Back then, the Sheeleighs’ team (general contractor Greg Porraro, architects, and landscape architect) explained in detail the plans to bring this LEED-certified project to fruition, but when I visited the job site in early May, I really got to see the LEEDs work edicts and ethics in action.
The house was almost completely framed, and the job site was nearly debris free. There were no piles of scrap lumber lying around in heaps, no empty packaging tossed aside to be handled “later.”
So careful was Porraro about ensuring the work site rules be clear for the craftsmen who are working on the project that he spelled it all out—in writing, so there would be no misunderstandings. Porraro’s instructions include info such as where crews should park and off load supplies (in the temporary lot provided), how the site’s cleanliness should be maintained (broom swept daily), and how to dispose of waste, including beverage and meal containers, and cigarette butts (remove everything you bring).
At the site, a temporary gravel road, fashioned to the left of the home, leads to a small lot where workers park their trucks and a single container for scrap waits half empty. “So far, we’ve removed one container of 100 percent recyclable waste—nothing from it will go into a landfill,” says Porraro. To a home-building novice (like me) that might not sound astounding, however, as I made my way to Sycamore Farms, I noted another house in progress nearby. It had two huge dumpsters brimming over. Porraro says it’s not unusual for houses this size—6,700 square feet—to create 15 or more containers of waste.
Going from the typical overflowing waste to zero requires a little ingenuity and willingness, says Porraro. He’s made a point of hiring craftsmen who are not just amenable to new ways of doing things, but eager to learn. Along the way, Porraro also offered a little incentive to the framing crew: use no more than the 30 yard container for all the scrap, and a lobster and steak lunch cooked on site by him would be theirs. A little extra nudge in the right direction never hurt.
Along with keeping a nearly pristine work site, innovative practices that reinforce good building and comply with the LEEDs requirements are employed. Porraro points out a few:
• Two stud corner design, which allows insulation to reach all the way to the end of the wall (conventional design leaves a gap where air can seep in)
• All exterior walls are caulked with low-VOC sealant at shoe plate and at the two top plates
• Wood forms used to shape the concrete for the foundation are being reused as headers over each window and door
• Thermal breaks made using 2-inch, high-density pyre foam board are installed on the outside walls of all the fireplaces to prevent heat loss
• Outside-air kits are used in the fireplaces to feed the fire without compromising the indoor air
• Silt fencing encloses the site to prevent soil erosion
• A sealant called Tuff-n-Dri was applied to the foundation to block moisture and add insulation
Coming up: Duct work and plumbing
Click here to read the next installment in the LEEDs project series.
Click here to read the first installment in the LEEDs project series.