green micro HOME addition

today i delivered the completed construction drawings to my window/door/skylights/sandwich panel contractors, and put down a substantial down payment for delivery of my new climate change house sometime in the fall of 2009. if anyone wants to help me out this fall and winter, come on over to raise the roof, literally.

probably the biggest question about remodeling is the cost, which is developing quickly. it certainly depends on the type and quality of construction. i ran this project though a professional bidding package, and got a number. i am doing most of the work, and all of the planning, so i can save resources to apply to more esoteric aspects of the addition.

$243,900

using superbuild building software and products premier building systems structural sandwich panel package, andersen windows series 100 window package, serious windows 925 swinging patio door package and maybe a vacupor vacuum insulated panel package.

“Yes, many months have gone by since I came to your office to learn about Vacupor products for the North American market. It has taken the City of Los Angeles almost a year to authorized my project. As a refresher: any product used in residential construction requires a Los Angeles Research Report, and some of the innovative structural details finally became legal on 1 August 2009, so now I can in earnest request estimates for materials. The road ahead will still be long, as after estimates comes the final building review at the Department of Building and Safety. I have a few PDF drawings as a downloadable, but from the drawing I’ve extracted these surface dimensions.

Location, Surface Area
wall panels, 181 sq meters (1948 sq feet)
floor panels, 72 sq meters (770 sq feet)
roof panels, 50 sq meters (542 square feet)

totals: 303 sq meters (3261 sq ft)

My order for Porextherm Vacupor NT-B2 VIP I’m sure will be lower than the 300 square meters of 25 mm panels since they cannot be punctured and must be placed strategically in between structural supports (my initial estimate would be 200 square meters) What I need to know:

1. The dimensions of Porextherm are made to order? How about angles? I have several sloped roof/wall areas that would require acute angles. What are the minimum and maximum dimensions of the panels? From my design, the typical panel would be 55 cm x 90 cm at 25 mm thickness. After know the panel dimensions, I can map out the layout on my 3D model for an exact order.

2. I don’t know how easy is it to get multiple estimates for the Porextherm products, but for a price check and for budgeting, how much would 50 cm x 50 cm Vacupor NT-B2 VIP panels be if I ordered 200 square meters (800 panels)? Could you also estimate the freight costs and delivery time?

As you recommended, I attempted to detail a Vacupor panel layout for my wall assemblies. I propose to install them in between a SIP wall and fiber cement panel siding, resting beside furring strips. If I have done by panel count correctly, this is my initial product requirements. My installers will be trained to hand the panels with “white gloves.” Could you also estimate the freight costs and delivery time? I tried to used the standard metric sizes, but the other components in the North American market (siding) require 16″ or 24″ on center requirements, so i will need custom panels.

Thank you for sharing your expertise and image library from the BioHaus. You are a pioneer in North America.

After reviewing the initial proposal, I am learning more about the manufacturing requirements and sizing limitations of the VIP products. It looks like square shapes are most economical, and slender panels are most expensive. I am going to optimize my panel layout to accommodate 500 mm x 1200 mm or 500 mm x 600 mm panels for wall and roof applications. I do not have the panel layout documentation, but do have a preliminary panel count.

Thank you for taking the time to work with me. Since you probably place orders from Germany on a periodic basis, is there a chance, if I delay or advance my order, to minimize freight to the USA by combining multiple customer orders of windows/VIP/etc? If I did my calculations properly 400 25mm x 500 mm x 600 mm panels weight around 500 kg, so freight is high no matter what I do. I would like to see you estimate of duties too, which may or may not be egregious.”

After many months of making drawings, it’s that time to get a project bid from premier building systems!

“It’s been a very long time since I contacted you on a SIP addition project. Do I continue to go directly through PBS or my local distributor to order my panel project? Over the past year, several of the products I have patiently waited for have became legal to use in the City of Los Angeles, gaining their LARR numbers. The last item I was waiting for, PEX plumbing, became legal on 1 August 2009, so now I can continue my addition project.

The scope of the project has also grown, as the original idea has grown in size and scope, requiring a new estimate.

The drawings may not emphatically state it, but these are the dimensions of Premier panels I would like to use:

3 1/2″ core thickness wall SIP walls
9 1/4″ core thickness roof SIP walls
9 1/4″ core thickness floor SIP walls

If there are any details that are missing, let me know, and I can make corrections quickly. Not included are drawings detailing electrical chases and skylights in the roof panels, an extra horizontal communications chase in some of the wall panels, and placement of vertical electrical chases for switches and receptacles (standard 16 inch receptacle chases and 45 inch switch chases from floor are include where possible, but I also need a chase at 20 inches from floor for ethernet, cable TV, and telephone on certain walls).

I look forward to Premier’s new 2009 estimate. It’s still best to correspond through e-mail, as I am away from the voice phone frequently. I am working with a new window manufacturer, and the exact window rough opening on several of the triple mullion is not set (RO is currently 8′0″ x 2′0″) and may change before the shop drawings. The Roof panels will have skylights, not included in these preliminary drawings. There are no outstanding issues this year that will delay this project. Thank you for all your help.

I was looking over my drawing and did some surface calculations, that may help you give me an estimate in my SIP project:

3 1/2″ core wall panels, 1948 square feet
9 1/4″ core floor panels, 770 square feet
9 1/4 core roof panels, 542 square feet

these numbers are gross wall/floor/roof dimensions devoid of window or door cuts or skylight holes. Thank you for taking the time to get me another estimate for my project.”

when a budget is no object, why not price out the most energy efficient north american windows?

“In my next project, I am specifying either the 725 or 925 SeriousWindows along with EcoRock. My second choice in materials had been Marvin Integrity Windows and GP DensArmor Plus wall panels. It seems that your products are in demand across the nation, so I don’t know your lead times. From the PDF information on the site, the products look great, but I need the technical information to introduce these products to by building team. Here are some of my questions:

1. I am interested in casement and awning style windows. I have two project in development. A single family structural insulated panel (SIP) addition in North Hollywood, CA (20 windows) and a energy retrofit (2×4 stucco construction) in Lancaster, CA (15 windows). From the public information, it seems that every product is a one off custom fit, but does Serious Windows make standard sizes? If so, i need the specifications sheet with Rough Opening dimensions, , NFRC measurements, Egress measurements, factory mullion combinations, and hardware and screen options.

2. Lead Times. I anticipate the SIP project to get going in October 2009, but construction documents and permits finished almost immediately. the retrofit is in development for a late 2009 start.

3. Do you sell your windows directly or through local distributors? Who is my distributor for both Serious Windows and EcoRock?

I will put together my order to the best of my ability and get it to you, and if the Serious Windows product fall within my budget, we’ll go ahead and schedule a meeting to see the products. I hope to get you a list of windows by next week. We’ll work from there. Thank you.”

once a year the USA thinks about their role in the environment. after twenty years, my research from stanford is becoming a reality, as the cruelties of climate change are upon us, and the communities are finally willing to listen. it’s unfortunately a cry in the spit bucket of the world, as somali pirates, octomom, lindsay lohan, and the economic collapse dominate the news cycles. but, it’s earth day 2009!

i just got word that the county of los angeles is having a community conversation on the climate catastrophe, with only 300 people invited to participate, and i am on the list!

it looks like a very full day, and i hope to meet like minded folks who take global warming seriously, that we cannot wait for 2030 or 2050, but needed to act in 1998, and are ten years behind in our resolve. this might be a good chance to interface with folks, but if nothing else to learn that the the city and county are serious too.

i’ve never tried writing a year in review letter, and probably will never get to do it. i instead will write my reflections of the last 165 days, as i’ve noticed i’ve been off the radar, not posting images to my photo stream, or writing too many letters. what’s happened lately: we have a new USA president, the global economy tanked, and war continues to be the global national priority. may the year 2009 draw us all closer to Our Creator, and we be lights of His example on earth.

by this time, if my planning schedule was accurate and blogged about, i should have been in phase three of my home addition, but other issues prevented that project from starting.

the weekend i ate lunch with my Gospel teacher, dr. dale bruner, something was triggered in that meal, though only in hindsight, that was a fulcrum of my activities. two products that i wanted to use on this project were announced, but not yet through the arduous los angeles building and safety review. living in earthquake country, and under a well formed bureaucracy, innovation is squashed, or takes many thousands of dollars to persuade city engineers that products are viable. the two interesting products form the basis of the foundation and the structural members of the home, so basically everything. i had already settled in using structural insulated panels (SIP’s) to build the home, but the previous technique require much material handling machines like forklifts, front reaching cranes, and a teams of laborers. that’s the old way of building. i want to build a home with one or two people. it can be done!

the first option is apex block. this product, around for a few years, made LA approval on 1 november 2008, and would require a complete redesign of the structure, but when complete would only need grouting with cement for insulation and stability. the second option is the modular housing system (MHS), approved 1 december 2008. both are lighter in assembly, as the foam apex block are extremely lightweight, and the extruded aluminum of the MHS system is manageable. the venerable choice remains premier building systems tradition heavy SIP. what better way to decide which to use, but by having each one go head to head in a bidding war! i’ll let you know the outcome in february 2009, when in earnest i begin again.

first i am going to the international builder’s show in las vegas to research some interior fixtures and lighting design packages. it’s easy to look on the web, but a much different experience to view the finishes and touch the products. it will be cheaper to get a room in vegas for a night than drive a couple hundred miles to showrooms around los angeles, hoping that they have the product i want to see and touch. that show runs 20 – 23 january 2009, so that is my final check list and then the construction!

have a wonderful 2009.

i will be busy. it has to start out of the gate at full gallop, and this time i hope to finish the race, and not have to scratch out like in 2008. make 2009 your green year, where you climate change contribution is half of 2008. we all can do it.

this house has been weeks without natural gas, days without hot water, hours without drinking water, but never without a connection to the municipal sewer, until yesterday. as i was bathing, i heard a panicked plea, “there is water everywhere.” since i had been connecting a dishwasher earlier in the week, i thought there might be a supply problem. the smell of the water said otherwise, that the mainline sewer was plugged.

i got out the a 25 foot snake to the usual clean-out locations, and got nothing. we went to four stores looking for a 50 foot snake and a water pressure assisted drain clean-out. after passing 50 feet of snake into every clean-out, i knew that the clog was far away from the house in the main trunk of the sewer, and the only alternative was to start digging. at around five feet down i hit a vitrified clay pipe (VCT). it had been sealed with a glassy bitumen material, that i could not drill, cut, or remove. since it was getting late, and the sun had already set, i decided to break the clay with a hammer. what a sweet (but smelly) sound when the vacuum broke and a slurry of water came rushing out! the sewer line was cleared of the obstruction, but now i have an open latrine and a cracked mainline sewer. i hope to dig a little more to replace the clay wye with a modern ABS unit, and finish the job. another reason living in an old house is a daily adventure.

on further inspection, i wish i had a simple water problem, but we have more specific a sewer problem. the pipes that run one or two meters under the earth are clogged up, and it will take a few more days to correct the situation. it will require digging large and deep trenches around the house, removing tons of dirt, asphalt, cement, and debris. i looked up what it costs to pay a professional, and it’s in the the $15,000 range. a simple job is around $3,500 because it requires a lot of excavation.

i took out 2 cubic meters of materials, and exposed the clay pipe i will need to replace. i am putting in a permanent above ground clean-out, so if debris or tree roots clog the pipes in the future, it will be easier to remove, instead of the major project of this weekend.

real soon you learn the difference between gray water and black water. digging up the sewer you hit both. fortunately, only two people live in the house, so the black stuff is easily mixed with dirt and buried, when possible, or flows into my makeshift slurry pit for removal after drying. surprisingly, the odors are gone, as the area is shaded and some waste can travel down the unclogged portion of the main sewer line.

i got to try out a professional tool called a “soil pipe cutter” to snap the clay pipe that in the ground for connection to the more modern ABS pipe material. i had to call the pro’s and the bill may be $7,000! the clay pipe is filled with roots, and though temporarily clear, will fill up again with roots.

the best technologies to repair the root infiltrated VCT mainline sewer are:

1. do nothing (use a foaming agent annually to kill the roots)*
2. horizontal directional drilling (HDD)
3. pipe-bursting
4. curred in place pipe (CIPP) lining
5. open cut trench and pipe repair).

* i chose this option!

it was around two weeks ago i was talking with a recent LA transplant about the possibility of a large seismic event in the area. it’s been almost 15 years since the last major earthquake in the LA basin, 17 january 1994. rocket forward to 11:42 AM today, and we got a very strong earthquake with magnitude 5.4 strength. it was very scary. this is my story.

i had just left to simmer a fine one skillet lunch meal of brazed chicken thighs, pasta, and petite diced tomatoes for a 20 minute cook. i had a chance to come over to the computer to check on the price of a HD display i’ve been tracking, when i felt a moderate gently rolling shake. today is trash pickup day, and the large trucks can set off car alarms and emit a large deep howl. at the same time the front loading laundry was in its final spin at 700 RPM, making a moderate sound. when i looked toward the street and front windows, that’s when i knew this was not the trash truck or laundry. i could hear the seismic wavefront rumbling toward the house. no speaker, appliance, or line of trucks can simulate the sound of tons of rocks moving to the beat of an earthquake.

i did not panic, lock up in fear, or have my heart race. i began to yell, “jishin! jishin!” i braced myself in the hallway door. i had the courage to sprint toward the kitchen, watching the hanging chandelier swing at 15° from normal, but then the rough shaking stopped. and nothing needed to picked up or shut off. my stovetop skillet meal cooked five minutes longer than recommended, but at least i remembered to take it off the fire. the washing machine continued to spin, and the earth stopped moving.

it was also a good test of the mobile phone network. the phone was dead for voice and SMS! what a useless device in times of emergencies. the POTS (plain old telephone service) worked like a charm and i immediately called family and friends.

i hope it will be another 15 years till the next event, but living in california may mean the next “big one” strikes tomorrow, or in 20 more years.

several insulation materials on their way to affordability are coming to market slowly. aerogels and vacuum panels. if i could afford such materials, it would make building much more efficient for the smallest wall thickness.

“With much interest I have been following the Passiv Haus advancements along with Solar Decathlon home entries in Washington DC, and both of these projects share in common the use of Porextherm Vacupor NT-B2 VIP products. In my next project I would like to use your VIP panels, but do not know if there are any distributors in the North American area?

My next project would require 150 square meters of 25 mm thickness VIP to cover the exterior walls of a small two story residence. I have seen the Porextherm panels in use at the Waldsee BioHaus in Minnesota, and as their concern is low winter temperatures, in the deserts of the Los Angeles area, where temperature are regularly 46 degrees C for months, we need to manage cooling instead of heating, at a similar temperature differential.

Any information you can give me in ordering products, finding a distributor, or arranging direct importation for the manufacturing facility, I would be greatly appreciative. My project begins construction this autumn 2008, so I have three months to acquire the VIP materials.

I am building a residential addition in the city of Los Angeles (LADBS), where they have rigorous building and safety regulations. For any building product, LADBS usually requires an ICC report, commonly referred to as LARR (Los Angeles Research Report). Have you had success in the introduction and installation of these products in Los Angeles?”

somewhere buried on this site is my stanford graduate thesis on climate change (condensed version). you can have access to it here:

global climate change

i’ve been thinking about carbon combustion right out of undergraduate and graduate studies, and now it looks like the world may be in the mood to listen.