All I want for Christmas is Windows!

I was waiting to post until after all the windows were in, housewrap was up, and the roof was finished,
but as it feels like that is NEVER going to happen, here are a few pictures to tide you over!

With Tyvek housewrap installed and cement board siding creeping up one side, 

the front of the house is starting to show promise::

but the back of the house is another story . . .

HVAC is installed, though not running yet. Plumbing & electric are both currently being roughed-in.

 our piano will live in this bay window:

and our Christmas tree will go in front of these windows . . . next year.

LEED for Homes in a Nutshell

LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is an internationally recognized green building program.:

LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based, market­-driven program that provides third-party verification of green buildings. From individual buildings and homes, to entire neighborhoods and communities, LEED is transforming the way built environments are designed, constructed, and operated. Participation in the voluntary LEED process demonstrates leadership, innovation, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. LEED provides building owners and operators the tools they need to immediately impact their building’s performance and bottom line, while providing healthy indoor spaces for a building’s occupants.1

The LEED system is divided into several different subcategories called Rating Systems. Each Rating System is geared towards the unique needs of a project or building type.  In our case LEED for Homes was the obvious choice.  The rating system is really a checklist of credits which are opportunities and directions  for achieving certification. Other than the prerequisites and minimum point thresholds in certain areas, it is really a choose-your-own-adventure type system with projects earning various points for fulfilling credit requirements.  

In total there are 18 prerequisites and 67 credits available. I will go into greater depth into the credits our Burns project pursued in future posts, but for now, here is an overview of the eight credit categories:

1. Innovation & Design (ID) Process.Special design methods, unique regional credits, measures not currently addressed in the Rating System, and exemplary performance levels. 

2. Location & Linkages (LL). The placement of homes in socially and environmentally responsible ways in relation to the larger community. 

3. Sustainable Sites (SS). The use of the entire property so as to minimize the project’s impact on the site. 

4. Water Efficiency (WE). Water conservation practices, both indoor and outdoor. 

5. Energy & Atmosphere (EA). Energy efficiency, particularly in the building envelope and heating and cooling design 

6. Materials & Resources (MR). Efficient utilization of materials, selection of environmentally preferable materials, and minimization of waste during construction. 

7. Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ). Improvement of indoor air quality by reducing the creation of and exposure to pollutants. 

8. Awareness & Education (AE). The education of homeowner, tenant, or multifamily building manager about the operations and maintenance of the green features of a LEED Home.2

Pending the points total, projects can achieve various levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum.  In the city of Cincinnati, projects that achieve LEED certification are eligible for a real estate tax abatement:  Since our Burns house is not in the city limits, we do not get any of these financial benefits, but are nonetheless proud of our anticipated achievement. Stay tuned for updates on our LEED progress, and for more information check out the video and link below!

https://new.usgbc.org/leed/rating-systems/homes

***

1 https://new.usgbc.org/leed

2  LEED for Homes Reference Guide 2010 

It has to get worse before it gets better . . .

With renovation projects it often has to get worse before it gets better, and this house is definitely no exception! Though we still have people asking us everyday why we would want to get into this, Brian and I are thoroughly excited with the progress and potential!

 Since construction has begun, I had to get my sign up!

Roofing has started,

And surprise! (not really) We discovered that our box gutters were pretty much gone.

along with some of the walls behind them! yikes!

so we are having them rebuilt all from scratch.

We have begun to tear down the old vinyl to prep for our new cement board siding.

No, the old red clapboard below was not salvageable.

Since the house was built way before plywood existed, the exterior wall and roof sheathing is actually large solid wood boards, some of them over 16" wide.

attic sheathing 

The geothermal wells have been dug.

What a mess! But we will appreciate it when we get our reduced utility bills!

The new openings in the living & dining rooms have been framed, and HVAC ductwork has been installed.

as well as the framing for our new master bath:

and attic family room. Can you picture the pool table here? We can!

Full geothermal and HVAC post coming soon for those of you interested in the technical / mechanical details.

Demolition Derby!

Our 4' x 8' front door - one of the only things we are keeping in the house!

The front staircase is also a keeper!

and it actually leads to the 2nd floor now!

future living room:

future dining room:

what not to do to a bearing wall:

or to floor joists. Yikes!

the future kitchen:

porch full o scrap

future master bedroom:

Jonah's future bedroom:

Isaac's future bedroom:

2nd floor hallway

future family room:

future office:

3rd floor bathroom:

 

moonshine anyone?

A very big Thank You goes to the Building Value demo crew for all their hard work salvaging our gigantic wood trim for reuse, and especially for removing 5 dumpsters full of plaster, lath, and mummified squirrels.

Building Value is a nonprofit social enterprise that salvages reusable materials for sale to the public. Their efforts help the environment, reduce the cost of disposal, and give architectural gems a second life. They are a subsidiary of the Easter Seals and are an all around super organization. 

If you are interested in their deconstruction services or their architectural resale store, please check out their website here: http://www.buildingvalue.org/

Burns aka "The Crappy House" Before Pictures

So you can see where we started!

The lovely exterior:

The gigantic foyer with the stairway to nowhere 

since it was conveniently closed off at the top.

living room with its lovely drop ceiling:

dining room:

sadly we couldn't save the carpet.

first floor kitchen:

there where 4 total but this is where our new one will go as well.

scary powder room:

future master bedroom:

future master bathroom & walk in closet 

(oh how i have missed a walk in closet!)

2nd floor kitchen aka Isaac's future bedroom:

Jonah's future bedroom:

kids' bathroom:

actually kinda liked the wallpaper

the 3rd floor bedrooms: 

to be combined as our future family room

3rd floor kitchen also known as my future office:

3rd floor bathroom:

Sorry, no before shots of the basement. It was too scary and smelly to even take pics!