Green Building
and Timber Frames...
"Green Building" is a very broad and popular term nowadays. What exactly is green building? To Gunnstock Timber Frames, green building is using good design and construction to increase efficiency of resources while mitigating the impact on one's health and the environment. Simply put, it's about sustainability and efficiency, two words that go together well with a timber frame and Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) home.
Building Process:
Timber frame homes are built to last for centuries. They are an investment for your family for generations to come. A timber home will last loger than it takes to regrow the trees that were cut down to produce the frame.
Both timber frames and SIPs create less waste then the comparable conventionally framed home during the construction process. They are manufactured in the controlled environment of a shop rather than at the job site. This means less material waste and more efficient use of labor. This also means that once the material gets to your site, there is a much shorter time to a weather tight shell, often only a week or two.
The SIPs we use on our homes also use up to 80% recycled EPS (expanded polystyrene) and have been tested by the University of South Dakota to contain no formaldehyde. They also sandwich their insulation layer between sheats of OSB (oriented strand board), an engineered wood product made from fast-growing, under-utilized trees that grow on tree farms.
Operation of the Home:
A timber frame home with a SIP enclosure is a highly energy efficient structure. Unlike a conventionally framed home which creates a thermal break at each stud, a SIP home has a contiunous layer of insulation around the structure. This continuity is the key to thermal efficiency. When you hear that an insulation with an R-value of 30 was used in a conventionally framed wall, this does not take into consideration the low R-value of a wood stud that occurs every 16 inches. This is where you get the repeated moments of poor insulation called thermal breaks. In a SIP structure, there are no stud thermal breaks in the walls. Instead there is a continuous band of insulation wrapping the strucure that is dramatically more efficient and therefore will reduce your heating costs.
R-Value is a misleading guideline to use when comparing a SIP home and a stud framed home.
The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has studied and tested the performance of entire wall assemblies and found that using the whole wall value, a 4" SIP wall rated at R-15 outperformed a 2"x6" wall with R-19 fiberglass insulation. Click here for more information on the Oak Ridge National Laboratory study comparing SIP and stud framed houses.
Some things to keep in mind when planning your Green home
Good Design: Have your site in mind throughout the entire design process. This allows you to take advantage of the sun, wind, and topography. By strategically placing windows, you let the sun warm your house during the winter months and use roof overhangs to create shade and a cooler home in the summer months. This is just one way that planning ahead can save you money in the long run.
Plan Ahead: Maybe that geo-thermal system is currently out of your budget, but planning for the necessary plumbing now would be a lot less expensive then trying to retro-fit down the road.
Build what you need: You may have always dreamed about that three or four-thousand square foot home, but do you really need all that space and do you really want to heat it? Maybe your kids will be going off to college in a couple years, and you're ready to downsize. Be realistic about what you need and what you can afford right from the beginning.
Work within your budget and every bit helps: Going green can be overwhelming and test your budget. Remember that you don't need to try and do it all, and some things can even save you money. Pick a few key strategies to focus on. Consider the intitial cost and payback and make decisions that fit your budget and goals.
While a completely sustainable home may not be a realistic option, an energy efficient enclosure system that saves on heating and is also responsible in its production is a good investment. Don't underestimate the value of freebies, like orienting your home to work with passive solar gain. Consider your home an investment and try to use materials that are sustainable and going to last.
Beyond the boost for your conscience, building green can also be a practical decision that can save you money and increase the value of your home.