Health and Indoor Air Quality

The home emphasizes simple interior finishes with low toxicity and excellent distributed ventilation for fresh air. There are no carpets and flooring is NAUF bamboo from Higuera Hardwoods. Natural cedar ceilings and other highlights are finished with Safecoat Polyureseal and all of the paints are <1 g/L VOC. The kitchen and bathrooms contain custom cabinets by Superior Manufacturing, made with special order glues and finishes.

Whole house ventilation is supplied by the central Zehnder comfo-air HRV. This system uses innovative 3" plastic flex ducts to provide a supply of fresh air and exhaust for every room. It operates continuously and quietly with very low energy use. This is an important companion to the incredibly air tight building envelope to ensure comfort and performance.

The exterior siding is installed over a "rain screen" air space. The building moisture barrier is a Prosoco liquid applied coating, along with interior tapes from SIGA on the SIPs panel joints. Detailing of weather seals at windows, doors, and other penetrations was carefully done by the owner/builder to ensure moisture will not enter the home.

Materials Efficiency

The home's structure itself reduces the use of lumber and heavy materials with the SIP panels. In addition, recycled content metal roofing creates very long-lasting protection. The exterior is a mix of Swisspearl panels that were recovered from a commercial job site, composite timbers, and natural cedar siding for an appealing Northwest contemporary look. Swisspearl siding panels participate in the EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) system.

Interior finishes demonstrate a high level of commitment to non-toxic and environmentally friendly products. The builder took a lot of care to research and specify products. FSC-certified bamboo flooring or tile covers the floors. Interior caulks, adhesives, and finishes were checked for compliance with Built Green's VOC standards. All interior painted trim is MDF Spero from Metrie, which is recycled sawdust with no added urea formaldehyde.

The owner/builder personally controlled recycling of jobsite waste, to the extent that even concrete chips from stripping forms were put in separate recycle bins. Hand demolition of the previous house on the site included recycling metal, cabinets, trim, appliances, fixtures, and structural parts.