[Greenbuilding] asking for advice

[Wayne Mueller]

Thank you for your comments Ted and Ronald.
My answers appear below in CAPS.

Wayne 

_______

The economics may depend quite a bit on where you are located as that will
determine building costs and selling income. 

Where are you located?
NEW HAMPSHIRE


Are you a developer or is this a first time effort at building a spec house?

  THIS WOULD BE MY FIRST TIME BUILDING A SPEC HOUSE.  HOWEVER, I DESIGNED MY
HOUSE BACK IN THE EARLY NINETIES, AND IT TURNED OUT WELL.  REALTORS HAVE
CONFIRMED THAT I MADE GOOD CHOICES IN THE DESIGN.  IT IS WELL BUILT AND HAS
VERY FEW PROBLEMS, BUT IT IS NOT ENERGY CONSERVING.
  I HAVE ALSO WORKED FOR A LAND DEVELOPER AND SO I UNDERSTAND THE ECONOMICS
AND RISKS OF LAND DEVELOPMENT. 
  I DO NOT HAVE ANY SPECIFIC BUILDING TRADE EXPERIENCE, BUT I HAVE A
TECHNICAL BACKGROUND (EE) AND AM ABLE TO EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF THE WORK
PERFORMED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A HOUSE.  THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ME
WILL BE IN THE MATERIALS AND LABOR COSTING AND FINDING GOOD SUBS (ALTHOUGH
THAT SHOULDN'T BE TOO DIFFICULT RIGHT NOW GIVEN THE SOFTNESS IN THE MARKET).


The list's answers will vary greatly depending on your level of experience. 
Do you already have the property, or are you in the process of selecting
that? That too makes a big difference.
  I HAVE A PROPERTY IN MIND WHICH COULD CLEARLY SUPPORT THIS TYPE OF HOUSE
(EVEN A LARGER ONE).  LOW PRICE IN A REASONABLE NEIGHBORHOOD IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT ISSUE HERE.

It would also be useful to know more of your constraints, so as to help
shape the project. You've clearly got some flexibility if you're considering
SIPs. What about other building materials, siding, roofing, etc.? 
  I AM FLEXIBLE BUT WANT TO STAY WITHIN THE REALM OF EASY TO SELL. I'M
CONSIDERING METAL ROODING, ICF FOUNDATION, LOCAL CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS,
IN-LINE HOT WATER HEATERS, WOOD STOVE (BACK-UP), RAIN WATER COLLECTION.
DURABILITY (100 YEARS?) IS IMPORTANT. 

What about "must haves"? 
  SUPER INSULATION. GOOD SUN USAGE (SOME PASSIVE SOLAR ATTRIBUTES). SHOULD
USE LESS THAN HALF THE HEATING ENERGY THAT A TYPICAL HOUSE OF SIMILAR SIZE
WOULD USE.  MUST BE WELL SEALED.  ONLY FLOURESCENT LIGHTS WILL BE USED (WELL
MAYBE A REGULAR CHANELIER, BUT THAT’S ALL).  WINDOWS SHOULD BE VERY LOW
U-VALUE.  SEEMS LIKE MOST DOUBLE HUNGS CAN'T GO BELOW 0.35.  I WOULD LIKE TO
USE WINDOWS THAT HAVE U-VALUES AROUND 0.20. IS THAT POSSIBLE WITH A DOUBLE
HUNG?  IF NOT WHAT CAN I USE IN A COLONIAL THAT WILL LOOK REASONABLE?

TYPICAL CONSTRUCTION AROUND HERE IS 2X6 WITH FIBERGLASS INSULATION, TYVEK
OVER OSB, VINYL SIDING, STANDARD LOW-E DOUBLE PANE ARGON FILLED DOUBLE HUNG
WINDOWS, ASPHALT SHINGLES.  SOME HOUSES ARE USING 2 INCH RIGID FOAM OVER THE
OSB.

Are you set on a specific type of heating/cooling system? 
  I AM LEANING TOWARDS FORCED HOT AIR HEAT TO ALLOW FOR AIR CONDITIONING.
IT MAKES THE HOME MUCH MORE MARKETABLE.

Does the home have to be a typical new construction, set in the middle of a
vacant lot or do you have the option of building partially into a
south-facing hillside, having a walk-out basement, etc.?
I WILL DEFINITELY FACE THE HOUSE SOUTHWARD ALTHOUGH THE LAND DOES NOT SLOPE
SOUTHWARD. I WILL MINIMIZE THE SIZE OF THE AREA THAT WILL BE CUT AND WILL
KEEP IT BELOW ABOUT 0.5 ACRE.  SAVING TREES IS IMPORTANT.

How much cost can you pass on to the buyer? 
  I WILL PASS ALL COST AND, HOPEFULLY SOME PROFIT, ON TO THE BUYER.

Do you feel the market will offer a premium if you build a LEED certified
home? Of is it good enough just to market it as a "Green" home (i.e. saving
you the rigamarole of going through the LEED process). 
  THE MARKET IN NEW ENGLAND IS VERY SOFT RIGHT NOW (12 MONTH SUPPLY OF
HOUSES ON THE MARKET RIGHT NOW).  HOWEVER, ENERGY EFFICIENT AND GREEN
BUILDING MATERIALS SEEM TO BE IN DEMAND AND THERE ARE FEW BUILDERS WHO KNOW
HOW TO BUILD AN ENERGY EFFICIENT HOME.  I HAVE READ "GREEN REMODELING"
(JOHNSTON), "THE NEW ECOLOGICAL HOME" AND "THE SOLAR HOUSE" (CHIRAS),
"BUILDERS GUIDE TO COLD CLIMATES" (LSTIBUREK), AND HAVE THE "GREEN SPEC" AND
"GREEN BUILDING PRODUCTS" GUIDES.  I USED TO GET EBN.  I THINK I HAVE A
REASONABLE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ISSUES INVOLVED.   IT IS THE "FIRST TIME
BUILDER" INEXPERIENCE THAT I NEED TO OVERCOME.

Good luck. Hope you get lots of good guidance.
On 2/25/07, Wayne Mueller <wayne at mueller1.com> wrote: 
Hello green builders,

This is my first posting and I am looking for some advice about building an 
energy efficient home.

Since this would be my first project, I would start out conservatively.
This may be a spec house and loosing money would be a disaster for me.  I
don't have to make a lot of money, but I really need to avoid loosing money 
on the deal.

The house would be a 2 story 4 bedroom colonial probably 32 x 36.  I believe
this is within the LEED-H limit for a 4 bedroom design.

I am considering the use of SIP's, either 8 inch or 10 inch thick. Is this a

good idea from a leakage (overall insulation) standpoint?  The SIP
manufacturer around here can design the outer shell, manufacture it and
assemble it for me on site, which would seem to be very practical.  What are

your experiences with SIP's regarding longevity, weather sealing, cost,
etc.?

Any suggestions on things that are definite must haves and items I should
stay away from would be most appreciated. I have a hundred other questions 
but I will stop here for now.

Thanks,

Wayne