Old Home with New Life in Falls Church, VA
Project Location: City of Falls Church, VA
Certifications: LEED Silver, ENERGY STAR
Homeowners: Charles and Anjali Hansen
Everyday Green served as the HERS and LEED Green Raters for this gut rehab plus addition green home renovation.
About the Project
Located only a half-mile from the East Falls Church Metro stop, 1011 N. Tuckahoe Street is within walking distance of public transportation, shops and other conveniences. The home focuses heavily on reducing energy use. The six-bedroom project married the brickwork of the original 1946 colonial with new structural insulated panel (“SIP”) construction and features low-e argon windows, high efficiency lighting fixtures, and ENERGY STAR appliances.
Other green features include a geothermal heating and air-conditioning system, an underground rainwater cistern and low-flow plumbing fixtures. Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, cabinets and bamboo flooring have been used throughout the house.
Going for LEED
Charles and Anjali Hansen acted as the general contractors and took on much of the project oversight themselves. The family of 5 needed more space than the 2 bedroom home offered, and both professionals often work from home and designed two office spaces into their renovation project.
With a deep commitment to sustainability, they wanted to push themselves to meet LEED for Homes. ”What I love about LEED is it ensures a high building quality,” Hansen says, as contractors can’t cut corners when it comes to greening. “If you do LEED, you have to adhere to their standards.”
The Hansens began construction in the summer of 2008. Anjali was diligent about researching products and construction methods to meet LEED standards.
“You really have to investigate how they [product manufacturers] made your products,” Anjali said. The Hansens ultimately missed some LEED points during Everyday Green’s inspections because it turned out some of projects didn’t meet the LEED requirements.
Claims for efficiency and recycled content can be overstated and according to Anjali, “some claims of manufacturers didn’t pan out.”
How can other builders avoid this? Everyday Green has lists of materials for our project teams known to comply with LEED requirements. It’s important to investigate product materials beyond the headline and promises of green. If it’s recycled, what percentage? If it’s local, where do all the raw materials come from? A glossy pamphlet often isn’t enough.
Results
Over the summer of 2010 during the hottest weeks of summer, electric bills for this all electric home were actually LOWER than the utility bills of the home before the renovation, a home that was only 2 bedrooms and about 1/3 the size. Homeowners can track home utility usage and compare to neighbors with websites like Earth Aid.
