These are the specifications for a home built by BPC that was awarded the 2004 HOBI award for the “Best Energy Efficient/Green Home’ (Additional pictures appear in the photo gallery.) Please note that the specifications for each home we build or renovate are customized for that home and may differ from the specifications shown below.
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Click here to see floor plans for this home.
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| Design: |
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Building Science Corporation, renowned for its leadership in the field of green building, designed the house originally for Prairie Crossing, a master planned community in Illinois that won national acclaim for its attention to sustainability in both the design and construction details. |
ENERGY STAR®
Status: |
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The house was tested by Competitive Resources and achieved a HERS score of 91.2 and qualified for five-star status.
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| Energy Usage: |
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BPC guarantees that the energy required to heat the house will not exceed 483 gallons of oil/year (at $1.96/gal equals $947*) and to cool the house will not exceed 1,837 kWh/year (at 11 cents/kWh equals $202*). *current rates 10/21/04 |
House Size
and Orientation: |
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3,489 square feet on 3 floors, plus full walk-out basement. The rear of the house is oriented directly to solar south for passive heat gain in the cold months. |
Lot size:
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3 acres. The original 3-lot subdivision was recognized by the Redding Inland-Wetlands Commission for its sensitivity to neighboring wetlands. |
Bedrooms: |
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5, including four on the 2nd floor and one on the 3rd. |
| Baths: |
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3 full baths on the 2nd floor, including a master bath with heated marble floors, a tiled shower and air massage bath. There is a powder room on the main floor, and the 3rd floor has been plumbed for a full bath in the future. |
Foundation:
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Pre-cast concrete stud walls by Superior Wall. This foundation wall product uses much less concrete (a high energy product) than does a poured wall. It comes insulated with 1” (R-5) of rigid foam but R-19 recycled cotton/denim batts (Ultra-Touch) have been added for a total insulation value of R-24. Basement is walk-out with five windows and 2/3 of the space is finished. |
Garage:
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2.5 car detached (for historical/aesthetic purposes and safety from automobile combustion fumes). The garage is built into the side of a hill and uses the Superior Wall foundation product for its finished walls. In this application, the walls will require no painting or other maintenance. |
Framing
Component: |
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Most of the framing is with engineered wood products, which are stronger, more stable, and are better environmentally than sawn wood:
• I-joists with a particleboard web and LVL flanges
• LVL and PSL beams and columns
• Plywood sub-floor
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Exterior Walls:
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Outside walls are built using SIP (structural insulated panel) technology, which features an OSB skin on either side of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS). OSB is an engineered wood made with wood chips from young trees, a renewable resource. EPS utilizes only water as the blowing agent.
Stronger than framed walls, this high performance wall system has excellent air-sealing qualities, and the continuity of the foam insulation is far greater than for a standard framed wall. |
Insulation:
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2” rigid foamboard (R-10) under the basement slab; rigid foam and recycled cotton batts (R-24) in the foundation walls; 5.5” EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam (R-20) in the walls; 11” of Icynene brand high expansion foam (R-41) in the roof. BPC utilizes multiple insulation products in every house we build in order to balance cost and performance.
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Roof:
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Certainteed Hatteras Outer Banks shingles, a premium fiberglass shingle with a lifetime warranty with the look of an old-fashioned slate roof. |
Siding/Trim:
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James Hardie cement fiber shakes, made from wood fibers encased in cement. This is the most durable siding product on the market today and comes in many profiles, which simulate the appearance of real wood. At BPC, we install all siding over a rainscreen, a drainage plane and breathing space, to ensure drying and durability of the paint, sifing, and wall.
Trim is MoistureShield, a recycled plastic and wood composite with high durability; and Miratec, an engineered wood material treated with non-toxic borates for durability and insect resistance.
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Front Porch: |
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Deck and railing is TimberTech, another composite lumber that is moisture-resistant and will never need to be sealed or painted. It has the look and feel of old-fashioned 1x3 tongue and groove board but is made from recycled wood and plastics. |
Windows: |
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Marvin Integrity windows are made with fiberglass exteriors, with painted wood interiors. Fiberglass is an ideal material for window sashes because it reacts just like glass to temperature changes. In addition, fiberglass is highly durable, maintenance free, and can be painted. Glazing is insulated glass with a low emissivity (low-e) coating and argon gas fill for superior resistance to heat loss and gain.
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Exterior Doors:
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Therma Tru fiberglass doors insulated with extruded polystyrene rigid foam (R-7) with a pre-finished wood grain appearance. |
Interior Doors:
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Prem-dor traditional six-panel doors featuring a pressed wood core with no added adhesives. This means that the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC) is minimized, unlike typical MDF solid core doors. |
Flooring: |
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The main living areas have hard maple flooring, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to have come from a forest managed for sustainable yield.
Bathrooms are tile and marble, durable and chemically inert materials. The laundry/mudroom is linoleum, a durable, all natural material that has been used for centuries. |
| Kitchen: |
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Traditional rail and stile, flat panel birch cabinets from Ikea, one of the few cabinets on the market that meets the European standard for the off-gassing of VOC’s from adhesives used in the particleboard substrate. Particleboard, made with wood chips from young trees, is a renewable resource.
Countertops are Silestone, a solid surface material made from natural quartz and resins. It is so dense that it never requires sealing and is highly resistant to stains and scratches. The island countertop is butcherblock, made from hard maple. It requires only a periodic application of oil. |
| Finishes: |
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Interior paint is Benjamin Moore Eco Spec, a low VOC latex paint. The maple floors are finished with Bonakemi Pacific Strong water-based clear sealer. |
Low Voltage
Connection: |
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Integrated communications/video wiring is provided to all rooms in the house with a central panel to allow multiple connection options. A number of possible combinations of satellite, cable, phone connections both to the outside world and within the house are possible. |
Audio and
Home Theater: |
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Pre-wiring for a central audio system with ceiling-mounted speakers has been completed for the kitchen, family room, dining room, master bedroom, and the 3rd floor. |
| Security: |
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A security system has been installed. All of the doors are wired to signal a break-in, and there is a motion sensor located in the 1st floor hallway and entry area to prevent undetected entry to an upper floor. There are a number of possible upgrades, including smoke alarms that are tied in to the local fire department, which are available directly from the subcontractor. |
| Fire Safety: |
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A Wirsbo PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) sprinkler system has been installed throughout the house. The Redding Fire Department recommends that every new house have a sprinkler system. Sprinklers represent the gold standard for fire safety. Fires kill more people each year than all other natural disasters combined, and most fires occur in the home. |
| Fireplace: |
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A high efficiency, sealed combustion (for combustion safety) Heat-N-Glo gas fireplace with marble surround and hearth is located in the family room. It features patented technology to recreate the glow of a natural fire. A remote control is included. |
| Heating: |
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A three-zone, hydro-air heating system, featuring a high efficiency, oil-fired, power vent, isolated combustion boiler, which provides hot water to a heat exchanger located inside a variable-speed Trane air handler. (Isolated combustion separates combustion air from house air in order to eliminate the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning.) |
| Cooling: |
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A three-zone, Trane air-conditioning system with air delivery via a variable speed air handler. The system is capable of continuous operation at a low fan speed in order to optimize dehumidification. |
| Air ducts: |
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Ducts are sheet metal and sealed with mastic. The entire system has been designed and specified by a mechanical engineer to assure accurate delivery of required air-flows to each room in the house. Unlike, less expensive duct materials, sheet metal ducts deliver predictable amounts of air, can be cleaned at any time, and can be recycled at the end of their life. |
| Ventilation: |
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A continuous supply of fresh air is provided by a Venmar ERV (energy recovery ventilator). The ERV provides fresh air while transferring heat and moisture to maximize comfort and minimize energy usage. The system is capable of providing a complete air exchange every three hours to maintain a high indoor air quality. |
| Filters: |
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An electronic air filter is installed on the air handler. Electronic filters provide excellent filtration at a low operating cost and can be cleaned by the owner. Electronic air filters represent the most cost effective solution to removing the very small airborne particles that affect respiration. |
Mechanical
Options: |
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Odor and microbial filters are available. Most new homes require humidification to deal with dry winter air caused by leaks in the exterior shell of the house. However, due to the air-tight construction of the exterior shell of this house, humidification during the cold months will not be required with a normal household load. |
| Landscaping: |
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A large level space has been created behind the house by building an attractive retaining wall using a manufactured tumbled block product. The same material is used for another retaining wall and winding steps to the walk-out basement.
An oversized patio has been installed to the rear, using a manufactured tumbled block product. Walkways to the front door, basement door steps, and between the side entry and the garage have been installed, using the same product.
Plantings in the front of the house were all selected for deer resistance and low maintenance. They include, dogwood, viburnum, miniature cypress, and boxwood.
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