2009-02-02T10:21:00.003-05:00

Another LEED blogger found us and wrote about our project! Check out what Joel is saying at http://www.reallifeleed.com/

WE3: Indoor Water Use

2009-01-29T17:10:00.003-05:00

WE3: Indoor Water Use. Maximum Points - 6 (Page 52) No prerequisites for this section. Credit 3.1 is for High Efficiency Fixtures and Fittings and is worth up to 3 points. Credit 3.2 is for Very High Efficiency Fixtures and Fittings and is worth up to 6 points. Under each of these credits, there are three headings: a. Lav faucets; b. Shower heads; C. Toilets. Take toilets for example. If you meet the criteria for heading C under credit 3.1, you get one point and you don't qualify for the two points under Credit 3.2. and vice versa.

For lav faucets to meet 3.1, you have to be equal to or less than 2.0 gallons per minute. To meet 3.2, you have to be equal to or less than 1.5 gallons per minute OR the fixture needs to be WaterSense labeled. We are using a Hansa fixture and meet the criteria of credit 3.2

For shower stalls to meet 3.1, you have to be equal to or less than 2.0 gallons per minute PER STALL. This means you aren't going to be able to install 6 shower heads in the master bath shower with each shower head being low flow..... To meet 3.2, you have to be equal to or less than 1.75 gallons per minute per stall. We are using a Hansgrohe fixture that meets the criteria of credit 3.2.

For toilets to meet 3.1, you have to be equal to or less than 1.3 gallons per flush OR dual flush OR water sense labeled. To meet 3.2, you have to be equal to or less than 1.1 gallons per flush. We are using a Toto fixture and meet the criteria of credit 3.1 (it is dual flush and WaterSense labeled).

From this section we earn 5 points!

Kickstand Photos

2009-01-26T16:47:00.002-05:00

The Kickstand photos are here! You might remember that we had Kickstand Studios photograph us at the site. Check out their blog for some of the pix! Click Scott and Gretchen on the list on the right hand side of the blog......

WE2: Irrigation System

2009-01-14T17:09:00.003-05:00

WE2: Irrigation System. Maximum Points - 4 (Page 48) No prerequisites or accountability forms for this section.

Credit 2.1 is for installing a High Efficiency Irrigation System and is worth up to 3 points. There are 11 items that you can earn one point for each, up to three points. Points that you can earn also depend on the percentage of your designed landscape that are served by these measures.

Credit 2.2 is worth one point that you get if you have a third party inspect the work done under Credit 2.1.

Note: You can do Credits 2.1 and 2.2 OR, Credit 2.3 below. You can't do all of them.

Credit 2.3 is Reduce Overall Irrigation Demand By At Least 45% and is worth up to four points. Depending on the percentage you reduce, you get from one to four points. this must be calculated by a qualified professional based on a number of formulas provided by USGBC.

It is still early in our process to know exactly what we are going to do with our irrigation, so I am not going to add any points to the tally - we will revist this one down the road!

New Roof

2009-01-12T17:58:00.005-05:00

Here is the crane that was used to lift our new trusses onto the house. He had to thread a needle between two existing trees to get them onto the house.

They started the trusses at the back of the house

Here is the view from the garage!

Tomorrow our Rinnai unit comes - Very exciting!!! I will tell you more about it in my next post. Then we have to get back to out lessons. We have more Water Efficiency to discuss!

Happy New Year (Almost)!

2008-12-29T16:48:00.003-05:00

You still have to wait for 2009 to see what happens with our missing roof!

Just wanted to let you all know that a couple of weeks ago we had some great photographers come over to the site and take pix of us with various construction and material backdrops. Lucas Brown and Lee Bradshaw at Kickstand Studio are great - anyone in the Midlands area who needs photos, portraits, headshots, etc. needs to call these guys!! They also have a cool red couch they will carry around to random alleyways or parking garages so that they can capture you and your friends or family in the perfect setting! Will post the pix soon......

Here is Lucas taking a picture of me taking a picture of him.....

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-23T17:53:00.005-05:00

Hey, another holiday!! So no lessons - just some pictures of our missing roof (don't worry - it was intentional). Check in after the holidays to see the framing progress! See you in 2009

The Garage

2008-12-19T12:28:00.006-05:00

We were fortunate to grab a framing crew in between jobs to help us with our framing. Scott and I were making good headway with what we were doing, but these guys FLEW! The garage structure was done in less than 3 days. You can see that even though the garage is not part of the LEED project (it only matters that it is detached from the main house), we are still using as many sustainable materials and methods as possible. We used the Zip sheathing on the exterior.

This is the lower garage level. We have concrete floors that slope toward the doors and block walls that go up three courses to help with durability in case we need to rinse out the garage, etc. The studs used for the walls at this level are standard studs, which means everything was planned so that none of them had to be cut. This helped cut down on waste!

Here is the second level. We are zoned to allow rental units on our property, so we are setting this up so that it could be turned into an apartment in the future. We will use this level for storage and aren't sure how "finished out" we will make it at this time.

Since we won't have any attic storage in the house or garage, we have some nice closets in the garage second level.

WE1: Water Reuse

2008-12-19T12:14:00.004-05:00

WE1: Water Reuse. Maximum Points - 5 (Page 46) No prerequisites or accountability forms for this section.

Credit 1.1 is for installing a Rainwater Harvesting System and is worth up to 4 points. Local jurisdictions have rules about where harvested water can be used. Unless I am mistaken, we aren't allowed to use harvested water inside. If anyone has other information - please post a comment. I tried to find out info from DHEC but never got to speak with anyone who could tell me the particulars. Harvested rainwater can be used for landscape irrigation. For this credit, there are rules about how much capacity the system has to hold. We have opted not to install such a system. We don't have gutters on the house, so we probably won't be able to benefit from rain barrels either. Just so everyone knows, rain barrels are an easy way for homeowners to capture water to supplement your irrigation.

Credit 1.2 is Graywater Reuse System installation and is worth one point. Greywater is wastewater from one of the following: clothes washer, shower, faucets or other sources exceeding over 5,000 gallons per year. Again the water would be collected and used inside or for irrigation. This is not allowed in our area given all of the information that I was able to find. There is spirited conversation regarding reuse of greywater on the internet. You can imagine that you could get some pretty nasty stuff from the wastewater from your shower, etc. Many people feel the health risks of storing and reusing this water aren't worth it. I guess you could somehow treat the water on site - again, if anyone has any more insight to this, please share.

So 5 points in the no column. That is OK - we will be getting points in the next few sections!

Welcome readers of The State!

2008-12-15T09:57:00.004-05:00

Hi to all of our new blog followers! I hope that you all got a chance to read the article about our project in The State this weekend - here is a link.... Let me explain what we are doing with the blog. For the past 6 months, we have been providing small lessons on the LEED for Homes point system as well as posting progress photos of our construction. While LEED for Homes is just one of many rating systems for sustainable construction, it is the system that we have elected to follow. We are aiming for LEED Silver but we are certain with our preliminary research that we will at least receive LEED Certified status. We are just finishing framing, so a lot will be happening in the next month - electrical rough-in, plumbing rough-in, brick, windows, roofing, etc. January will definitely be busy! Scott and I are often over at the job site, so stop by if you see us!

WE - Water Efficiency

2008-12-11T17:42:00.002-05:00

Our next Chapter in the LEED for Homes book is Water Efficiency (WE). This is a chapter that any homeowner can understand and benefit from! There are three sections that we will be looking at - Water Reuse, Irrigation System, and Indoor Water Use. We will get a couple of points from this section.

Think about how much water and related energy is wasted in your home - running the shower or faucet waiting for hot water to come out, keeping 40 or 50 gallons of water hot all the time whether you are using it or not, leaking fixtures, etc. Take a look at your own home and see what money saving ideas you can come up with!

More pictures....

2008-11-26T15:57:00.008-05:00

In light of the holiday, I am skipping the lesson on LEED for Homes and going right for more pictures! Happy Thanksgiving!

This is the view from the dining area to the kitchen and bar. Living is beyond. We have anice high window in our kitchen so that we aren't staring at the back of our neighbor's house.

Looking from the kitchen into dining toward the pantry storage

Framing around the stairs to the basement

Here is the concrete pad for the rear first floor porch

Concrete floor was poured for the garage and CMU was laid up three courses above the floor. This will allow the garage to be washed down without ruining the walls. It also allowed standard length studs to be used to frame the walls. This meant that they didn't have to cut the studs on the first level, reducing waste!

Blog to Blog!

2008-11-24T15:01:00.002-05:00

We had so many visitors this weekend that I am seriously considering having a guest book so that we can keep track of all of our new friends and neighbors!!! Jenny Maxwell with Skirt Magazine visited and she wrote about our blog on her blog - check it out!

http://columbia.skirt.com/blog/577

Even more pictures (I am really having to stretch for fun titles to my picture posts...)

2008-11-21T15:50:00.008-05:00

Here is the prep for the concrete pour at the back porch. They created grade beams with rebar and put poly sheeting down to separate the soil and the concrete.

Here is similar prep for the concrete floor. We will be sloping the garage floor toward the garage doors per the building code.

Scott made arrangements for our electrical, cable and telephone services to be installed underground (our neighbor did his at the same time in a shared trench). That will help with durability in a neighborhood like ours where tree limbs fall on a regular basis! We won't have to worry about the electrical weatherhead being ripped off of the house.......

Another view of the trench location

To combat high wind events, code requires that walls be strapped or anchored to the building foundation. In this instance, we have ussed special anchor bolts that go through the wall bottom plate and into the concrete slab.

LEED for Homes Summary

2008-11-21T15:29:00.004-05:00

OK - now is the time to see who has been following the blog like a diehard and who hasn't! See our two new polls at the right hand side - they are little quizzes! We have been through three sections of the LEED for Homes Rating System: ID - Innovation & Design Process; LL - Location & Linkages; SS - Sustainable Sites. Our next section will be WE - Water Efficiency. This section is especially timely given the water shortage problems that the Upstate and areas like Atlanta have been experiencing. It wil also be a chapter that will be easy for any homeowner to understand and will give you the opportunity to evaluate what happens in your own home and community!

Don't forget to take the polls - next up - pictures!

Walls are going up!

2008-11-17T12:19:00.006-05:00

For our exterior sheathing, we are using a product called Zipsheathing. You don't need to use a house wrap because the sheathing is impregnated with a similar material. Prior to brick installation, we use a special tape to seal the joints.

Here is a wall being built on the ground

Once the walls stand up, we need to make sure that we separate the concrete and wood at our exterior walls. So, we install a foam barrier under all of the base plates.

Here are the first of the addition walls....

and an exterior shot!

SS6: Compact Development

2008-11-17T12:14:00.003-05:00

SS6: Compact Development. Maximum Points - 4 (Page 44) No prerequisites or accountability forms for this section.

Credit 6.1 is for Moderate Density (2 points)
OR
Credit 6.2 is for High Density (3 points)
OR
Credit 6.3 is for Very High Density (4 points)

We can't get any of these - they are based on the acreage versus number of dwelling structures. We have 1/5 acre with one dwelling. We needed to be on 1/7 of an acre or less to get points for a single residence. So 4 points in the no column.

Connecting old and new...

2008-11-17T12:01:00.004-05:00

We connected the existing house to the new addition with framing on the first floor

They way that this was designed, we have ample room below the addition connection to install mechanical equipment and ducts

It is so nice not haveing to "walk the plank" to get to the new addition!

The stem walls for the front and back porches were blocked and bricked. Dirt will be packed behind the wall to prepare for pouring the final concrete slabs

SS5: Nontoxic Pest Control

2008-11-17T11:48:00.002-05:00

SS5: Nontoxic Pest Control. Maximum Points - 2 (Page 42) No prerequisites or accountability forms for this section. Credit 5 is Pest Control Alternatives. There are 10 possible Alternatives each worth a 1/2 point. Here is a run-down:

a) Keep all wood 12" above the soil (we will) b) Seal external entry joints, etc; (we will) c) separate all wood to concrete connections (we have) d) Install mature landscaping at least 24" from home (we won't) e) Because we are in a "very heavy" termite infestation area, do one or more of the following: i) treat all wood framing with borate min 3' above the foundation (we won't) ii) Install diatomaceous earth barrier (we won't) iii) install steel mesh barrier termite control system (we won't) iv) install non-toxic termite bait system (we will) v)use a non-wood or straw wall structure (we won't) vi) use solid concrete foundation walls or masonry walls with a solid top course (we have).

I think we will get 5 of these. I already know that we have 4 so I am going to go ahead and put 2.5 yes credits in the tally!

The columns have arrived.....

2008-10-14T13:12:00.003-04:00

It is a good thing we shouldn't have too many more thunderstorms this year, because we have eight 24' tall lightning rods in the yard.....

The columns sit on anchor bolts cast into the concrete

Here is the front of the house. The columns will hold up the two story porches and the roof above.

SS4: Surface Water Management

2008-10-14T13:03:00.002-04:00

SS4: Surface Water Management. Maximum Points - 7 (Page 40) No prerequisites for this section, but accountability forms AGAIN!

There are three possible credits with a total of 7 possible points.

Credit 4.1 is Permeable Lot. 70% of the lot (not including under roof) must be permeable (allow water to infiltrate). There is a chart to refer to - depending on the percentage you achieve, you get more points. I am going to predict 3 ponts for this one. Again - it is too early to know for sure what we are going to end up with.

Credit 4.2 is Permanent Erosion Control. We would need to plant a certain amount of planting for every 500 square feet of disturbed lot (including under roof). Because of our tight site, I don't think we will meet this, but I am not sure....

Credit 4.3 is Management of Runoff from Roof. This credit includes use of dry wells, cisterns, vegetated roofs, etc. We will not qualify for these two points, so I am putting them down as no points.

Tally change - add 3 maybe points and 2 no points

More lovely concrete!

2008-10-14T12:56:00.003-04:00

Here is the backyard. We had a Civil contractor come and haul off a bunch of our dirt, so it was reused at another construciton site. We kept enough for our backfilling and grading needs. Footings have also been poured for the back porch.

Here are the footings for the front porch. They started piling dirt in preparation for backfilling once the stem walls are in place.

SS3: Local Heat Island Effects

2008-10-14T12:48:00.002-04:00

SS3: Local Heat Island Effects. Maximum Points - 1 (Page 39) No prerequisites for this!

Credit 3 is Reduce Local Heat Island Effects. You pick one of the following two things: Either provide shade for at least 50% of your hardscape (based on 5 year growth at noon on June 21), or provide light colored materials for 50% of hardscape (heat will not be absorbed as easily byy lighter colored materials). I think we will meet the second option, though with the existing trees and the shade provided by the house, we may also qualify for the first.

I am putting us down for one maybe point! This one also requires an accountability form!

new pictures

2008-10-14T12:39:00.004-04:00

Here are our new basement stairs. There is 30% fly ash in that concrete!

Preparing for footings at the front porch

Preparing for footings at the back porch

SS2: Landscaping

2008-10-14T12:25:00.003-04:00

SS2: Landscaping. Maximum Points - 7 (Page 35) This one has a prerequisite.... Prereq 2.1 states that you cannot use invasive plants. The definition varies based on the region you are in. We have downlopaded the list for this region and will make sure we don't use any Kudzu in our yard!

This section has four possible credits, but you have to chose either going after 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 OR 2.5 - you can't get all of these points.

2.2 is Basic Landscape Design. You must use drought tolerant turf, don't put turf in shade or on a slope, mulch as needed, and till compacted soil. We will probably meet all of this and so will get the two points. I will put them as maybe for now....

2.3 is Limit Conventional Turf. There is a chart to consult. The idea is to lower the amount of turf compared to the overall landscape area. It is too early to tell what we will end up with, so I am going to say we will get one maybe point.

2.4 is Drought Tolerant Plants. By using certain percentages of drought tolerant plants for your area, you get either one or two points. I am going to say we will get one maybe point, but we may actually end up with two.

You can forget the three credits above and chase 2.5 Reduce Overall Irrigation Demand by at least 20%, but this requires that a qualified professional calculate the reduction based on their criteria. I don't see us doing this.

So, add 4 maybe points to the total! BTW - there are accountability forms for these credits that will need to be provided at the end!

Here is our latest work.....

2008-09-26T11:09:00.013-04:00

We finished waterproofing the concrete stair walls, finished connecting the drain tile, and we started the backfilling (lots of gravel against the drain tile).

We installed the basement door so that the concrete floor can be poured to the correct threshold height and so that the masons can start installing brick.

Here is a view into the stair to the basement. since then. the stairs have been formed but not yet poured.

Scott and I cleaned a bunch of our salvaged brick so that the masons can infill openings in the existing walls and perfectly match the surrounding brick.

SS1: Site Stewardship

2008-09-16T16:51:00.002-04:00

SS1: Site Stewardship. Maximum Points - 1 (Page 33) This one has a prerequisite.... Prereq 1.1 states that you must implement erosion control measures. There are five requirements, two of which apply to us. We have stockpiled our dirt for reuse, and we have installed silt fencing at the rear of our site so that our mud and dirt doesn't run into out neighbor's yard. I am sure they appreciate that.

As for the credit in this section, you can get one point and you can pick from 3 different things to do to get the point. you can develop a tree protection plan AND leave 40 % of the open site undisturbed, or you can develop a tree protection plan and undo any compaction that occurs adjacent to trees, or you can develop a lot that is less than 1/7 of an acre. We don't qualify for any of this. Our site is too tight - we are driving too close to existing trees, and our lot is 1/5 of an acre. Oh well. One more point we won't get. That is OK - we will get some from the next credit!

Our kitchen floor was poured today. I don't know if I will be able to take pictures before it gets dark, but I will try and I will post them tomorrow!

LL6: Access to Open Space

2008-09-09T13:35:00.003-04:00

LL6: Access to Open Space. Maximum Points - 1 (Page 31) This one doesn't have any prerequisites..... This credit is easy! The building site has to be within 1/2 mile of at least 3/4 acre of publicly accessible land. We have that at the local middle school and one of the local parks. Done! Easy credit.

So there you have it - we got all 10 possible points from the Location and Linkages section! Next up, Sustainable Sites (SS).

LL5: Community Resources/ Transit.

2008-09-09T12:52:00.003-04:00

LL5: Community Resources/ Transit. Maximum Points - 3 (Pages 29 and 30) This one doesn't have any prerequisites..... This is one of those sections where you can only get one of the credits, but there are three credits to choose from and the best you can get is three points. Credit 5.1 is called Basic Community Resources/ Transit. There is a table that you consult to determine your proximity to certain community resources (such as schools, shopping, etc. as well as public transportation. If you meet these criteria, you get one point. Credit 5.2 is called Extensive Community Resources/ Transit and as you can imagine, if you are closer to more resources, you can get this credit worth two points. Credit 5.3 is called Outstanding Community Resources/ Transit and is worth three points. We actually qualify for better than the requirements of 5.3, but all we get is the three maximum credits. Again - great advantage comes from an urban site in a walkable neighborhood! Three more points get added to the tally!

Making Progress......

2008-09-09T12:36:00.005-04:00

Our drain tile has been placed around the perimeter of the basement. It is continuous piping covered with a netting so that dirt and sand can't get in, but water can. The piping is connected to the location of our future sump pump in the basement and will keep the basement from flooding.

Next door neighbor Guy helped us out (again!) with the installation of the steel deck over the basement.

It went much faster than we thought. Thanks to Jim Hester for the use of the Hilti tools!

Christina Goodwin came over an helped us pull some of the million nails out of the existing studs.

Ty Goodwin helped us finish installation of the temporary treads on the new stair.

LL4: Infrastructure

2008-09-09T12:27:00.003-04:00

LL4: Infrastructure. Maximum Points - 1 (Page 28) This one doesn't have any prerequisites..... You can get Credit 4 Existing Infrastructure if your lot is within 1/2 mile of existing water and sewer service lines. We meet this criteria, so we get another point! Like stealing candy from a baby (trust me - we will struggle a little later on with some of these credits)! You can probably see the advantages of choosing an urban location for a LEED home. Here are some more photos!

Steel Delivery

2008-09-09T12:07:00.006-04:00

We had sheet waterproofing and protection board installed on our concrete basement walls so that moisture in the soil (which will be backfilled against the walls) won't penetrate into the living space.

Our friends at D&T Steel delivered and installed the beams that will hold up our kitchen floor slab. Branham Construction cast the bearing plates for these beams into pockets in the concrete walls when they poured them.

They brought a very tall crane to install the beams! It towered WAY over our house and our next door neighbors house.

The five beams were placed and welded into place.

LL3: Preferred Locations

2008-09-08T14:30:00.003-04:00

LL3: Preferred Locations. Maximum Points - 3 (Page 27) This one doesn't have any prerequisites..... There are three credit headings under LL3, but you can only obtain two of them. 3.1 is called Edge Development and is worth one point. 3.2 is called Infill and is worth two points. You can either get 3.1 OR 3.2 - not both. You qualify for 3.1 if 25% of your lot borders previously developed land. You get 3.2 if that percentage raises to 75%. In our case, we have 100% of our site perimeter against previously developed land, so we get two points under 3.2! Finally more points! 3.3 is called Previously Developed and gets you one point. you get this by building on a previously developed lot - check! So we don't get 3.1, but we get 3.2 and 3.3. That is 3 more points for the tally! Wait until you see what construction has been completed.....

The beam is in place....

2008-08-28T17:24:00.006-04:00

Before we get to pictures, we had a successful second poll! Seems like you guys have been trying to use less energy - that is great! I will think up a fun new poll and post it next time....

Scott devised a secondary structure to hold up the existing framing while we removed the bearing wall in the middle of the house (remember, this is balloon framing, which means studs don't go from floor to floor, they go from the first floor all the way to the roof - not continuous, but sistered together. This definitely complicates many of the things that we need to accomplish).

We put a triple LVL beam in place to hold the loads from above (thanks to Guy Rogers for his help!). Now we have an open first floor and we are starting to frame out the new walls and spaces.

Here is a view of the back yard and the basement. You will notice the "line" in the concrete about 4' down from the top? That is the brick ledge that the brick skin will sit on.

LL 2: Site Selection

2008-08-28T16:48:00.008-04:00

LL2: Site Selection. Maximum Points - 2 (Page 26) This one doesn't have any prerequisites..... As you can guess from the credit title, we actually locked ourselves into the pluses and minuses of the site over 2 years ago when we bought the property. Luckily - we meet all of the criteria! The site can't be in a floodplain (check!); cannot be a habitat for threatened or endangered species (check!); can't be within 100' of water or wetlands (check!); can't have been park land previously (check!); and can't have any soils of state significance (we actually had soil borings done by our Geotechnical Engineers at WPC).

Soooo, drumroll please............. we have two more points - yea!! This credit does require an accountability form which I have already signed off on and will provide to Abbey and Claude as part of the project documentation. Next - photos!

Here are some basement photos....

2008-08-20T14:48:00.007-04:00

Whew - things have been crazy! Well, the basement is poured. Waterproofing and backfilling happen next week, then column footings will be poured and steel will be placed. Here are some pictures of the progress! By the way, you can't see it, but there is 30% fly ash in that concrete!! that is good stuff for LEED.....

Prep work for the basement...

Footings are in place and formwork for the walls is under way...

Here is the pump truck for the basement slab pour...

They have started stripping the wall forms and the floor is curing

So what is new?.....

2008-08-04T19:24:00.005-04:00

We have a new poll! Check it out to the right and tell us what you think! Last poll showed that you guys like the idea of tankless water heaters. Our friend Mike Peacock with Rinnai will be excited to hear that!

Basement is dug

front porch is going, going,

gone (here is our superintendent Ronnie)

tree protection and silt fencing are in place (thanks to our neighbor Fred for his help!)

LL 1: LEED for Neighborhood Development

2008-08-04T19:14:00.004-04:00

LL1: LEED for Neighborhood Development. Maximum Points - 10 (Page 25)

This next section is LL Location & Linkages, which has to do with how walkable your neighborhood is, access to public parkland, etc.

This one doesn't have any prerequisites..... but as you can gather from the title, this credit applies when an entire neighborhood is being developed. We won't be pursuing this credit (one property is enough at the moment thank you very much).

Credit 1 is worth 10 points and requires the completion of the LEED for Neighborhood Development program.

Here is an example of where you can't get all the points in this system If you get the 10 credits for LL 1, you can't pursue the 10 credits in LL 2 thru LL 6. since we are not pursuing LL 1, we will definitely be pursuing LL 2 thru LL6.

So, I know, I know - the point tally is still anemic. Next post I promise some action!

Here are the pictures!

2008-07-26T10:16:00.004-04:00

Well, the chimneys are gone! All of the plaster is pretty much out of the house and they are starting to rip off the front porch. We have exposed some existing damage to the structure that is in need of correction, so that will be added to the very long list of things to do.

Scott has already started making out a detailed take-off list of the lumber needed to correct some of the issues that we found as well as start framing some of the new interior walls. By making a detailed list, we will cut down on waste wood (an important part of the LEED program). Next big step is digging the basement!

ID 3: Innovative or Regional Design

2008-07-26T10:01:00.003-04:00

ID3: Innovative or Regional Design. Maximum Points - 4 (Page 23)

This one doesn't have any prerequisites.....

Credits 3.1 thru 3.4 allow you to get points for going above and beyond the requirements elsewhere in the LEED for Homes program, or for doing something innovative that isn't covered elsewhere in the program. Thee four credits require accountability forms to be filled out and signed. After you submit these credits and their forms, you will receive a ruling about whether you will be allowed to count the points or not. Right now, we haven't included any of these credits in our calculations. If we happen to get one or two, great. If not, that is OK.

And with that, we have reached the end of the ID Innovation & Design Process section. You may be looking at our point tally and thinking we had better hurry up and get some points on the board. Never fear - the next section is LL Location & Linkages, and we rock this category! Now, where are the pictures?.....

Sorry for the posting delay......

2008-07-23T15:19:00.004-04:00

We had some clean up do to from the storms that rolled through here on Monday! No damage at the construction site (heck, if demo wasn't so far along, maybe the wind would have helped out). We lost a 50' pine tree at our current house. It blocked both roads and broke a power pole, causing power loss for us and all of our neighbors. We got power back Tuesday night and the neighbors were all really understanding....

Helical Piers and More Deconstruction

2008-07-18T21:54:00.006-04:00

Mount Valley installed our helical piers at the existing rear wall of the house. This will hold the structure up while the basement is being dug right next to the piers. I wasn't there when they were installed, but they go pretty far down into the ground and they are permanent.

Plaster demo continues on the first floor. It turns out the old fireplace was two-sided. The previous owner had covered over one side. We are taking this chimney and another smaller chimney out completely - that should be challenging! Next lesson is the last credit under Innovation & Design Process - ID 3: Innovative or Regional Design. Maximum points - 4.

By the way - we have added a poll to our blog! Check out our question and let us know what you think!

ID2: Durability Management Process

2008-07-17T16:54:00.006-04:00

ID2: Durability Management Process. Maximum Points - 3 (Pages 21 and 22)

This one has two prerequisites.....

2.1 is a prerequisite that states that you must evaluate risks to your project (anything from natural disasters to bursting water heater tanks) and determine ways that you can minimize risk to the building. There is a form and a checklist to be filled out. We have done this for our project.

2.2 is a prerequisite that states that you must have your builder involved in durability management by having them inspect and check off each item on your checklist (created under 2.1). We will be self-performing a lot of the work, so between me and Scott and our GC, we will ensure that all of these items are taken care of.

2.3 has the only available points in this credit. You earn three credits for having a third party verify that the items on your durability checklist were done correctly. We will have Abbey perform this service for us. Since this is done toward the end of the project, I am going to count these three points as "maybe" in the point tally, but we should get these three points with no problem!

The goal of this credit is to get everyone thinking about materials and installation methods BEFORE you build to ensure that you have a long lasting construction project that performs with as few problems as possible. Now, on to the pictures!

More Deconstruction.......

2008-07-15T18:19:00.006-04:00

So, pictures are much more fun then sitting through a session on integrated project planning... Here are some more deconstruction photos!

Here is the back of the house - the old addition has been ripped off. We found that the original house had wood lap siding and they just bricked right over it when they put on the rear addition.

Here is the back yard - slowly but surely getting cleaned up. That is our massive pile of salvaged brick in the left corner.

Almost all of the plaster and lath is now gone from the second floor. The demo has exposed the old knob and tube wiring that was running all through the house. It is a wonder that more older houses don't catch fire every year. Needless to say it will all be removed and the new electrical service will be installed to today's codes.

Next lesson - ID 2: Durability Management Process. Maximum of 3 points.

ID1: Integrated Project Planning

2008-07-15T15:16:00.004-04:00

ID1: Integrated Project Planning. Maximum Points - 4 (Pages 19 and 20)

OK - here it is - the first credit of the program! This one has a prerequisite.....

1.1 is a prerequisite that states that you have to select your target rating level, select which credits you plan to obtain for the program, and decide who is accountable for the requirements of each credt. We have done this and plan on becoming certified at a minimum with a chance of reaching silver. I have also filled out responsibilities in our checklist.

1.2 is the first available point. You need to put together an integrated design team, involve the team with the design and construction process, and regularly meet with the team. We have done this by bringing Abbey and Claude onto our team (and we are both in the architectural field....), and involving our General Contractor and major Subcontractors in our planning!

1.3 is the second available point. You need in involve at least one LEED accredited professional (LEED AP) on your team. We have Abbey!

1.4 is the third available point. You have to charrette with your design team. We have done this!

1.5 is the fourth and last available point in this credit. The design of your home must take advantage of solar design orientations and meet 4 criteria. We don't meet one of these criteria, and so we cannot get this point.

So, at the end of the first credit, we are going to get 3 out of 4 possible credits. Not bad!

The goal of this credit is to get the team involved before major decisions are made. In planning and design is the easiest time to ensure that you will meet the requirements of some of the "cheaper" and easier credits.

Construction Photo Update

2008-07-11T14:21:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of construction! By the time of this posting the small addition on the back of the house should be ripped off (maybe the front porch too if we are lucky). Compare these to the pix in the post dated Saturday, June 28. We will try to take progress photos from these same locations and angles throughout the project! Next topic of discussion will be at the beginning of the LEED for Homes point program - ID1: Integrated Project Planning. Remember, ID means Innovation & Design Process. There are 4 points possible and we will tell you how we are attacking this credit.

The point system.....

2008-07-08T17:45:00.002-04:00

LEED for Homes is based on a point system and there are four levels of certification that you can attain: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. There is a base amount of points for each level: 45 gets you Certified, 60 gets you Silver, 75 gets you Gold, and 90 gets you Platinum. Well, Scott and I have learned that you have to adjust from there on a per project basis. Smaller than average homes need fewer points to reach each of those levels and larger than average homes need more points. This is called the Home Size Adjustment. Based on our square footage vs. number of bedrooms our point thresholds are 57, 72, 87 and 102. It is just the way things worked out. The smaller a home, the less energy and resources it consumes. The more people who live in a home, the less energy and resources needed to house each person. We will be able to attain Certified or Silver with our current design, but may have gotten as high as platinum with more bedrooms or less square footage.

Next time - construction update pictures!

Deconstruction has begun....

2008-07-07T09:47:00.005-04:00

Hope everyone had a happy 4th! We worked construction all weekend - made a lot of progress.

Our contractor Eric Monroe took our first truck load of scrap metal to the recycler (we have another truckload to go); we ripped out all of our existing plant material that was in the way of construction and made arrangements with Robert Anderson, City of Columbia solid waste dept. to have the plant material taken to compost;

Kim and Perry Finch came over and took our claw foot tub to use as a watering basin for their horses (they also got our next door neighbor's old tub); we stripped all of the reusable items out of the house (sinks, vanities, doors, water heater, etc. and took them to the Habitat for Humanity Restore); we ripped out our mantle and gave it to our next door neighbors to use in their renovation;

and we started ripping down the existing brick walls that need to be removed for new construction (luckily the bricks are solids so we will be able to salvage them and reuse them). It was a hot weekend and we were drinking a lot of water, so we made sure to take all of our plastic bottles home to be recycled.

So, as you can tell, we have been able to divert quite a bit of material away from the landfill so that it can be reused by others! Instead of demolition, deconstruction is really the way to think of what we are doing. Unfortunately for those of us in the midlands of South Carolina, there aren't that many options for things like wood recycling, shingle recycling, etc. - especially if you are doing the work yourself (some demolition companies will recycle materials only from jobsites where they are performing the work). There seems to be more construction material recycling locations in the upstate and the lowcountry, but you have to balance how far you are willing to haul construction debris before the transportation becomes more harmful than just placing it in the landfill.

LEED for Homes Categories

2008-07-02T16:53:00.005-04:00

Here are the LEED for Homes categories that we will be posting about over the coming months: ID (Innovation & Design), LL (Location & Linkages), SS (Sustainable Sites), WE (Water Efficiency), EA (Energy and Atmosphere), MR (Materials & Resources), EQ (Indoor Environmental Quality), AE (Awareness & Education).

Each category has multiple sections with different credits that you pursue. The credits have varying point values. There are 136 points total, but it is impossible to get all of those points - some credits are set up where you either get one point or the other, but not both. Next time I will tell you about the points and what the different levels of certification are! I know that you can't wait until then..... but you are going to have to.

Last night we went to the Dave Matthews Band concert in Charlotte. I got this cool pencil made out of recycled newspapers. I was so excited today when I sharpened it and went to use it. Unfortunately the newspaper part isn't strong enough to withstand the pressure exerted during writing. So, the lead keeps snapping off. Doesn't work, but good idea. This is an unfortunate example of when green goes wrong. If it doesn't work well or doesn't make good sense, is it a good idea to do it, make it, buy it just because it is "green"? Food for thought.....

Oh, and by the way, the concert was great!

Learning LEED for Homes

2008-06-30T16:47:00.002-04:00

So is anyone out there sick of hearing the word "green"? It may be the buzz word of the moment, but the principles behind it are good ones. LEED for Homes is a program put out by the USGBC (US Green Building Council) that helps home owners determine what sustainable practices they should include in home construction/ renovation. It is a point system and it helps even the playing field so that a LEED home in South Carolina is comparable to a LEED home in Seattle, etc. I will run through the different categories for all of you as we progress and let you know what decisions we have made in each category. Scott and I have an architectural background, so we were able to jump most of the way into the pool by ourselves, but we do have two consultants working on the project. Abbey Ehman, Associate AIA, LEED AP is our Green Rater and Claude St. Hilaire is our LEED for Homes Provider. They will be helping us along the way.

So, that is enough learning for today. Here is a helpful hint - DO say "LEED", DON'T say "LEEDS" - there is no "S" at the end. Dropping "LEED" into your conversations will not only make you sound smarter but will cause crowds to flock around you at cocktail parties. It is true. Try it.

The House

2008-06-28T17:27:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures of the house pre-remodel. It was built in the 1920s and at one time was an upstairs-downstairs duplex. While the overall character of the house will still be there when we are done, we have some major changes planned.

The Beginning

2008-06-28T16:59:00.003-04:00

Welcome to our blog! We are Scott and Gretchen Lambert and we are about to start renovating a house which will be pursuing LEED for Homes certification. We are going to use this site to keep our friends and family informed of progress, but also to teach people about the process that we are going through. How better for all of you to learn then from our mistakes (which we are destined to make!) and adventures? Sorry for the short boring post, but half the battle was getting this blog up and running. We promise that the posts will become wittier as the mayhem proceeds! T-minus 2 days until the renters are out and Scott starts with the Bobcat. Wish us luck!