Modern Green Home - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

monticellohomes · 11-19-2008, 09:37 PM

Does anyone know a good source for a modern style "green" home? I am thinking a two story with about 1600-1800sf.

**Cole** · 11-19-2008, 10:29 PM

Sure, I can design you one. I will give you the CT.com special, $3.25 a foot.

mics_54 · 11-19-2008, 10:56 PM

rbsremodeling · 11-19-2008, 11:00 PM

Go with Cole Cause I am around 8.00 a SF (but I also don't use sketch up) lol

**joasis** · 11-20-2008, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monticellohomes

Does anyone know a good source for a modern style "green" home? I am thinking a two story with about 1600-1800sf.

A little more information mught give a direction...like ICF home....SIP's....

Insulating Concrete Homes have many, many floor plans and they are "green". From one of my bookmarks:http://www.architecturaldesigns.com/

monticellohomes · 11-20-2008, 07:48 AM

Im looking for some plan ideas so as I'm working on the layout myself, its for a personal home that I am not sure when I will build it so I just plan on working on the plans myself. What I am modeling the home after somewhat is this [IMG]file:///D:/WUTemp/moz-screenshot-6.jpg[/IMG]http://www.mkd-arc.com/homes/mksolaire/ I'm trying to take that basic idea and make it not as green, more comfortable, livable and something I can build cheaper. If I get to build it I will use typical construction with foam, high eff hvac, etc.

**joasis** · 11-20-2008, 08:08 AM

My own home will be steel framed due to it's design, and have an earth sheltered north exposure using ICF's. If It was more conventional, it would be completely ICF.

I will offer you this, that if you are looking at any kind of plan that lends itself to ICF construction, i would be happy to help you out via phone or an on site consult to get you going. As a contractor, you can catch the skills to do ICF's pretty quickly...and you have access to Chris and I on the forum. Do some research and see if you get excited.

**Cole** · 11-20-2008, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monticellohomes

Im looking for some plan ideas so as I'm working on the layout myself, its for a personal home that I am not sure when I will build it so I just plan on working on the plans myself. What I am modeling the home after somewhat is this [IMG]file:///D:/WUTemp/moz-screenshot-6.jpg[/IMG]http://www.mkd-arc.com/homes/mksolaire/ I'm trying to take that basic idea and make it not as green, more comfortable, livable and something I can build cheaper. If I get to build it I will use typical construction with foam, high eff hvac, etc.

I like Michelle Kaufman designs, I think that is a fantastic starting point.

http://www.livinghomes.net/primer.ht...04CA8A3669DECB

monticellohomes · 11-20-2008, 05:41 PM

Someone had shown me the pamphlet from the idea home in Chicago she did and I really liked the idea of it. My goal is to design one that can fit on some older lots that are scattered around town for myself. I would love to get 3 beds, 2.5 baths, an office, living, kitchen, dining, and laundry in it with a over sized 2 car garage on the side facing the street.

monticellohomes · 11-20-2008, 06:29 PM

joasis, Ive looked at ICF and it is a great product. Around here it is still very expensive as there are not many that can do it correctly. I've contemplated it before for crawlspace foundations given I could hire laborers to put it together, I don't need the scaffolding as Im only going to be 3ft tall and I am one step closer to the insulated crawl space.

**joasis** · 11-20-2008, 06:56 PM

ICF walls can be pretty reasonable....like $10 a sq/ft. Pretty hard to beat that for structure and insulation. Call me anytime and I will hook you up...or you can try foxblocks.com, they even have an estimating program....and actually compare the cost. If you need an onsite expert, I will rent my son to you....cheap, of course, he isn't really an expert either.

monticellohomes · 12-02-2008, 10:48 AM

Ill have to check that out once i get closer.

MALCO.New.York · 12-02-2008, 11:10 AM

Please define, in the most plausible terms, "Green Home". I would appreciate the edumication.

bighammer · 12-02-2008, 11:10 AM

What do you classify as a green home?? I don't know if I would consider ICF's as "Green" or would they be? I guess "Green" is just getting to become more popular in this area and I have no idea what it even means as far as building goes...

monticellohomes · 12-02-2008, 12:03 PM

The way I define green is energy efficiency, if I can build a home that uses less energy to run it is green because less energy produced, etc. And it saves me money in running the house!

I think green has to be something that is paid back in a handful of years, going 100% green is a great idea but you have to have really deep pockets and not plan on seeing it back for a number of years.

MALCO.New.York · 12-02-2008, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monticellohomes

The way I define green is energy efficiency, if I can build a home that uses less energy to run it is green because less energy produced, etc. And it saves me money in running the house!

I think green has to be something that is paid back in a handful of years, going 100% green is a great idea but you have to have really deep pockets and not plan on seeing it back for a number of years.

The ONLY TRUE "Green" is a home built of reused materials.

The "upkeep" can be managed by redundancy of application. IE thicker walls, more insulation, smaller tolerances, etc, in conjunction with Geological and Atmospheric heating and cooling.

Without all of these features, the term "Green" is NOTHING but a farce!!!!

But.......If the customer wants "x", "y" and/or "z" and feel as if they are "Al Gore Compliant", then build and charge away my friend!!! Cha-Ching!!!!

monticellohomes · 12-02-2008, 05:28 PM

True malco, but I think a lot of people around here have made energy efficient and green synonymous. And green can still be energy efficient, it is just a different shade than something out of recycled materials.

concretemasonry · 12-02-2008, 05:52 PM

A steel stud home above grade is certainly noy as green as people think.

It can leak energy like a seive.

Steel studs are thermal short circuits where R19 in the wall can be reuced to a theoretical R11, depending on the size, spacing and gage (According to ASFRAE). This is a "classic" lightweight R value calculation method created for advertising purposes. If you ever look at infiltration, the real life value goes down as it does for all similar walls unless you have a real barrier. After that, you get no credit for mass.

If you build to peddle, it can be a good selling tool.

monticellohomes · 12-02-2008, 06:24 PM

I agree, R value is a horrible testing standard for insulation. We are doing an Energy Star home now and have run into many problems with the way Energy Star's model computes insulation...all by R value. We are using foam in the walls and it shows it at only an R13 for 3.5" thick, not paying attention to the R equivalent of about R40-50. Same thing with the roof, we were going to do the roof deck but their calculations would have required about 12" of the stuff of make it work, so we are spraying the ceiling with 3" and then putting cellulose on top of that.

Check out the R Fairy Tale by David South....good reading.

critter · 12-13-2008, 11:23 PM

I built my home with 20 inch thick monolithic adobe (cob) walls. The recipe was, using my 580C: a scoop of clay, a scoop of sand, 15 new holland bales of straw, and two 55 gallon barrels of water. I mixed the ingredients in a hole in the ground, using the back hoe. I then scooped out what I could VERY HEAVY and drove up to my forms and hand-forked it in so I could trample it into place. The forms were simple 4 x 8 OSB panels, studded 16 OC and drilled 16OC starting 8 inches from the ends. 1/2 inch all thread with washer welded on one end shoved through holes, spaced by 3/4 inch pvc conduit spreaders. When mud set in about two days, unbolt and move up to still overlap to top row of spreaders and re-bolt in place. (slip-form variation) PVC is driven out later and holes filled with mud/straw mix. Walls sat for several years with out any damage from weather before I plastered them with plain old type s mortar worked into the wall surface with a mag float, then a D/A. The walls are only about R1 per inch, but at 20 inches thick they are warm and totally quiet. The rafters are home-made 16 inch deep with rough cut 1x4s applied flat to create a sort of I-joist. Steel roofing.