Scale and Context

Some of my followers are probably wondering why I have been so slow / reluctant to post about the mechanical systems I have installed in the Sustainable House. There is a simple answer. I wanted to test all aspects of the systems over the course of six months – that includes the dead of winter and the heat of summer (at least as we know it in Newfoundland). Commissioning the equipment also took time, as there have been various bugs (typical) that have been addressed proactively by my mechanical and instrumentation crews.

There are two overall systems: one for heating and one for ventilation.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part XVII: Mechanical (for Dummies)”

I thought it would be best to play a bit of blog catch-up while I have the time – plus the fact that it is -15°C outside and the hounds simply aren’t much bothered with a walk. But as far as living in the Sustainable House goes, it’s 23°C here in the Living Space and there is no heat on. Let that sink in for a moment.

There is a lot of glass on the south face. I refuse to install any kind of window treatments, but admittedly, in the winter, I have to move around in the space a bit to avoid being blinded by the sun pouring in. I am writing from the dining room table at the moment.

Remember: I don’t have to deal with this in the summer. The roof overhangs on the south side prevent direct sunshine from getting further than the patio door thresholds. And I have “free” air conditioning. (More on that in the next posting when I talk about mechanical systems.)

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part XVI: Electrical Things”

First of all, an apology to my readers! I have not posted in over six months and the reasons for this are varied. I have always promised to share my experiences with respect to services (water and sewer, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, etc.) because that is the fourth leg of the Sustainable House – after orientation, insulation and air tightness. Without it, the sustainable table is not just wobbly, it simply isn’t anything you can sit down to.

I attempted to write about services a number of times, but as the project neared completion, I realized that it was pointless for me to share the experience with you until everything was working according to plan and until I personally gained competence as an operator. There were a number of setbacks in commissioning, which is a fancy word in the construction industry for starting up stuff to see if it works according to specification. It’s also fair to say that my mechanical sub-contractor had never been exposed to some of the equipment that was proposed.

My wife and I moved into the house just after Christmas of 2022. We had a mild January to work out all the kinks, followed by the coldest February in fifty years to put things to the test.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part XV: Water & Sewer Services”

In my last post about insulation I indicated that AeroBarrier® technology would be employed to further improve upon the “tightness” of the construction. My friend Steve Thorne at Transfer Energy is the local representative and I recently indicated to him that the exterior envelope was all but complete. He visited the site on a lovely June day, and we were both excited at the prospect of where this sustainable house was situated on the air tightness spectrum.

Air tightness, for me, is one of the four pillars of sustainable construction – along with orientation, insulation, and state-of-the-art mechanical ventilation. It can be however, the most elusive! For despite all the care and attention given to both design and construction, the potential for an unforeseen (leaky) condition always exists. And I think that I may have to acknowledge here at the outset, that the more complex your architectural form is, the greater the likelihood you will encounter air leakage problems.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part XIV: How Tight is it?”

In this post I want to talk to you about insulation (and air/vapour barriers). This is perhaps the most important information you will get from me in this series regarding sustainable design and construction. And it won’t be because of type or methodology. It will be because of the AMOUNT.

I used Passive House guidelines for insulation levels in Climate Zone 6 (where I am). As you already know, the foundations and floor slab have been insulated quite significantly with R34 and R25 respectively using Expanded Polystyrene. Now that the shell is up and weather-enclosed, it’s time to insulate the walls and roof decks.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part XIII: Insulation”

This post about slab-on-grade installation will followed up with a discussion about watching paint dry.

Kidding!

Somehow, a great number of my followers find all this to be a rather fascinating glimpse into construction processes that they are familiar with but have never witnessed in detail. So here we go on a little excursion that I do not hesitate to describe as potentially nightmarish if not for quality tradespeople who know what they’re doing!

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part XII: Floor Construction (or Fun with Concrete)”

This post has been a long time coming. It tends to correlate rather well with my window and door saga. The Passive House Certified / triple glazed units took 22 weeks from order to delivery. Let this serve as fair warning. Almost a year later, and I am still missing parts required for the patio door installations. Patience required…

My windows and doors are aluminum reinforced poly-vinyl chloride (PVC-U). The “U” means the constituent material is unplasticized, which, in short, makes for superior weathering, enhanced ability to withstand thermal cycling, and greater overall strength. These windows are made in Germany.

Insert all manner of whining and aspersions here.

There are similar windows made in Canada, but none of the manufacturers I contacted (all in BC) were interested in shipping to Newfoundland/Labrador except for one manufacturer that made fibreglass units (by far my preferred) but my budget could not tolerate the 30% additional cost.

So, nimm mein geld deutschland, here we go.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part XI: Windows (and Doors)”

My last post examined concepts in roofing. In this post, I’m going to talk about what we are doing to finish the exterior walls. We will focus on what is being done to keep the elements out (or how we seal the envelope) together with the “look” of the house. I’m also going to introduce you to a few new products. Again, my aim is to elucidate and inspire (and possibly entertain). I have no wish to bog you down with a lot of highly technical ammunition that you may never need to go into battle with.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part X: Exterior Finishes (Rainscreen Principle)”

Just prior to the Christmas break, the crew was fortunate enough to get the plywood roof decks down. Progress, for January month, remained steady. The weather has been a blessing.

We had a late start last summer because my contractor had previous commitments. This wasn’t a serious problem in my view, as I knew that once he got going he would be dedicated to the project, and quite frankly, I was in no great rush. I had only one burning concern: that the roof membrane would be put on in the middle of the winter.

But here we were in January, and the crew were pushing to get the place watertight…

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part IX: Roof Membranes and Related Ramblings About Boxes”

When last we spoke I was waiting for the wind to stop so that the contractor’s crew could get the roof trusses installed on the high roof. Well one morning very recently the wind actually stopped howling for a few hours. Send for the boom truck – PDQ!

The window was brief, but is was just what was needed. The forty foot (plus) long trusses were craned into place one by one and by lunchtime they were all secured.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part VIII: A Roof Over Your Head”