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This two-bedroom cottage is a modest example of how to maximize a small footprint and effectively use recycled materials to create a simple single family home.
Green Features
Site:
Remodeled cottage
All improvements were made within the original footprint
The floor plan was reconfigured to create more space and allow more natural lighting
Water:
Converted old driveway into a garden to improve the rainwater run-off
Rainwater filters through the soil and ground water nourshing the soil for native plants
Native plants in landscape
Energy:
Added windows and French doors to bring in west light
Soapstone woodstove used to heat the house
Energy efficicent water heater
Porch on west side provides summer shade and winter sunlight
Single pane windows were replaced with double pane low-e glazing
Operable windows allow for natural cooling
Materials:
Porch posts are two old cedar trees from a....and the beams are salvaged
Open shelves in the kitchen were made out of old bleacher seats
Kitchen counter tops made out of salvaged whiskey barrels
Salvaged oak flooring to patch up original flooring found under old carpeting
Cabinetry made of wheatboard
Indoor Environment:
Operable windows allow for natural ventilation
Paints are low - no VOC content
Designed by Michael Heacock (www.michaelheacock.com) this award winning home features many green materials and sustainable design features. I photographed this project 2006 and it was then chosen to grace the cover of Jennifer Roberts new book: Good Green Kitchens (www.goodgreenkitchens.com). In 2008 it was again chosen for the cover of E. Ashley Rooney's: Green Homes, Dwellings for the 21st Century (http://www.amazon.com/Green-Homes-Dwellings-21st-Century/dp/0764330330).
The green features of this project and all the future architectural projects posted on this blog will be divided into the following categories: Site, Water, Energy, Materials and Indoor Environment...
Site:
Minimal addition to and maintenance of modest original footprint (2,000 sq. feet)
Minimal site disruption during construction.
Maintenance of owners organic gardens.
Water:
High efficiency irrigation
Native and drought-tolerant landscaping
Efficient washing machine
Energy:
Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) roof construction
Insulation exceeds Title 24
Insulated floor over crawl space
Overhangs on south facing windows
House wrap installed under siding
Dimmer controlled lighting
Double paned low-E windows with wood clad frames
High-efficiency water heater for radiant floor heat and domestic hot water in studio
Energy Star appliances
Materials:
Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) roof construction
Existing home deconstructed for salvage and recycling
Engineered lumber
OSB for subfloors and SIPs
Salvaged redwood exterior siding and stairs (Blacks Farmwood)
Reused existing deck for new deck
Salvaged Black Acacia wood counter and table
FSC-Certified Brazilian cherry flooring (Eco Timber)
Exposed concrete as finished floor in work studio
Built-in recycling center
Indoor Environment:
Range hood vented to outside
Fiberglass batt insulation with no added formaldehyde (Johns Manville Comfort Therm)
Radiant-floor heat in work studio elimates forced-air vents
Low-VOC interior paint (Benhamin Moore EcoSpec)
Natural lighting
Outdoor views
This two-bedroom cottage is a modest example of how to maximize a small footprint and effectively use recycled materials to create a simple single family home.
