Introducing Indow Windows

A few years ago, I was invited into a home to critique a prototype of a remarkable product.

Now I am excited to Introduce Indow Windows, which are thermal window inserts that simply press into the inside of existing window frames to seal out cold drafts. This solution provides double-pane window performance at a fraction of the cost.



I understood right away, this product will make such an impact for clients and the environment, that I decided to alter my career path and work at Indow Windows full time.

For many homeowners, none of the options for upgrading windows make sense. Double pane window replacement is very expensive, especially for quality windows. Good news is here: Portland State University's Green Building Research Lab tested Indow Windows and found that they delivered thermal performance approaching or exceeding standard double pane windows. As a bonus, Indow Windows cut the noise coming in through your windows by half. An easy to understand report of the performance data is available by clicking here: Performance.


Take a look

While the performance is great, what has really excited some people is how good Indow Windows look.
Our customers have also been very pleased with the installation process, which is very quick, clean, and quiet. If you would like to learn more, please let me know so that I can arrange to show you a sample Indow Window and explain the performance.

Thanks for taking a look.

Tim

Mercury : (Hg) in your Home and Garden

Many Americans have made the switch to using Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL bulbs) in their homes which is generally a good thing.

The energy savings from CFL's is substantial, with the added benefit of reducing green house gasses during the life cycle of the lamp.

CFL's have many advantages, but there are a couple of nagging drawbacks.
These amazing bulbs contain Mercury (Hg), a toxic substance. Surprisingly the average consumers who install CFL's in their homes are typically not certain what to do in the event of a broken bulb or how to properly dispose of these products.

This lack of knowledge is understandable since companies who manufacture these products have not done a great job of educating consumers. One reason being that regulation varies from state to state.

Some of us who are old enough to remember breaking mercury thermometers in grade school, to play with magical silvery liquid, might be asking "what's the big deal? if mercury is that dangerous then how did I survive?"
Most of us have survived, but the EPA list some great reasons to avoid exposure. Health Effects

Breaking one bulb is not going to kill anyone, however, since the EPA recommends throwing away anything that comes in contact with the powder from a broken bulb, a little education might be useful.

We recommend that everyone become acquainted with the procedures for cleaning up after breaking a bulb. ENERGY STAR FACT SHEET see p.2+3. At the very least everyone in the home should know that if a bulb breaks, open the windows and leave the room for at least 15 minutes. Avoid vacuuming up the debris.

Also, carefully consider the location of use. Avoid installing these bulbs in portable lamp fixtures in the baby's room where big brother or sister might knock it over. This unfortunately adds another good reason not to kick the soccer ball in the house. This is a good place to note that incandescent lamps can cause a fire if knocked over as well (choose your fixtures wisely)

In my bit of research, I'm still not certain if I would keep the carpet in a kids room if a CFL was broken onto it.

It is important that remodeling contractors, nannies and cleaning crews understand these procedures as well because no matter how careful we are, things (especially light bulbs) can break.

Finally, be careful in storing these in bulk.
There have been so many great deals over the years to purchase CFL's in packs of 6 that many homeowners have almost a case of these stored in less than ideal conditions. If the kids accidentally crush a package of these in the laundry room then there could be a serious problem looming. Especially considering how we are striving to make homes more energy efficient and tighten the envelope and air loss, which means toxic vapors can take longer to dissipate.

Please take a moment to visit the sites below especially the disposal and clean-up tips.
Disposal:
Energy Trust of Oregon: CFL Disposal

Clean-up
Energy Star Fact Sheet

My favorite place to purchase Mercury:
Light bulb lady Sunlan Lighting on Mississippi

Home Energy Performance

Lately I find myself spending time thinking of all the changes I have seen in the residential remodeling industry.

I guess that means I have been doing this awhile?

Two decades ago most carpenters didn't see a reason to wear earplugs when using a saw and thought something might be wrong with someone who did.

Back then, despite knowing the dangers of hazardous materials, we also spent more time worrying about what was in our sandwich than asbestos.

Many of us remember seeing the first mobile phone that looked like a tool box or a car battery with a cord and handset attached. The first time I used one, was on a fire insurance job that didn't have a land line. We had to lug the mobile up a ladder on to the roof to get reception. The whole crew stood around in awe as we yelled into the phone to talk with the boss.

It doesn't seem that long ago that I got almost every job I looked at because I was the only contractor that used email.

Well Sonny - it's time to talk about what's new and coming down the pike!
Today's story is about the Whole Home Performance Test. This test or inspection is not really that new, but it is gaining in popularity.
Many regions of the country may have a different name for this inspection like "Home Energy Audit" or "Assessment".

The comprehensive analysis evaluates how the entire home functions in terms of energy efficiency in addition to aspects of indoor air quality. It's a very holistic approach to understanding if your home systems are functioning properly and safely.

The most common segment of a Home Performance Test usually includes a blower door test. A door of the home is sealed off to install a fan unit which depressurizes the home.
This provides a simple method for locating areas of air infiltration into the home. All these air leaks combined can add up to be more than one open window to the outside.
If you ever get to be present during one of these blower door tests, it's easy to see where 30% of the heat might be escaping to.

In my case, I was lucky enough to work with EcoTech http://www.ecotechllc.com/index.htm of Portland and be the first paying customer for their Home Performance Test.

Not only did I feel it's an important test for our home and family, I wanted to understand what is being recommending to our clients.

This is a more holistic approach to looking at the house that can even save a life if they detect Carbon Monoxide leaking from combustion appliances.
Why spend thousands of dollars for an addition or new kitchen if the rest of the home is uncomfortable and drafty?

Inefficiencies discovered during a Home Performance Test may save thousands of dollars in the long run. The savings is realized not only in ongoing energy reduction, but in focusing conservation effort in the most cost effective strategy for the home.

For example, consumers often mistakenly believe that replacing all the windows in the house is the first item to check off the list. Usually improving insulation or stopping air loss will be much more cost effective having a higher rate of return.

The most exciting portion of the home performance test is identifying areas to block air infiltration or escape. In the basement, the main plumbing stack may be acting as a chimney to let hot air exit into the attic. This was the case in my home and I was shocked at how much it was.

Other common areas of air leakage besides doors and windows can be:
* The sill plate(that piece of lumber which sits on top of the foundation).
* Rooms that are above porches or cantilever extensions.
* Window trim.
* Double hung or even old fixed (non operable) windows.

We really found more than our fair share of leaks.
It was great finding all the low hanging fruit of energy improvements.
This test was one of the best investments I have made in the comfort and efficiency of our home and was the basis for making improvements. It was also a great way to get to know our home better and how it functions. I am now one of those people who knows more about my home than my car which is great because I do spend a little more time there.

I hope to invite the crew back for another test, to see the improved results, but in the meantime, I can already tell our home is much more comfortable.

Open the DOOR to Sustainability

The Rebuilding Center Presents “Open the DOOR to Sustainability”
April 22, 2010 from 6-10pm
The Bison Building, 419 NE 10th Ave Portland, OR 97232

The Le Roy Setziol Door, unlike his other works in galleries across the Northwest, arrived at The ReBuilding Center strapped to a flat-bed truck. It is a story of trash and treasure, of a beautiful and valuable piece of art that nearly ended up in the landfill. Soon to be showcased by The ReBuilding Center, the Setziol Door’s unique carving, geometric pattern and gentle craftsmanship are its signature. The intricate patterns of ridges divided by flowing lines and organic shapes are smoothed not by sanding, but by deliberate carving and oiling by hand.

On Earth Day, April 22nd, 2010, the Setziol Door will be showcased at Open the DOOR to Sustainability, hosted by The ReBuilding Center of Our United Villages. A series of artist doors will be auctioned, created by Pacific Northwest artists from doors reclaimed from local Portland homes. ReFind Furniture’s environmentally sustainable contemporary furnishings, designed and handcrafted from repurposed materials, will also be exhibited and sold.

This uniquely carved door was donated to The ReBuilding Center in the fall of 2004. It was retrieved by The ReBuilding Center’s free pick-up service during one of their daily loops around the Portland region. The beautiful door was admired and appreciated, but little did the drivers know at the time that they were beholding the work of artist Le Roy Setziol. The center’s Salvage Specialists set the door aside for a time, intending to consider how best to find it a new home. One day, someone recognized Setziol’s signature artistry. The work was confirmed by his daughter Monica Setziol Phillips and thought to be one of his early works.

Though extraordinary in circumstance, the story of the Setziol Door is just one example of the treasures The ReBuilding Center saves every day. Like artifacts in a museum, there is a story in every reclaimed object. Every person has the opportunity to continue the legacy of our community’s artifacts — just as The ReBuilding Center continues the story of the Setziol Door. The consumer acts as curator of our everyday museum, as reclaimed materials are not only kept out of landfills, but carry memories and help to more thoughtfully tell the story of our community. It’s about seeing the value of everyday objects, taking what many see as waste and a liability – and turning it into an asset.

Le Roy Setziol, known as “the father of woodcarving,” is considered the “most accomplished and respected wood sculptor in the Northwest. After serving as a chaplain in the US Army during WWII, he settled with his family in Portland, Oregon. A self pronounced, “sculptor who happens to work with wood,” Setziol’s unique style of geometric patterns is well recognized. Through fifty years of sculpting, he produced over a thousand works and created commissions all over Oregon, including Salishan Lodge, St. James Evangelical Church in Portland, Lake Oswego City Hall, and Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. He lived and worked on 22 acres on the Oregon Coastal Range until his death in 2005.

The ReBuilding Center, a project of Our United Villages, is a vibrant resource working to strengthen the environmental, economic, and social fabric of local communities. Founded by volunteers in 1998, The ReBuilding Center carries the region’s largest volume of used building and remodeling materials.

It provides resources that make home repairs affordable to everyone, with the goal of promoting sustainable practices. The ReBuilding Center’s inventory includes used lumber, doors, windows, flooring, cabinets, sinks, tubs and more. One hundred percent of the The ReBuilding Center’s materials are donated.

In addition to the reuse warehouse, The ReBuilding Center includes DeConstruction Services, a sustainable alternative to conventional demolition, and ReFind Furniture, which offers a diverse line of sustainable furniture and home accessories handcrafted from salvaged materials. The ReBuilding Center also offers a free pick-up service, numerous volunteer opportunities, donations of used building materials for community projects, and an education program featuring workshops and classes on how to creatively use reclaimed building materials.

Thinking outside the box

An interesting trend here in Portland within the last year, we have converted 3 garages to live / work spaces.

A re-purposed garage can be a great spot to relax or work. Essentially a Man or Woman cave away from the hustle & bustle of the home.


Before




Zoning requirements have been a little challenging but we are finding ways to meet the code and make the inspectors happy.



Portland has been working to increase density in general, so these are becoming easier to push through the system.




AFTER

Our clients have found this to be a great cost effective way to increase the useful space they already own!



If additional space is needed for your home, and would help you write ballads or practice yoga, let us know and we may be able to help.

Improving a contractors old house part II

The attic has had new Icynene insulation for about a month and it has been a tremendous improvement in the way the home feels.

Following are the before and after photos.

BEFORE

Here is the old ceiling insulation: 3"1/2 of loose shredded newspaper cellulose.
This was vacuumed out.


The gable end showing the vent which helped let hot and cold air in when we didn't want it.

AFTER


Now the Icynene Insulation is sprayed directly underneath the roof to provide another layer of air between the elements and the attic. This prevents the attic from getting heated to 120F when the outside air temp is only 90F in the summer.

It also stops cold from entering all the roof vents in the winter.

Already the home is much more comfortable and we can't wait to see what it feels like during the hot days of summer.


When air transfer and moisture problems are dealt with correctly then the typical roof vents are unnecessary.

For more information:

Icynene Inc

Thank you S.C. Phelps Insulation for a great installation!

Essential Infastructure

Recently I have noticed a change of attitudes from clients with respect to infrastructure in their homes.

Now that energy costs are sky high, people are considering what it will cost in the future to operate a home. We are all realizing our homes are still one of the best return on investments and want to make choices that maintain their value.

There may be legislation in the future that requires disclosure of the annual operating costs of every home. This would be similar to the dealer sticker on a car that states the MPG for city and highway.

Previously, folks didn't spend a lot of time thinking about what's behind the walls until there is an untimely problem. We hope to change that and help educate clients about how important the items you don't see can be for their comfort and long term operating cost.

The problem with competitive bidding is that many contractors will not specify the correct product for the job. This explains for example, why so many electric panels recently installed by others are undersized. Yes, it may meet basic safety codes to pass an inspection, but when the house sells an unsuspecting buyer may need another $1400 panel because their electrical contractor wanted to save the client $100.

The following is a short list of items that may be incorporated to greatly improve energy efficiency or resale value of a home. These are just a few of Tim's favorites:

1) Icynene open cell spray foam insulation.
2) Cast iron pipe for waste lines (for sound only).
3) Appropriate sized electric service panel. Unfortunately almost everything needs to be plugged in and we need larger and larger panels to accommodate. New Code requirements also have added the need for additional circuits for safety and to reduce nuisance tripping of breakers. Certain outlets could be operated by a switch to reduce standby power when they are turned off. Many stereos, televisions and computers consume power in standby mode.
4) All water pipes (hot & cold supply) should be insulated.
5) All walls could be insulated and ceilings for sound. This will help with thermal pressure between floors as well.
6) Waste water heat exchanger. This captures heat from shower waste water and uses it to preheat replacement water supplying the hot water heater.
7) Timed recirculating valve for plumbing fixtures that are far from the hot water heater. These cut down the time it takes to get hot water out of a faucet, which reduces the amount of water running down the drain waiting for it to get hot.
8) Solar hot water heater.
9) Foot switch operated or touch-less faucet at main kitchen sink. This eliminates the waste of water every time the faucet is turned on. With typical standard faucets at least a cup minimum is wasted during during the time it takes to turn on the water, grab what needs to get wet ( for example soap for your hands ) and get that object under the water. The same goes for turning the water off. A few precious seconds are wasted between the time it takes to set the item down and turn the water off. A foot switch or touch-less style eliminates this problem. Manufactures include Brizo,Delta & Kohler.
10) Light colored roofing eliminates heat gain.
11) 40+ yr roof.
12) Engineered decking lasts longer than Cedar.
13) Water recovery devices like rain barrels. Or for inside the home: This one I love although, it is not allowed in Oregon at this time due to existing plumbing code: Pontos

Improving a contractors old house pt I

Since the addition of a hairy barking dog and some kids, our home has been feeling a little neglected lately. Finally, it's time to put some love and attention back into it.

Attack plan *A* required removing the squirrels from the attic. Awhile back I started hearing something alive on the roof and one day I realized they were not on the roof but a few inches above my head in the attic.
If anyone has heard the story on NPR about the squirrel, the cop and the guy and his wife in bathrobes, then I know what you're thinking right now.
I didn't actually hear the radio story but my lovely wife retold her version and it convinced me that I should never open the attic door. The consequences might involve more than fire and spilled wine.



I purchased an emitter from the hardware store that allegedly produces a high pitch sound which sends squirrels and other vermin running. It seemed to work for awhile depending where I placed it, so I bought another one. Then it seemed like it wasn't working at all. Somehow the sound changed to a siren call to help their buddies locate our home.

It was time to call a professional. One of my carpenters had a similar problem at his apartment which his landlord called the aptly named "A Wildlife Professional" to evict the squatters. Since I know landlords will do a lot of research to find the best deal in town I thought I would give this company a try. Tim Rickards came to my home the next day and got to work. He installed a one way gate that would allow the rascals to exit and not come back. Tim installed spray foam in the areas that they were getting in and covered unobtrusive metal on the outside.


Tim installing one way gate on the outside of the main entrance. Thanks Tim! They haven't been back.


Next it was time to remove the insulation. Squirrel poop does not enhance the Feng Shui, or indoor air quality. In addition, the loose-fill cellulose insulation didn't do much to reduce air transfer which made the home drafty and inefficient.




The old insulation was only 3.5 inches deep of shredded newspaper which equals a maximum R value of 11.9 in the best of circumstances. On a typical windy day, the air pressure difference combined with all the holes in the attic decreases the R value dramatically.


Here is the amazing thing. In the summer when it is 90 degrees outside, it was probably at least 120 degrees in the attic which is separated by 3.5 inches of loose fill insulation from the family. The rectangle on the wall at the end is one of the two gable end vents that let the wind whip up the dust in the attic and let cold or hot air into the space.

We chose to call upon Rapid Vac to Remove all the attic insulation. ENVI Construction had worked with their team before and were glad to see the same crew show up to our home. I was always impressed in how conscientious and professional the guys are and took the extra time to eliminate any dust in the living areas.



Now is a good time to get the dog out of the house because the noise of the vacuum is going to stress him out.



The crew almost wasn't able to fit into the attic hatch once the hoses were installed.

In a few hours, all the dirty, inefficient insulation will be long gone.

In part II we'll discuss what type of replacement insulation was chosen and why.

Materials Selection

Selecting materials color, texture and style is a challenging process but there are other items that can be considered.

At ENVI Construction, we strive to incorporate building methods that improve energy efficiency and indoor air quality.

We are also interested in what impact our purchasing choices have for our personal health and possible influences on our communities.

Japanese Printmaker Koichi Yamamoto of Tennessee states:

"Surface only provides record from recent event.
Making critical judgement requires understanding of what lies underneath".

In terms of selecting materials, with a concern for sustainability, understanding what lies "underneath" requires examining the relationship of many factors.
If clients are interested in this we will ask that they become a partner in making decisions in terms of environmental & personal health and the community.

The best tool I have seen to cut ease the confusion is Pharos Lens. Although not fully launched for consumers, the chart shown can be helpful for making decisions when selecting products.

Pharos Lens

List compiled from Pharos Lens

*Health and Pollution*
IAQ and User Exposure
High Hazard Toxics
Global Warming
Air Quality
Water Quality

*Environment and Resources*
Renewable Energy
Embodied Water
Solid Waste
Renewable Materials Use
Habitat
Embodied Energy

*Social and Community*
Occupational Heath and Safety
Consumer Health and Safety
Fairness and Equity
Community Relations
Corporate Leadership

When purchasing materials. Which of the elements would be the most important factor in selecting a sustainable product? Of course all of them but most products do not include improvement in all areas.

Understanding the gray areas of green building are can be one of the most daunting tasks a designer, builder or homeowner can tackle. Luckily if this is of interest to a client, there is plenty of available information that is being shared to assist with choices that are important to them.

Job Scheduling - Where is the Crew?

A majority of potential clients are concerned about safety and understand the importance of permits. They also want to understand how scheduling is handled with regard to when workers will be in their home.

Back in the old days when many carpenters didn’t care about permits or inspections they could start a job and work on that job every day until it was completed.

Since they didn’t acquire permits, they didn’t seem to need licensed tradespeople. The carpenter would install all the plumbing, electrics, tile, sheetrock and paint. This could save the carpenter a lot of time by not worrying about scheduling trade subcontractors or meeting code standards.

Some of the problems the one man shop caused were quality & safety issues.

The lack of a permit eliminated the need to pause work for the 2 or 3 inspection milestones that would need to happen before continuing. Now when a permit is pulled on a professional job, we are normally not allowed to install insulation while waiting around for the inspector because this would cover some of the work they are looking at.

We need to schedule in lag time which is breathing room for each trade. One potential disaster is a job not being ready for a particular trade on the day we say we are. If we attempt to schedule all the trades back to back with not enough time in between for small surprises, then we will be scheduled to the back of the line, thus causing further delays on the project.

What does all this mean to the client? This means that there will be days that no one is working in your home.
Do not despair!
Usually something is still happening behind the scenes with the tremendous amount of support from our trade partners and the ENVI office.

The value of increased safety and planning are worth the extra time needed to properly complete a quality job.