When you think of green building, you probably think of solar panels atop a roof, or walls made of straw bales. The home of Rebecca Vidra and Aaron Moody doesn't look "green."
A green house isn't about the "expensive, fancy, showy things on the roof" but rather the "low-cost, technical stuff," says builder Michael Chandler. Emphasis: low cost.
Vidra and Moody are professors of environmental conservation at Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill, respectively. For their green dream home, they went to Chandler and Beth Williams of Chandler Design-Build in Chapel Hill -- not just for environmental reasons, but also for aesthetics.
"That was a big draw for my husband and [me]," Vidra says, "that they used natural materials" such as wood, stone and tile. "We really liked the type of house [Chandler] was building and his green ethic," she adds.
The Vidra-Moody house cost slightly less than $350,000. Set on 10 acres of land near Chapel Hill, it is designed for a family of four -- Vidra and Moody and their two daughters. At 2,265 square feet, the three-bedroom, three-bath home is a bit smaller than the average new house. But what the house might lack in size, it makes up for in efficiency.
The house uses air tightening and insulation, combined with a more conventional heating system, to achieve energy efficiency. A solar water heater on the roof can cost $4,500, whereas dramatically improving insulation can cost less than one-third that. And insulation, unlike roof-mounted panels, isn't susceptible to costly storm and freeze damage.
"Bang for the buck" is a phrase Chandler uses quite a bit when discussing design strategies.
Close scrutiny of the green Vidra-Moody house -- which was the runner-up for the custom home of the year title in the 2006 National Green Builders Awards -- reveals some of its cost- and energy-saving measures.
Show us the savings
Southern Energy Management, an independent company that verifies home energy efficiency, estimates that the total energy cost per year for this house will be $1,584. That includes heating, cooling, water heat, lights, appliances and service charges. The house was found to be 49 percent more efficient than code, Chandler says, adding that the accomplishment was achieved "without using anything esoteric like straw bales or solar panels."
You don't have to rebuild to have a green home. You can renovate an existing home to make it greener.
"You could do a sealed or tented crawlspace on an [existing] house fairly easily," Chandler says. The recirculating hot water can be installed in any bathroom, requiring only a pump and check valve. It won't be quite as efficient as a three-pipe system, but it is inexpensive.
One of the easiest ways to a greener home only costs the price of a canister of Roundup. "Kill your lawn and grow more native plants," Chandler says.
"Ka-ching!"
For Vidra, the only downside of their home is that it's difficult to hear the local wildlife. There are great horned owls and barred owls in the surrounding woods, but the home's insulation also provides soundproofing.
"I really wanted to hear the owls!" Vidra says. But that's the only flaw in a house the couple considers "beautiful."
Features that make this house so green
LANDSCAPING - Existing trees were preserved on all sides of the house. Using native plants instead of a conventional lawn saves water and energy.
RADIANT FLOORING - Water circulating in pipes beneath the living and dining room floors redistribute heat from the sun. The circulator motor runs round the clock, but draws power comparable to a small light bulb.
WINDOWS GALORE - Low-E Squared, argon-filled glass blocks ultraviolet and infrared rays in summer, keeping cooling costs down. The windows reflect heat back into the room in winter. Numerous windows help connect the house with the surrounding forest.
SOAPSTONE COUNTERTOPS - Soapstone is a natural material, unlike Corian or Formica. Approximately half of the countertops were bought as industrial salvage, saving money and preventing that material from ending up in a landfill. The smaller salvage pieces were used, by careful cutting, in the vanities and fireplace.
WATER EFFICIENCY - All toilets, sinks and showers are water-efficient models.
RECIRCULATING HOT WATER - The water in the bathroom stays hot, so there is no water wasted waiting for it to warm up. The system consists of two pumps ($130 each) and a check valve ($70) and an additional pipe connecting back to the water heater.
TENTED CRAWLSPACE - A modification of the more common sealed crawlspace, this creates an area in the crawlspace that's vented through the roof, keeping the air under the house dry and contained. This reduces humidity under the house, which in turn reduces mold and mildew and allows the air conditioner to operate more efficiently.
MULTI-USE ROOM - This room combines the functions of a mudroom, laundry room and computer/homework center. This efficient use of space reduces the overall size of house and gives savings in materials and energy. It also acts as a sound lock between master bedroom and rest of house.
GREEN LIVING - 'The green features make living in the house more convenient and really comfortable,' says Rebecca Vidra, right, of the home she shares with her husband, Aaron Moody, and two children, including daughter Lily, in Chapel Hill. Michael Chandler, left, of Chandler Design-Build, built the house.
FLOORING MATERIAL - The floors are sustainably harvested white oak from Tennessee. There are no added glues, and the wood is kiln-dried in a dehumidification (low energy) kiln. The 'embodied energy content' of the material is thus lower than other flooring materials.
ADVANCED FRAMING -The walls are thicker, using 2-by-6 instead of 2-by-4 lumber; however, the advanced framing technique uses less lumber overall, and allows more room in the walls for insulation.
FORMALDEHYDE-FREE INSULATION - More than standard amounts are used: in the ceiling, R38 instead of R30, and R19 is used in the walls. Walls are 6 inches thick in the Vidra-Moody house. In a typical house, walls are 4 inches thick and insulated with R13 fiberglass insulation. Higher R values mean more resistance to the transfer of heat into or out of the house.
AIR TIGHTENING - All Tyvek seams are taped, and the house is sealed with inexpensive plastic ($36) under the bottom plate and foam tape ($30) on the top plates.
