Eastside Harvest House Scores High with Deep Green

September 6, 2012 By 1 Comment

Eastside Harvest House Scores High with Deep Green

Conceived and built to achieve the highest point value for any Built Green 5 Stars and LEED for Homes Platinum project to date, the Eastside Harvest House is one of the most sustainably innovative, single-family residences in the region. Completed in May 2012, the home is designed to be beautiful, functional and green, as well as celebrate Kirkland’s farming culture that defined the community a century ago.

The home’s western-facing orientation optimizes stellar sweeping views of Lake Washington, the Olympics and the Seattle skyline. It sits on a quarter of the one-acre property, which includes an orchard, vegetable beds and edible landscape, as well as a giant rain garden.

Built to last, the home uses the highest standards in residential engineering and construction. Its complex, self-sufficient backup systems are enveloped by the home’s simple, modern and clean interior space design.

The 3,570 square feet home was designed with a separate mother-in-law suite for multigenerational living under one roof.  The open floor plan includes a light bathed great room, living / dining / kitchen, a modest master bedroom and bath, a private guest bedroom and bath, and highly functional his and hers offices. An exercise room supports the homeowners healthy lifestyle.

This home was also built with the design/build team’s impressive professionalism, communications, and construction protocols.

And finally, we offer a special thank you to the visionary homeowners who continually pushed the team to design and deliver a technically advanced model for future residential development.

Here is a list of the significant strategies used throughout the home and site.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY SYSTEMS

  • Highly insulated building envelope
  • Insulation used to achieve R-20 to R-50 levels
  • Energy modeling to inform and evaluate design options
  • Highly-efficient heating, water and cooling systems
  • Air-source heat pump is used to heat the house
  • Renewable generation through photovoltaic system
  • Nearly all of the home’s energy will be provided from the sun
  • Sunshades deflect unwanted summer heat
  • Energy Star efficient appliances
  • Efficient LED and compact fluorescent lighting

MATERIALS AND FINISHES

  • Only low- or no-toxicity materials and finishes inside and out
  • Mechanical ventilation systems continually filter indoor air
  • Utilized 100% Forest Stewardship Council certified wood throughout
  • Low total carbon footprint in concrete installations
  • Very little PVC
  • Triple-glazed, argon-filled windows
  • Materials spec’d with low maintenance as a key criterion in selection process

WATER-RELATED COMPONENTS

  • Water efficient plumbing fixtures used throughout home
  • High-capacity, onsite stormwater management system
  • Rain collected in four, NSF-certified, HDPE plastic tanks totaling 12,000 gallons
  • Water captured will be filtered to one micron and sterilized for use as the first permitted potable water in King County
  • Rainwater harvesting system to provide 60 percent of the home’s total water needs
  • Black and gray wastewater directed to municipal sewage system

WASTE REDUCTION STRATEGIES

  • During site demolition, 98 percent of the debris was recycled, reused or repurposed
  • Advanced framing construction methods used to reduce construction waste
  • Materials chosen for durability, ease of upkeep, and where possible, high-recycled content

SITE FEATURES

  • Soil conservation strategies whereby all excavated soil was reused on-site
  • Erosion control construction plan
  • Tree retention and protection plan
  • Utilization of drought-tolerant plants
  • Edible landscape design with orchards and beds for extensive vegetable garden
  • Extensive rain garden design for beauty and functionality

NEIGHBORHOOD ATTRIBUTES

  • Walkable community with easy access to schools, retail, restaurants and personal services
  • Nearby trail supports healthy lifestyle of walking, jogging and biking
  • Transportation options – personal electric car, bike to work, major bus lines to Seattle and around the Eastside

If you are in need some residential green building insights and expertise, please contact us we are always inspired to talk about our unique experiences and to learn more about your vision and goals for your new home or remodeling project.

 

Photo credits: Cindy Apple Photography

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MRM Ushers in Earth Month with Green Tour

April 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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

On March 29th 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

 

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Laurelhurst Whole House Remodel

March 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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.

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