Week 4

The Make My House Green team wrapped up week 4 of construction. Most of this past week was spent cleaning up the site and building and setting the foundations and footings. We’re currently in transition between the deconstruction phase and construction phase. Demolition was tedious due to the amount of recycling we are planning, which leads to one of the key points of this demonstration project. Using sustainable building methods may not always be the easiest thing to do. It would have been much easier to bulldoze the rundown home, dump it in the landfill and start new. But the ecological repercussions are much deeper than they appear on the surface. More waste, more landfill, unnecessary lumber and cement, fuel and travel emissions to name a few.

Piles of wood scrap to be recycled at Johnson Brothers

Week four was definitely our slowest week so far. We dealt with rain delays and a building permit delay. While progress on site was somewhat minimal, we were able to focus on more research and overall development of the project. We have been meeting with various local experts on green and efficient building as we determine which techniques make the most sense for this project. Each project is different and has a unique set of solutions. As you follow the progress, you should learn the process of finding the best-fit solution for your future project. We are trying to identify the most cost effective, long-term efficient combination of insulation, ventilation, heating and water management system. For example we have thoroughly researched the geothermal ground source heat pump, which uses very little energy to heat the home. But the up front cost of the system is on the order of $20,000 and may not be the best solution for a small house. Geothermal systems extract heat from the earth and are very practical for large homes and commercial buildings. We will keep you posted as the research continues.

MMHG has teamed up with L.S. Jensen to provide the concrete. L.S. Jensen offers concrete that is made with fly ash. On this particular project the concrete will be mixed with the maximum allowed 30%. Fly ash is a fine, glass-like powder recovered from gases created by coal-fired electric power generation. U.S. power plants produce millions of tons of fly ash annually, which is usually dumped in landfills. Fly ash is an inexpensive replacement for cement used in concrete, and actually improves strength, segregation, and ease of pumping of the concrete. Fly ash is also used as an ingredient in brick, block, paving, and structural fills. Recovering the fly ash and using it in the concrete formula reduces the amount of green house gasses emitted in producing the cement. The emission reduction ratio is roughly 1 pound of fly ash saves 1 pound of green house gasses. Additionally, we have opted to use Quadlock insulated concrete forms for the living space foundation walls. This provides R-22 foam insulation for the crawl space and exceeds energy star requirements. Our research has led us to focus the most on energy efficiency. Although the energy star certification is only available for new construction, we will be rebuilding a home that far exceeds these standards. Our home will be MMHG certified which not only exceeds energy star, but also emphasizes the importance of sustainability and buying local.

During the upcoming week, we are looking forward to finishing the foundations, leveling off the existing structure and starting the framing. Our PBS camera crew will be out next week for another shoot. The Bozeman based crew is filming a 1-hour special on the project and will be visiting Missoula on a regular basis throughout the summer. Drive by the home regularly to view progress and check back on the site for more updates. We will soon release the upcoming schedule of public events.

All in all this was another splendid week of progress for the Make My House Green™ project. The crew did such a great job and got everything done so quickly and efficiently the whole crew took the weekend off to do a rapid float down the Blackfoot river.