Introduction

Welcome to the Beagle Brook blog! Aspen Design Inc. is a custom home design/build company that focuses on design that appeals to the style and taste of our clients while maintaining a sustainable and green approach. We invite you to join us on the journey as we build the “Beagle Brook Farm” home, a passive solar structure in Northeast Ohio. The goal of this blog is to accomplish three things. First, we want to introduce our company and the service we provide to our readers. Second, we want to share our passion for building a more sustainable future, and third, we want your feedback. We look forward to reading your comments and questions, so please share them with us.


Wikipedia defines a passive solar building as one that aims to maintain interior thermal comfort throughout the sun’s daily and annual cycles while reducing the requirement for active heating and cooling systems. Our main objective in designing Beagle Brook was to produce a passive solar home with a thermally comfortable interior environment that expends minimal energy to support the mechanical heating and cooling systems. Healthy indoor air quality and reduced utility bills are important to the homeowners. Working with them, we determined that the direct gain system was the best approach for Beagle Brook. The main principles that are incorporated with the direct gain system are:

1) Allow maximum solar radiation to reach the interior during the colder months.

2) Shade the interior from solar radiation during the warmer months.

3) Use thermal mass to control and disperse the solar radiation, and

4) Design a well-insulated structure to control the different interior and exterior environments.

During our Beagle Brook journey, we will explain how these principles guided our design decisions and highlight some of the special details and features we are using to create a well-insulated structure.

Monday, May 24, 2010

First floor sub-floor installation


We have just finished installing the first floor framing over the crawlspace area. Our main goals for the detailing of the crawlspace dealt with keeping moisture out and conditioning the area from the cold considering both the ground temperature and air flow. The attached image is the detailing that we used to accomplish these goals. We have developed a moisture free foundation by placing a damp proofing membrane underneath the concrete slab that adheres 12" up the exterior stem walls. There is also a damp proofing membrane applied to the exterior of the concrete stem wall. This kind of system will assure that no water in either liquid or vapor form will penetrate the interior crawl space.

The insulation starts under the concrete slab and vapor barrier with 2" of rigid foam (we preferably use XPS and do not tape or seal the seams) and moves its way up the wall with 3-4" of closed cell spray foam.

The last details made ensure that the crawl space is air tight done by using adhesives and gaskets in the optimal air pentrating areas. All of these methods combined will provide for a clean and energy efficient crawl space for this home.
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