GOOD-BYE DARK SCARY BASEMENT

Most houses in the cold north have basements. They are frequently dingy, moist places that store our extra junk from yesteryear. To the DIY’er they are uncharted real estate waiting to be captured, however there are some potential health risks lurking in those subterranean rooms. Mold, radon and mildew are some of the issues that could be looming if you just slap up some wood studs and dry-wall. However basements can be great space if you take a few steps.

1) Check for Radon. The EPA and U.S. Surgeon General's warn that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and that you should test your home. Having your home tested is cheap and easy, see the below link to find how to have your home tested:

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html

2) Determine whether your basement has any moisture problems. If your foundation walls are only damp on humid summer days, it might be okay to finish your space but if you have any problems with standing or leaking water in the spring or during heavy rains, you’ve got some preparations to do. If you have noticed major dampness in the areas near the walls you should probably forget building out your Tiki Lounge.

If you noticed any water issues you should look into adding gutters and downspouts and regrading you lawn so the water moves away from the house. If you periodically get standing water in the basement you should consult a professional and look into an interior and exterior drain tile system, this can mean big bucks and lot of mess. If you don’t fix every water issue you risk facing health risks, property damage and extremely extensive mold remediation down the road.

Eitherway there are good and bad ways to finish a basement. Build your walls and floor out of materials that can tolerate moisture. Below is the example of how we finished the Mullet dungeon. A monolithic layer of rigid foam provides a thermal break. We then framed the walls with 2x2 framing held away from the masonry walls to conserve space and keep the wood away from the concrete. A full 2x4 treated plate allows 3” of water in the basement before the wood gets wet. The only trick part if the wiring which we ran in conduit for extra safety. One other option is spray foam with steel studs. Both systems should be finished with paperless drywall to avoid moldy paper.

Tile and stained concrete are great alternatives for mold free flooring. However if you have a nasty unlevel floor Flor Carpeting and several other companies offer recycled synthetics with mold resistant backing. This is a great way to cover that gloomy concrete with color and style while avoiding nasty health problems.

http://www.epa.gov/radon/video/other_warning.mpeg
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/components/7051-00.html

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.

GUIDE TO A PERFECT MULLET: STEP ONE FLAT TOP: Winter 2008

We planned; we trudged through the murky world of banking and finance and battled through City Hall for more than a year. Finally we're ready to begin the big project! With some help from friends and family we're chopping off the top. The delicate surgical tools are big saws, sledge hammers, crowbars and lots of elbow grease. We deconstructed the roof and with help from Herschbach Construction put down the FSC Plywood that will be our new subfloor on the second level in just one weekend. The following Monday the SIP panels shipped from Extreme Panel in Cotton Wood, Minnesota and our FSC timber system built by Structural Wood.

The Mullet House shell is a prefab system made from locally sourced, environmentally friendly products and materials. The idea was to create a building system from regional products that would offer maximum energy efficiency, limit material waste and allow us to close the envelope really fast - important because there is no room for typical construction when you're living in the home under construction. This kit of parts allowed us just that. The second story shell was erected in just one day. We built the second floor starting at 8AM and placed the last roof panel the same day at 10PM. The whole neighborhood was out to see the circus as the giant roof panels swung through the night sky via crane. With weather predictions of nasty weather looming this was a necessity and also really cool.

All the columns and trusses are built from reused or FSC dimensional lumber that I'm calling the poor man's timber frame. The SIP panels are cut to slide into each column creating an incredibly tight joint that looks cool and keeps air leaks to a minimum. The overall wall should have an R-Value of somewhere around R-22, versus the R-10 of typical construction. This will mean major savings over the lifespan of the house. At the same time the timber frame is exposed on the inside and creates some really cool vaulted ceilings and exposed structure. The entire system is screwed together and in theory could be deconstructed one day. The outside will be wrapped in a European rain screen system and covered with whitewashed Cedar. We'll show you the details of the siding in a future installment. But finally we've got something looking like a house.

BATTLING CITY HALL FOR THE SAKE OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Nearly a year ago I approached the Minneapolis Zoning Department about our project to make sure everything Erin and I planned was within the rules of City Zoning. At the time they told me everything was fine and actually gave me approval to move forward. I thought this would make everything clean and simple, boy was I wrong. One week before we started construction all hell broke loose. I walked into the inspections department to pull the permit and they told me our existing footprint was not conforming to the appropriate setbacks. Our existing footprint is three feet closer to the curb than our nearest neighbor’s house. In order to conform with zoning requirements, we would have to push our new addition back 3 feet. Keep in mind the new additions are all prefabricated panels and waiting in a warehouse, all the while we’re paying interest on them.

We decided to build on our existing footprint to preserve greenspace on our lot. We wanted to avoid a large addition off the side or back of the house that would eat up yard space and result in a lop-sided looking house.

Most cities allow you to build on your existing footprints if they are reasonably on your property lines. This is typical because if your home is built before a certain era it won’t conform to current zoning codes and you can’t remodel/add-on/ re-shingle etc. without a zoning variance. However Minneapolis doesn’t embrace this outlook. They failed to realize the setback issue when they initially granted us approval, but now say we’ll have to get a variance which usually takes 4-6 months.

Fortunately we have friends. I really encourage people to talk to their public officials. Their job is to stand up for you when you get kicked around by the City. That’s why we turned to Lisa Goodman & Scott Benson our City of Minneapolis council members, a.k.a. superheroes. This powerhouse team advocated for us to zoning officials and ultimately encouraged them to grant us permission to build. The compromise was to go through the variance process at a later date! After a week of somewhat unpleasant negotiations we received our building permit.

However this brings up a really important issue: Cities have a huge role in creating policies and zoning rules that can truly impact sustainability. Some cities, like Chicago and Vancouver, have taken major steps to green their cities. Generic rules don’t always lead to the best policies. Check out some of these great websites and go out there and get involved. Talk with your elected officials and get involved. Greening your homes helps, but making entire cities sustainable is the ultimate challenge. Check out these websites to see what others have started in their cities:

Regional Environmental Center: http://www.rec.org

The Sustainable Cities Blog: http://bettercities.squarespace.com/

Green Cities: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/americas_50_gre.php

Eco Builders: http://www.ecocitybuilders.org/

FINDING GREEN4GREEN

Building a green home is getting a lot more typical, but it’s far from the norm… especially when securing a loan from a bank. We started our project during the beginning of the mortgage crisis and even though we could afford our project and have a solid credit score, we went through hell to secure a loan.

Our neighborhood is a perfect place to build our sustainable home. We hope that when the house is complete our property should be in the middle of the home value curve in our area. But the reality is our home costs a little more per square foot than the typical vinyl-sided, drywall box, and to the banks this does not compute. The biggest issue is banks are just beginning see sustainability as an amenity.

We started working with a large lender that financed our first mortgage. They took us through a lengthly process that resulted in loads of frustration, anger and interest rates that where ridiculous. After this we talked with about 5 other banks. Each one claimed their process would be easy, but it was not. We finally turned to Jeff Hillman at Valesco Mortgage for his help. Jeff assisted one of Shelter’s clients who recently built a great sustainable modern house. Between Jeff’s expertise and my ability to help the appraisers understand the project, we secured a great loan after about 4 months of searching. Now that Erin and I have plunged down the painful path of banking here are some tips for readers considering building their sustainable dream home:

Q: How much should you spend on your new home?

A: No more than 30% of your income.

Q: What is the price point for your property?

A: Look at the houses in the area and find comparable homes. Don’t expect the bank to do it. Have a list of sale prices and addresses ready for the appraiser.

A: Keep in mind there are different types of rates. If you spend more than $417K, in most states, this is considered a jumbo mortgage. You frequently pay a higher interest rate than those commonly advertised. If you’re planning on building a home that costs $420,000, try to figure out a way to bring down those costs, because you’ll save a lot of money in the end.

Q: What amenities will help your property values in the future?

A: Some neighborhoods lend themselves to very specific things. Make a list and see how the sustainable features you’re interested in can fit into that formula.

Q: What incentives are available for sustainable improvements in your city, state and region?

A: Check your state’s department of commerce website. Also look at The U.S. Department of Energy website for federal incentives available for sustainable improvements : http://www1.eere.energy.gov/financing/consumers.html

There's no doubt that the sub-prime residential mortgage crisis cast a shadow over the economy.
I believe that despite the immediate market and credit concerns, the outlook for green real estate is great. Green technology and design get better and more affordable every day. There is increasing interest and experience in bringing green technologies to existing buildings. Trends show tremendous growth over the next several years. McGraw-Hill Construction, one of the construction industries leading experts, estimates that as of 2006, green buildings represented approximately 5 percent of all structures. That's expected to double by 2010, and the marketplace for green building construction is expected to reach approximately $30 to $50 billion annually by 2010, versus $11 billion in 2006. So we are looking at some very significant growth rates. That means real profit for those building green now.

The moral of the story is hang in there. Just because you a hit a few walls doesn’t mean your are wrong. The truth is the banking industry is a little behind right now and they’ve got a long way to go for sustainable financing. You need to be prepared to speak the bank’s language. It can be really helpful to find someone in the mortgage industry experienced in sustainable homes. If that’s not possible, remember that banks are looking at every project as a potential risk. Don’t focus on the experimental features in your home. Focus on the sustainable features as luxury items, this is what will give you a higher price per square foot. Things like energy efficiency help, but luxury features really increase your value. For example, in our project our extremely sustainable kitchen became a custom-designed, European-style kitchen. Have a set of basic plans and elevations ready with a list of these types of features for the bank.

If you’re interested in learning more, my colleague and friend John Dwyer wrote a great article on financing a sustainable home for Residential Architect Magazine.

THE PLAN: HOW TO CREATE THE PERFECT MULLET

These are the final plans for the Mullet House. Hopefully this design will make our home perfect for our family to live a clean, simple and sustainable lifestyle for many years to come. The rendering above shows the back of the house facing west. This highlights a major challenge when designing a sustainable remodel; proper orientation to North and South. Letting daylight in from the east and west is like taking a drink from a firehose. That said we’ve decided to take on the full spray of solar radiation because we want to keep the existing footprint and make it work. This project is all about working with what we’ve got. To help moderate the sun we’re designing exterior louvers to help keep out the sun during really intense days. We also have ideas to help take advantage of the solar power and make it work for us.

The new plan removes the existing decaying sun porch replacing it with a modern glass dining room. This area is completely open to the new sustainable kitchen. We’re taking out the old stairs into the basement and building a new one from the basement to the future third-story loft. The entire third story was designed on a module to work with our new FSC structure system that ties directly into factory built SIPs, or structurally insulated panels. We’ll show you more about these when we chronicle the construction of the second floor and other areas.

And don't forget the most important part... lots of feathering!

SUSTAINABLE RENOVATION BREAK’N IT DOWN… THE OLD, THE NEW & SOME INNOVATION.

We wanted to use the Mullet House to experiment with methods to update existing homes into sustainable houses for this century. This means using ways of building that can work easily with older homes and a few that are flat out experimental. The building ideas break into five parts: basement renovation, existing house remodeling, the new second story construction, garage remodeling and the new landscape. Each area deals with radically different sustainable strategies that we’ll break out into chapters chronicling the changes and techniques used to make that part of the home more sustainable. I hope these ideas will inspire and help you tackle your own home renovation project. Below is a diagram of the strategies and their components:

We’ll look at each part of the house construction in more detail as the construction moves forward to help you understand how these methods can work for your own project.