WRAPPING THE MULLET: BUSINESS IN THE FRONT. PARTY IN THE BACK

A few people have asked me recently, “Why the Mullet?”. The Mullet is really a state of mind. Our little home is nestled into a cute little storybook setting filled with stucco-clad, tudor-style homes. Now, we love the walk-ability, proximity to parks and lakes, and 5 minute commute to downtown, but this neighborhood was designed 50 years ago. I don’t live the same way as my grandparents. Erin and I wanted to create a super-sustainable, modern home but maintain respect for our neighborhood. We decided the most straightforward way to do this was to design a modern home that is based on a colonial house. The fun thing about this challenge is the colonial form works with the overall look of houses around us, and is also really with a lot of solid building science behind the simple gabled form. Colonial houses were first designed for simplicity of construction while maximizing material use. They also have very little surface area to the outside which made the form ideal for the harsh winters of New England— Minnesota’s winters have a reputation for being somewhat harsh, too. The original colonial had a loft space to sleep in when it gets cold, because heat rises. This was our starting point (our business), but we've added little rock’n-roll in the back (our party).

The siding and roofing is a really important part of how our little house works. The main level is still the original walls, comprised of drywall and bad insulation. In order to make this wall perform to a good level we needed to insulate and side the house with something more durable. We searched all over the place. Since we’re living in the construction we couldn’t rip down the walls and re-insulated. The walls are built from 2 x 4s, so we couldn’t just blow in insulation from the outside. I began to wonder, “Why can’t we just wrap our houses in a new shiny parka like we do when it’s winter?” And that’s what we decided to do. We worked with Rassmussen Metal Roofing to install new 3” thick rigid insulation panels covered with a recycled metal siding. The insulation allowed the house to be completely covered in R-19 to exceed the level of new homes with spray insulation. Rassmussen found a stockpile of industrial waste metal called Rheinzink. We decided to bend up the metal into flat-lock panels and cover the whole house with a metal wrapper capable of lasting for 100+ years without maintenance. The zinc-titanium alloy will develop a nice slate-colored patina over time, and will self-heal if it gets scratched. No painting! 100% recycled! Energy efficient! Perfect.

On the new addition areas we didn’t need the insulating jacket because of the high R-value within the SIP panels. Instead we built a rain-screen that allows water to pass down a space between the siding and the house. This is the method of building in Germany, and it literally allows the building to breathe. It prevents mold and allows you to put anything over the top because it doesn’t matter if water gets through. We selected a horizontal cedar batten that looks a lot like the fence and landscape elements we’re planning to install in the yard. We plan to white-wash the cedar to give the house a little bit of natural beauty to play off the sleek metal below.

The roof is covered in a Firestone dark bronze metal roof made right here in Minnesota. The EnergyStar approved metal roof reflects the heat of the sun and lasts for 50+ years. This is an excellent alternative to the cheap and environmentally harmful asphalt shingles that most houses use. Our roof won’t leak, fall down in storms and can be recycled if it is ever removed.

We hope these three elements will give us the durability, beauty and energy efficiency we’re after in a sustainable house. They also provide that little bit of modern style we love so much here at the mullet.