Green building means different things to different people. These days, everything from consciously built skyscrapers to tiny back-to-the-land cottages is being called “green.” And it can be very confusing. Therefore, when New Life Journal set out to showcase a few great green homes for this issue, the first thing we did was seek expert advice. To do that, we assembled the New Life Journal Green Home Experts Board, whom we then asked to review ten projects that had been nominated from various sources. Based on the board’s input, we selected the four homes you see here.

Because there are so many different definitions of green, we couldn’t possibly choose the “best” green homes in WNC. So, instead, we chose to showcase these four homes for their ability to stand out and for their strong commitment to green building. Each home is different from the others, but together they demonstrate the wide variety of green building options available to homeowners today.

This is where I come in. As a green building professional and board member, NLJ asked me to take a closer look at the featured homes and their many green attributes.

I was fortunate enough to speak with all of the homeowners and explore the following questions:

1. Construction impact: What was the impact on the local and global environment from the construction of the building?
2. Resource efficiency: How efficiently will the building use resources (fossil fuels, water and electricity) throughout its life?
3. Longevity: How long will the building last?
4. Indoor air quality: Does the building create healthy indoor air?
5. Beauty: What are the intangibles that make the building special?

How does it feel to be there?
Westwood Co-housing

“It is clear that we are up against serious issues with ecosystems, climate, energy, pollution and human population, but you and I do have a choice. We can deny the state of our world, or we can educate ourselves and respond by finding ways to make a difference in our own communities.”—Bill Fleming, one of Westwood’s founders
Green building abounds at Westwood. It’s a co-housing community nestled in the heart of West Asheville—quiet, convenient, energy-efficient living within a framework that makes partners of your neighbors. The only downside I see to Westwood is that it isn’t big enough to hold all of us.

Construction Impact:
Westwood was built on four acres that remained from an old farm cut into by residential development. At the time of its construction, Westwood was the first Planned Unit Development (PUD) in Asheville. A PUD zoning classification allows for the clustering of buildings with a commonly owned greenspace. This classification then makes it possible for integrated building and landscape planning that creates a markedly lower impact on the building site than the typical “box on a lot” subdivision. The project also conserved building materials because the dwellings themselves are small, ranging from 700 to 2,000 square feet. This savings was made possible in part by transferring infrequently used square footage, such as guest rooms and party space, to the common house.

Resource Efficiency:
Westwood’s common building was designed to be the central solar collector for the community. Liquid in an array of solar collectors mounted on its south-facing roof collects solar heat and transfers it to a storage tank in the basement. This heat is then moved through underground conduit to piping in the floor of each dwelling. The close clustering of the housing, air-tight construction, and excellent insulation allow this system to be very efficient. Cooling is accomplished by a combination of conscious building siting, natural ventilation, ceiling fans, and comfortable outdoor rooms (patios and porches). Electricity comes from the grid, but the required load is reduced through daylighting (using the sun instead of electricity for lighting) and high-efficiency light fixtures. Underground water cisterns collect water from storm drains in the parking lot and elsewhere around the property to be used for irrigation.

Longevity:
The building envelope at Westwood was carefully designed to deal with WNC’s humid climate. The walls utilize a rainscreen system in which the sheathing and siding are separated by a mesh material that provides liquid water and water vapor with an easy route away from the building. Since the mechanical system is centrally located in the common house, each dwelling has fewer moving parts; therefore, there’s less that can go wrong. Still, probably the biggest factor in the estimated longevity of the community is its clustering. Since dwellings touch one another, their maintenance is interconnected. If one house is in disrepair, the community itself is affected; therefore, there is incentive to act as a group to keep the buildings maintained.

Indoor air quality:
IAQ was and is a priority at Westwood. Airtight construction, in combination with efficient mechanical ventilation, is the core strategy. All bathrooms have high-efficiency exhaust fans to remove moisture at its source. These fans pull in outside air through passive Swedish Air Ventilators with adjustable levels of filtration and air supply. All gas is centralized in the common house, so no combustion occurs in any of the living units.

Beauty:
Once you leave your car at the Westwood parking lot, it’s a short, pleasant walk along beautifully landscaped paths to the buildings. The common house looks out onto trees and the walking bridge over the creek that separates the two housing clusters. The buildings nestle into the landscape so well that it’s easy to forget you are in the middle of bustling West Asheville. Yes, the landscape or site’s natural beauty is appealing, but the true beauty of Westwood can’t be seen. It lies in the social possibilities that a community like this presents. Westwood residents manage their property together, doing most of the maintenance themselves. They have a space to share communal meals and do so twice a week, and children can play on the commons without fear of traffic. The only question in my mind as I left Westwood was, ‘Why isn’t this done more often?’

For more information about Westwood, visit their website at
www.westwoodcohousing.com, or send an email to billf@sheltertech.com.

Doug Keefer and Nelle Gregory Home
“Walking on wood that is from our families’ land, being bathed in light when we walk into the kitchen in the morning, looking out over the beautiful mountain, the curves of the plastered straw bales, the quiet that comes from having walls that are one and a half feet deep, the warmth of the house…these are just a few of the reasons we love our home.” --Doug and Nelle

When baled, straw can be stacked like bricks to make thick insulating walls. Straw bales have been used as a building material in this country for more than 100 years. Still, most of that building has been done in dryer climates than we have in our region. For that reason, straw bale construction is controversial around here. In the last 10 years, however, a number of buildings that utilize straw for insulation have been constructed in our area. Doug and Nelle’s straw bale house in Leicester has been going strong for eight years, and, as such, is a great omen for the future of straw in our climate.

Construction impact:
Doug and Nelle’s house was placed on an existing cow pasture at the end of an existing road. In other words, the house site was made accessible and completely cleared of trees by previous human activity. This meant that the house could be placed with minimal impact to the existing ecosystem. It also meant that accessing the sun for solar heating and gardening on the southeast-facing site required no clearing of vegetation. The project used many renewable, recycled and reclaimed materials. The wood used in the house came from trees that fell during a storm on Nelle’s grandparents’ land. The majority of the glass used was recycled from a McDonald’s restaurant demolition. (Finally, a positive spin on McDonald’s!) Various doors, tubs, sinks, and hardware were also salvaged from other buildings. As already mentioned, the majority of the walls are insulated with straw, a waste product of yearly grain harvesting. Perhaps one of the largest factors in overall construction impact is size. The smaller you build, the less you impact the site and the fewer materials you use. At 1,800 square feet for a family of four, this home is hardly a McMansion.

Resource efficiency:
Though not optimally sited for solar gain, the house faces southeast in an open field, so it gets plenty of winter sun. The straw bale walls likely have an insulation value at least twice (and probably more) than that of a conventional 2x4 stud wall with fiberglass insulation. A super-efficient masonry wood heater is the primary source of heat. Unlike metal wood stoves, masonry heaters burn wood hot and fast then soak up the heat in the mass of the stove. The heat then radiates slowly to heat the house for a full 24-hour period. This stove is also attached to a centralized hydronic (radiant) floor heating system. A large water tank is heated by pipes that run through both the wood stove and roof-mounted solar collectors (also salvaged from another house!). This heat is then used both for domestic hot water and run through pipes under the floor. The house uses no mechanical air conditioning. Windows are opened in the evening to let in cool night air then closed in the morning. This technique, sometimes called “southern a/c,” keeps the house cool all day and is made possible by the superior insulation of the walls in combination with careful window placement that takes advantage of prevailing breezes.

Longevity:
Of course, longevity is the big concern when it comes to straw bale construction in our wet climate. Since the building is a post and beam structure, Doug was able to have the roof in place before installing the bales. This greatly reduced the exposure of the straw to water during construction. In addition to this move, Doug used carefully researched detailing in the design and construction of the home to minimize the exposure of the straw to moisture over time. So far, Doug and Nelle have experienced no problems whatsoever and are confident that their building will last a long time.

Indoor air quality:
This is another bone of contention about straw bale construction in our climate. Some say that straw’s ability to take on and give off water vapor in response to humidity changes will actually allow it to help maintain a more constant interior humidity level, therefore improving indoor air quality. Others say that we just have too much humidity for that to be true, and that the straw will be bombarded with so much water vapor that it will eventually mold. Only time and experience with a number of buildings will tell for sure, but after years in their house, Doug and Nelle haven’t had any problems.

Beauty:
Though it is a super-insulated, energy efficient building with many modern “green” features, Doug and Nelle’s house blends in well with the local building vernacular. In fact, many people just assume it’s an old farmhouse that’s been remodeled. Perhaps that’s because their house shares something else with an old homestead: on the surface, there are gardens and chickens, the pasture and woods, but on a deeper level there’s a personal feeling to the place, a feeling of care that is sometimes hard to find these days.

SPECS
Location: Leicester, NC on six and a half acres of southeast facing land
Designer: Steve Farrell, architect, along with Doug and Nelle’s input
Builder: Doug Keefer, with help from friends and family
Size: 1,800 interior square feet
Construction type: Straw bale, post and beam with straw infill
Efficiency: Passive solar gain, masonry heater, recycled solar hot water, radiant floors as back-up heat source for the house
Low Toxicity: Zero VOC paint, nontoxic finishes, blown cellulose insulation, no forced air and no carpeting
Environmental: Gardens surround the home, fruit trees planted, naturally downed lumber used for wood, windows recycled from a McDonald’s restaurant

Doug is a building contractor with Sage Builders. He can be reached at
828-713-7208.

Claudia Cady and Boone Guyton Home
The structural system for most modern houses is wooden stick-framing, a system that uses lots of small sticks of wood (usually 2x4s). Around the green building water cooler, stick-framing is on the outs. It uses a lot of wood, creates a lot of waste, and the finished product has only decent insulation values. Some of this criticism is warranted, but some of it can be attributed to adjustable variables, such as the size and design parameters of the house being built.

Claudia Cady and Boone Guyton’s home definitely proves the old adage wrong: you can teach an old dog new tricks. Through careful design and attention to detail, they have created a beautiful, thoughtful, energy efficient homestead using standard materials and techniques.

Construction impact:
The Boone-Guyton house sits on a beautiful, south-facing knoll overlooking a sharp bend in a rushing creek. The land had been previously logged and used as pasture and, at the time of the house’s construction, was dotted with Virginia (Jack) pines. Breaking with recent tradition, the house wasn’t sited on the ridge, but in the middle of the hill. This shortened the driveway and consequent site disruption and also offered the house protection from winter winds. By modern standards, the house is small at 1,500 square feet. Many locally harvested and recycled materials were used, including locust for decking and some sill plates, bamboo for railing, recycled wood trim and cabinets, and salvaged granite counter tops. Very little framing in the house is larger than a 2x6, which means that it came from smaller, faster-growing, plantation trees.

Resource efficiency:
The house is a classic example of passive solar design: it’s long, thin and bermed into a south-facing hill with southern glass in front of mass floors that soak up the winter sun, correctly sized overhangs, and east and west shading provided by covered porches. On the upper floor, the kitchen sits behind the open living room, creating a large, glare-free area on those winter days when the sun reaches deep into the house. The pièce de résistance is movable insulation on all south-facing glass, an important energy efficiency measure that I almost never see. All of this careful design results in the sun’s being responsible for about 75 percent of the home’s heating. Back-up heat is provided by both a wood stove and hydronic floor heating, powered by a gas water heater that’s assisted by solar water collectors mounted on the nearby greenhouse. Cooling is supplied by a whole-house attic fan and cross ventilation through the open floor plan. Using a combination of 2x6 framing, blown cellulose and rigid insulation, the walls are insulated far more effectively than their conventional stick-framed cousins.

Longevity:
The home’s exterior stucco coating will require little maintenance in the future. If the roof is maintained to keep out water, a well-built stick-frame house can last a very long time.

Indoor air quality:
Low-VOC recycled E-coat paint was used throughout the interior. Ceiling fans, cross ventilation, and an open floor plan seem to do the trick in this house, where the only mechanical ventilation is in the form of exhaust fans in the bathrooms.

Beauty:
Boone and Claudia’s house nestles into its site. It’s small, but it seems large because of the numerous connections to outdoor rooms. The north porch looks out on a tiny rock pond, behind which sits a small greenhouse where vegetables grow all winter long. The east screened porch is private and shady while the west entrance porch is inviting. Inside, little details like rounded corners and arched passageways have the warm feel of older houses—features you just don’t see anymore!

SPECS
Size: 1,550 square feet
Construction type: Stick-framing
Efficiency: Passive solar design, movable insulation on all south-facing glass, wood stove and hydronic floor heating powered by solar-assisted gas water heater, blown cellulose and rigid insulation
Low Toxicity: Low VOC recycled E-coat paint
Environmental: Many locally harvested and recycled materials used

Stan Jones and Pattie Frost Jones Home
“Set into the Earth and constructed of earth, the Earthship promotes a sense of serenity and peacefulness that is remarkable. It is truly a dream home for those who are willing to step outside standard building practices. We love every nook of our home and plan to live here the remainder of our lives.” —Stan and Pattie Jones

The Earthship is an integrated building system developed in New Mexico and designed to maximize self-sufficiency and minimize environmental impact. The basic structural building material is recycled tires packed with earth. Domestic water is collected from the roof, electricity is generated on site, the sun is the primary heat source, and interior planters allow for the potential to grow food year round indoors. Sounds great, but does it work? This question generated controversy on the NLJ Green Home Experts Board. One point of view is that this building system was designed for a very different climate and won’t work here. Some concerns are that the angled southern glass will cause overheating in summer and indoor planters and lack of adequate cross ventilation, or mechanical dehumidification, will lead to interior mold. The other side of the argument is that these problems can be overcome with design adjustments and careful siting, and that these difficulties are outweighed by the energy independence and low impact that the design offers.

Who’s right? Only time will tell. One thing’s for sure, Stan Jones and Pattie Frost Jones are ecstatic about their Earthship perched on a south-facing knoll near Marshall in Madison County.

Construction impact:
As far as trash goes, used tires are a problem. They don’t break down quickly and they take up a lot of space in landfills. In Earthships, this trash becomes permanent forms for rammed-earth walls. Since they are so thick and strong, tire walls don’t require a concrete foundation, so the foundation and main walls of an Earthship are built using almost no virgin resources. The Jones’ house was built on an existing pasture. Excavation was minimal, and all excavated soil was used to pack the 1,200 plus SUV tires used in the building. All doors, cabinets and trim were built using salvaged wood, including old pallets.

Resource efficiency:
By design, Earthships are self-sufficient. The Jones’ Earthship produces its own electricity and is off the grid. Two cisterns collect rainwater from the roof. One is to be used for irrigation and the other for taking showers, watering plants in the indoor planters, and washing clothes and dishes. Drinking water is supplied by a well shared with neighbors. Roof-mounted solar collectors for heating domestic water will soon be installed. The huge thermal mass of the thick tire walls combined with basic passive solar design create a very stable base temperature. Only a small wood stove is needed as back-up heat for the 2,000 square foot home, and no mechanical cooling is used in the summer. Low windows and skylights team up to create cross ventilation to help with summer cooling.

Longevity:
The core of the Earthship, its tire walls and stone covered concrete slab, should last indefinitely. Therefore, like many other buildings, this Earthship will probably last as long as its roof is maintained.

Indoor air quality:
As mentioned above, some local experts are very concerned about the ability of Earthships to deal with local humidity levels. But when asked point blank about this concern, Stan and Pattie say they’ve had no indoor air quality problems in the two years they’ve lived in the house. I was amazed to find a completely enclosed, windowless darkroom against the north section of a tire wall. If that room truly stays mold free throughout the summer, then I’ll be convinced. Stan says I can come back in July to check it out.

Beauty:
Personally, I’m still skeptical about Earthships in our climate. I don’t get the angled glass and just don’t feel comfortable challenging the humidity gods. Having said that, I’m truly impressed with what Stan and Pattie have done. I visited the house on a cold, cloudy February day and found it quite cozy. The interior is very inviting with its curved, earth-plastered walls and palette of muted colors. The undulating southern planters are filled with a variety of wonderful plants (including a banana tree!) that really bring the outside in. Every inch of the interior displays an attention to detail, playful innovation, and aesthetic tenderness that is truly inspiring. Stan and Pattie are passionate about this house, and that feeling radiates throughout.

SPECS
Location: Marshall, NC
Designers and Builders: Stan Jones and Pattie Frost Jones
Size: Approximately 2,000 square feet of living space
Price Tag: Around $120,000 in materials
Construction type: Earthship, recycled tires packed with earth
Efficiency: Three-inch thick thermal mass tire walls, thick concrete floor covered with flagstone, photovoltaic array which consists of eight 150-watt panels, compact fluorescent bulbs used throughout, rainwater catchment system
Low Toxicity: Adobe plaster made on site with earth from the excavation as primary finish material, stone surfaces sealed with nontoxic stains and sealers, concrete countertop and slabs finished with nontoxic concrete stains; all interior wood doors, ceiling, trim, and cabinets finished by sanding and oiling
Environmental: No sizable trees removed on site, excavated soil reused to pack tires for the walls, salvaged wood used for trim and door construction, over 1,200 SUV tires saved from the landfill and used to construct the load-bearing and thermal-mass walls

Stan is a building contractor and is interested in building more Earthships in the area. For more information, write him at 266 Ananda Girisuta Drive, Marshall, NC 28753.

Because of the many definitions of “green,” New Life Journal is excited to have the continued help of our Green Homes Expert Board in showcasing the best of WNC’s truly green homes in future issues.

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