leedhouse.info http://leedhouse.info Building a Light Green LEED House in Houston, TX posterous.com Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:32:07 -0800 Final permit in- moving on Friday! http://leedhouse.info/final-permit-in-moving-on-friday http://leedhouse.info/final-permit-in-moving-on-friday After a month of detail work, we are almost done. Today we got our final permit, tomorrow we pack the condo, and on Friday we move. After 5 years in a hot, cramped bungalow and a year in a condo, we are sooo ready to be in our comfortable, liveable home. Pics to come.

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Sun, 04 Dec 2011 09:10:45 -0800 Video Walk Through of our LEED Gold House in Houston http://leedhouse.info/video-walk-through-of-our-leed-gold-house-in http://leedhouse.info/video-walk-through-of-our-leed-gold-house-in

A quick video tour - we are almost done. Solar panels still to come. 

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:27:00 -0800 November budget update for our LEED house http://leedhouse.info/november-budget-update-for-our-leed-house http://leedhouse.info/november-budget-update-for-our-leed-house

Just a quick update on our budget - we are very close to the end of the process as you can see - and while we don't have an exact move in date yet, we are definitely done with the major things. At the moment there are a dozen minor things going on, from getting the last plumbing and electricals done, to completing a list of touch ups and minor repairs. Its a little tough, as the house looks great, and so ready to be lived in. The landscaping has also almost completed - I will try and get out to take some photos soon. In the meantime, you can see that we have remained pretty close to the budget, with a steady flow of expenditures, some associated overages. 

Budget_actuals_blog

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:19:00 -0700 Some pictures of progress: metal roof, front door frame, bamboo floor http://leedhouse.info/some-pictures-of-progress-metal-roof-front-do http://leedhouse.info/some-pictures-of-progress-metal-roof-front-do

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A few recent photos of progress - the bamboo floors are in and look great, with some interesting contours. The front door frame is custom, as is the mantle - thanks to Tommy Strong and his talent in building them and Kathleen Reardon and her talent in designing them! Also counter tops in my little workroom, and the long-awaited roof...

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Sun, 02 Oct 2011 06:20:00 -0700 September budget & brief update on our LEED house http://leedhouse.info/september-budget-brief-update-on-our-leed-hou http://leedhouse.info/september-budget-brief-update-on-our-leed-hou

Just a quick post - photos will be coming soon - we are making great progress on the house. Floors are going in, countertops almost finished and the roof is about to go on. We have also made plans for landscaping. Lights are also arriving. In the meantime, the budget is still steady and on track, and reflects the trajectory we are hoping for - to be complete in another two months. 

Budget_actuals_blog

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Sat, 10 Sep 2011 15:29:28 -0700 Committing to solar electricity for our #leed house in Houston & August budget http://leedhouse.info/committing-to-solar-electricity-for-our-leed http://leedhouse.info/committing-to-solar-electricity-for-our-leed

I had a budget meeting with our builder this morning, at which we reviewed the figures for the house. We are beyond the 75% mark of the work, budget and close to the 100% for accurate cost-forecasting. In other words, there are very few major trades not yet in sub-contracts. Looking at these numbers it shows that we are in very good shape - and likely to get very close to our budget numbers. There are a few minor overages still to be worked out, but we also have some savings to offset these. 

 

Budget_actuals_blog

 

So given this positive financial picture, we have been looking at the possibility of adding the solar panels we had considered, and rejected a year ago. If you recall, Kathleen, our architect, had planned a space on the south facing roof for panels, and we had already placed a circuit under the roof right there, to allow panels to be added easily later. We were figuring that we'd wait a few years until the price came down alot more. Well, things have been moving, and we have a proposal from a solar provider that would put the final cost (after tax refund) at around $11-12k for a 2.3 KW DC/1.8 KW AC array that fits our space. While it will take several years to recoup the cost, it should pay for itself over about 15 years. It is also going to add value to the house. There is a significant offset in carbon - the proposal estimated that "Your Solar Electric System Will Save an Estimated 103,363 Pounds Of CO2 Emissions over 30 years."

 

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Another advantage of the solar panels is that they will add significant LEED points. As it turns out from our last LEED meeting we have a very good shot at getting LEED Gold even without the solar, but of course it will help. Our builders have done a very good job at diverting waste from the landfill - over 88% of the waste from our site has gone to recycling, which is worth, I think 3 points. We also tweaked the landscaping to make it more environmentally friendly. More on the LEED outcome when we get the final tally, but it is looking good.

So, we are going to do solar - stay tuned for pics and progress! 

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Sat, 13 Aug 2011 09:36:00 -0700 Great progress in siding, interior trim, countertops and a temporary a/c for our LEED house http://leedhouse.info/great-progress-in-siding-interior-trim-counte http://leedhouse.info/great-progress-in-siding-interior-trim-counte

Check out the latest set of pictures by Tommy Strong from our building team - they show great progress over the past week. The stair trim has been completed, the kitchen counter template has been finalized and the siding on the outside has been nearly completed. Please note that the current yellow color of the outside is the hardiplank color - it will be painted with a grey-green - you can see this patch near the front bottom right window (was also described in the video on the last post). Also going on is prep work for interior paint, and cabinet work. You can also see some decorative tials in one of the bathrooms. 

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Sun, 31 Jul 2011 14:14:41 -0700 Video Tour and July budget of our LEED house in Houston http://leedhouse.info/video-tour-and-july-budget-of-our-leed-house http://leedhouse.info/video-tour-and-july-budget-of-our-leed-house

A quick video update of our house - great progress made in July, and I didnt have much chance to take photos and post. So here, to make up for it, is a brief video tour. Includes a look at the shutters and insulation.

Also - July budget, with two draws to reflect the activity, and no overages this month. All on track.

Budget_actuals_blog

 

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:36:00 -0700 Cabinets being installed in our LEED house http://leedhouse.info/cabinets-being-installed-in-our-leed-house http://leedhouse.info/cabinets-being-installed-in-our-leed-house

We are continuing to make steady progress in our house - check out these photos of the cabinets that are going in at the moment. You can see shelves next to the fire place, the entertainment center in the family room, the kitchen and the dining room shelves. 

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Also going on - pictures to follow - are siding, paint of the siding, stone, trim, doors and more. Very exciting. We are hoping to be able to complete the building ahead of the initial January projection. Can you say Christmas in the new house?

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:05:00 -0700 End of June budget update on our LEED house in Houston http://leedhouse.info/end-of-june-budget-update-on-our-leed-house-i http://leedhouse.info/end-of-june-budget-update-on-our-leed-house-i

It has been another busy month at the house, with tremendous progress - dry wall is up and finished, cabinets have been ordered, we are ordering trim and tile. I will try and get some more photos over the weekend, but for now, the budget update. We had somesignificant overage this month - some anticipated, some not so much. The anticipated part was the second half (more or less) of the expected framing material overage. We knew this was going to be over budget, because of the fluctuation in the price of lumber, and were waiting for the final numbers to come in, as framing completed. The not so anticipated overage was for millwork - turns out there was an error in the budget itself, which led to an underestimate on the costs for this line item - we did have a similar error, but in our favor before - these things happen. Anyway, we are still within the limits of the expected, and with many major items behind us, and several more looking on target, we are feeling confident that we can get to the finish line in good shape. 

Since we have reached the anticipated half-way point, it is worth commenting on the rate of spending on the budget. It has been pretty steady, and more or less linear, in the sense that with half the time gone, about half the budget has been used. This was one of the major questions we had at the beginning, as we were doing our financial planning - trying to get an idea of how high the loan payments would climb, and how quickly. See for yourself!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Budget_actuals_blog

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:24:43 -0700 Insulation at our LEED house in Houston is already keeping the heat out http://leedhouse.info/insulation-at-our-leed-house-in-houston-is-al http://leedhouse.info/insulation-at-our-leed-house-in-houston-is-al With the wiring and plumbing finished, we did insulation at the end of this past week, and had a chance to check on the house today. Not only does it look like yummy icing, sprayed into all the outside wall spaces, but it is already doing a great job. We were in the house with an outside temperature of 94°F, and of course no A/C and it was actually fairly bearable. Granted, there was a breeze through the front and back doors, but the windows were shut and the shutters about 1/2 down on the North and South facing sides. It was, I would say, about the same as our front room used to be at the end of a hot summer day, back in the old house with the A/C running the whole day. I remember those $500 electricity bills!! Can't wait to see the bills we'll have in the new house!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Mon, 06 Jun 2011 05:05:41 -0700 Shutters are up & May budget numbers of our Leed House in Houston http://leedhouse.info/shutters-are-up-may-budget-numbers-of-our-lee http://leedhouse.info/shutters-are-up-may-budget-numbers-of-our-lee Just a quick update - May was a busy month, with most of the internal wiring and plumbing being done, and the windows and shutters being installed. We also started housewrap. Here is a picture from the front, showing the shutters down. The sills on the upper windows aren't in yet, so the shutters are going lower than they ultimately will, but you can see that they do a great job of protecting the windows from storm or sun.

You can also see our budget numbers for this month. We have had a few good weeks in this regard, with most things coming in as expected, which is great. We have now reached the point where we have many of the major items locked in, so the scope for additional overages is slowly shrinking. We will have some expected additional costs, though, such as some of the more decorative lights, which were not part of the original budget - but these can hardly be considered overages.

We are getting very close to insulation and dry wall, which should be accomplished in the next two weeks or so. 

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Budget_actuals_blog

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:40:00 -0700 Clarification on our builders - Michael and Tommy Strong http://leedhouse.info/clarification-on-our-builders-michael-and-tom http://leedhouse.info/clarification-on-our-builders-michael-and-tom

We are working on our project with the brothers, Michael and Tommy Strong - our builders. When we first started this project, we were talking to Michael Strong because of his teaching in a Rice University in a course on green building, and he has been in our discussoins since inception.

At the time of these early discussions, Michael was associated with GreenHaus Builders, and we have mentioned this company on this blog during this time, for that reason.

By the time we obtained financing, and initiated our building project at the beginning of this year, Michael was no longer associated with GreenHaus Builders, and we have no current association or business relationship with GreenHaus Builders, nor did we have during any phase of the building. 

We wish to clarify this, as casual readers of this blog might have the impression that our house is being built by GreenHaus Builders. This is not the case. 

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Sat, 21 May 2011 04:03:31 -0700 Housewrap and windows are going in for our LEED house in Houston http://leedhouse.info/housewrap-and-windows-are-going-in-for-our-le http://leedhouse.info/housewrap-and-windows-are-going-in-for-our-le
The house continues to make great progress - we now have a dried-in roof, most windows installed, and passed our HVAC inspection. Over the past week we have also completed plumbing--rough in. Here are some photos of the update. 

The windows look nice - this was one of the areas we decided to spend some money, as we wanted functional, attractive and high-performance windows. See here for more info on the Pella Impervia windows we chose and why: http://leedhouse.info/picked-windows-for-our-greenbuilding-in-houst

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Sat, 14 May 2011 15:51:12 -0700 It looks like a house! Walls and decking on our LEED house in Houston. http://leedhouse.info/it-looks-like-a-house-walls-and-decking-on-ou http://leedhouse.info/it-looks-like-a-house-walls-and-decking-on-ou

Great progress on the house this week, with only a little rain. The walls are nearly complete as is the roof decking, which continues and should complete in another week. In the meantime, plumbing and HVAC

 work is going on inside. In addition mechanicals, housewrap and windows are going to get started next week. The transformation from frame to house is well under way. 

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Tue, 03 May 2011 04:42:34 -0700 Fourth month budget and the cupola on our LEED house in Houston http://leedhouse.info/fourth-month-budget-and-the-cupola-on-our-lee http://leedhouse.info/fourth-month-budget-and-the-cupola-on-our-lee As framing completes, we have the April budget to report. We had a second noticeable overage this month, related to framing materials. We had been warned abou this by our builder - the prices for framing materials are of course largely determined by the cost of wood, which is a commodity with significant fluctuations. The Houston construction market is warming up noticeably, at least in some neighborhoods and in custom homes - can't speak to the more high-volume end of the market. In any case, our budget quote had become quite outdated, and we were expecting an overage - we have about half of it in this month, with another half expected to hit in May.

You will also notice that the projected cost per sq ft is creeping up, as the overages accumulate. We started around $165 and are now more at $170, still very affordable for a custo m home. We will continue to go higher, no doubt. Not least because some of the LEED regulations, related to Energy Star and HERS ratings, have recently changed, forcing us to adjust our plan somewhat, on the fly. Not sure what the budget impact will be, but we may have to invest some more to ensure we end up where want to be - Silver LEED at least. 

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Budget_actuals_blog

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Sat, 30 Apr 2011 10:17:49 -0700 Second floor framing almost complete http://leedhouse.info/second-floor-framing-almost-complete http://leedhouse.info/second-floor-framing-almost-complete

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Check out the photos - second floor almost finished. Really looks like a house now.

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Tue, 26 Apr 2011 22:48:14 -0700 More Framing Progress - we have an upstairs now http://leedhouse.info/more-framing-progress-we-have-an-upstairs-now http://leedhouse.info/more-framing-progress-we-have-an-upstairs-now
Not much to say except that we definitely have the beginnings of an upstairs!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:28:38 -0700 Framing half complete on our LEED house in Houston - kids search for eggs among the stick and frame http://leedhouse.info/framing-half-complete-on-our-leed-house-in-ho http://leedhouse.info/framing-half-complete-on-our-leed-house-in-ho
Just a quick post of a video I took yesterday of the kids searching for eggs amongst the stick and frame of the house  - first floor only – which is making rapid progress. 

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:30:00 -0700 Floor base is in and framing starts to shoot up on our house http://leedhouse.info/floor-base-is-in-and-framing-starts-to-shoot http://leedhouse.info/floor-base-is-in-and-framing-starts-to-shoot
Today the floor base – tongue and groove particle board – went in today, and the framing on the first floor started! The transformation is instant (well when you don't see it during the day) and very exciting.

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The view from the front – you can see the height of the first floor very clearly.
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Looking from the kitchen past the back door to the front of the house.

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From the family room to the library area, where the fireplace will be.
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Looking through the kitchen towards the breakfast corner and the carport.

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Looking at the guest room from the front hall.

 

 

 

 

 

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/KHtmWXo6s1 Oliver Bogler Oliver Oliver Bogler