for its High Performance Buildings Database
U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Building Technologies Program - Buildings Database
Materials & Resources
Resource efficiency was the primary consideration in the selection of materials for the house. Key strategies included insistence on wood from responsibly managed forests, extensive use of engineered lumber and alternatives to wood, and thoughtful integration of recycled materials.
FSC-certified wood was used for the framing, the door and window trim, the cedar shingles, and the many bookcases and storage units. Floor joists and structural beams and headers were made from engineered lumber.
Bamboo was used for the flooring in all main rooms of the house. Marmoleum, a very durable linoleum product made of natural, biodegradable materials, was used in the laundry room and back hallway. Flooring for the entryway, mudroom, first-floor bathroom and the sunroom is Mankato limestone from Minnesota.
Douglas fir, resawn from the ridge beam of the original house, was used for the structural post and mantle piece in the living room and for the top of the built-in buffet in the dining room. Recycled glass tiles were used for the kitchen backsplash, and recycled redwood paneling was used as siding for the exercise pool in the basement.
The builder arranged for recycling of construction waste. The owners are diligent in recycling household waste and yard waste.
Green Products Used
- Bamboo Flooring
- Laminated Strand Lumber Studs, Headers, and Rim Board
- Natural Linoleum Flooring
- Recycled-Glass Tiles
RSF Onyx advanced combustion fireplace
Unilock Ecoloc permeable pavers
Unilock Turfstone environmental pavers
FSC-certified wood
Design for Adaptability to Future Uses
The owners intend to make this house their last. They also want to be able to welcome guests whose mobility may be impaired. With that in mind, the ground floor of the house was designed to be wheelchair-accessible.
The path from the driveway to the house rises almost imperceptibly, and there are no steps at the front entrance. Doorways on the ground floor are a minimum of 2'10" wide. In the powder room/guest bathroom, the counter-top-mounted sink is open below to accommodate a guest in a wheelchair, grab bars serving as towel bars are carefully positioned next to the toilet, and there is no lip at the entrance to the shower. In the adjacent library, the revolving wall-mounted bookcases hide two twin beds.
Lever door handles are used throughout the house to make opening and closing doors easier for arthritic hands. Provision was made for a possible future elevator. The closet areas in the ground-floor study and the guest bedroom directly above it are oversized to accommodate the elevator, the floor framing provides for the elevator shaft, and piping for the radiant-floor heating was omitted from the space.
Green Strategies
- Design for Materials Use Reduction
- Use advanced framing (optimum value engineering) to optimize material use
- Recyclable Materials
- Use biodegradable materials
- Job Site Recycling
- Set up labeled bins to keep recyclable materials separate
- Resource-Efficient and Biobased Materials
- Use engineered wood products for rough carpentry
- Salvaged Materials
- Use salvaged wood for finish carpentry
- Materials and Wildlife Habitat
- Use wood products from independently certified, well-managed forests for rough carpentry
- Specify bamboo flooring instead of hardwood
- Use wood products from independently certified, well-managed forests for finish carpentry
