Sealants and Adhesives

Low VOC products

 

It takes pretty constant policing to make sure that products complying with our low VOC specifications are actually getting used on this job. Because we are pursuing the EPA's Indoor airPLUS certification (and because we want to minimize the nasty chemicals in our house) every adhesive, caulk, solvent, foam, spray, paint, stain, and glue must comply with the current guidelines. We are having to check every day to make sure the team complies - apparently it's easy to forget the specifications if you happen to have a tube or can of something else in the back of your truck...

Super Tuff R

Super Tuff R rigid insulation ("robot suit")

 

The insulation board is up on the exterior of the house. More on the total wall assembly later, but we have chosen this insulation for its durability as well as its R-value contribution.

Joists and Sheathing

Roof joists and attic floor

 

The lumber we used for framing, for sheathing, and for decking all qualify as Environmentally Preferred Products (EPP.) The plywoods are certified to have no added urea formaldehyde and are from a plant within 500 miles of the project site. Our contractor had a consultant prepare a detailed take off for purchasing the framing lumber in an effort to minimize waste.

Wood You Believe...?

Walls getting framed, along with large laminated beams for the main room

 

The lumber we're using for framing is all southern yellow pine that is sustainably harvested. We have also spaced certain framing members a few inches further apart and implemented ladder blocking and two-stud corners for a more materials-efficient frame. Increased spacing has the added benefit of leaving more of a gap for insulation, whereas the wood studs are typically a point of thermal loss.

Beneath the Sill Plate

Foam Sealer

 

This pink bad-boy goes beneath the sole plate of every wall. It helps keep moisture from the slab from being wicked up by the wood frame and also helps insulate any air gaps between the two.

Slab

The littlest Grovewood inspects the slab

 

Most of the finished floors in our home will be polished concrete, which is an Environmentally Preferred Product (EPP) both because of its recycled content - flyash, a byproduct of coal combustion that can replace some of the high-embodied-energy Portland cement in concrete - and because it is a hard flooring surface that doesn't trap or absorb pollutants the way some flooring treatments can.

Under the Slab

Moisture barrier beneath the slab