Must See Projects! 2015 Green Home Tour

NWGHTThe 5th annual NW Green Home Tour, hosted by the Seattle Chapter of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, is only a few weeks away!

Saturday & Sunday, April 25th & 26th, 11am to 5pm

With a wide array of projects featuring everything from solar power to rainwater recycling, tour guides and project team members on-site, and a plethora of information and resources, this is a fantastic opportunity to really get inspired first-hand! Plus, it’s FREE!

We have to admit we are a little blown away by the sheer number of great sites on the tour this year (oh how to choose!), but we never-the-less made our selection of must-sees! Note that sites are open Saturday or Sunday only.

Open Saturday…

View Haus 5

View Haus 5

View Haus 5 in Madison Valley
Built by award winning Cascade Built & designed by b9 Architects, View Haus 5 is Seattle’s first Passive House-constructed townhome project. With 5 unique floor plans these 5-Star Built Green homes are visionary and built to last.

While in the Central area you might also stop by the Madrona Passive House.

Urban Haven in Magnolia
This modest 1940’s home was extensively remodeled in 2011 to increase natural light, energy efficiency, garden views, and unique storage space, and is now fully integrated into the sustainable garden, featuring cisterns, permeable paving, a small green roof, a compost fence, urban livestock and a large kitchen garden.

 

21 Acres in Woodinville
Visit 21 Acres, a LEED Platinum certified facility with the unique distinction of being fully integrated with 21 Acres’ own bio-diverse Organic farm. Walk the farm, shop the market, see the commercial kitchen and experience the entire green-built campus.

While in Woodinville you might also want to stop by Clearwater Commons.

Open Sunday…

Emerald Star Net Zero House in Ballard
Dwell Development’s first attempt to certify a project at the rigorous Emerald Star Built Green level. In fact, it will be the first single-family spec house in the Northwest to attempt such a feat. It’s more like 10 Star Built Green!

While in Ballard you might also stop by the Plum House by Green Canopy Homes.

 City Cabins

City Cabins

City Cabins in North Seattle
Imagine living in a net-zero home with enough juice left over to charge the car! This is Martha Rose Construction’s latest 5-Star Built Green project, where you will find garden roofs and rain cisterns, stained concrete and stainless steel, and much more.

While in North Seattle you might also stop by the Greenwood LEED Platinum Prefab.

Retreat in the Trees in Sandpoint
SIPs construction, triple-pane windows, super-efficient ductless heat pump, LED lighting, compact, efficient appliances, low-flow water fixtures, and elegant use of a small space are just some of the features of this 400sf ADU.

While in NE Seattle you might also stop by the Lifestream Backyard Cottage.

 

Join us for the 2014 Green Building Slam!

We are excited to announce that Fifth Street Commons has been chosen as 1 of the 10 projects to be featured at this year’s Seattle Green Building Slam! This annual event, hosted by the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, celebrates “remarkable green building projects” around the Puget Sound, and presenters are given just 10 minutes to tell the story of their project!

On deck to present a (very brief!) story of how Fifth Street Commons evolved over the past 2 years will be JR Fulton and Ross Chapin. With project co-conspirators Cally Fulton and Debra Chapin cheering them on of course! It’s going to be a fun, high-energy evening with lots of great folks, as well as delicious food and drink. We hope you’ll join us!

When:  Saturday, November 15th, 5-9pm
Where:  University of Washington, Kane Hall (free parking!)
Tickets:  $25 ($10 for students) – Buy your tickets today!

We are of course only 1 of 10 projects being featured, and are honored to be presenting alongside our friends from Heartwood Builders, who are showcasing a wonderful project they completed this year in West Seattle, as well as the folks from Cascade Built, who are pushing the envelope with their passive houses in Capitol Hill. See the full list of presenters!

Must See Projects! 2014 Green Home Tour

The 2014 Northwest Green Home Tour is just a few weeks away, and instead of taking place both Sat and Sun, this year’s tour will be one day only – Saturday, April 26th, from 11 am to 5 pm. With 35 sites all around Seattle, plus a handful of fun Sustainability Stops, there’s a lot to see! So here’s our list of must-see homes!

NWGHT

Drinking Rainwater in Ballard
This 100 year old home in Ballard was remodeled for ‘low consumption’, and now has the first legal whole house rainwater catchment and filtration system in the city of Seattle. Thanks to a 2280 watt solar PV array, LED lighting, energy efficient appliances and habits, the homeowners have also reduced their annual electric bill to just $125, and now get paid for the electricity they produce. 7703 26th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117

If you’re interested in rainwater systems, don’t stop there! Head over to RainWise – NW Seattle, another site with an impressive 5 cisterns (diverting 50k+ gallons of rainwater a year) and beautiful/functional rain gardens. 2034 NW 60th St, Seattle 98107

Lifestream Backyard Cottage
This backyard cottage in Maple Leaf was built to demonstrate a new model in healthy home construction by integrating innovative wall systems, non-toxic materials, shielded electrical systems, fiberglass re-bar slab, & energy efficiency features, and will be particular interesting to those concerned with chemical &/or electromagnetic sensitivities. 9100 15th Ave NE, Seattle, 98115

There are a handful of backyard cottages (in all shapes & sizes) on the tour this year, so head on over to the North Seattle Backyard Cottage in Greenwood, the Falcon’s Nest is Ballard, and the Baker Cottage in Fremont.

Burke-Gilman HouseBurke-Gilman House
Strikingly modern yet sensibly smart, this modern home was designed for an active couple looking to stay put as their mobility decreases. It also includes passive solar orientation and cold roof design, a high performance building envelope and energy saving systems, as well as water saving fixtures and underground rainwater cisterns. 3334 NE Blakeley Street, Seattle, WA 98105

HOME reclaimed
How do you transform the beauty, resources and intrinsic value of a 1938 Tudor into a modern dwelling? While also achieving a 5 Star Built Green rating, a certified HERS index score of 55, ENERGY STAR qualification and Water-Sense certification? Well, you’ll just have to visit this amazing remodel project in Seward Park to find out. 4007 49th Ave, Seattle, WA 98118

While in the neighborhood, also stop by the Opperman-Lee Deep Green Remodel, an exquisite remodel of a severely neglected 1952 house by owner/designer/builder Vicky Opperman.

Historic House Deep Green Remodel
The challenges involved in remodeling, restoring and energy retrofitting this beautiful 1904 Capitol Hill home were immense, but were overcome with perseverance, humor, ingenuity and painstakingly detailed work. Don’t miss this opportunity to see the impressive result of a job well done. 716 17th Avenue E, Seattle, WA 98112

But don’t stop there! Browse all Northwest Green Home Tour Sites, use the interactive maps, and go get inspired! The Northwest Green Home Tour is free and open to the public, thanks to the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild and Built Green, as well as a host of amazing sponsors.

Don’t Miss the 2013 Green Building Slam!

10 projects x 10 slides x 10 minutes! That’s the recipe for an exciting, high-energy evening of presentations by some of the Puget Sound’s best green home designers and builders. Hosted by the Seattle Chapter of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, and emceed by Roger Faris (best known for his home repair show on KUOW), this year’s Green Building Slam is an evening you won’t want to miss.

Saturday, Nov 16th, 5-10pm
University of Washington, Kane Hall (2nd Floor)

Park Passive

Park Passive by Cascade Built

Here’s the schedule:

5:00 p.m. – Registration, Drinks & Appetizers, Networking
6:30 p.m. – SLAM begins (15 minute intermission around 7:45 p.m.)
9:00 p.m. – Networking, Dessert & Coffee

And, here are a few of the projects/presenters:

Park Passive House – Joe Giampietro of NK Architects & Sloan Richie of Cascade Built
City Cabins at Columbia Station
Martha Rose of Martha Rose Construction
Historic House Deep Green Remodel – George Ostrow of Velocipede Architects & Jon Alexander of Sunshine Construction

We hope to see you there!

Seattle Green Builders – Now Selling!

Now that building season is once again open and buyers are eagerly anticipating each and every new listing, we thought you’d like to know which Seattle green builders are raising roofs to meet the demand. There are certainly many more builders, and all sorts of impressive green projects under construction, but we featured these guys and gals because they have homes ready to sell.

Green Canopy Homes
These guys have created a wildly successful model for bringing green homes to market, and have so many projects in their pipeline, they can’t fit them all on their website! Visit their Our Homes section to see their upcoming gorgeous green remodels and new homes, all around Seattle.

Martha Rose Construction
The ‘Queen of Green’ has been working feverishly all spring to bring her latest project ‘City Cabins’ to market. These high-performance townhomes in Columbia City were featured on the 2013 NW Green Home Tour, and are now available for presale.

Dwell PassivHaus

Dwell PassivHaus

Dwell Development
Modern, modern, and more modern, but while these guys may have started out ‘light green’ they have come full circle with the first spec home to meet PassivHaus standards in the Northwest, and are now consistently building to 5-Star Built Green standards. In Seattle and now on the Eastside, check out Dwell’s latest projects.

gProjects
5-Star Built Green and modern, but always with a sustainable twist! Whether it be reclaimed wood siding, salvaged concrete walkways, rainwater recycling for flushing toilets or edible community courtyards. You won’t find upcoming project info on their website, but they do indeed have a full pipeline. Follow gProjects on Facebook to get the latest updates.

Isola Homes
These guys have hit the ground running this year with Built Green projects ranging from single family craftsmans to ultramodern rowhomes, and of course a feature project on the NW Green Home Tour. Check out Isola’s new homes around the Puget Sound, which is definitely long, and getting longer every day!

Playhouse Design Group
Lickety-Split, Stereo Sons, Cookies & Cream! Dubbed ‘one-of-a-kind architectural solutions for every seeker of chic’ Playhouse is creating modern, green living spaces, and has teamed up with the well-versed Greenleaf Construction to turn these dream homes into reality.

Ready for an in-person tour of upcoming green projects? Give us a call today!

Seattle Green Builder Spotlight: Cascade Built

Cascade Built has been constructing high performance custom homes in Seattle for some time now, and they have a particular knack for maximizing the potential of postage stamp-size infill lots in the Madison Valley area. While many green builders make their way from ‘light’ to ‘deep’ green slowly over time, founder Sloan Ritchie has jumped in with both feet, and is seemingly only content when he’s literally pushing the green building envelope.

This is particularly refreshing when you consider that a number of Cascade Built’s most successful projects have been spec-built. We’ve had the privilege of working with founder Sloan Ritchie to market and sell a few of the more recent projects, and they’ve been crowd-pleasers every time! Clean modern designs that are at the same time warm and inviting, fresh and sassy finishes with earthy undertones, uniquely appealing color combinations that are both bold and subtle, and a predilection for open, light-filled spaces that connect to the natural and urban environment alike.

AlleyHouseAlley House – 3BR | 2.5BA | 1,830sf | Off-Street Parking
As one of the first LEED Platinum certified single-family homes in Seattle, this stunning modern redefined urban infill development with it’s plethora of sustainable and energy efficient features and unique back alley location. Structural insulated panel (SIP) construction, cedar rain screen siding, concrete and recycled wood floors, custom Kirei doors, dual-flush toilets, pre-wiring for photovoltaics and solar hot water, drainwater heat recovery, Alley House Kitchenrain gardens, grasscrete parking, a green roof and so much more!

Every square inch of this 3-story home was maximized, yet it felt both open and inviting with its over-sized windows and glass doors connecting the main living space to a private bamboo courtyard. The home’s high performance design and construction also meant it was 50% more efficient than other similar code built homes, and roughly 70% more efficient than the average Seattle home.


Alley House 2
– 3BR | 2BA | 1,697sf | 1-Car Garage

ExteriorflyerDesigned by award-winning architect David Foster and certified LEED Platinum, Cascade Built’s second Alley House was prefabricated in modular components by Seattle-based, green prefab specialists Method Homes. Sloan chose a modular prefab build for this project because of the shorter building time-frame (approximately 2 months) and reduction in material waste (minimized to less than 5%). The prefab build also means the house was constructed in a closed environment where exposure to elements such as rain, do not exist. All the modules were craned into place in one day!

PrefabKitchenThis 3-story home featured hardi-panel rainscreen siding, bamboo floors, custom Squak Mountain countertops, Energy Star and Water Sense fixtures and appliances, an on-demand tankless hot water heater, ductless mini-split heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation, and a fully conditioned garage for future ADU conversion.

If you think living in an alley sounds unappealing, think again! Tree-top views of Madison Valley, over-sized east and south facing windows for ample natural daylight, two entertaining balconies, and a quick stroll to neighborhood amenities made this the perfect urban retreat.


Park Passive
– 4BR | 3BA | 2,300sf | 1-Car Garage
Designed by NK Architects this ultra-modern home is now under construction in Madison Park and is targeting Passive House certification (the world’s leading standard in energy efficient construction). As a result of extreme attention to detail in air sealing, high levels of insulation, and high-performance windows, this home’s heating energy consumption will be reduced by nearly 90%.

This home will also feature a solar hot water system, site harvested woodwork, zero VOC finishes, heat recovery ventilation, pre-wiring for solar PV and more. True to Cascade Built style, the in-fill city lot this home occupies measures just about 2,000sf. This home is expected to be completed this spring, so stay tuned for our upcoming tour announcement!

Cascade Built also has a fantastic line-up of sustainably designed backyard dwellings – see Backyard Boxes to learn more!

A Seattle Gut-Rehab Targeting LEED Certification

Homeowner Collen Groll of O’Brien & Company has spent the last 5 years bringing this 1919 Seattle bungalow back to life, and it’s now for sale! Remodeled from the studs-out for superior energy efficiency, increased comfort, and flexible, open living spaces, and is now going to achieve LEED for Homes Silver Certification.

Exterior

3 bedroom/2.5 baths, 3-stories, 2,390 sf home, 3,530 sf lot and 1-car garage. Secluded amongst trees, yet blocks from Lake Washington & Leschi town center.

Design

This home was originally built in 1919, and is 2-stories with a basement. When purchased in 2007, the house was in poor repair, extremely leaky, and was not functionally well laid out. It was essentially a stripped shell with exposed floor joists and wall cavities. The second floor included a typical gable roof with a small window at either end, and because the south side of the house was already at the set-back line, there was no way to extend the roof line.

The floor plan was redesigned to include functional, adaptable spaces. In order to accommodate three bedrooms and extend the ceiling on the second floor, the roof peak was raised, which increased the pitch of the roof line. A crow’s nest (future yoga and meditation studio) was added, which allowed an additional view of Lake Washington and a special place for rejuvenation.

Goals

The priorities for this project were improved envelope and energy efficiency. Additionally, homeowner Colleen, wanted to incorporate salvaged products and healthy finishes where possible.

In order for this project to pursue LEED for Homes certification a complete gut rehab was necessary, as partial or even substantial remodels are not eligible. Additionally all systems and components (e.g. HVAC, water heater, windows) are required to be replaced and exterior walls must be open to allow for a Thermal Bypass Inspection.

Features – Exterior & Envelope

  • Metal Roof
  • Locally Milled Red Cedar Siding (from naturally downed trees)
  • Double 2×4 Wall Construction
  • Blower Door Tested
  • Envelope Airsealing using Closed Cell Foam & Caulk
  • Blown-in Cellulose Batts (R-28 Walls)
  • Super-insulating SeriousWindows (u-factor range .15-.17)
  • Garage Can Accommodate up to (4) 500-gallon Tanks for Rainwater Catchment
  • Cantilevered Deck to Protect Environmentally Sensitive Area
  • Permeable Driveway & Parking Area

Features – Interior

  • RecoupAerator 200DX Energy Recovery Ventilation System
  • HTP Elite Energy Star Modulating Boiler (up to 98% efficient)
  • Runtal Wall Radiators
  • Lennox Elite Direct-Vent Gas Fireplace w/ Electronic Pilot
  • Over 100 YR Old Salvaged Wood Floors (from Garfield High School)
  • Salvaged Solid Wood Cabinets & Doors (from Second Use)
  • Locally Made Paperstone Countertops
  • Energy Star Lighting & CFL Bulbs used Throughout 95% of House
  • Kohler Highline Toilet w/ Sloan FlushMate Pressure-Assist (only 1.0 GPF)
  • Low-Flow Showers & Faucets
  • Non-Toxic Paints (Benjamin Moore Natura) & Finishes


Architect

Jamie Fisher Architect

Builder
Kristian Nunnelee
NW Contour Building Co
nwcontour.com

LEED Homes Green Rater
Chris Edlin
O’Brien360
obrien360.com