CERTIFIABLE!

We are Certifiable....well at least by the USGBC! So it is a wrap, done with the paper work, inspections, meetings with building scientists (for now), ect. So what did it all mean? Was it worth it? Why did you do it? And how much did it cost.....

We felt that it was important to meet the level of rigor required by the LEED process. We have noticed that many people & developers have said that their homes are “LEED-like” , because of all the things they did & the items purchased for their project. Understanding the building as a whole, as a system that performs better when the parts work together. For example our mechanical system works better because of the air sealing, insulation, high performance window package, and site design. It is the process of the project, less the products of the project.

We learned so much from the 3^rd party inspections, to have that additional set of eyes reviewing the construction process- which you don’t have if your house is “LEED-like”. If you don’t want to pay the for the LEED certification process, at least hire a 3^rd party inspector. They are beholden to you the client, and is not obligated to the contractor . Southface can offer that service. Simple air sealing, can be caught early and can save you so much $$$ in the future. Since we did all the LEED paperwork & Southface did the inspections ~it cost ½ what a typical $5k-$7k consultant fee.

Because we are participating in the Build for America program, we will have performance monitoring on the house for the next year. We’ve had several meetings with building scientists about the Geo-thermal system. The number of sensors on the house is pretty amazing. They have seen the pattern of our life~ when we wake, shower, eat, work, sleep, and do it all over again. We have learned that our pond pump, is the most costly device in the household.

Some issues with LEED drove me crazy. Our studio was designed so in the future it could be 2 bedrooms, which we lost points for~ we could have had a higher rating. Never mind the fact we have zero commute for 2 people, because our studio is in our home. Some materials could not earn points because they did not have verification, but we wanted to use what was made here in Atlanta ( the local economy earns points in our scale..). But we can always have them comeback to inspect the green roof when we can afford to install it, and the studio is turned into 2 bedrooms… get the Platinum rating we want.

We built the house& pool in 263 days. Everyday someone was working on the house. We were lucky with the weather, and  the site was never shut down.  This is the 2^nd house we have built for ourselves, and we love it! That is pretty good.

Check-out new photos.

Build For AMERICA!

We have been taking our time getting settled. The first few week we had many meetings learning how to operate the lighting system, pool system, Mechanical system, and even the appliances. For weeks now Southface has been here setting up remote monitoring systems to evaluate all the building techniques and systems we installed. This is all a part of the Build for America program we are participating in for this great adventure we began 11 months ago. They will monitor our electrical usage (since we are all electric), the efficiency of the hot water system while looped into the geothermal system, the insulation techniques, the efficiency of the geo-thermal system for cooling& heating. The electrical system monitor will measure usage effected by the lighting systems, and other energy  saving devices. For now our Mechanical room has become occupied by the building ‘scientists’ and their many devices! Hopefully in a year we will have information about how our house performs compared to a typical house of the same size.

Pool &Water

 The pool is filled, and I have used the pool (it is unheated too!). More Pictures to come, as the finishing details come together. The decks we quasi-completed for inspections, as we waited for more material.

Oh I forgot we passed all inspections......And we moved IN!!!More Later!

on HIGH

High Hopes was the name of my Grandparents home, and that is way life has got to be. Even as the red clay never seems to disappear,  delays occur, and plumbing parts go missing~ gotta have high hopes! Even these photos are out of date, to the progress that has been made. The driveway is in, trees are in the dirt, the rear yard is becoming the oasis we planned. The pre cast concrete coping for the pool (made locally- Killercrete thanks!) has been installed and the plinths for the deck are in place. So many details are coming together so fast, that we  have to decompress them into future posts. Check-out our photos...

Plant Me

The Landscape materials have arrived! Carlos and crew have lots to install.