Weeks 8 & 9

What a fabulous Home!! Who would believe this used to be that old run down eco nightmare just 9 short weeks ago? I don’t think anyone ever imagined this green home would turn out so beautiful.

The MMHG crew was able to take a few days off for the Fourth of July holiday, and so we have combined weeks 8 and 9. It was a much-needed change of pace to be able to sleep in a couple days. Up until the small break, we had utilized almost every hour of daylight for the previous 8 weeks. Anyhow, we’re back at it, ready to go strong through our completion date of August 25th.

Thanks to the help of our sponsors, this home has really taken shape the past few weeks. Mark Hauger of MDH Plumbing roughed in the plumbing. Mountain Supply Co supplied the high efficiency plumbing fixtures. Mountain Supply recommended the high efficiency fixtures of Toto. For instance, Toto manufactures a duel flush toilet that uses less than a gallon of water to flush liquid. Mountain Supply also carries low flow Moen faucets that reduce water consumption. The electrical and audio/data wiring were pulled and set thanks to Eric Shields of Shields Electric and Jason and Mike from Riverhaus. Riverhaus and Shields combined efforts to deliver a low voltage lighting system. Jason Decunzo strategically designed the lighting to be functional, elegant and energy efficient. Riverhaus also designed a state of the art sound system that is built into the home. They will be showing their features at the final event on August 25th.

One of the newly installed windows—view from the interior

During the past couple of weeks the MMHG crew tackled the window installation task. MMHG did a lot of research to determine which window company mad the most sense for the project. With so many “green” options, we have started calling the project, “Make my house make sense”. We inevitably decided on Sierra Pacific Windows and Doors due to their sustainably harvested wood products. Sierra’s are a reasonably affordable high-end window that lacks nothing to be desired. They look great and function even better. Sierra is also distinguished for their excellent service and warranty. But most importantly, Sierra Pacific has initiated the Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) certification for all timber harvests used in their windows and doors. Basically to qualify for an SFI certification a business must:

Demonstrate a stewardship ethic on forests.
Promptly reforest harvested acres.
Protect water quality and prevent soil erosion.
Conserve wildlife and fish habitat.
Maintain and enhance species biodiversity.
Are sensitive to the aesthetics of harvesting.
Protect important cultural, historical, and ecological sites.
Improve utilization and reduce waste.

After the windows were installed, we were finally able to reuse all the rough sawn fir extracted from during the deconstructing phase. After Tony from Custom Bio Painting finished the wood with the locally manufactured Eco Seal, the pieces of trim were more gorgeous than we could have ever imagined.

During the week prior, MMHG also saw the roof dried in. Dave Taylor Roofing has been an amazing business to work with and has really worked overtime to determine the best roof for this “green” home. We have ultimately decided on a lifetime recyclable metal roof. The Make My House Green crew is beyond excited to watch this roof go up later this month. Not long after the roof install we will be able to able to put together our radiant solar panel system thanks to the extra mile efforts of Jack Reed and Eric Hendrickson of Mountain Supply Co.

Front porch looking upwards

The MMHG crew extracted a lot of old rough sawn timbers from the existing home, however, we were just a few timbers shy for completing our front and side porches. We want to maintain that rough sawn look throughout the house so we contacted Gary Delp of Heritage Timbers and sure enough he had just what we needed to complete the construction of those front and side porches. With the rough sawn look and the cedar soffits and under porches, this green homes shines like a star.

These have been an extremely exciting past couple of weeks with all that has gone on. It’s hard to believe we took four days off. Be sure to check in next week for details on insulating with John Diem of Advanced Energy Solutions and of course come to our first seminar this Saturday as we talk about sustainable design and materials, the building envelope and foundations of building a green home.