Rehab Project

We have a couple new projects underway, some of which are from our new “Dwell Smart Indy” line of homes that I posted about earlier.  However, below are some pictures of another project we have going in the downtown area.  This home is a historical, single family residence that needs some serious work.  The client will be required to keep the historical exterior, but the interior will be turned into a much more contemporary aesthetic.

Our company got its start on “rehab” projects over ten years ago.  The market shifted to higher end, new, custom homes but we still know how to do these rehab projects and enjoy the challenge.  See below for some historical, before and progress pictures.

Above is a picture that the historical society found.  It is certainly one of the stranger patterns of fenestration that I have seen, but the photo was a big help in working through the issues with the various historical groups that govern these projects & areas.

Here is how the home appeared before we started work.  Aluminum siding had been installed at the exterior, Insulbrick under that, and finally the old wood siding (and some trims) below that layer.  Lots of fun, eh?  The windows had all been replaced with non-historic (and inappropriate) vinyl or aluminum windows.  The porch (compared to the above photo) had been significantly changed some years before as well, and was in really bad shape.

The interior was fully gutted so that we could install new windows, doors, insulation, MEP’s and other finishes.  There wasn’t much worth saving at the interior as the home had been divided into several apartments back in the 60’s &/or 70’s.  Floors were leveled, new interior walls constructed and the floor plan was opened up much more from the traditional  (four walls) rooms that were so normal for a home of this age.

One of the interior items that was retained is the staircase.  I will make sure to post some pictures of how this is treated with the other finishes.

Here is the exterior of the home after the aluminum siding, insulbrick and porch were removed.  The sidings were in better shape than first thought, but we will still need to replace around 50% of the materials.  100% of the windows and doors will be new for better energy efficiency and considering that the existing units were in such poor condition and of poor quality.

I will post regularly on this an other jobs.  This project will be an “Energy Star” rated home, once complete, and offer the owner much improved utility bills.  I will make sure and detail some of those changes and strategies as we move forward.

New Project, New Systems (part 2)…

As discussed in my previous post, some of our new projects will start using some different assemblies at the exterior sheathing areas.  The intent is to increase the performance of the building systems over the life of the structure.  Ceiling assemblies are (relatively) easy as you just pay attention to air leakage (foam, caulk, seal all ceiling penetrations) and add more insulation.  The walls, however, prove to be a little more difficult.  Below are some pictures of the progress and showing how the framing phase is coming together.  Exterior trims start next.

Above you can see the foundation (FDN) insulation meeting up with the wall sheathing.  Both were spec’ed at 1 1/2″ in thickness.  All seams are taped (from the exterior) and foamed (from the interior) to stop air infiltration & create a drainage plane behind the siding.  In this pic you can also see the 1x blocking around the window for the trims that will be installed in the coming days.

Here you can see that we went back to our favorite – ZIP Wall - for the garage area.  The garage isn’t conditioned space so we didn’t see a need to spend the time and money on the foam sheathing and furring strips at this area.

The rear elevation of the home really opens up.  Above you can see all the insulated sheathing installed (although not quite completed at one area), the 24″ deep overhangs and all the windows that capture the beautiful views of the backyard.  The deck is being constructed (the large beam that is visible) and the exterior trims will begin next.

The front elevation of the home is 100% completed and ready for exterior trims to begin.  That process and application will be a bit different due to the foam, but will offer superior performance to ReDev“standard” installations and will blow “code” constructions completely out of the water.  I will make sure to post the final energy audit numbers on this job so I back up my statements, but these assemblies will definitely perform well, over time. 

New Project, New Systems…

Our company just recently started another project that is using more advanced energy efficiency techniques in the construction.  See below for some pictures and detail.

This is the front elevation of the home.  The lot falls away to the back yard area making it idea for a walk out style basement (see below).  Beautiful trees and setting, don’t you think?  The design has some updated craftsman/prairie styling, uses some natural stone and should fit in nicely with the surroundings.  

Here is a picture of the rear elevation.  You can see the basement frame walls with the main floor above.  Note the sheathing is going on and it is not our typical ZIP wall application that we have used (and liked) so much in the past.  On this project we are using 1 1/2 XPS boardfor additional insulation.  We should still get excellent reduction in air infiltration as we still tape the seams and all penetrations.  The major difference is that this sheathing has an R-value of 7.5 (compared to almost nothing with the ZIP wall).  So we are drastically improving the performance of the wall system by helping reduce thermal bridging while pushing the dew point for that wall assembly outside of the cavity.  If you want to understand this further, read a couple links here… and here.  Please note this idea or assembly isn’t new – but it isn’t seen much here in Indiana and I’m excited to incorporate into many of our projects.  The home will be rated and tested at the end of construction and I fully expect it to perform twice as well when compared to a normal (code built) home.

 Above you can see where the 1 1/2″ XPS from the wall will come down and sit on top of the foundation wall, that has the same 1 1/2″ board installed (just a different manufacturer, thus, the different color).  This joint will be covered with the stone veneer for the home, so it isn’t important that the connection is perfect.  Thus, the carpenters can still adjust the walls for square as needed. 

 Here is another look at the wall area above the insulated foundation.  These wall cavities will still be filled with cellulose insulation and insulating foam as we always do.  Together with the foam sheathing system, we should be able to achieve a very tight home with a wall assembly of around R-22.  Couple that with an insulated foundation, R-50 in the attic and and ACH50 of around 2.0 (projected from previous projects) – this home will be an energy miser. 

The payback on this different type of sheathing/installation is only about four years a current energy prices.   A wise investment, if you ask me.  I’ll be posting on this job at different times as it progresses, specifically about the energy efficient features of the home.

Hands On…

Progress on my own personal home has continued.  We moved in a couple weeks ago (I promise, more finish shots coming soon) but there was still some work to do and mainly on the outside.  However, one of the few inside projects was finishing up the fireplace hearth and surround areas.  We had originally planned to use some Indiana Limestone or other native material to accent the area, but the budget got tight towards the end of the job.  Thus, I chose to use some pigmented, cast concrete since that was something that I could do myself and keep the budget in check.  This, along with the hardwood floors, are the only things I “self performed” on my home.  I work with a bunch of very talented craftsmen and I certainly appreciate their work and skill, even more so, after building my home.

Below are some shots of the process and the results.

Exterior forms were installed, all the joints taped (so the concrete &/or moisture would not leak out onto the hardwoods) and everything was checked for level.  Then I installed some special fiberboard material (you can see my hand float sitting on it) that keeps the heat, from the fireplace, from reaching the wood substrate below.  The exact materials and thickness was specified by the fireplace manufacturer.   Since the interior is finished and clean, I mixed all the concrete by hand out in the garage, added the pigment (a charcoal color) and then carried it all inside in 5 gallon buckets.  Here you can see me about 1/2 way through packing the forms full of the concrete material.  (sorry for the photo quality – I used my phone)

After everything was poured I had to trowel it smooth several times that evening.  Towards the end we used some different techniques to expose some of the aggregate and give the concrete a softer, warmer feel.  Then I stripped all the forms and cleaned up (except for the paint touch ups you can see on the wall).  The finished hearth stands about 3″ above the hardwood floor.  This height was a result of the thick, special, heat board that had to be installed plus another 1″ of concrete above that.

I then installed the surround pieces (that were completed in the same manner) with some thinset material so we would get a good, solid bond.  The result is nice and clean but still has a warm feel.  There is still some grout/touch-up work to complete on the hearth (which you can see if you look closely) but overall the installation is complete.

My energy audit is complete, but my final LEED-H paperwork is still pending a couple more items.  Those should be wrapped up in the coming weeks and then we will submit for the final LEED-H certification, of which I am currently targeting a “Gold” level.  I will update that more in the coming weeks.  Further, our company is getting ready to start construction on another green home that will take some of what I learned on my home, and take it to an even higher level.  Exciting stuff.  You should start to see posts on that home in the coming weeks as well.

Experimenting on the wood floors…

The interior painting at my own personal home wrapped up this week – or at least the first trip & steps.  This next week will be busy with the mechanical trades coming back to complete their finishes, installation of counter-tops, hookups for the audio/visual installations, trim out of the security package, install the water treatment systems and lots of other stuff.  As I said, a very busy week…

My wife and I choose to install white oak hardwood flooring in the home since the lot is so wooded and has a natural feel.  We wanted that natural, organic feel to continue into the home and, as a bonus, white oak is also helpful in camouflaging any dog hair from our golden retriever! (note - don’t think we are dirty people, ok?  We vacuum every day but that dog sheds a bunch!)  Further, hardwood floors and dogs do not always mix, as many of you probably know, so we wanted to look into other options for our hardwoods beyond just the typical urethane coat.  Enter “Rubio Monocoat” – a hardwood product that is an oil finish, leaves the natural grain & feel of the wood exposed and is supposed to be easy to repair (should an 80lbs golden cause some damage).  So, I know, long story, but the point is that we put hardwoods in our bathroom and I wanted to get the finish applied before the toilet was set and to just test out the finish in a smaller area.  The other hardwood floors will be completed after all the traffic and work is completed this week.  Here are the pics and some quick descriptions of how it is applied:

This is the master bathroom floor just after I pulled all the protective cardboard and painter’s tape from the surface.  These are “unfinished” hardwoods that still have some rough spots, marks from the manufacturing process (planer marks – the dark areas you see) and general dirt and staining from the several weeks of construction that has occurred on top of them.

So the first step was to sand all of the hardwoods.  I used multiple grains of sandpaper and ended with 120 grit (per the manufacturer recommendations).  Here you can see that process complete.  All the planer marks have been removed, stains are gone and the rough areas smoothed out.  The beautiful white oak is exposed and ready for the next step.  Side note – I much prefer white oak to the red oak that you see mostly used in flooring and furniture.  The grain is tigher, the wood is “whiter” (imagine that given the name) and the material is more consisent in color.  Ok, all done with wood talk time…

Above is a larger shot after the sanding is complete.  You can also see that the area has been completely cleaned, vacuumed and then “tacked” off.  “Tacking” the floor involves using some mineral spirits on a rag and effectively “damp mopping” the entire surface to remove any dust.  It is extremely important to do this properly (and with mineral spirits) so you do not open the grain of the wood after all that sanding.  If you use water during this step you will open the grain and cause more work for yourself and the stain/finish will not take in a uniform fashion.  The different areas of the floor that appear darker (above) are the areas where the mineral spirits have not completely evaporated back out of the wood.  After the tacked areas dryed out (30 minutes?) the area is ready for the application of the finish.

Here is a shot of the Rubio product after I applied it on top of the wood (but not yet removed the excess).  It goes on kind of like a liquid car wax and is applied in the same circular fashion too.  The manufacturer suggests using a floor buffing machine to do this work and I foolishly thought because it was only 160sqft that there was no need…  um, wrong.  I’m sore today for the record.  Rent the floor buffer, trust me, regardless of how small any area you plan on doing.  You can read more about the application and steps if you are interested on the Rubio website but basically, you put it on, let it set for 10 minutes and then remove it with clean rags.  At that point you are done with the application but it still has to dry out and should not be walked on for 24-36 hours.  I have not included any finish shots because it was still wet when I left and the attemped photos turned out horrible due to that.  I will post some in the future but if you can not wait, check out their site to get an idea of the final appearance.  It really is quite unique and looks very natural – not like wood with a normal urethane finish.

In addition to looking great, this is a no VOC product that will ensure that my family and I will have good indoor air quality.  Basically, no toxic chemicals off gas as this product cures, which is most important to me as a builder and homeowner.  Secondly, this product will also qualify for some LEED-H credits which will be helpful in reaching my goal for the “gold level” of green certification.  Lastly, I think this product will be a good match for my family’s lifestyle,  helps further our aesthetic goals and be a unique product to try out for our future clients homes.  I will try and remember to follow up with some info on how this floor system performs after a couple months of wear & tear.