Istockhouseplans Gets Greener

As more and more companies are beginning to do a life cycle analysis of their products, Istockhouseplans feels that this is a worthwhile study to pursue.  Generally we will send you a half dozen sets of plans.  Most of those will go to the permitting jurisdiction for approval; some of those you will give out to subs to do their work.  What's left is a few sets around the jobsite that get muddy, or a couple extra sets that get stuck under the seat of your F-350.  We've compiled this list of how you can safely, humanely, and environmentally end the life of those plans.

• Recycle them in the paper bin.  Duh.
• Ship them back to us for proper disposal.
• Shred them for landscaping mulch.
• Shred them for attic insulation.
• Shred them for party confetti.
• Sweep up your wood dust and roll it up into a set of plans.  Smash the ends in and leave a few next to the woodstove or outdoor fireplace for the new homeowner to burn.
• If you have a nice set leftover, present them to the homeowner.  Possibly even in a frame.  Or take the time to mount them over the fireplace yourself.  Build the frame out of scrap wood from the site.
• If a set gets too muddy to use, wrinkle it up good, re-flatten it and set it in front of an exterior door for a shoe mat.
• Cut strips to use if you run out of drywall tape.
• Separate the sheets and fold them into origami for the children who are pressing their faces into your cyclone fence.
• Let your kids color the elevations.
• Use the backs as large blank sheets for your kids to color on.
• Make holiday cards for your subs/supers/suppliers using the elevations or details as the front picture.

Other ideas?  Please feel free to share in the comments.  Want to employ some of these ideas yourself?  Visit our plan catalog and purchase your own set.

Net Zero 100%

Meritage Homes, one of the nation's biggest builders has committed to building Net Zero Homes as their new building model.  In some communities this is mostly true.  They'll build about 75% better than code and give the homeowner the option to solarize the home to net zero.  But this is not a complaint.  For a large production builder to have found a net zero sweet spot raises the bar pretty high.  So high in fact that many builders will either have to follow suit or get out.

http://www.greenbuildermag.com/News/Headlines/Net-Zero-for-the-Masses

How about you?  Think you're good enough to net zero or will you keep playing with your old deflated ball?  Need some help?  Contact Istockhouseplans for plans that can help you achieve Net Zero Energy Use.

Instant Gratification

So you want to build energy efficient, durable, comfortable homes but don't want to commit to a program?  Energy Trust of Oregon just released their Best Practices Pocket Guide to the general public.  This is a pdf file that outlines many of the strategies that promote energy efficiency.  Simple to read, simple to use, and filled with detailed drawings.  Print it out and keep it in your back pocket or store it on your i-Device for jobsite reference.  This tool is useful for designers, architects, framers, insulators, drywallers, plumbers, electricians, and anyone else who may touch the house.  Real estate agents could even learn a thing or two.

Istockhouseplans is an Energy Trust of Oregon approved program ally and has access to all these details and more.  If you are looking for an efficient house to be built in Oregon, contact us or look through our catalog.  All of our plans sold in Oregon include relevant details to meet Energy Trust's standards.

Get your copy at http://energytrust.org/trade-ally/programs/new-homes/resources/.  Scroll down to Best Practice Pocket Guide and click the link.

Energy Trust of Oregon is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Oregonians benefit from saving energy and tapping renewable resources. Their services, cash incentives and solutions have helped customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas save nearly $600 million in energy costs. Their work helps keep energy costs as low as possible and builds a sustainable energy future.

Go Green, Go Small

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) released a report today on an evaluation of waste prevention practices using life cycle analysis.  The report focused on 30 different measures and the impact they could have on our environment over a 70 year span.  We thought some of these measures might fare favorably.  Such include advanced framing, using salvaged materials, drywall clips, and other such resource efficient methods.  Of all the measures focused on though, the winners were smaller homes and multi-family living.  This would make sense since the measures we favored would tend to have more of a point of use impact whereas the clear winners would have more of a lifetime impact.  You can read the full report on ODEQ's website.

In this case, smaller home means 1149sf, half the size of the national average.  Istockhouseplans finds this rather exciting since our average designed house size is tending that direction.  We noted last December that average house size has peaked and is on the slide.  While not all the chips are falling immediately into the tiny house movement, it's encouraging to see the push this direction.  We hope that large home builders will be able to reduce their house sizes by using some of the techniques that the tiny house design community has put forth.  We will continue to work on our plans adding more 700sf and smaller plans as time allows.

Happy Earth Day

We here at Istockhouseplans believe that every day is Earth Day. That's why we design energy efficiency into all of our plans. And to make up for our length of silence, we'll be releasing several new plans with our next update. Our average square footage has been slowly reducing since our inception. Smaller square footage means less material use which means less of an impact on the earth. All of the plans we'll be releasing are under 1500sf and one of them is only 300sf.

What are YOU doing for Earth Day?

Haitian Dirtbags

For the past week plus we've watched the nation of Haiti fall apart after an earthquake. Reading stories and seeing the images makes us very disappointed that we can't just up and go to help. But what would we do? We have no medical experience. We could help distribute supplies, I suppose. But since our passion is architecture, our thoughts leaned that way. Many people have lost their homes to the 7.0 rumbler. Even the presidential palace is destroyed (as in structurally unsound, not rubble on the ground).

Why did the homes fail? Mostly because of the poor building practices. A good number of homes are concrete with less than adequate mix and not necessarily any rebar. Concrete has the distinction of being inflexible. If you stress it, concrete does not bend, it cracks and breaks. Bad for homes.

So we gave some thought to how we could help the residents of Port-au-Prince. We thought about buying them some rebar, but shipping costs would be a bit high. We thought about designing some prefab homes ala Michael Janzen, but he's got a great product already and lumber is not exactly plentiful on the island.

So then we ran across some blog entries on earthbag homes. What is that, pray tell? Take a bag, fill it with dirt, stack, repeat. Easy. You can check out a Haitian Dirtbag home here that withstood the quake just fine. The owner of this home, Father Theo, cares for orphans in Haiti and runs a blog here. Their other concrete buildings sustained some minor damage. Think this might be a fluke? Check out some earthbag testing here.

"So what?" you might say. "This all looks fine. Are you going to go to Haiti and build earthbag homes?" Not quite. But we believe Father Theo is on to something. Earthbag homes use local materials, can be built in a day, are sturdy, insulative, and cheap. We would like to lobby with Habitat for Humanity to consider rebuilding Port-au-Prince with earthbag homes to avoid any future apocalyptic aftermaths. Once we get that okay, we will begin donating a portion of our plan sales towards buying bags, barbed wire, and any other necessities to rehabilitate Haiti.

You can voice your opinion too by clicking here. Please write and tell them that you think earthbag homes would be the most sustainable housing stock for Haitian revival. May Haiti thrive.

Where Energy Efficiency Counts

Think you know how to save energy? Test yourself. Are the following measures efficient? (Is the payback period or energy savings worth the cost?):

Yearly furnace tune-ups: Y N
Properly sized furnace: Y N
Sealing basement ducts: Y N
Underfloor insulation: Y N
Caulking & weatherstripping: Y N
Window replacement: Y N
Tankless gas water heaters: Y N
Attic cooling: Y N

Did you answer no to any of the questions?

You get 1 point for every 'no' and zero points for every 'yes'. We were a little blown away too. Michael Blasnik with the Department of Energy has found that these measures on average are worthless and merely feel good. You can read his article to get a complete explanation of why these measures don't add up as well as a few more.

We at istockhouseplans were a little disappointed to see real world results on the tankless gas heater. Maybe electric is still okay? We've been promoting these in our homes and not setting aside a specific space for a tank water heater. Most of our homes do have enough space to put a water heater tank, either in a large closet, under stairs, or in the laundry room. Next time we'll review a couple of tank heaters that we've found to be very efficient.

Also check out our istock4kids page where we've put two more puzzles to delight and entertain.

Radiant Floor Heat

It was a year ago that we promoted the Warmboard floor system as our choice of heating in homes. We have gotten comments about how expensive that floor system can be. Correct, materials and labor do make it an expensive alternative. Consider that you are removing a $4000-$5000 furnace and ductwork system. Also consider that the floor panels themselves act as the structural floor sheathing. For a 2000sf house you are saving another $1000 by not buying a couple loads of 3/4" T&G plywood. You will probably have to install a second water heater, or a larger water heater, as well as a manifold to handle your different zones.

Also consider this: If your home needs a 60,000 BTU furnace, would you install a 100,000 BTU just to be safe? No! Never! This is poor use of resources and your money. Likewise, would you install a larger radiant floor system than you need? Why? Radiant hydronic floor heat generates about 18-25 BTU/sf of floor. If your home needs 40,000 BTU to stay warm, then you would need to lay 2200sf of 18 BTU/sf system.

But many homes of 2200sf in size only need 30,000 BTU of heat (average NW home). If they are built well, air sealed well, and insulated better, that can be reduced to 20,000 BTU or less. Now do the math. You need 20,000 BTU and your system is 20 BTU/sf. Now you only need 1000sf of panels. This is less than half the floor area. Would you still lay the whole floor, just because? Why? This is akin to doubling your furnace size. Instead, save your money and lay the radiant system only where you need it. Do you need it in bedroom and linen closets? Probably not. Pantry? No. Kitchen? Probably not. The appliances in there create enough residual heat, unless you spend a lot of time cooking barefoot and want warm toes. Hallways and the laundry room could avoid it as well. Bathrooms don't need it under the fixtures. This could remove about 400sf. You could remove more by avoiding areas where furniture would permanently sit.

Since the panels are 4x8x1-1/8", they will fit seamlessly with standard 1-1/8" panels. In our previous example, we could cover half the floor with standard sheathing. Another consideration? With 1-1/8" floor sheathing, your floor joists could span 24" o.c. thereby saving you on framing materials.

And savings is what istockhouseplans is all about.

Your Current Home

How efficient is your current home? If you're Al Gore, not very. If you live in a yurt, you win. Most of us are using more energy than we need to and don't even realize it. We were getting ready to post a page on energy efficiency measures you can do on your own home right now, but then Bruce Harley came out with a book titled "Cut Your Energy Bills Now: 150 Smart Ways to Save Money and Make Your Home Comfortable and Green". Trumped we were. So instead of coming up with our own small list, we prefer to defer to one of the masters of energy efficiency and recommend his book. By following a couple of his suggestions, you could more than pay for the book in a couple months or less.

We'll be taking the rest of the year off for holiday. Enjoy your holiday season and we'll see you again next year.

Your friends at istockhouseplans.

What's your R-value?

You've just bought 200 rolls of pink insulation at your local big box hardware store. You look at the bag and see R-21. You're in a crunch so you jam the insulation into the walls, give it a quick once-over and have your inspection. Your inspector approves so you jam on and get the sheetrock installed. The question is, what is the R-value of your wall? R-21? Think again.

R-21 refers to the insulative factor of the fiberglass. This fiberglass only exists between your studs and plates. Standard framing of 16" o.c. with full headers results in up to 25% of the face of your building being wood alone. "Okay", you say, "So 75% of my wall is insulated, right?". Well don't forget about your windows and doors. Those can account for up to 15% of your walls. So only 60% of your walls is actually pink fiberglass. Then we must consider how well you installed. First of all, did you staple the kraft paper to the edge of the studs, or just inside the opening? "I stapled it inside, otherwise it interferes with the sheetrock." How about gaps between pieces of insulation or within cavities. "Just a little bit here and there, definitely not more than 3% of the wall." How did you handle wiring and plumbing or electrical boxes? "Um, shoved it in behind... why do you ask?"

Thanks for your curiosity. Let's do a little bit of math to answer your question. First off we must understand what a U-value is. It is simply the mathematical inverse of R-value, that is: U=1/R. If you pull out your calculator, you'll see that the U-value of R-21 insulation is about 0.05. For your reference, wood has an R-value of about 1.25 per inch so a 5.5" stud will have and R-value of 6.88 and a U-value of 0.15. Your windows are probably U=0.40 (which equates to R-2.5). To figure out the R-value of your entire wall, multiply the percentage of a given area by it's U-value, then add all the figures together and finally take the mathematical inverse. In this case, our equation would be:

1 / ((60% x 0.05) + (25% x 0.15) + (15% x 0.40)). This is your insulation, wood, and windows.

1 / (0.03 + .0375 + 0.06) = 1 / 0.1275 = R-7.84.

"7.84? Are you sure that's right?". Well, we rounded for convenience but it's close. Without rounding we get R-8. Oh wait, we didn't consider that you left a 3% gap in your insulation job. That little 3% void area reduces your insulation value from R-21 to R-11. Oops. So recalculating with a U-value of 0.067 instead of 0.05 drops your (unrounded) R-value of that wall down to 6.62. Not good.

"Well I gave it my best shot, that's the way it is. Besides that's how most builders do it."

You're right, that is how most builders do it. Way to blend into the crowd and not differentiate yourself. There's a green wave of consumer awareness breaking and anyone not on board will get washed away.

If you're interested in how to fix this, read on.

First problem is the framing. You really should be spacing your studs at 24" o.c., using two stud or modified three stud corners, and only putting headers where necessary. These steps can reduce your lumber from 25% of a wall to 15%. That's a 40% reduction in your lumber bill. Still think building green is more expensive?

Second problem is the pink insulation. It can never be perfectly installed (although it can get close). A better alternative is blown-in batts (AKA BIBS), spray cellulose, or spray foam. Yes spray foam is expensive but the BIBS system is comparable in cost, fills all the voids, and offers better insulation overall (R-23 vs. R-21).

Third problem is the windows. Quite frankly a U-value of 0.40 is not that great. Better to use U-0.32 or less.

Given these three factors your new equation will be:

1 / ((70% x 0.05) + (15% x 0.15) + (15% x 0.32)) =

1 / (0.03 + 0.02 + 0.05) = R-10

Better, but you'll notice it's still not R-21. That's the whole point. We want to let you know that despite all your best efforts, a 2x6 wall will still only reach half of what is perceived as it's potential value. If you really want good walls, consider sheathing the outside of the framing with rigid foam insulation, building a double wall, or using SIPS. Some SIPS manufacturer's claim comparable R-values of 50, though this is in comparison to the perceived R-21 value of walls. Still this results in a true R-value of R-20 or more compared to your stick frame wall of R-10.

Caveat Emptor.

Advanced Framing Techniques: 32" O.C. Trusses

"Alright, just who are you anyway going around and messing with the way I've been doing things for all these years? My houses still stand up with no callbacks and no mold."

Good for you! We applaud your building skills. We aren't trying to tell you what to do, just trying to save you some money. And if you can remove some of those non-structural elements, you can save money. If you can remove every third stud, you can save your home-buyers some money on heating bills by filling that extra space with insulation. You'd be surprised how much it can save.

So now we want to mess with the spacing of your trusses. I know, I know, you've been spacing them at 24" o.c. ever since trusses became popular. Ever consider 32" o.c.? Not only will that save you money in trusses, but you'll be able to get a bit more insulation in your house's hat. If you're still into rolling out batts, you can line up two 16" wide rolls side by side. Although our preference lies in spray-foam insulation. We'll address that at a later time.

True, your truss manufacturer may balk at 32" o.c. and want to beef up your trusses, but challenge him on it. Honestly, it's not the number of sticks that make your house stronger, it's the connections from roof to foundation and how much plywood is tacked on. Ever consider SIPS that have NO STUDS yet outperform stick-built walls and roofs in strength? So what's wrong with 32" o.c. trusses? "I'll need to do 2x6 T&G car decking" Sorry to burst your bubble, but 5/8" plywood is all that's necessary which is what you're using on your roofs already. (Your particular jurisdiction's code may require 3/4").

We're istockhouseplans. We're here to rock your boat.

Advanced Framing Techniques, Floor Joists

Dr. Istockhouseplans continues his thoughts on 24" o.c. framing, floor joist style.

"Dr., why would I space my floor joists at 24" o.c.? Won't the floor bounce more?"

Floor bounce is based on several factors, not just spacing of the joists. Your span is the first factor. Obviously a 16' span will have more bounce than a 12' span. Second is the spacing of the joists. You have voiced your concern about 24" o.c. spacing versus the more conventional 16" o.c. spacing. Third factor is joist size. 2x12 joists will have less bounce over the same span than 2x10 joists will. Fourth is the subfloor material which makes a difference as well. A 1-1/8" thick subfloor feels less bouncy than 3/4" pwd. Tongue and groove pwd helps. Finally, how you attach the floor to the joists impacts the feel of the floor. Nails have less resistance than gluing and screwing the plywood down. By gluing and screwing you actually create one cohesive floor system that moves together.

So why don't we answer your question thusly: no. More accurately, we need to know what else you intend to do with the floor. Are you using 2x12 joists? You should be able to get a 14' span without a problem. Gluing and screwing the plywood may not increase your span-ability but it will make your floor feel stiffer. If this is a second floor then the gypsum board that you apply to the ceiling on the first floor will also help stiffen the joists.

The type of joist you use will have the biggest impact on how you can design the house. There is solid sawn (i.e. 2x12) engineered (I-joists) and open-web floor trusses. Of the three the open-web floor trusses give you the greatest span. They cost more, but the big advantage is that your subcontractors don't need to drill holes through every joist. The open webs facilitate easier running of wiring, piping, and even duct-work thereby saving you money in labor. You also may be able to span up to 20' with a 12" tall member. I-joists are also able to span slightly farther than solid-sawn and also come with knockouts for utilities.

Why would you want to go to 24" o.c. spacing? On the first floor over a foundation the concept is the same as studs. With further spacing of joists there is more room for insulation and less thermal bridging to an unfinished basement or crawl space. You also use less lumber. For the space between a first and second floor there may not be a huge advantage except using less lumber. However I highly recommend using the open-web floor trusses between floors so that ductwork can be run any direction. By using these (@24" o.c.) you can span up to 20' or more thereby reducing the need for bearing walls. It really is a beautiful thing.

Istockhouseplans is proud to present you with a load of plans with details that will facilitate green building. Feel free to browse our catalog and contact us with any questions.

Advanced Framing Techniques, Studs

Dr. Istockhouseplans answers your questions about studs.

"Dr., I'm not comfortable placing my studs at 24" o.c. Won't the wall fall down?"

No, as a matter of fact, it won't. Satisfying the seismic and wind requirements is the job of the sheathing, not the studs. The studs take the direct downward weight of the house and give you something to attach your sheathing to. The sheathing needs to be able to withstand the wind and movement. If you think about a SIPS panel, how many studs are there inside? None. How much sheathing is there? On every wall. 24" o.c. spacing also allows for more insulation inside the walls.

"But doesn't 24" o.c. studs cause wavy walls?"

Again, no. Wavy walls are caused by you not allowing 1/8"* between your sheathing panels. When you butt that OSB right up against each other, where does it go when it gets wet and expands? Out to the sides? No, the panels push against each other and buckle at every 4' increment. This causes the wavy look. Space your sheathing panels per manufacturer's recommendation. Scroll down to read item #1 on extremehowto.com. (*please read the sheathing for the proper spacing).

"What about my drywall, won't it break if someone pushes on it?"

If you are installing drywall horizontally against the studs you shouldn't have any problem at all. If it concerns you then you can bump up to 5/8" sheetrock instead of 1/2" but keep in mind that the code allows 1/2" gyp on a 24" o.c. wall.

"But all my savings from the studs will be eaten up by having to buy 5/8" sheetrock. What's the point?

The point is that even if the wall costs you the same (which if it is then your drywaller is upcharging you quite a bit - shop around), you have built a better wall which will differentiate yourself from all the other builders out there. Your wall will be more insulated and save your homebuyer in energy bills. Saving energy is good for the environment. Saving the environment makes you look like a hero.

"I don't think the code will let me build a wall like that."

Please stop the excuses. We wouldn't be encouraging you to do something illegal. If you have an IRC code book handy, open up to 602.3.1 (page 123) and reference table 602.3(5) (page 127). You'll note that a 2x6 wall with studs spaced 24" o.c. is allowed to support a second story, ceiling, and roof AND be 10' tall. How about that? Granted, a 3 story home will need 16" o.c. spacing on the first floor, but you can still use 24" o.c. spacing for floors two and three. Also note how interior non-bearing walls may be built with 2x3 studs at 24" o.c. Understandably this is not a good idea for walls with doors in them unless you do fat trim work or build your own frames.

"I still don't think it's a good idea."

Well that's your issue. We can't make you do anything, only educate you as much as possible. If you don't want to then be prepared to be left in the dust by builders whose homes sell quicker and cost them less to build. But don't say we didn't warn you. If you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to contact us. Stay tuned next time for floor issues.

Renewable Heat

We'll get to your green building complaints shortly, for now we want to include endorsements for two more methods of heating your home. You already know that we're big on the radiant heating by Warmboard. But we also have taken a shine to Cadet wall heaters. We've never liked these heaters, but a recent review of the website has shown that they are innovative and green. They've popped back up on our A-list. Big bonus! Since electric heaters don't use gas (a slow-renewable resource) they are gentler on the environment; especially if you've opted for fully renewable wind or solar power.

Our second plug is for the mini-duct system by Spacepak. Able to use heat-pumps, this high-pressure system uses 2" diameter flexducts instead of bulky 8" square ducts. These ducts are small enough to be run through walls and joists without compromising the integrity or design of the house. Especially suited for remodeling older ductless homes, we are pleased to endorse this system for our reproduction homes. No bulky chases eating into closets or rooms, no dropped ceiling in the hall, and no lost heat from poor insulation since they sit inside the heated envelope.

Come to istockhouseplans and see what sort of homes are designed for these systems. (Hint: they work for ALL homes)

Where oh where has my little time gone?

Yes, what precious little time. If you actually do keep track of such things you may notice that it has been a whopping six weeks since our last update. Unfortunately, life got in the way and our time went by the wayside. We have much better excuses than last time though. This time the dog ate my keyboard. No really! But we did have a day-job change from architecture to energy-efficiency. Now instead of wasting our time drawing plans, we can waste our time on energy-efficient plans! True, we already offer optional details for the green in you, but now we'll be learning so much more. We may actually have a speaking engagement for training purposes at a location near you! We also had a new baby come on board. We've been trying to teach junior to do the blog for us but when you can barely hold your own head up it's kind of hard to see what you're typing. Maybe we need to give it another couple weeks.

Back to green for a moment. We've had some feedback from builders that they don't build green because it's too hard. Sure, if tying your own shoe is too hard Mr. Velcro. You just don't like change. We've heard some pretty preposterous myths out there about code issues, costs, availability of materials; the list goes on. It sounds like laziness, but our job is not to change you, just to educate. Our next blog will feature a smattering of these myths and our smackdown as we dispel them into oblivion.

Also don't forget that through the end of June all plan sales at istockhouseplans will be donated to charity to be used in building a school in Mexico.

See you in May.