Wood Flooring

Reclaimed wood flooring from Mrs. Grovewood's grandparents' house

Construction Waste

 Pile of debris from construction - awaiting removal to <sigh> a landfill

 

Waste management has been difficult on our project, both because of a fairly tight site (we don't have  a lot of space that isn't being built on or needed to access other parts of the property for construction) and because of standard operating procedure in the residential construction industry.

 

We initially targeted points for credit MR 3.2 Construction Waste Reduction hoping we could recycle or otherwise divert wood, cardboard, and other construction waste, however our investigation of the local options (MR 3.1 Construction Waste Management Planning) revealed that the smallest recycling dumpster available for residential projects is 20' long. This doesn't sound like much, but on a 1/5 acre site with trees and where a one-story house is being built, there are many places a container that large will fit. In addition, for construction of a single family home, it takes a while to fill that thing up. So here's my plea to local waste management companies: offer smaller recycling containers for residential construction!

 

So the alternative to diverting waste is attempting to minimize it. The point thresholds under MR 3.2 Option A are pretty stringent, and even with proper planning and take offs, most subcontractors (in our area, anyway) are used to approaching their trade a certain way - often one that both presumes and results in a lot of rework and repair and therefore generates waste. We are on track to get no points for the MR 3.2 credit and have been for awhile now.

Brick House: Mighty Mighty

Brick going up over rigid foam insulation

 

Our building envelope is getting its outer coat - the brick. The brick was manufactured within 500 miles of our house (plants in central Texas and southwest Arkansas.) The overall wall assembly is OSB sheathing against the studs, with house-wrap, 1/2" rigid foam insulation board, an air gap, and the brick veneer. With the interior CelBar insulation, we have a very good R-value for improved energy efficiency.

Drywall

Hypo-allergenic joint compound

Drywall hung and being taped and floated

CelBar

CelBar insulation in our wall cavities

 

We've got our wall insulation blown in place now. We elected to use CelBar, a spray-on insulation that completely fills the space between the studs, is pest-resistant, doesn't release smoke when it burns, and is hypo-allergenic. The insulation contains up to 85% recycled material, including recycled paper. I think I see a Sharper Image catalog in there.

Ceiling Insulation

Icynene Spray Foam Insulation under the roof deck

 

Perfection Supply sprayed Icynene insulation up under the roof deck. The expanding foam is easier to work with than cellulose insulation on the ceiling, especially since it seals better around our light fixtures. 

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...