What a Difference a Year Makes

I took a look back and realized that almost exactly a year ago this week we broke ground. What a year 2011 turned out to be. There were so many days filled with excitement, anticipation, frustration, exhaustion and joy. Blood, sweat and tears. But look how far we've come in one year.

And yet, there is still plenty of work left to do.

Energy Star Certified

I'm sure you're aware of Energy Star appliances and light fixtures but did you know that an entire house can also be Energy Star certified? That's right, and guess what? Our house passed the test!

In order to be Energy Star certified, our home had to pass a number of tests and be issued a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) Index number. The HERS Index is a scoring system established by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) in which a home built to the specifications of the HERS Reference Home (ie a "standard" new home) scores a HERS Index of 100, while a net zero energy home scores a HERS Index of 0. The lower a home's score, the more energy efficient it is in comparison to the HERS Reference Home. Each 1-point decrease in the HERS Index corresponds to a 1% reduction in energy consumption compared to the HERS Reference Home. Thus a home with a HERS Index of 85 is 15% more energy efficient than the HERS Reference Home and a home with a HERS Index of 80 is 20% more energy efficient. Our home achieved a HERS Index number of 48 which means it is 52% more energy efficient than the Reference Home and up to 90% more efficient than existing homes. We'll save over $1000 a year in energy costs compared to existing homes and because we qualified under various state and federal incentive programs, we'll also get a couple big chucks of change back on some of the energy saving investments we made during the construction of the house. Sweet deal!

We worked with a local HERS rater from the very early stages of planning through the building stages and the finishing details to ensure our home met all of the standards and criteria. Some of the major factors that influence a home's energy rating include:

• Effective Insulation Systems (remember the spray foam?)
  
• High–Performance Windows (remember the low E Anderson windows)
  
• Tight Construction and Ducts (see the super-highway of ductwork here)
  
• Efficient Heating and Cooling Equipment (remember we went geothermal)
  
• ENERGY STAR Qualified Lighting and Appliances (well, that's just a given).
  

After the house was finished our HERS rater came to do the final inspection (they literally count every light bulb in the house!) and perform a blower door test and duct test (to test the "leakiness" of the house and ductwork). Together with the results of the tests and taking into account all of the standards of construction (spray foam insulation, energy efficient windows, geothermal heating, etc) they crunch the numbers and issue your home a final rating. 48 was our number which means we passed with flying colors! Yippie. You can learn more about the HERS Index here and the Energy Star Home Qualifications here.

Summit checking out the blower door test and the ductwork test

Our official badge of honor

Ground Control to Major James

I am giving you all special clearance to view our top secret (not really), super technical (yes, definitely) "Control Room" (aka our basement). You'll mostly see pictures here because I personally cannot explain exactly what each piece of the puzzle does or even what it is technically called. I intend to get the details at some point, but as long as James understands how it works (don't worry, he does), I'm good. If you have questions though, be sure to ask away and I'll get James to give you an answer. =)

Let's start with our two 400' geothermal wells that were drilled in our front yard several weeks ago. These puppies tap into the natural energy stored in the ground. Because the temperature down there is typically very stable year round (approximately 55 degrees F), we can use it to heat and cool our house. A few statistics for you "greenies": geothermal systems are 3-4 times more efficient than oil, natural gas or propane systems (wowzas!). For example, geothermal systems provide 3 to 4 units of space or water heating energy for each unit of electric energy consumed by the system. In comparison, the most efficient oil, natural gas or propane system delivers less than 1 unit of energy for each unity of energy consumed by the system. Systems that burn fuel can never deliver more energy than is available in the fuel. Geothermal systems can typically result in energy cost savings of 50% over fuel systems. (source) And of course, they are GREEN! Here's a NYT article explaining a little more about residential geothermal systems. As a bonus, we will be getting a federal tax credit to cover 30% of the total cost of the entire system. Not the we needed much incentive to invest in this system but that is big $$!!

Ok, enough about the details, here are some pics. Big shout out to the guys and gals at Nutmeg Mechanical who installed our geosystem. They were incredible.

Geowells are surprisingly small in diameter and are capped and buried.

Here are a few glimpses of "Ground Control".

James' very organized electrical panel.


Geowell access points shown on right.


James and Summit tinkering with the system.


Heat pumps on left, well water system on right.


The "thing" on the top circulates fresh air throughout the house several times a day.


Tankless water heater on left, air handler on right.


Radiant heat pipes and manifold and a few of our digital thermostats.


Summit heating her toes up. Notice anything else about that picture? Hint = tile.

Last but not least, I want to share with you one of MY favorite parts of Ground Control. My central vacuum! Seriously, I didn't know it was possible to get so excited about a vacuum cleaner. If you have a dog and a husband that both track in dirt like champs, you'd feel the same way. The coolest part is the foot activated dirt sucker in the bottom of our kitchen island. Basically you just sweep a pile of dirt and dog hair near it, open the vent with your toe and just like that, it's gone! Yahooo!

Kitchen Preview

I love so many things about our new house but one of the things I love the most is our kitchen. Many hours have gone into designing and planning this part of the house so it's exciting to finally see it all start to come together. I barely slept a wink the night before our cabinets were installed that's how excited I was to finally see my kitchen. Dork, I know.

I might be able to bathe in our farmhouse sink. It's a monster!


Our kitchen countertops will be the grey one, on the right. Coming soon!


Our "industrial" pendants. Three smaller ones over the island. Big one above sink.


Appliances just waiting for their turn!

A little special note needs to be said about our island countertop. Simply put (and I understand I may be biased) it is to die for. The pictures don't really do it justice either, especially since I took them at night. First off, it is HUGE! We have more space than we know what to do with in this kitchen, mostly thanks to the giant island centerpiece. We had the top handmade for us in Michigan out of a sustainable type of wood called Lyptus. You may know Lyptus better by the name Eculyptus. As in the stuff that koala bears eat. Why is it sustainable? Because like bamboo, eculypus grows exceptionally fast. Additionally, is grown using sustainable practices on plantations rather than being harvested from wild spaces like old growth forests or rainforests. Lyptus is a dense, close grain wood making it ideal for millwork. The color you see is its natural tone so no additional stains or harsh chemicals were needed to finish it to achieve the look we were going for. We shopped around quite a bit for a wood countertop that met our needs and our budget (Lyptus is surprisingly affordable!) and this one definitely did both.

Every little detail of this kitchen was designed by us. From the layout to the giant island, the mantle shelf over the range hood to the coffee station and pantry nook. I searched high and low for the perfect sink, lights, facuets, hardware and appliances. It took a lot of time and planning to get it just right, but we're really happy with how it has turned out so far and can't wait to see all the finishing details come together! Stay tuned for more.

Day 176

Yikes! I'm falling behind on blogging and the truth is we are so busy with the house project and so many things are happening all at once that I can't find time to even take pictures, let alone blog about them. But alas, here are a few and a half-hearted attempt (I'm so tired, sleep sounds better than blogging right now) to catch you all up.

We are finally through the sheet rock phase of the project. What a difference walls make! Also, check out our gas fireplaces - a double sided one in the living room and master bedroom and one down in the game room.

Our grass is growing like a champ.

As you could see in the sheet rock pictures, we are also starting to install the hardwood floors. Almost the entire main level of the house will be hardwood. We ordered 5 inch FSC certified unfinished oak from Kentucky. FSC wood is harvested in a socially and environmentally friendly manner and oak is a native species so I can rest well knowing that no Brazilian rain forests were harmed to build our house. We plan on staining it a dark color to contrast with our white kitchen and trim. Yay. Can't wait for the kitchen.

Speaking of the kitchen, we've been doing a ton of planning and buying for the kitchen and other areas of the house. Light fixtures, appliances, sinks, tubs, tile. Oh my! I'll be posting about some of those choices soon. So. Many. Decisions!

Things on our to-do and hope-it-happen list for this week:
1. Power. The utility company is supposed to hook up our power tomorrow. Let there be light!
2. Geowells. We are having two 275 foot geothermal wells drilled this week. Or next.
3. Garage doors. Installed on Tuesday. Can't wait!
4. Stairs. Our custom staircase is supposed to be installed this week. Woot, woot.
5. Hardwood install continues, hope to make significant progress this week.
6. Tile for downstairs and bathrooms should be delivered. Can't wait to see it!
7. Actually find time to blog about it all!

Here's to hoping for a productive week!

PS - There's a new poll on the right side bar of the blog. Guess our move-in date! If you get your updates in a reader or you're viewing this on your smartphone, you'll need to visit the actual site to vote. Wish I could tell you I had an answer to that one!!