The Greened House Effect

When the guys started arriving for work in the morning wearing winter hats and gloves, I had to reassure myself that things were really on track.  Yes, the nights were cold enough for frost now.  Yes, my coffee cup steamed a bit more when I stepped outside.  Yes, the days were becoming alarmingly short . . . but we’re making progress, right?  We’ll have a full roof by the time it snows . . . right?

Once the work began each day, though, it was easy to push all of that out of my mind.  That’s one of the benefits of having way too much to do – you simply don’t have time to sit and contemplate your navel.  Or obsess about the impending winter.

Pro Via Arrives!

This Monday, the beginning of the seventh week of our Deep Energy Retrofit, began at a run.  Not ten minutes after the Stalwart crew arrived and hit the roof, the Pro Via van arrived with Conrad at the helm to install our new doors.  Conrad brought his Dad along to help, and they didn’t waste a minute getting started.  They installed the three new doors on the addition in short order, before moving on to the front entry door after lunch.

Above: Jeff & Conrad confer on the new entry door sill . . .

Below: Conrad installs the new Pro Via Signet entry door.

I wasn’t prepared for the change in the front of the house that the new door would make.  It’s absolutely stunning.  The door we chose is from Pro Via’s new Signet line of insulated fiberglass doors.  You honestly can’t tell that the cherry-finish isn’t real cherry wood, it’s so convincing.  We also decided to include an oval stained-glass window in the middle of the door from Pro Via’s Inspirations Art Glass line.  The blue & green hues of the Inspirations Art Glass are a perfect complement to the rich cherry color of the wood.  When Conrad finished with the Signet front entry door, Matt from Stalwart, who had been working on the EcoStar roof, stood back and commented that he could begin to see how it was all going to come together.

It's all coming together - the new Pro Via entry door and the EcoStar roof . . .

All of that beauty in an extremely energy efficient package – not only is the insulated fiberglass door super tight, but the triple-pane, krypton-gas filled glass is also second-to-none.  The changes this door makes are positive, all the way around.

Above: Roof work continues as Stalwart installs more EcoStar faux slate tile . . .

Below: Donuts -- Vital Sustenance or the Food of the Gods? You decide . . .

While Conrad & his Dad were installing the new doors, Stalwart construction was hard at work continuing the EcoStar roofing install.  They were making great progress, and hit the ridge by the end of the week.  Every course of EcoStar tiles made me feel a little better about living beneath that roof, and not a day went by that someone didn’t stop and ask about our “slate” roof.  I always had to tell them that it’s not real slate, but actually an 80% recycled rubber “faux” slate, which is much lighter, more resilient to hail damage, and more fire resistant.  That, and it installs with roofing nails and a pneumatic nailer – much easier than traditional slate.

Above: Up on the Roof with the EcoStar install . . .

Below: Out with the old . . .

My work consisted of a laundry list of tasks.  First, I prepped the bay windows for next week’s removal and replacement.  I was glad to be taking off the old, rotted trim, and hoped that the new windows, so carefully measured by Pro Via, would fit well.  With an old house, you can never tell until you actually get down to the installation.

Above: Jeff installs FoamItGreen spray foam insulation to the interior of the garage

Below: Exterior curtain wall installation begins with stud installation . . .

I also took the time to apply the FoamItGreen spray foam to the interior of the garage/workshop.  The plan for FoamItGreen in the addition is to spray 2 ½” – 3” on the back side of the exterior sheathing, and then cover the spray foam with R-13 fiberglass batt insulation, giving us, roughly, an R-30 air-sealed wall.

Then I launched into the actual curtain-wall retrofit on the big, west side of the house.  This is another of my “do-it-yourself” projects.  I’ll be applying the exterior studs, spraying the FoamItGreen spray foam insulation, installing the OSB sheathing and house-wrap on my own, with help from my videographer-wife, Sherri.  It seemed like it would be another journey of a million steps within our Deep Energy Retrofit saga, and I was taking, once again, the first few steps.

Keep an eye here for updates, and check back often.  We’ll see you next time here on the Greened House effect!