Project #9278 - Finished Interior

This house is almost done. We're down the the final adjustments and touch-ups. I met with the new Owners this morning. They are getting excited and are anxious to move in.

We also heard back from the ENERGY STAR folks. This house scored a 56 on the HERS Index rating. That means that this house should use 44% less energy then a code built home, and 34% less energy then a 5 Star ENERGY STAR rated home. We're happy with this score. Especially given that the core construction of this house (ie the building envelope) is basically our standard construction.

Project #9278 - Huntington, VT

Project #9278 is a spec house we built this winter in Huntington, VT. The house is under contract (before it went on the market), and we're just finishing the final details.

The house was built to the standards of the NAHB National Green Building Program. However due to an administrative error, we were unable to certify the house. Nonetheless, the house will be certified as ENERGY STAR and we're looking forward to a low HERS Index rating. The blower door test revealed air leakage at only 840 cfm for 3528 sf of interior space.

Project #9280 - Fayston, VT

An interesting project we're currently working on. It's a Greek Revival Reproduction for Fayston, VT. Stay tuned for more posts on this project. We're scheduled to set the modules in the next couple of weeks. I'll post pictures of the set.

Dense Pack Cellulose - Vented Rafters

We've started using a lot of Dense Pack Cellulose (DP Cellulose) insulation. While a great insulation product, it has presented us with some installation challenges. One being how to vent rafters. While the manufacturer of the cellulose tells us that we can use a hot roof system, good ole' builder stubbornness tells us that we should vent. One reason to vent is to allow the insulation to dry to the outside. The other is to keep the bottom of the roof sheathing dry.

With conventional fiberglass batt insulation you use a foam baffle product like Raft-R-Mate to keep the insulation off the bottom of the roof sheathing. However DP Cellulose would crush the foam vents. So we've started to double sheath our roofs. The pictures below show: 1) DP Cellulose installed, and 2) double sheathing with furring strip installed.

and it begins . . . . .