LEED Residence
LEED for Homes is the rating system designed by the U.S. Green Building Council to establish a standard for what constitutes a "Green Building". The system is organized to facilitate inclusion of a single unit home builder to a full design team and tract builder, thus bringing high-efficiency green homes to the entire home market. Click here to learn more about LEED homes and the rating system, or visit the USGBC web site by clicking on this link: www.usgbc.org.
The owner of this new five bedroom home fully embraced the ethos of the LEED process when, due to health and safety reasons, they decided to demolish and replace an existing structure with a new energy efficient home of a similar character and style. It is anticipated the new home will achieve LEED Platinum certification. The project began with a meeting of members of the Design Team to agree on an overall LEED standard to aim for and some realistic goals within that standard. The design of the new home, utilizing the footprint of the existing structure and some additional space followed, while the existing structure was dismantled and recycled, attaining a recycle rate between 95%-100% depending on the materials and components, with virtually no debris going into landfill.
This is the original cottage prior to demolition
Different views of the house during construction
Utilize lumber from any tree clearing deemed necessary
To a large degree, all of the above were met, with the exception of on site power generation, which was allowed for in the infrastructure so that it could be incorporated at a later date. The standards obtained while carrying out the LEED process also produced an Energy Star compliant home, scoring significantly lower on the HERS score than required by Energy Star, and qualifying for several federal, local and utility company rebates and incentives.
To learn more about this home and the LEED program, Energy Star,and HERS process, CLICK HERE
In conjunction with the desire to create a new family retreat, the owner was very enthusiastic about building an energy and material efficient home and brought a wish list which included some of the following:
Obtain as close as was practical, a zero-carbon footprint
Reduce or eliminate use of PVC products
Utilize FSC lumber wherever possible
Set a high standard or goal for the LEED for Homes rating
To the extent possible, provide on-site power generation to satisfy the house demands
Build a home with a very high standard for indoor air quality, low VOC and high filtration capabilities