Three more to go…

September 30th, 2010

The first Open House for the Wheaton Green Home was a success today.  Builders, distributors and contractors from all over the Chicagoland were introduced to the first “Emerald” certified green home in the state of Illinois.

Jason Werr of JAW Builders and Bill Styczynski of SWA Architects were both on hand to give brief presentations on the homes design, construction, and green certification.  Also on hand to talk about the GeoThermal heating and cooling system was David Buss of Water Furnace and representatives from State Automatic Heating & Cooling Corp.

It was a great turnout and we hope to see more of you at the Open Houses scheduled over the next three days.

Wheaton Green Home – Open House schedule

Address:

808 E. Indiana Street

Wheaton, IL 60108

For Realtors

Friday, October 1st

1:00p – 3:30p

For the Public

Saturday, October 2nd & Sunday, October 3rd

12:00p – 4:00p

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Going Green Part VII – Completion

September 29th, 2010

After many months of hard work, the construction of the Wheaton Green Home is coming to an end.  Builder Jason Werr of JAW Builders is finishing up his punch list items and getting ready to unveil his new green home to the media and public.

As the green verifier on the job, I walked the house with Jason earlier this week during the final inspection along with going through the numerous required documents I have discussed in previous blogs.  I’m happy to announce that I have submitted the final report to the National Association of Home Builders Research Center with my recommendation that this home should be certified to the Emerald level of the NAHB Green Building Program.

All who worked on this project from day one including all of us at SWA Architects and JAW Builders, are very proud of what has been accomplished through everyone’s blood, sweat, and I’m sure a few tears over the past year.  We would like everyone to come out and see firsthand what it really means to have a certified Emerald green home.

We look forward to seeing everyone who can make it, and we will be there to answer any questions you may have or just talk green home design and construction.

Wheaton Green Home – Open House schedule

Address:

808 E. Indiana Street

Wheaton, IL 60108

For Media/VIP/Industry

Thursday, September 30th

11:30a – 2:00p

For Realtors

Friday, October 1st

1:00p – 3:30p

For the Public

Saturday, October 2nd & Sunday, October 3rd

12:00p – 4:00p

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Going Green Part VI

August 31st, 2010

Over a month has passed since the Rough Inspection on the Wheaton Green Home, and Jason Werr of JAW Builders has been working tirelessly with us to succeed in reaching the Emerald level of the NAHB Green Building Program.  Neither JAW Builders nor SWA Architects is content to settle for anything less, so when the Rough Inspection indicated that we were not on pace to reach the Emerald level it was time to change course and take things to that next Emerald level.

Since our last installment of Going Green, Jason, his wife Michelle, and I have spent a number of hours investigating every section of the NAHB Green Building Program and had many conversations on what more we can do to still keep the Emerald level within reach.  It has never been a question that the home Jason is building is “green”.  Jason has taken eco-friendly home building seriously from the beginning and has every intention to follow through, but the tireless pace at which he is building the home leaves little time to document everything the NAHB requires for certification. Read the rest of this entry »

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Going Green: Part V

June 25th, 2010

Here we go with our fifth installment of Going Green in which we follow the construction, and green certification process, of the Wheaton Green Home being built by Jason Werr of JAW Builders and designed by SWA Architects.  We have just passed the Rough Inspection phase of the green verification process as construction is continuing.  As I’ve said in previous posts, the Rough Inspection is done after the insulation is installed, but before drywall starts to go up.  This way I, as the verifier, can inspect framing techniques and plumbing and mechanical installation before it is covered up.

The ultimate goal for this home was to reach the Emerald level, the highest level achievable, of the NAHB Green Building Standard.  We have reached the point in the process where we can now realistically estimate where the finished product will fall and it appears the Emerald will be just out of reach due to a couple of different factors.

Something we have learned as we have been going through this process with Jason Werr, and other clients, is that there are two kinds of factors that will determine what level you will achieve.  There are those factors that are within a builder’s control, such as material selections and recycling of construction waste, and factors that are beyond a builder’s control, such as the orientation of your site to the street and the climate zone your site falls in. Read the rest of this entry »

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Going for Green: Part IV

April 1st, 2010

Framing Underway

As construction continues on the Green Home in Wheaton, the process of green certification moves into the next phase.  To this point, I have not talked much about the process a builder must go through with the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Program in order to get a home certified “green”.

When a builder decides to go for certification, there are a number of steps that he/she must take to reach that goal.  As I have mentioned in prior posts, a builder really should make this decision before any design of the home is put down on paper.  Starting the process like this allows the builder to team with their architect to reach a common goal, while also allowing “green” elements to be integral parts of the home, not just added on after thoughts to an existing design.  This also allows the builder and architect to work together to incorporate as many of the National Green Building Standards (NGBS) requirements as they see fit to reach the level of certification they are striving for. Read the rest of this entry »

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