Bring on the sunshine!

Solar panels are great investments in a sunny areas such as Solana Beach. San Diego County Solar just installed a south-facing 9.53 kW PV system that will annually produce an estimated 16,266 kWh. According to the Title 24 energy usage calculations, this production will offset more than 60% of the home's estimated annual energy usage, which has earned the project 10/10 LEED points in the Energy & Atmosphere category.

FSC Certification for Teak Flooring

Poor forestry practices continue to degrade many tropical rain forests, resulting in significant climate change impacts as well as irreversible harm to biological diversity. Certification by the Forest stewardship Council (FSC) is a seal of approval awarded to forest managers who adopt environmentally and socially responsible forest management practices.

At the Sumer Residence, the floors are going to be teak, a tropical wood imported from Indonesia. The supplier is a reclaimed teak company that manufactures beautiful products made of FSC Certified recycled teak.

Below is an FSC compliance sticker on the floorboards. The supplier will also provide a Chain of Custody certificate, which is an information trail about the path taken by products from the forest or, in the case of recycled materials, from the reclamation site to the consumer including each stage of processing, transformation, manufacturing, and distribution where progress to the next stage of the supply chain involves a change of ownership.

LEED Public Awareness

Creating public awareness of the features and benefits of a LEED project is an integral part of the LEED for Homes process. It invites the public to learn more about the residential green building movement and possibly to make positive changes in their homes or workplaces.

In the Awareness & Education category, we will achieve 1 point for Public Awareness by choosing to complete at least 3 out of the 4 options:

• Publish a website that provides detailed information about features and benefits of a LEED home. (You're reading it now!)
• Display LEED for Homes signage. (Check out the sign below)
• Generate a newspaper article for LEED for Homes (Please check back in closer to final)
• Hold a public open house or participate in a green building exhibition or tour (We will see!)

Here is our LEED for Homes signage:

Sustainability in Design

Renderings of the modern, beachside Sumer Residence arrived from Swell Property today:

A walkway of permeable pavers leads to the entrance of the house

Large windows will allow for natural light to pour into the living room

The backyard is laid with permeable pavers and drought-tolerant seagrass

Mid-Construction LEED Review

As you know, one of the most important aspects of LEED is the continual integration and discussion between Project Members throughout the project. Green Rater Bob Scott, LEED Consultant Katie Teare, Construction Supervisor Chris Kresge, and Landscape Architect Kristen Koehrn recently held a LEED Checklist review meeting to make sure we are still on schedule for the credits we are seeking, discussed any changes made to the plans, and decided how to best facilitate landscaping and site-sustainability credits.

A sunny, outdoor office for our roundtable meeting

Chris Kresge, Bob Scott, and Kristen Koehrn

A Jiffy Seal is placed between the concrete foundation and wood framing. This helps prevent pests from infiltrating the wood

The backyard will feature drought tolerant seagrass, permeable granite walkways, and native plantings. 

JumboTex vapor barrier applied before stucco for moisture prevention

The "Phase 2" compliance sticker is something you should look for on all cabinets and other composite-wood products you place in your home. Composite-woods often use formaldehyde-emitting resins to glue together, and the CARB Phase 2 label represents compliance with low-VOC emitting standards in California.

Envelope Sealing with JumboTex Vapor Barrier

The black layer you see is a JumboTex vapor barrier, engineered to protect against any moisture entering the wall system. Excessive moisture can cause serious problems within the building envelope such as mold and rot, and are much easier to deal with preemptively rather than in retrospect.

Today's Topic: Insulation

Insulation is an incredibly important factor in increasing a home's energy efficiency. Quality insulation keeps the heat inside during the winter and keeps it out during the summer, thus minimizing the energy needed for heating and cooling.

At the Sumer Residence, blown-in cellulose is currently being installed in the walls. It is primarily made of recycled materials, consisting of around 85% cardboard and paper, which far exceeds the required 20% recycled material to be listed as an Environmentally Preferable Product under LEED standards. Quality insulation also reduces noise pollution – a necessary feature of a home walking distance from the railroad. The cellulose is blown-in slightly damp into the walls around pipes and electrical lines, so that it surrounds and insulates components much more effectively than batt insulation would. Then it is sheared so the cellulose is flush with the studs, it dries, then drywall is placed over it to create the wall.

Insulation lies flush with studs and seams between windows and walls are caulked for increased insulation

Doug Williams, HERS Rater, inspects insulation installation and discusses with Construction Manager Alan Lafin