Passive Solar Home "Beagle Brook"

Interior Finishes

2010-11-19T21:13:00.002-05:00

There has been quite a bit of progress going on in the interior of the home. We have installed the kitchen minus the island (note: the kitchen cabinets where designed and built by our company) and have the concrete floor stained and finished. The trim around the windows and doors are being stained and the tile around the showers are being installed. All products that we use are environmentally friendly and have low to no VOC off gassing. We have filters and vacuum systems set up for sanding and hand vacuum the house daily in order to keep a dust free and clean air quality with in the home.

Exterior Finish

2010-11-19T21:01:00.004-05:00

Beagle Brook is well on its way in the finishing stages. We have started to installed all the trim, fascia and soffit material and are about half way complete with the siding material. We choose Azek for the trim and soffit material. This is a PVC composite and is has no need to be painted at all. It also has a high endurance to the weather so the durability is excellent. The siding is a combination of Hardy material ranging from horizontal shiplap siding to vertical board and batten on the gable ends. This siding was chosen for its durability and maintenance free life span. The siding and trim is all placed on 3/4" furring strips over the rigid foam which acts as the rain barrier so there is plenty of space for any water that penetrates the siding to run down the plane and exit out the bottom.

Finish Update

2010-10-22T21:23:00.003-04:00

Sorry for not posting anything in awhile. We have been working on the interior finishes and getting the kitchen cabinets built. The roof has been installed which is an asphalt comp. shingle and really makes the Azek trim pop out. Next week the siding should start to get up and the deck will be built along with that. On the interior the beams, posts and collar ties have been wrapped in knotty pine and stained dark to contrast the white ceiling and give weight to the soaring two story living space. We have been working inside quite a bit and on these cold fall days the passive design of this home has really been a blessing. We do not need lights or any heat source of any kind to work throughout the day. The insulation and airtightness of the building have kept the interior at a comfortable temperature without the use of mechanical equipment.

Exterior Trim

2010-09-27T08:22:00.003-04:00

On the exterior the next step in the process is to install all the trim around the windows, corners and fascia boards. We chose to use white Azek trim. This is a composite material that is impregnated with the color. This means it is virtually maintenance free and will never have to be painted.

Drywall Installation

2010-09-27T08:15:00.003-04:00

The drywall has all been hung and the interior of the home has taken its shape. In these pictures, through the jungle gym of scaffolding, you can see how open and airy the house will be when completed. All the exposed supports will be wrapped in reclaimed timber and give the house weight so the soaring ceiling ridge does not appear to rise too high.

Blown-In Insulation

2010-09-10T18:03:00.003-04:00

The insulators have finished the blown-in insulation and the house is looking, feeling and acting air-tight and quiet. We choose to use open cell foam and completely fill the entire stud and joist cavity throughout the upper two levels of the home giving us a tremendous air barrier and a combined R-Value with the exterior foam sheathing for the walls at R-25 and the ceiling at an R-45. Around the windows on the inside we have spray foamed closed cell foam and caulked all other opening The interior is now ready for dry wall installation. This will begin on Monday!

House Update

2010-08-30T14:53:00.004-04:00

Everything has been coming together nicely at Beagle Brook, we have built to lower roof the both protects and shades the first floor windows. The rear entry connector is built between the house and the existing barn and the furring strips for the siding are installed. We are prepping the inside so the spray foam application can begin and gearing up for the installation of the siding and roof finish material. Stay tuned for the finishes.

Interior Framing Update

2010-08-11T20:52:00.003-04:00

On the interior of the house we have been getting everything together so the spray foam contractors can come in and insulate the house. Rigid foam has been placed in all the headers and sealed with caulk around the edges. The rest of the interior framing has been built on top of the concrete floor. The oak stair way has been built and temporarily dropped into place. Along with the framing we have installed all the necessary blocking so that grab bars will be able to be installed throughout the master bathroom at a later date. This house has been designed to be not only passive solar, but also with the ideals of aging-in-place.

Exterior Wall Waterproofing

2010-08-11T20:37:00.002-04:00

To ensure blocking of all thermal breaks throughout the building and to gain additional R value in the walls we choose to use 1" XPS rigid foam on all the exterior walls. We used a combination of sheathing tape and grace ice and water shield to make a consistent drainage plane along the walls. We are then placing furring strips around the windows and doors and along all the studs to provide a gap between the sheathing plan and the siding. This gives any rain that enters through the siding a chance to freely run down the plane and out the base of the wall.

The exterior roof lines are visible

2010-07-28T16:27:00.003-04:00

With the completion of the second layer of roof sheathing the complete roof line shape is now visible. At the top ridge to overhang protrudes 36" from the framing and the gently tapers down the gambrel roof to 6". This gives a large sweeping gabled end that not only looks great aesthetically, but also helps shade the eastern and western faces as well as protects the upper portions of those walls from weather. The knee braces you see in the photos will support the lower roof and wrap the entire building. This roof will be placed after the windows and exterior wall rigid foam is installed.

Concrete Floor Pictures

2010-07-28T16:17:00.005-04:00

Here are a couple pictures of the interior concrete floor. It will be a few weeks before it has completely cured and the stain and finish can be applied. You can see the wood inlays that were placed before the pour the 2x material will be unscrewed and clear oak will be laid down to give the open floor plan a sense of organized room locations. In the photo to the right you can see how we exemplified the wood details with the necessary saw cuts. Now that the floor has been poured we can build the rest of the interior walls. We waited to build these so the floor would have continuity from the front the home (the south facing side) to the rear of the home (the north facing side). This will allow the heat gained from solar radiation to flow over the entire first floor.

Concrete Floor Installation

2010-07-25T15:23:00.003-04:00

It has been very busy over at the Beagle Brook site. The interior concrete floor has been poured and is now in the curing stages before the stain and sealer is applied. To prep the 3/4" sub-floor for the concrete we applied a water-based exterior sealer to the plywood and 1x6 board that surrounds the built walls. We then covered the floor and 1x6 with grace ice and water shield (a roofing material). This ensures that no moisture from the concrete goes down into the plywood and crawl space. There was then wire mess placed on the floor to create a solid bond and prevent unwanted cracks. We altered the concrete composition with less limestone and the addition of sand to create the lightweight design. The floor is rated at 46 pounds per square foot. The saw cuts in the floor were made on Friday (these are made to control the cracking in the concrete floor) and are strategically placed to complement the room layout and give added detail to the floor itself. The finish product looks great and is giving the clients a great sense of how their home is going to finish. The photo to the right is during the pour itself I will add finished photos of the floor this week.

Interior Update

2010-07-12T20:06:00.004-04:00

With the installation of the rigid foam on the roof area we have been able to comfortably work on the interior detailing while it is raining outside. We have been getting everything prepped and ready for the concrete floor to be poured. The plumbing, HVAC and mechanical contractors have been stubbing up everything so the concrete will get poured to it. We have been placing 1x6 around the walls for the concrete to be poured. The exterior walls have a line of sealant caulk applied to the sub-floor and bottom plate before the 1x6 to make an airtight seal to the out doors. We used 1x6 so there would still be exposed wood for the drywall to sit on so it will not suck up water from the concrete. We should be getting the floor started in the next week or so. Stay tuned the next thing on the agenda will be finishing the cold roof sandwich.

Framing Update

2010-07-12T19:59:00.003-04:00

We have installed all the exterior knee brace supports that will carry the lower roof. This roof was designed at a specific height and distance away from the building to allow maximum sunlight to enter during the winter months and block the high summer sun. The roof extends 3'-6" from the building and is elevated roughly 8'-6" from the finish floor height. This roof extends out on all four sides of the building blocking the east and west windows as well as the south facing ones. The knee braces will be left exposed to give visual interest to the exterior of the building.

Interior Views

2010-07-05T22:19:00.003-04:00

This is a nice interior view showing the exposed supports that will eventually be wrapped in reclaimed barn timber. This image is shot from the entry towards the great room and extra bedroom. (note: not all interior walls are built yet) These timbers will aesthetically play well with the concrete wall giving definition and strength to the interior barn like atmosphere. The height of the ceiling will also be played down with the installation of false collar ties made from reclaimed timber. The overall feel will be large and welcoming while laying softly on the land with a small building footprint.

Interior Views

2010-07-05T22:16:00.003-04:00

With all the exterior sheeting almost in place we can get a feel for what the interior is really going to look like. This is a photo from the front entrance looking towards where the open loft will be. The concrete mass has already been showing real promise as the interior of the building has been considerably cooler (by at least 10 degrees) on these recent extremely hot humid summer days.

Framing photos

2010-07-05T22:14:00.003-04:00

A closer look at the rear North facing roof with the rigid foam taped at all seams.

Framing photos

2010-07-05T22:13:00.002-04:00

A view looking from the street towards the East facing side of the home.

Framing photos

2010-07-05T22:10:00.001-04:00

In the next few posts you will see some updated framing photos of "Beagle Brook" as you can see we have started to install the 2" rigid foam on the roof that is taped and sealed at all the seams.

2010-06-25T22:21:00.002-04:00

Here is a cross section detail of the cold roof system referred to in the previous post is going to lay out. The intent of this kind of roof is to keep all the heat in your house from escaping through your roof. The interior of Beagle Brook will be left open to the ridge so the rafters are the defense from heat passing through. We framed with 2x10 roof rafters at 24" o.c. (for more cavity space and less wood) whose cavities will be filled with open cell spray foam yielding a plus 30 R value. There is 3/4" plywood sheeting attached to the rafters for structural support and building continuity. We will then form our drainage plane, take care of all the thermal breaks from our rafters and add more insulation with 2" rigid foam taped and sealed at the seams. On top of the rigid foam we will place flat lying 2x4's perpendicular to the rafters to form an air gap that will be vented from our under soffit vents to the ridge vent. Another layer of 1/2" plywood sheeting will be installed as well as the building felt, ice and water shield and the metal roof system. This will provide a roof that will keep the heat in during the winter cold months and the cold out and during the hot summer months keep the cool air in and the hot solar radiation out.

The Shape is Starting to Emerge

2010-06-18T07:09:00.000-04:00

We got the ridge beam and purlin beam up and in place and the roof rafters are starting to be rolled out. The shape of the home is starting to emerge. With my next post I will discuss how we are going to detail the roof and produce what is called a cold roof system where the venting of the roof happens above the insulation creating a completely air tight lid for the home.

Framing Photos

2010-06-14T20:36:00.002-04:00

Here is a photo looking from the driveway towards the front of the house (the southern facade). As I said in the previous post about cleanliness in our company, you can see how clean the surrounding area of the exterior of the home is. We believe that altering the surrounding environment as little as possible will make for a healthier environment down the road for the home owners.

Clean and Healthy Home

2010-06-14T20:24:00.002-04:00

At Aspen Design we believe that a clean home is a healthy home and that this process starts from the beginning of the building process. Our company recycles all allowable building material and we do not allow smoking on the job site. We develop a recycling system for each project depending on the county and maintain a debris free work zone each day. For this project we built our own garbage bins and do not have any kind of dumpster on site. We separate the different kinds of building debris and bring them to the proper recycling centers weekly. The interior of the home is also swept or vacuumed daily in order to keep the dust from collecting and being built into the homes interior.

Framing Photos

2010-06-14T20:21:00.002-04:00

Here is another photograph showing the dormer wall and catwalk positioned along the southern wall. You can also see the openings in the second floor that will allow the solar radiation down to the concrete wall and concrete floor areas.

Framing Update

2010-06-14T20:13:00.002-04:00

We have been working on framing the second floor walls and will soon move on to the roof rafters. This attached photograph is looking from the concrete wall upwards towards the south facing dormer. As you can see mostly all of the dormer wall will be glazing which will allow maximum winter solar radiation to enter. You can also see the cat walk we built in front of these windows, which is accessible from the second floor loft area. This cat walk will provide an easy and safe access for the home owners to open and close these windows for natural ventilation purposes during the summer time.

2010-06-07T20:00:00.002-04:00

Here is a detail of the wall to floor connections with the attached exterior sheeting. We have sealed up the air gaps with a building adhesive that blocks any air or water vapor leakage through the buildings shell. As the construction proceeds we will develop our drainage plane on the exterior with rigid foam in order to increase our wall 'R' value as well as make for a more durable weather proof building than the typical Tyvek house wrap.

Second Floor Framing Joists

2010-06-03T19:27:00.001-04:00

We have placed the exterior sheeting around the house to make it more stable and keep everything plumb and square. After this the floor joists have begun to roll out and we will soon be building the second floor walls. In the next post I will explain how we have dealt with the rim joist and sheeting connection to prevent air and vapor leakage.

First floor framing

2010-06-01T07:32:00.004-04:00

We have almost completed the first floor walls in order to start the second floor framing. We are only building the exterior and interior bearing walls for the first floor now so that when we pour the lightweight concrete floor it will be continuous throughout the home. This will allow the heat to penetrate the north facing bedrooms. We will pour this floor later in the building process so we do not have to work on it as much. Throughout the framing process we will be using 2X6 studs at 24" on center and some advanced framing techniques. These framing techniques will allow us to place the most insulation within the walls as possible.

First floor sub-floor installation

2010-05-24T20:32:00.005-04:00

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.

The Floor Supports are Installed

2010-05-10T21:47:00.002-04:00

With the great weather we have had recently we got the crawl space concrete floor poured and the structural steel beams installed. In the previous posts picture you can see the 2 inch rigid foam that is installed to go under the concrete floor for the crawl space. Between the foam and the concrete we placed a damproofing material to control watervapor form infiltrating through the concrete floor. This detail will insure a thermally efficient and durable floor system for the crawl space of the home.

Interior Thermal Mass

2010-05-07T08:12:00.002-04:00

This week is coming to conclusion and we have the interior concrete wall up and braced. This will be the main thermal mass material in the home. It is orientated directly south and will receive full sun light during the winter months. The concrete wall is 6" thick, 12'-0" wide and soars 12'-0" off the first finished floor. This element will not only be the main thermal mass, but will also be the focal point of the main entry to the house and the public living spaces. The concrete wall is located in the center of the home so it will radiate the heat efficiently throughout the entire home producing a consistent thermal comfort in all the rooms. This will also attract the solar radiation that enters in the summer and will be able to collect this heat and release it later in the evening as a night flushing system.

Perimeter Foundation

2010-05-05T18:54:00.004-04:00

The perimeter foundation wall is made of concrete block on top a 20" wide footer. The footer has a layer of ice and water shield on top overhanging the edges by a few inches. This is done to protect the footer from exposed water damage. The concrete block is protected on the outside with a layer of damp proofing followed by a layer of tar that goes to the finish grade line. This detailing ensures that the crawlspace will be dry and keep the concrete in great condition over its lifespan.

Recycled Lumber

2010-05-05T18:46:00.002-04:00

Some of the stacks of lumber that was reclaimed from the existing home and will be used in the new home.

2010-05-02T17:18:00.000-04:00

These are different solar studies performed to determine the correct overhang distance to receive the winter sun and block the summer sun. As you can see during the winter months the South facade allows full solar penetration to the interior flooding both the central concrete wall and the concrete floor on the first floor. Then with the help of removable shade structures and overhangs the solar radiation and penetration is blocked from entering the interior during the summer months.

Proposed residence

2010-04-29T17:44:00.000-04:00

Our Beagle Brook journey began in the Summer of 2009 when we met our clients at their recently purchased property. Their three acre lot is rectangular and traversed by a small creek. There was an existing house and detached barn on the site. From the initial meeting it was clear that the owners wanted to build a new living structure but preserve the barn. They had the house cleared from the property salvaging as much useable material as possible to incorporate into the new house. Materials that could not be salvaged were recycled. Aspen Design worked closely with the clients to design a 2,300 square foot residence that emulates the gambrel roof lines of the existing barn. We positioned the home to face directly south and closer to the existing barn than the former house. Approximately 55% of all glazing is on the south façade which allows the house to receive as much sunlight and solar radiation as possible during the winter. A 3’ 6” lower roof overhang around the entire house serves to block the high sun during the summer months. We designed removable shade devices and awnings for the upper windows. The interior of the home has a loft-like open floor plan that allows the sun to penetrate the entire structure. A central concrete wall will receive full sunlight throughout the day and will function as a thermal mass along with the concrete floor throughout the first level. Beagle Brook will both receive and block solar radiation when needed. Its design will also allow it to store the radiation to use later.

Existing lot and structures

2010-04-28T08:10:00.000-04:00

This is a photo of the existing lot and buildings when the clients purchased the property. This photo is looking from the main street towards the house and barn.