Drywall – Local

American Gypsum has a large facility about 30 miles as the crow flies from our project. They extract, manufacture and ship from right there, which clearly decreases shipping energy and costs. They are a well known and respected company in the industry and having them so close made for an easy choice. 

Noise Dampening Floor and Wall Mat

OC QuietZone Acoustic Floor Mat was used both under the hydronic floor heating system concrete layer and in the walls of the media room. This thin spongy foam dampens noise by absorbing sound and vibration, thus decreasing the overall noise level in the home. In the floor application it also helps to create a thermal break between the radiant floor system and the sub floor. In the media room application, the product was installed between the drywall and the studs. By sandwiching the product here, the noise vibrations, which are typically transferred through the drywall to the studs and then into adjacent areas, are mostly absorbed by the Acoustic Mat. With the common high sound levels generated in a modern media room, decreasing noise spillover to adjacent areas is smart practice for the comfort of all the occupants in the home and additionally improves the sound in the media room itself.

Lighting

All lights in the home are to be LED’s, except for a few surface mounted fixtures. The goal is a 70% reduction in electricity usage for lighting. The LED’s used are between 5 and 11 watts each. Assuming the average fixture draw is 50 watts in a typical home, and considering we have approximately 300 fixtures, our slated 70% reduction in electrical demand (assumes a 15 watt average fixture, which is a conservative estimate) from our lighting system is significant. The LED’s are designed to last 20 to 25 years each, which offers the benefit of less waste, low maintenance, and high durability.  Additionally, the recessed fixtures installed in the upper floor ceiling are sealed, to help reduce heat loss through the ceiling to the outdoors.

Lighting Controls

Lite Touch provides the most comprehensive solution to lighting controls and climate regulating controls available. Regulating these controls saves energy and provides an outstanding level of comfort in your home. This system will also integrate into the whole house control system by RTI to help provide highly sophisticated, flexible and efficient lighting control.

Whole House Control System

A full home automation system from RTI has been chosen for this project. The system can control lighting, audio/video systems, security, and HVAC. By having one system control all of these features, extra control panels are eliminated. This system also has remote access capabilities, which allows for home owner monitoring from afar as well as off site trouble shooting and diagnostics for various trades. This feature is inherently green in that travel, diagnostic and even repair times are reduced. This ability can also improve the overall efficiency of the various systems due to the sophisticated controls and potential to monitor and dial in energy saving changes.

American Clay

American Clay’s Plaster system uses natural clays, recycled and reclaimed aggregates, and vibrant natural pigments to create an interior wall finish that is a green alternative to cement, gypsum, acrylic, and lime plasters. Its breathability and high negative ion producing properties help to induce positive biochemical reactions in humans. A negative charge in a space acts on our capacity to absorb and utilize oxygen, causing us to have more energy and feel invigorated. Negative ions also have been proven to increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress, and boost our feelings of well being. The product’s ability to be rehydrated after the initial application allows for seamless patching and for reuse of unused product that would otherwise be wasted. American Clay is made in New Mexico which makes it a local product, enhancing its green value to this project.

Low/No VOC Paints, Sealants & Adhesives

The LEED for Homes standard on VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) for paints, shellacs, stains, sealants and adhesives  was adopted for this project. By minimizing and/or eliminating these elements, the interior air quality in the home is dramatically improved. Sherwin Williams was the supplier for most of the applicable items.

Magnesium Based Tile Backer Board

Jet Products Magnesium based tile baker board was used on this project.  Magnesium Oxide (MgO) board is deemed to be CO₂ emission friendly and requires less fossil fuel to manufacture than Portland cement-based products. It also offers superior performance with exceptional durability, resistance to fire, moisture, and wood boring insects plus a 20-year limited warranty.

Appliances

A combination of energy efficiency, style and function were prerequisites for the appliances in this home. A medley of high end Kitchen Aide and new, top the line Jenn Air appliances fill the various needs of the main kitchen, the butler kitchen, bar area, and outdoor BBQ space. All of the appliances are either Energy Star Rated or equivalent (the Jenn Air’s are too new and haven’t been rated yet).  This was a priority for LEED compliance as well as overall energy and resource consumption.

FSC Wood

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) wood was chosen for the cabinets, trim, wood flooring, and doors. FSC is a certification system that provides internationally recognized standard-setting, trademark, assurance and accreditation services to companies, organizations, and communities interested in responsible forestry. The FSC label provides a credible link between responsible production and consumption of forest products, enabling consumers and businesses to make purchasing decisions that benefit people and the environment as well as providing ongoing business value.

Carpet

While the use of carpet was minimized in this home, the carpet that was selected has various green qualities. Mohawk’s Smart Strand line is extremely soft, low maintenance, offers superior durability, contains both recycled and renewable resources, and uses less energy and creates less green house gas than similar products.  The fact that Mohawk’s Smart Strand quality is not diminished by it’s green attributes, but rather is significantly improved, made it one of the easiest selections in the entire project.

Wood Flooring

Reclaimed oak flooring from Renick Millworks covers the majority of the floor area in the home. Using reclaimed wood has the obvious benefits of reducing deforestation while increasing landfill diversion. It also has the added benefit of warmth and beauty. Reclaimed wood often originally came from virgin forests that were allowed to grow much larger than the trees that are used for flooring these days, so the grain and quality are difficult to match in modern products. The nail holes and nicks from real world use offer an authentic and pleasing esthetic which fits this project quite nicely.  

Central Vacuum System

Installing a central vacuum system helps provide an often overlooked improvement to the interior air quality of the home, by minimizing the stirring up of dust that standard vacuums create. Even with HEPA filters, regular vacuums can reintroduce dust and other particulates from inside their storage bags/tanks back into the air. Central vacuums pull the dust to a location outside of the main living space and exhaust to the outdoors, virtually eliminating this problem. Because of the high quality of their products and the immense improvement to indoor air quality, we chose an Electrolux system.