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MRM Ushers in Earth Day with a Eastside Harvest House Green Building Tour

On March 29^th almost 100 participants personally experienced the nearly completed Eastside Harvest House project.  The home’s design team hosted design / build professionals, realtors, city staffers and interested neighbors – all eager to see what’s been happening at this new construction site on the eastside of Lake Washington for the last year.

This green building educational tour was among several offered throughout the project’s development, not only to built environment professionals and enthusiasts, but also to several Environmental Science and Sustainability Design students from local junior and senior high schools.

Key features of this net zero energy concept home are:

• Use of energy efficient and renewable resources, including a highly insulated enclosure, energy simulation to optimize design, and 17Kw solar array to provide all of the home’s electrical energy needs, extensive battery back up and on-demand, energy use management systems
• On-site, high-capacity stormwater management and rainwater harvesting will provide 60 percent of the home’s needs; harvested water will be filtered to municipal standards for potable use
• Permaculture design with extensive edible and functional landscaping including fruit and nut orchard, berry bushes, bee fountain and terraced vegetables beds
• Materials and finishes included using 100 percent FSC lumber, low or no toxicity materials and finishes; minimum PVC used; highest standards set for indoor air quality; recycled content nails used in construction; recycled content counter tops and materials chosen for durability and low maintenance properties
• Waste management deconstruction plan recycled over 98 percent of previous onsite structure; advanced framing techniques reduced waste
• Design dedicated only a quarter of the expansive, one-acre site to the home and garage footprint while the balance works to harvest the sun, soil and rain
• Neighborhood attributes include a walkable community with nearby trails and lakeside walking promenade; located on main Metro bus routes

The home is targeting both Built Green 5 Stars, LEED for Homes Platinum and may be a candidate for a future net-zero-energy certification.

If you want to know more about building a new high-performance home or remodeling green, contact us anytime. — MRM Family

* All images provided by Cindy Apple Photography

Please join Model Remodel and other members of our project design / build team for an up close and personal final public tour of the Eastside Harvest House in Kirkland. This single-family private residence is designed and built to some of the highest green performance standards in the Puget Sound region and is targeting both Built Green® 5-Stars and LEED for Homes® Platinum certifications.  This event is co-hosted by the Cascadia Green Building Council and Seattle Architecture Foundation.

What: Design Professionals Tour

When: Thursday, March 29^th

Times: Tour 1: 8a – 9a or Tour 2: 10a – 11a

Space is limited and pre-registration is required, to register click this link: http://eastsideharvesthouse.eventbrite.com/

The Chinook Book Seattle is offering tour participants a free gift.  The Chinook Book app for iPhone and Android phones is a tool for discovering sustainable and local businesses in the Puget Sound, and redeeming over 400 coupons with your mobile device.

Please contact  Alexandra Steele, Marketing Representative, alexandra (at) modelremodel.com for additional information on the Eastside Harvest House project and upcoming Tour.

Fall 2011 Behind-the-Scenes Tour

MRM remodel during construction featuring new entrance, courtyard and clerestory windows

Laurelhurst Remodel: Another Model Remodel Cinderella Makeover Story

Model Remodel is in the final phase of a whole-house remodel in Seattle’s Laurelhurst neighborhood. The small 1960’s home was built with little attention to detail, design and durability. The new homeowners’ dreams combined with the architect’s vision turned this boring little box into a home that’s worthy of a double take. Raising the roof, playing with juxtaposed angles and adding new clerestory windows and steel framed doors with glazing takes this home from ho-hum to high style.

Key design / build elements include:

Layout: A reconfigured stairway and dramatic new cathedral entrance maximizes efficiency and improves traffic flow. Open family space was created by converting a small bedroom into a kitchen that adjoins the grand dining room and living room – topped off by a jaw-dropping, two-story, black granite fireplace.

Bonus Spaces: The entire lower level was reconfigured to include his-and-her offices and dedicated rooms for media, guests and projects – perfect for working on that special family keepsake or a creative school assignment. The tired carport was transformed into an enclosed two-car garage with valuated ceiling and modern steel and glass garage doors.

Size: The design maintained the home’s footprint, yet added 50 percent more livable space for a total of over 3,000 sf.

Lighting: The addition of clerestory windows invites natural daylight to diffuse the public spaces.

Windows: The upgraded metal-clad wood windows improve insulation and enhance natural lighting.

Inside/Out Integration: Continuity is enhanced by using three similar, but slightly different, black stone tiles in the interior and exterior. The once-ignored courtyard is enhanced with new plantings. New balconies run the length of the house on both levels – perfect for enjoying a cup of coffee or favorite book.

Millwork: Extensive custom millwork showcases the family’s treasures and adds significant storage options.

Insulation: Insulation was upgraded to R-38 in the vaulted ceilings, R-21 in the walls, and R-19 in the floors. An initial blower-door test revealed major opportunities for improving the home’s energy efficiency. We added insulation, sealing all walls and ceilings as well as full sealing of heating system air ducts .  We will perform another blower door test at the project’s completion.  Typical results show a minimum improvement of 50% between the first test and the final blower door test.

Green features: The team used repurposed materials, donated original items to Second Use, worked with a waste management plan and installed energy efficient appliances. Built Green® certification is pending project’s completion.

Site: This gorgeous, mature, sloped site has peek-a-boo views of Lake Washington and is conveniently located near public transportation, dining and shopping, and the University of Washington.

“It feels like we’re this home’s fairy godmother – turning a pumpkin into a dazzling coach,” says the MRM project supervisor. Of course, the real magic comes from the talented crew and outstanding collaboration among the architect, builder and homeowner.

Stay tuned for a picture portfolio of our final project to be published sometime in May 2012.

Behind the scenes: Legat and Bolante w/Solar Panels

Here is a link to the article but you will need a subscription to access the entire piece or pass by our offices and we can share the hard copy with you, too. If you prefer copy and paste this link in your browser: http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/print-edition/2012/02/24/model-remodel-turned-to-ultra-green.html.

The feature describes Jason’s experience and thinking in the initial stages of the company, the strategies to deal with the speed bumps in the economy and the Model Remodel vision for a greener future. Model Remodel, a Seattle-based company focused on responsible remodeling, from small projects to whole house renovations, and green new construction from Built Green 3 Stars through LEED for Homes Platinum and beyond.

Behind the scenes: Legat and Bolante w Cisterns

Send us your thoughts in the comments below or feel free to contact us directly, anytime.

Let the sun shine in!

On February 6, 2012, our Eastside Harvest House project (formerly called the Northwest Harvest House) flipped the switch on the home’s solar photovoltaic (PV) system.

Solar PV systems collect solar energy from the sun and convert it to electricity that feeds back into a building site or into our power grid.  The home’s utility is Puget Sound Energy who credits the homeowners for the energy the solar system generates that they push back into the grid.  A Washington state incentive production tax credit of  $0.34 plus .105 savings from PSE results in a net benefit is $0.45 per kWh for the homeowner.

Using part of the first day as an example and extrapolating the results for 24 hours, the system should produce 12,000 watts of electrical power per day. Based on occupant lifestyle as well as historical and regional usage and capacity data supplied by energy management companies, this projected production will be more than enough to power the entire home’s appliances and systems.

Homeowners’ goals and the energy team’s design created a system that has a 17kWh capacity.  Variables include weather, roof angles, efficiency of panels, backup storage. Daily results may vary.

This is a huge milestone in moving this soon-to-be-completed, high-performance home toward its net zero-energy goals.  Currently, there is a drive toward net-zero-energy certification that would require 12-month occupancy to monitor live results before issuing the new Z certificate.

Please contact us anytime to learn more about solar and other high performance home features on the Eastside Harvest House.

Photography provided by SolTerra Systems.

Model Remodel is supporting the Phinney Neighborhood Association’s Home Design and Remodel Fair and Public Radio through a series of radio announcements on KPLU and KING FM inviting the community to join us this Sunday, January 29th from 10a – 4p. Listen to our current public radio spot: For MP3 click here

Our booth will be located on the second floor and staffed by several of MRM’s finest .

MRM will also host a raffle so invite your friends, bring the kids, come down to Phinney Ridge and try out your luck for your chance to win several prizes.

Contact us for more information at 206 282 2150 or check out the PNA website http://www.phinneycenter.org/events/homefair.shtml.

We look forward to seeing you this Sunday! —MRM Team

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One of the greatest benefits of working on green projects is the underlying goal of going beyond the finished product and revealing the process. We’re fortunate to live in a community of innovators who are willing to share new technologies, products and practices and who are committed to making green building and remodeling more accessible to everyone.

This commitment was evident last week when the Harvest House Design Team hosted the Cascadia GBC Behind-the-Walls Tour. Despite the sub-40-degree weather, we had a great turnout of enthusiastic Seattle-area design professional – architects, construction engineers, urban planners, municipal workers, non-profit professionals and homeowners. The project is targeting LEED for Homes Platinum and Built Green 5 Stars certifications.

As participants walked through the chilly construction site, informational signage highlighted key eco-features of the project, and our design team added important technical details on several key deep-green components:

• Overall design concept and clients’ green goals
• Deconstruction process where over 98% of the materials were recycled, reused or repurposed
• Built-to-last design and highest quality construction techniques
• Air tight building sealing and wrapping for an well-insulated envelope
• Materials chosen for durability, ease of upkeep, and high-recycled-content
• First permitted potable rainwater harvesting system in King County
• Onsite water filtration system: catchment and extensive rain gardens with several mini retention ponds
• A 90-panel solar PV array to provide 100% of the home’s energy needs
• Specialty residential energy management system
• Permaculture and edible landscaping plan that includes orchards, berry bushes and vegetables

SPECIAL THANKS
Our design team presenters included Jason Legat and Walter Goodwin of MRM; George Ostrow, Velocipede architects; Jenny Pell, Permaculture Now; Jessi Bloom, NW Bloom; Brian Heather, SolTerra Systems; and Scott Waller, Converged Green.

Brianne Culley, Magellan Architects represented the Cascadia GBC Education and Tour committee and Kyra Hughes of GLY represented E-Leaf (formerly Eastside LEED Users Group).

Participants were treated to baked goods and hot coffee courtesy of MRM and E-Leaf, which helped warm our guests and staff and created an atmosphere of casual networking and information sharing.

Look for a future MRM announcement on a tour of the finished house in early spring.

All photography provided by Cindy Apple Photography

Last week, we had the pleasure of taking students from BEST High School in Kirkland through the NWHH jobsite. The small but highly engaged Green Sustainable Design class spent an hour the day before the tour hearing about green building practices and green careers. One student was particularly interested in solar systems installation work and another had a parent in the commercial construction business. Their teacher Dan Weiss has a professional background in biology and environmental science and leads several science classes at the school.

The small group and sunny day gave us a chance to dig deeper into the systems and construction techniques of the project. MRM’s Walter Goodwin, Marc Sanchez and Jeremiah Blond also shared their personal journeys – how they got into the world of construction and why they chose Model Remodel. One takeaway for the kids was that there are many paths that lead to the green building field.

We received an email from the teacher thanking us and underscoring how the experience inspired his students. Word is they were still buzzing about the tour in their afternoon classes.

Education is certainly the gift that keeps on giving. We at Model Remodel see ourselves as committed to supporting a learning journey in and out of the classroom. Here’s to inspiring the next generation of green!

A special shout out to Lake Washington School District’s International Community School and Mr. Heil’s Environmental Science AP class for recently touring our deep green under-construction project, the NW Harvest House in Kirkland. Joining the 7:30am class were our presenters – Model Remodel‘s Jason Legat, Walter Goodwin and Mark Sanchez, Solterra Systems’ Brian Heather, and EcoMaven’s Alex Steele.

During the home’s tour, students heard about its key eco-features and learned about demolition and waste management processes, the importance of the building envelope design and construction, insulation methods, high air quality standards, featured water retention and reuse systems, solar powered renewable energy, green materials and finishes. Then we moved to the outdoor portion of the tour, where students heard about the site’s planned rain gardens and edible urban landscape.

The tour’s parent hosts were impressed by the thoughtful questions posed by these high school seniors and their overall awareness of environmental issues in our community. A couple of the classmates come from homes with green features and several were interested in exploring green career paths. One of the students is interested in journalism so look for a future guest blog post coming soon.

A thank you email from the teacher mentioned that the tour connected very well with the work the class is doing on sustainable communities, soils and water and firmed up one student’s decision to pursue a career in green architecture!

We all made plans to meet again in the spring to see the home completed, its systems working and the landscaping in place.

Overall, the experience was an A+!

With nearly 40 percent of our landfills filled with construction debris, it’s time for our industry to do some major rethinking about what gets hauled to the dump and what can be recycled and/or reused.

Following one of our key strategies – to act responsibly at all times – Model Remodel creates an aggressive waste management plan for every project and aims for recycling or repurposing 90 percent of existing site materials.

During our demolition at the Northwest Harvest House (NWHH) site, we surpassed even our highest expectations achieving a nearly 99 percent recycle rate and taking barely one percent of our onsite debris to the nearby solid waste transfer station.

The elements of the NWHH waste management plan included deconstructing the existing house and working with strategic partners that have also evolved their business models. We worked with the area’s waste management companies who make it simpler than ever to properly sort construction waste and called upon others to haul away salvageable fixtures, doors and windows – giving these things a second life in another home, business or backyard.

Model Remodel tested for lead and asbestos and, when found, met or exceeded the requirements for safe removal of these harmful building materials. Toxic materials are safely dealt with to protect people as well as our storm water system and nearby Lake Washington. We also protected and preserved healthy vegetation, donated plants to local organizations, and sold unusable trees for milling into lumber.

This sloping, one-acre lot also required extensive excavation of existing soils. We’re protecting it during construction and will reuse it elsewhere onsite as the project progresses. Reusing soil saves time, money and fossil fuel!

Everyone associated with the project warmly embraces the responsible tenets of recycle/reuse and are thrilled knowing that this project did not adversely contribute to expanding our landfills. Besides saving the planet, it makes financial sense, too, as any revenues realized during deconstruction are passed along as a refund to our clients.