Tag Archives: Built Green

Live…from the Built Green Conference 2012: Session 2, Double Down-Marketing Green and Universal Design (Aging In Place) | Dave Porter, PorterWorks

The Power of Synergy

Dave Porter of PorterWorks said we’ve all scared the crap out of each other enough. Take water for instance. Of all the water on the planet only 3% of it is potable, 2% of it is ice, and we are wasting so much of it.

What does green mean to you?
People spoke up with a lot of words –
Sustainable
Replenishable
Healthy
Future Proofing
Durability
Smart Design
Sustainable
Adaptable

Dave says a lot of green building is missing the mark. He has seen a lot of 4 and 5 star Built Green homes, but they are not designed to last.

Words for Universal Design
Accessible
Simple
Adaptable
Simple solution to a complex problem
Universal design
Appropriate
Proportional (too many homes are too large and just for two people)

We spent some time evaluating the room we were in.

Universal design is not a hospital or hotel room that is “accommodating”. They all look and smell like old nursing homes. He is talking about some spiffy places. European curbless shower. The tile does not have to scream hospital.

1 in 9 people have an issue with indoor air quality, lke asthma.

Why people buy green homes
Save money
Make money
Indoor air quality
They care a little bt about the world.
…in that order.

People are very interested in protecting their house. Indoor air quality and home security is something people will spend money on.
It is ridiculous that people will buy a green home to address indoor air quality issues but then bring in toxic furniture.

7,000 people become 65 every day.
2.7 million people in a wheelchair
6.8 million need some sort of mobility assistance
10 million blind or visually impaired, 1 million deaf and 10 million hard of hearing
NAHB has a program Certified Aging In Place. But Dave says it is about any age, there are 121,000 under the age of 15 in a wheelchair.

Someone you know is going to need Grace of the space

Intersection between green and universal design
A rambler – smaller home, no stairs
Floor coverings –
HVAC – ductless, remote control, accessible filter
Light switches – they should be lower
Outlets – should be higher
Windows – hand crank openings, good daylighting so no need to use lights
Materials – concrete floors, wood
Appliances – induction stoves since it inly heats metal and not people. Some people have sensory limitations. Central vacuum systems. Microwave drawer. Dish drawrs instead of front loaders. Front loading washing machine instead of top loader. Pull out shelves. More drawers.
Cabinets and hardware see above
Landscape and walkways – pervious concrete would offer traction on a ramp. Drip irrigation Biophylia. raised garden beds.

Seven Principles of UD

– Equity Use
– Flexibility in Use
– Simple and intuitive to use
-Perceptible Info
-Tolerance of errors
-Low physical effort
-Size and space for approach and use

UD and Green Checklist

-Think family
-Think ahead
-Think green
-Do not think disability, wheelchairs, or ramps
-Do not think ADA, Fair Housing Act or other accessibility guidelines

Now the room has been brokern into sections and we are putting on our “designer” hats to design a green and universally designed home.

Dave concluded with some photos of good universal design. Your job is to solve problems. Uncover problems then solve them.

This is a working post.

Live…from the Built Green Conference 2012: Keynote Speaker Denis Hayes, President/CEO of Bullitt Foundation

Wow what a great lunch

King County Green Tools staff Patti Southard and Kinney (missed the other name) made introductory remarks for Mr. Hayes. First they gave us some statistics and diversion rates for construction materials. Newest edition of the Construction Recycling Directory just came out. He suggests that builders use 2 bins on sites so the sorting is done immediately because it is very time consuming to sort it later. He also mentioned the 20/20 Refit Challenge. Rehabilitating older homes to become healthy, comfortable, energy efficient homes is a lot more sustainable than deconstructing a structure and building something new It’s all about keeping materials out of the waste stream.

Patti thanks the staff at Built Green for creating such a great model that others in the country look to. Collaboration is key. She says every day we are working on making this a beter planet it is like writing a love letter to the Earth. She says we are lucky to have the kind of leadership we have in our area – with Denis Hayes, the founder of Earth Day, having joined our community. She shared her own memories of how Earth Day is a holiday not for religion or anything else, but for doing something for others and the plant.

Denis Hayes
Funny guy! Seems to be speaking extemporaneously. He said normally he gives a rousing motivational speech about becoming more green. But he doesn’t have to do that here, since everyone in the room is involved in the green building industry. He talked about how the Bullitt Foundation stat=started out in a hayloft, and since joining the organization the Board agreed to the construction of a green building. The piece of property the foundation owned called for something larger than an office for seven people, and now they have a 52,000 sq ft mixed use building. Billed as “The Greenest Building in the World” He said there are 26 geothermal wells that are 400 feet deep. ALL of the energy that will be used in this building will be generated by the building. Net Zero is not accomplished very often. Hayes talked about trying to meet the requirements of the Living Building Challenge. He spoke about sourcing materials for the building, finding contractors who would

Bullitt Center – Hard costs up through TI: 17% more expensive than regular Class A office space and found they can’t rent it for any more than regular Class A office space. If you are a tenant in their building and meet ll of your energy goals, you have no energy costs, it’s free. Society needs to start placing real value on things that endure. These major investments count for something. He talked a lot oabout the features that went into this new building. I missed the last tour a couple weeks ago! So I sent an email to find out when the next tour will be. Defnitely have to get it on it.

If I had to do it gain knwoing what I know now and this will sound ridiculous – this is the first time I have worked on a building, but it has given me a lot of humility. So he deerred t a lot of te experts, vendors, and contractors, for elements and aesthetics that if he woudl have won on if he had stuck to his guns. And he would hold out to have it his way next time.

Live…from the Built Green Conference 2012. Session 1

Coming to you live this morning from the Built Green Conference in gorgeous Mukilteo. We are at the Rosehill Community Center above the ferry terminal.

The structure this year is breakout sessions bookending a keynote speech at lunch. There also is an expo where we can meet vendors and other stakeholder sin energy efficiency and green homes. It is hard to decide which session to go to. I picked the one that best matches my personal interests and professional role as a real estate broker.

So I am in the Fowler Room in “Transforming Markets: Community Power Works, 20/20 Home Refit Challenge, and Community Energy Efficiency Programs.”
This is a panel of multiple perspectives, including building science, outreach, marketing, and workforce development.
Jason Lear (Batt+Lear)
Andrea Petzel (City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development)
Ruth Bell (Community Power Works)
Dan Wildenhaus (Senior Building Science Specialist for Fluid Market Strategies)

Topics this session
Community Energy Efficiency Program
Do Energy Efficiency Programs transform markets?
Have local programs transformed our market?
How do we know?
What’s next?

Interestingly enough, I was an early participant in the Community Power Works program, before it reached its current iteration of providing a $95 energy assessment. A volunteer came to my home and talked about energy efficiency and how to cut your personal energy use. Low hanging fruit (one of the easy. low cost things you can do) included replacing all of our existing light bulbs with CFL bulbs. This was about two years ago. I had not changed out the light bulbs from when we bought the townhome as new construction in 2007. It is a 3-Star Built Green Certified home in the Built Green Certified Community of High Point in West Seattle. Besides energy efficiency, changing to a lower usage bulb makes your home more comfortable. All of those incandescent bulbs put out a lot of heat.

There are a number of measuring tools that are being utilized to show the results of the Community Power Works retrofits. Over 500 homes have been completed, with over 240 in the pipeline now. The gal si to reduce energy use by at least 15%. Only one home has not met that goa, anf there are some “audacious” homes that are saving 50-60% in energy use on their utility bills.

Building science
Rather than write all new specs, they use Department of Commerce specifications for building performance.
Reducing air leakage in a home (insulation)- leaky recessed lighting fixtures increases heat loss/gain, and can cause ice dam problems.
Most often performed corrective action taken in homes in the program:
Air sealing
Attic insulation
Wall insulation
Floor insulation
uct sealing
Duct insulation

Measurement used to be in carbon savings. Most people couldn’t understand it so it was changed to energy savings. Quality assurance has to be evaluate frequently so course corrections can be made. Programs like this leverage current training to bolster both new and existing workers and create not just jobs but quality companies.

Who are the customers/
Income between $50-$150k. There is a significant drop off in the higher income brackets, perhaps these flks don’t consider government programs for tem. There also is a low number of households with people of color. Perhaps there is a language barrier or translation problem that needs to be increased. More outreach to lower income communities. There are cultural liasons speaking about 12 languages
33% of households have children in the home
Most homes were built before 1959.

Average cost of upgrade $14,500
Average CPW rebate: $2,600. (18%)
Average utility rebates: $700 (5%)
Customers with CPW loans: 25%

Washigton State University (WSU) is a big participant in the program, helping with surveys of homeowners after they have participated in the program.

Now what? (Jason Lear)
20/20 Home Refit Challenge: 20,000 ohomes with 20% energy savings
Program participants get: Special financing and the market value of a Buitl Green Certification + Energy Score
Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union (PSCCU) has developed a special home equity loan for homeowners who participate in the program.
“Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union understands the challenge in affording energy-efficient alternatives for your home. We’re here to help with our Energy Smart Loans. Our loan products cover everything from heating and cooling, hot water tanks, gas conversions, windows and even renewable energy like SOLAR! Need to do some prescriptive measures before you can make your home more efficient? We can usually help with that as well.”

What is the future of Community Power Works?
Under negotiations now withs stakeholders trying to get interest gauged from utilities and assessing market need. By Jan or Feb 2013 there may be an extension to the program (but no new money coming in).

This is a working blog post and will be updated as more information becomes available to flesh out the details of this session.

18 homes/condominiums for sale in High Point (West Seattle)

I was doing a quick search for a friend who is considering moving up to a larger home here and there have been some price drops and a couple of new listings in the last week that I wanted to share with you.

You could be my next door neighbor – on either side. If you shared a front porch with me you would get to enjoy the smell of lemon blossoms right now. It’s heavenly!

See High Point Homes For Sale

My lovely home in High Point in West Seattle (along with a few others belonging to my neighbors!)

New Green Construction Code Unveiled

Now, this is aimed at commercial buidlings, but much of this is or will be available in residential buildings on a smaller scale.

The International Code Council announced the release of Public Version 1.0 of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) to regulate construction of new and existing commercial buildings. The IGCC aims to significantly reduce energy usage and greenhouse gasses. It addresses site development and land use, including preservation of natural and material resources. Enforcement of the code will improve indoor air quality and support the use of energy-efficient appliances, renewable energy systems, water resource conservation, rainwater collection and distribution systems, and the recovery of used water (graywater). Principals from the ICC, AIA and ASTM pointed out how the IGCC helps further the mission of their organizations and members.

Read the Full Story on Realty Times.

There is an incentive for building green in King County – we’re talking real $$$

The King County/Seattle Built Green® incentive provides funding for single-family, townhome, multi-family residential, remodel and community development projects to help offset the cost of certifying and designing innovative green projects throughout Seattle and King County. Eligible projects may receive up to $20,000. Grants are funded through the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Water and Land Resource Division and Seattle Public Utilities.

As an added benefit to incentive recipients, Built Green and the King County EcoCool Remodel program are partnering to make an online TV series featuring the projects called EcoCribz. EcoCribz episodes will feature local contractors and homeowners who are working on green remodels.

If you’re a builder, apply online now

I love their motto!!         

Rare and gorgeous “carriage home” comes on market in High Point (West Seattle)

I was driving home from meeting with some ladies in SE Seattle for a green building consultation Sunday afternoon when I saw signs leading from SW Graham Street onto 30th and I wondered what could possibly be for sale there? And there it was – one of only 4 carriage homes
of this type in High Point built in 2006. I didn’t tour the ‘hood until April ’07, and all of these units were long sold and occupied so I never had the opportunity to see the inside before now.

I stopped because I knew there was a little dog that lived here, and I would rather not disturb her during the week, and it gave me the opportunity to meet the listing agent. Of course, the unit that just came on the market is staged the way most people want to live – funny thing, tho, is that someone does actually live here, and the house always looks like this (you can tell it just does).

Outside of the home is a small front yard with nice gardening space, and a cute covered front porch. Inside on the ground level is a quest room – or office/den. Attached is a one car garage with extra room for storage. On the main level is a SWEET kitchen with a great tile bar, and windows all around the living space. There also is a small deck. I have to commend the current owner for choosing to upgrade to half-shutters on the windows. They let in light and air if the windows are open, but provide extensive privacy. There is a pantry, stack high efficiency washer/dryer, and 3/4 bath on the main level.

The top floor loft is a master suite, complete with private bath and a very well-organized walk-in closet. The interior architecture is unique, and it is a vaulted yet cozy and romantic “attic bedroom”.

The home is well-appointed, and painted in contemporary themes. Of course, the home is 4-star Built Green Certified, and has a heat pump that helps with winter heating AND SUMMER AIR CONDITIONING. I know it is only February, but I am already thinking about the hot summer days just around the corner, and am envious of who gets to have A/C (my home does NOT). The listing agent may not know of its certification since the owner may not actually have the certificate on hand. In which case, she should be contacting Built Green with her address and requesting a copy!

Click to see more details and a photo tour of this great home in West Seattle. Square footage is quotes as 1,420 per King County Records.
6309 30th Ave SW – High Point Carriage Home

If you would like to see it in person, and would like a tour of the community (which is also Built Green certified), EMAIL or call me at 206.686.HOME (4663). After all, I am the High Point real estate expert!