project rivercamp at north lock farm

The Clayton iHouse

2009-07-17T18:51:00Z

There is a new option for a modern prefab home, which was recently unveiled by Clayton Homes. They call it the i-house. I think the i-house has great potential to fulfil the promise of prefab. What is the "promise of prefab?" I define it as the mostly failed attempt at designing attractive, efficient, high quality homes, under tightly controlled factory conditions, that are easily affordable.

There are many options for prefab today. We investigated many when we started Project Rivercamp about 18 months ago. Res4, Rocio Romero, Michelle Kaufman, and many other modern designers are designing beautiful modern prefabricated houses that ship on trucks to the customer's site and are off loaded and fastened to the foundation. It is a very efficient way to build a house, and the quality of the construction should be higher than a site built house, because of the controlled conditions under which it is built. Sounds great, but the major problem with these houses is that they end up costing the same or end up being more expensive than stick built houses. That is the reason why prefab has not caught on in the U.S., and the reason that Michelle Kaufman recently had to close up shop and go out of business.

Enter the i-house. It is made by Clayton Homes, which claims to be the country's largest homebuilder. They are a 40+ year old company that up until now has focused on producing and selling low end modular homes to people who otherwise would not be able to afford to buy a house. Their production methods have to be efficient, because they compete in the low priced, low profit margin end of the market. These guys know how to build an efficient, high quality, low priced home. That's what they do. In fact, they claim that their typical home produces only one trash can of waste, which is unbelievably efficient use of materials.

Warren Buffett bought the company a few years ago, and tasked their designers with making an environmentally friendly, affordable, modern looking house to appeal to an emerging green market. The i-house was introduced earlier this year at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. It has gotten considerable press, and it caught our eye as well.

We recently traveled to Knoxville, Kentucky to look at the i-house. We liked it, and are considering buying one for our farm in Virginia.

The house consists of two separate buildings; the main unit, which has the master bedroom, a full bath, living room and kitchen. This is the smaller, one bedroom unit. A two bedroom i-house is also available, which is what people have been ordering. The other building is the "flex" unit, which is another bedroom or studio and full bath. They also make a flex II which has 2 bedrooms and a full bath. The one we would consider is the two bedroom main house and the two bedroom flex unit.

Here is the floor planof the i-house II and the flex II.

The roof of the flex unit is a deck, which I think is fabulous. For our location, it would have a great view of the river!

The back of the flex unit.

The front of the flex unit

the front side of the main house

Inside the living room. This is the smaller unit, and the living room is tight. The two bedroom unit has a much bigger living/dining area.

I like the kitchen. Cabinets are by IKEA, which are the exact ones we were considering for our custom house last year.

The front entrance.

A major shortcoming of the smaller model is that there is nowhere to put a dining table. There is the kitchen counter and this other counter table that they put in, and that's it for dining options. This would not work for most people, even in a weekend house, and I think it's also why they haven't sold any of the one bedroom units. If you have a guest over for dinner, you're all eating on the sofa!

The two bedroom unit is 20 feet longer, and has room for a small dining table.

We learned that in order to see the bigger two bedroom unit, you have to drive to the factory, which is about an hour's drive from Knoxville, in Bean Station, Tennessee. We made an appointment to see the factory, and we got to see up close how they build the i-house.

This is a just completed i-house II, which they were preparing to ship. It turns out that this one was on its way to Fredericksburg, Virginia to be used as a display. We plan on visiting it again in Fredericksburg when it's open.

Here is an i-house on the assembly line. It's pretty incredible that it only takes them a week to build an i-house from start to finish.

The master bedroom end of the work in progress. The pictures are dark because it was a Saturday and the factory was closed. If you want to visit the plant, make an appointment. You can't just show up and expect to be shown around.

This is the living room, which is significantly larger than the smaller unit. It's still tight though, and I think it is a limitation of this house. There's just not much room. It necessitates an indoor/outdoor lifestyle, which is great for a weekend home in the country, but I think it has limited use for a year round house.

This house was a bit cluttered because the IKEA furniture was still being assembled. This one is shipping furnished, which is not a bad option for someone who doesn't want to be bothered with assembling all that stuff...

Flex unit under construction.

The construction is very good quality. The exterior walls are 2x6's and the interior walls are 2x4, which is consistent with the quality of a traditional stick built house. Most low end manufactured homes have 2x4 exterior walls and 2x3 interior walls, which is considered flimsy, but does keep costs down. What's more with the i-house, the joints and studs are fastened with construction adhesive, in addition to being nailed together, which is higher quality than traditional site built construction. The insulation is R30 in the floor and roof and R21 in the walls, which is excellent.

Overall, we were impressed with the quality of the construction, the layout, and certainly the cost of these houses. It really would be a great option for someone looking for a relatively affordable weekend home, provided that they have land to put it on. I like the look and feel of the house. It doesn't feel cramped at all, which was a concern of mine. I also think it would look great out in the middle of the woods, which is where we would locate ours. In an era where everyone is scaling back their expectations of what is necessary, I think that this home has great potential.

Here's a link to the i-house web site, where you can build your own i-house.

As always, comments are welcome. What do you think of this house? How do you feel about prefab? Do you think the i-house will catch on? Will Clayton Homes fulfill the promise of prefab?

Clayton iHouse

2009-06-17T20:20:00Z

I've waded back in to this project, and have been busy with more research on how to get our house built during my two year sabbatical from work. I've got six months left, and then it's back to work.

I have found this prefab house, which is made by Clayton Homes. They are a 40 year old company that produces low end manufactured housing. Warren Buffett bought the company a few years ago with the idea that Clayton could produce cost efficient, green housing.

I like the modern look of the house. It has been referred to as a house that IKEA would build if they were to do such a thing. There have been quite a few articles written about this house, a preview article here, and another review in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The house seems to have good potential, and so far, I've not been able to find a reason to eliminate it as a possibility.

The price is certainly right. It costs about one third that the custom house we designed last year, though it's really not fair to compare the two houses, as they are completely different concepts.

It all comes down to how this thing feels. We are going to Knoxville TN to look at the model soon. If it feels right, we just may do it. If it doesn't, at least I'll be able to cross it off the list.

More to follow, soon. I'd be interested in any comments on this house, both positive and negative.

Here's the exterior of the smaller floorplan. We are looking at the bigger one, with two bedrooms in the main house, and the two bedroom flex unit.

This is the living/dining/kitchen of the bigger floorplan. It can be customized with a fireplace, which would go where the tv is in this picture.

Pencils Down...

2008-12-19T20:14:00Z

We have spent considerable effort to contain the cost of this project.

We have to stretched our initial budget to a level that was at the very limit of what we were comfortable with. I've spent the past 3 months trying to find ways to cut costs and economize on both the design and the finish details. I've been very careful to select fixtures that are of good quality and cost efficient. There was not much else left to cut without dramatically altering the project.

We have looked at every line item and squeezed it as much as possible, and it left us at the limit of what we wanted to spend on this house, with very little margin for error.

Our financing for the project was in place, the permits were ready to be pulled, and we were set to start digging the foundation.

Then I got the email...

I received an updated pricing summary from our builder last Friday. It seems that there was an error in our builder's spreadsheet, and it was not calculating the costs properly.

None of the site work was getting rolled up into the total. The excavation, the septic drainfield, the well, etc. were all left out of the total.

The pricing summary was off by about $100,000. I'll repeat that, ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS...

Given the major effort that we had put into bringing down costs, and trying to squeeze out $500 here and $1000 there, this was a deal breaker.

project rivercamp is on hold indefinitely.

This house will hopefully be built someday, but it will not be built in its current form for the current price. We will examine our options in the coming months.

Stay tuned...

Recycled Oak flooring

2008-11-20T15:05:00Z

We have decided to use reclaimed oak for the floors of the house. This wood comes from old horse fences and other farm structures in Virginia and West Virginia. We had been planning on using bamboo for the floors, but this recycled wood that we found is greener and cheaper, either of which would have been reason enough to choose it. In addition, it's beautiful, and has lots of character.

Reclaimed oak is greener than bamboo because it's recycled and it's local.

Bamboo is sustainable and a great material because it regrows in only 5-7 years before it can be harvested again. The downside of bamboo is that it ships all the way from China, which increases it's carbon footprint. There are also questions about the sustainability of it's harvesting methods, and how it's production is monitored. Bamboo is also a relatively new flooring material, so it is somewhat untested as to its durability, which detracts from it's "green-ness."

Oak in general is durable. Even "new" oak is already very old, because the trees grow slowly. Old, reused oak has already passed the durability test in it's earlier life as a barn or a fence or some other structure. Because it's locally sourced, it doesn't have to travel very far. This also makes it cheaper than bamboo because we will save on the delivery/shipping fee. All of these reasons have earned this product approval as a green material from the US Green Building Council.

Green, durable, cheap and beautiful. What else could one want in a floor?

From Shenandoah Plank:

Old farm structures are torn down and the wood is recycled to make this flooring. It is set aside because of the grey and black color that these boards have when they arrive at the mill. Horse Country Oak has a medium to high knot content, giving the floor a very rustic look. The floor has a very unique look with the mixture of both red and white oak, along with the black patina from paint and weathering.

RANDOM LENGTHS - 1'-8', Avg. 5'

Getting closer to breaking ground

2008-11-06T03:01:44Z

I haven't done an update in a while. There has been too much going on with the election, the financial meltdown, the boys' soccer and other world changing issues. However, good progress is being made with the house.

Here's where we are right now:

Looking at finishes and deciding what this house is really going to look like. This is detail work, some of it fun, and some of it mundane, but all of it is very important. I've been spending my mornings looking at kitchen and bathroom fixtures, cabinets, flooring samples, windows, and counter top options. Much of this has been decided and there is much left to do. I'm trying to spend as little money as possible on things like fixtures, while still getting good quality and a look that we like.

Here's a rendering of the kitchen. The counter tops will be slate, quarried just outside of Charlottesville. Slate is a great material for many reasons. It looks great, it's very durable, and best of all, it's inexpensive compared to granite and other stone options. We will get LEED credit for using a locally sourced stone. This quarry is also very old. I think it's cool that this quarry has supplied virtually all of the slate roofs of Virginia since the 1700's, including the many historically notable Virginia estates like Monticello, Montpelier, Mount Vernon, etc.

Here is the current look of the front facade. I include this because it shows the 3 kitchen windows ganged up to the right of the entrance, which is a new configuration.

We are also working on the fireplace. LEED is very concerned with indoor air quality. Fireplaces give off quite a bit of particulate, and therefore negatively impact the indoor air. Sure, it smells great, it gives off good heat, and it's romantic, but LEED doesn't like it because wood smoke is considered pollution which doesn't belong in one's house.

In order to get LEED credits for a house that has a fireplace, it should be a sealed unit that burns gas or alcohol. That does not work for us. Our house will be on a property of 90 acres, mostly forest, and trees are constantly falling down, which provide us with lots of firewood. Besides, we like real wood fires!

The solution is to use an EPA certified wood burning fireplace insert. This will allow the wood fire to give off heat and light to the living room, while keeping the smoke and particulate moving up the chimney. There are several cool looking options available, the key will be to find one we like that works with the budget and LEED.

Here's a rendering of the fireplace, which is located in the living room.

Overall, we have made quite a bit of progress in the last 3 weeks. We should get our permits the week of Nov 24th, and should be able to break ground on or about December 1. This is great news, though significantly different than our mid-July target.

I'm also realizing that my 2 year sabbatical from work is almost halfway over, and we still have not broken ground on this house. We need to get this done, so I can get back to work!!!

As always, feedback and comments are welcome.

LEED for Homes

2008-10-22T17:36:00Z

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is probably the best known standard of certification for green construction. It was developed for commercial buildings. LEED for Homes was developed more recently as a standard for, you guessed it, residential construction. LEED was developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), and is an evolving standard. USGBC is a great information and educational resource for green building, including The Green Home Guide.

We are registering our construction project to get it LEED certified. We are working with a LEED provider who will act as a 3rd party verification that the certification requirements are met. The project will be evaluated on 8 different categories that include the following:

Innovation and Design: they look at things that make the project unique that add to the efficiency of the building
Location and Linkages: ensuring the home's location is environmentally and socially responsible, not too big for the site, etc.
Sustainable Sites: minimizing the home's impact on the site
Water efficiency: for inside and outside the house
Energy and Atmosphere: This is the most important category for the rating system, according to our LEED guy. It evaluates how energy efficient the building is to heat and cool.
Materials and Resources: minimizing construction waste and using environmentally preferable materials, local when possible.
Indoor Environmental Quality
Awareness and Education: we can get points for holding open houses and helping to educate others about green buildings. This blog should get us a point or two in this department.

There are 4 levels of certification for LEED-H: Basic Certification, Silver, Gold and Platinum. When we decided to pursue LEED Certification this past summer, our goal was to try to get Platinum certification. We were hoping to be the first LEED Platinum house in Virginia. There are currently only 4 LEED houses in Virginia: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Certified.

Our preliminary evaluation put our project securely in the Gold category, with 75 points. We would need to achieve 8.5 additional points to get Platinum. We identified many areas where we can achieve these additional points. Our required points for Platinum was lowered because our house is relatively small, so we need 83.5 instead of 90 points.

We're very happy with this preliminary report, and we definitely plan on pursuing the Platinum certification, even if we don't end up being the first.

More "Value Engineering"

2008-10-06T14:27:00Z

I love this term... Value Engineering. I learned it from Gretchen Yahn, of Castle Rock Enterprises, our builder. She is helping us bring down the budgeted cost of the house.

The original budget was set, somewhat arbitrarily, to be roughly what we thought we could sell our current house on our property adjacent to North Lock Farm. We liked the idea of building a "budget neutral" house. We thought it would be an elegant solution, an even exchange of value: build the new house, sell the old house, pay off the construction loan, and we all go on our merry way.

When the pricing first came back, it was 100% over the budget of what we wanted to spend for the house. Yep, just about twice the original budget.

We went back to the drawing board with Andrew Cocke, of Here Design, and redesigned the house completely. We worked with Gretchen, who had many good ideas of how to reduce the costs. We brought down the size significantly to save on the cost of materials. We looked at the siting of the house, and moved it to better fit within the existing gradelines of the site, which would reduce the amount of excavation and earth-moving for the foundation. We also reduced the amount of terraced surfaces, which will reduce the amount of concrete and materials for retaining walls, etc.

We made all of these changes, while keeping the original minimum requirements of the house, such as the number of bedrooms, the river location, natural materials to blend in with the landscape, and LEED Platinum certification. These are goals that we're not willing to sacrifice, and we'd rather not build the house until we can achieve these goals with a budget that works.

This significant amount of work did result in significant cost savings. It brought the estimate down a full 30%, which is terrific. Gretchen and Andrew did a great job of finding areas to change to reduce the cost of construction. That's the good news. The remaining challenge is to squeeze the remaining 20% out of the project cost, while still not sacrificing the original purpose of the building.

We are looking more closely at the windows to find ways to bring those costs down. We expect to cut costs by changing some of the operable windows to inoperable, and by paring down the size of some of the windows, such as in the guest bedrooms. (Sorry, guests, you will have to do with less view, but I don't think you'll notice...) We are also looking at making the basement a bit smaller to further reduce the cost of excavation and site work. Beyond that, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of other changes to make without changing the overall scope of the project.

Our hope is that this round of changes will bring the costs down enough that we can proceed without further delay. We still hope to break ground this Fall.

More looks of the exterior

2008-09-19T02:13:00Z

I just received a number of renderings of the exterior of the house. I am very happy with the design so far. It can be deceiving to look at these, because they look so "real" and "finished," but they are just renderings of a point in time of the design.

It will continue to develop; windows will be added, moved, removed, reconfigured and rejiggered. The size of the rooms may push and pull a bit, and the exterior will evolve.

The value in these renderings to me is to see the overall idea of the house, and figure out what we like about it and what we think needs more work.

Our builder is still pricing up this design as rendered, and what she comes back with may call for further modifications, but hopefully not. This design meets all of the requirements that we laid out with our architect at the beginning of the project.

This is the Southwest facade. The end of the house on the right will sit on the ridge and overlook the river. There is a wrap-around deck that surrounds 3 sides of the house. The stairs on the left will lead down the "mossy trail" along the ridge, which eventually leads to the river. The porch on the second floor is off of the master bedroom. The second floor of this end of the house has louvers covering it, both over the siding and the windows. This will filter the strong southern sunlight without obstructing the view. The louvers will be wood, which will weather to a silvery grey, and will help camouflage the house from the river. The house should blend right in, and be almost invisible to passing canoes and kayaks.

This is the Southeast facade. We're still working on the layout of the first floor windows here, but it shows the louvers on the far end of the house, and the diagonal louvers that connect the second floor to first floor stairwell.

I won't elaborate on the diagonal louvers now, it will take another post, but they are highly engineered, innovative, and may be impossible to build...

Passive Solar design

2008-09-19T01:35:00Z

There is significant effort in designing this house to take advantage of passive solar energy. The idea of passive solar is to design the house so that in the winter, sunlight will stream through the windows to the floor, the floor will absorb the heat, and warm the room. Conversely, the design should provide that in summer, the floors will be shaded and the room will stay cooler. Capturing this passive solar energy or eliminating it, depending on the season, saves on heating and cooling the house.

The two pictures below are great examples of passive solar energy in the design of Rivercamp:

This picture is the top of the stairs to the second floor, viewed from the guest bedrooms. This shows the sun at its position on the Winter Solstice. You can see that the sun is streaming in the house to the floor of the hall. This heat will be absorbed into the floor and retained in the room, which will reduce the energy needed to heat the space.

Now look at the same view on the Summer Solstice:

The sun is higher in the sky and the floor is shaded from the sun, which reduces the need for air conditioning. Pretty cool...

I'm still amazed that the software being used to design the house can model this stuff. And note that the railing around the stairway opening is not up to code, but I'm sure that will be fixed in the next version! ; )

master site plan

2008-09-18T12:15:00Z

Here's the Site Plan.

Fabulous work by SITEWORKS, Charlottesville, Va.

The roof of the solar shed at the top of the picture will house the solar panels that will run the radiant floor heating and the hot water for the house. Otherwise it would be called a "barn," which will house the tractor, the Kawasaki Mule, the Bush Hog, the finish mower and the DR Brush Mower, and any other toys that need a home...

Master Suite layout

2008-09-10T14:14:00Z

I thought that rivercamp v.2.2 was the final schematic design for the house. However, we have changed it a bit, again, with considerations to the view of the river from the master bedroom. There will be a small porch off this room which we want to have the best view from the 2nd floor. By moving it to the southwest corner of the house, it will have a more expansive view and sound from the water. Here's the latest rendering.

Call it rivercamp 2.21

The porch is on the bottom right side of this drawing, and will be accessible from the bedroom. Should be a great place for morning coffee, to read a book, or an evening cigar. Sounds good!

The porch will be finished with louvers, which will give a feeling of being both open and sheltered at the same time. The louvers should let the breezes through, and reduce the glare and harsh sunlight on the south side of the house. This picture gives a good idea of the look we are going for:

Borrowed from Bates + Masi Architects. The house is Landfall, in the Hamptons.

Fenestration and Feedback

2008-09-10T13:42:00Z

We're in the middle of designing the layout of the windows for the house. Specifically, the front entry of the house. You could call this the front facade fenestration, if you fancied alliteration.

We have several considerations on the table. I'm going to put all of them up. I would be interested in any feedback or comments on the designs. Preferences, likes, dislikes, whatever. We're looking all of them over to decide which direction we'll go in. Once we decide on a general direction, we'll further refine the fenestration of the front facade.

We're just considering the general look of the layout, and the window sizes will be refined for each room. I have a preference for one, and I'm interested in what others have to say. I realize that many of these look very similar, and some of this seems like splitting hairs, but let me know if one stands out.

Have a look, post your comments and feedback, and that will be it for alliteration Wednesday! Thanks, BB

ENTRY 1

ENTRY 1A

ENTRY 1B

ENTRY 1C

ENTRY 2

ENTRY 3

ENTRY 4

IKEA Cabinets

2008-08-27T10:57:00Z

Does anyone have experience with IKEA kitchen cabinets?

I'm seriously considering them for our kitchen. They are ridiculously inexpensive compared to other cabinets; less than 1/3 the cost of custom. The quality seems pretty good, certainly perfectly suitable for a weekend house that will sit unused for 80% of the time.

I'd be interested in any opinions, good or bad, and any experiences that people have had.

Leave a comment here, or email me directly.

THANKS -BB

Redesign is complete: rivercamp 2.2

2008-08-27T01:09:00Z

LET'S BUILD THIS THING!

At long last, we have arrived at the completed design of the layout of the house. This is a huge milestone for this project. We have gone from an L-shape design, which has extensive decking and long wall expanses on all sides, to a single bar scheme which is more compact overall.

We like this design much better, for many reasons; most importantly that it we can actually build it!! It has been a time consuming, challenging effort to get to this point, which makes it much more satisfying to be done with this phase.

I know that it has been extremely challenging for Andrew to conceive this thing. We have not made it easy, because of all of the constraints we have put on the project. Here is a partial list of what he's had to deal with from us:

a strict budget that we are determined to abide
4+ smallish bedrooms
< 2000 square feet (we want this thing to be as compact as possible)
open living spaces
dramatic river views, while staying camouflaged from river
designed to accommodate solar power , either now or in the future
must be beautiful
LEED Platinum Certification

And the list goes on... I really didn't think it was possible to design a house that has all of this, and still be on budget. Andrew has been very patient with us, and has worked with dedication and determination to design all of this into the house. I'm amazed at the result.

Andrew asked me what I liked about the house, and why I thought that this design was 'it." My reply was that this design has everything that we are looking for (see above list.) It meets all of our needs in a very efficient use of space. I think the efficiency of the space is one of the most important reasons that we like it. Oh, and it looks cool too!! I feel like we've really gotten some creative, forward thinking design in a sleek, modern, original looking package.

So here are the pictures:

1st FLOOR:

This layout is basically unchanged from previous versions. The deck has been extended around the perimeter of the house, and the stair to the 2nd floor is angled so that it will push out the wall of the second floor. It should give the house more visual interest from the outside, and will provide a cool profile for the south side exterior. There will be a door, which is not pictured here, from the kitchen to the deck on the left side, between the basement and 2nd floor staircases. The living room, with the wide deck off of it, will have a view down to the river from the ridge.

2nd FLOOR:

This is where most of the redesign work happened. Four bedrooms on this floor; the two guest bedrooms are at the top of the drawing, with a guest bath. The boys' room is in the middle, and an open sitting/reading area across the hall next to the stairs. The Master bedroom is at the bottom of the picture, which will have a small porch in the corner that overlooks the river.

The pictures below may look finished, but they are not. You need some imagination to pretend that there are windows on the first floor of the end and the right side of the building... You can see where the staircase projects out of the building as it goes up to the 2nd floor, and it provides an overhang to shade the deck. The basement entry is on this end of the house as well.

Below is another INCOMPLETE picture. There WILL be windows on the second floor, and we are working on the scheme. This picture does give a good feel for the basic idea. Large windows in the foreground are in the living room, and this end of the house sits on the ridge and looks down to the Rappahannock. The Master bedroom is on this end, and the porch will be on the corner on the right. Windows coming soon!!

So there it is: our sleek, modern, green, sustainable design for our little house in the country.

I'm meeting with Gretchen, our builder, tomorrow, to stake out the exact location of the house on the ridge tomorrow, and I should have her pricing proposal back within a week or so.

Comments, Suggestions and Questions are encouraged. -BB

rivercamp 2.0

2008-08-18T15:29:00Z

Below is a view of the back of the house. The cantilevered deck on the right corner will over look the river.

This shows the basement entry, just to the left of the stairs to the deck. On the main floor is the playroom/media room, and the second floor is two guest rooms with a glass wall covering the end of the house.

The floor plan of the first floor:

Kitchen, Dining Room and Living Room, with deck off of the Living Room. The fireplace is not depicted in this rendering of the Living Room. The bedroom off the kitchen is actually the play/media room. The bed is to show scale.

The stairs have become a major architectural focal point of this design. Set at an angle, the stairs will cause the house to bow out as they go up to the second floor. Andrew didn't know how we would like this, as it's a bit "out there" for Karen and me. However, we really like it, and it will add visual interest to both the outside and the inside of the house.

I think I'm catching on to this "modern" thing...

___________________________________________________________________

Here's the 2nd Floor:

There are 4 bedrooms upstairs, and 2 bathrooms. The stairs lead up to a wide hall, which may become a sitting/reading area, maybe with built in bookshelves opposite the stairs. The Master Bedroom has its own bath and a small balcony that overlooks the river. It's very compact, and meets our need for 4 bedrooms in a very efficient space. The angled stairs lead to a second floor that is wider than the first floor. It makes a covered walkway on the deck, below:

These drawings may look "done," but there is quite a bit of work left to do. The window layout has not been done, which will be the next step, but I think the pictures give a good idea of where we are, and the direction we are headed.

Value Engineering

2008-08-18T14:22:00Z

We have had to figure out how to handle the budget issue since we got our pricing back, which came in at 100% over what we want to spend on this house.

Gretchen, our builder, suggested that we have a few "Value Engineering" meetings. The meetings evaluated how to cut costs while still achieving the goals of the house.

The basic goals/requirements of the house are:

4 bedrooms
Playroom/media room - this is a flexible space where the kids can play and be nearby, but in their own space
Large living/family room
River views from the common spaces
mud room w/ bathroom
Green construction methods to Achieve LEED Platinum status, or highest attainable LEED status within budget

We know that the project would not be built as originally proposed. In order to move the project ahead and keep it viable, it has required a lot of prioritizing in order to figure out what to cut and where.

Gretchen advised us that the best way to cut costs would be:

Minimize the overall size of the building, and the area that must be covered with cladding. The L shaped scheme was a lot of skin on the building.
Orient house along topographical contours to minimize excavation for foundation

we had been more concerned with orientation to optimize passive solar heating/cooling

Minimize terracing that requires retaining walls
Eliminate the deck

Karen and I decided that we wanted to change a few things as well, in light of the fact that this is a weekend house that will sit empty 80% of the time:

The cost of Geo-thermal heating and cooling is too expensive to justify; we'd never get the cost back on a place that's only used on weekends
The louver system on the outside of the house will be eliminated.
We will adjust the level of finishes throughout the house, maximizing value while maintaining acceptable quality

Cabinets will be IKEA; I went to the local IKEA to inspect the quality of their cabinets. They look great, the quality feels right and they are about 1/3 of the cost of standard cabinets. They also come with a 25 year warranty. I emailed some other friends/bloggers about the quality of these cabinets and they backed me up on the quality question. For a weekend house, this is an easy decision.
Fixtures will be KOHLER; We used KOHLER when we renovated our bungalow in Alexandria, and were very happy with the quality. The cost is very reasonable for what you get. They have a lifetime warranty, which I have needed to use, and they quickly send replacement parts when needed.

The house will have to be smaller, tighter and more compact. This is fine, as we have been trying to keep the house as small as possible, both for LEED consideration, and cost consideration. We are not trying to build a grand home here, it's a modest weekend cottage to enjoy with friends and family. It should feel intimate.

There were some areas that we could not cut, because they would not achieve the basic goals of the house:

Appliances:

All will be Energy Star, even at a possible higher cost. This is because they use less energy and will save money over the long term, as well as for LEED consideration.
Induction cooktop: These are very expensive, but they give the control of gas, and are very powerful and they are the most efficient transfer of heat for cooking. We will also save by not having to purchase, and bury, a propane tank, nor have to pay to refill the tank, which is very expensive these days. Propane burns at a lower temperature than natural gas, and it takes forever to boil water with propane...
Because food, and cooking, is such an important part of what we like to do, and the kitchen will be one of the most used rooms in this house, we will not sacrifice quality in the appliances.

Bedrooms: we need 4 bedrooms to accommodate our family and guests. The main weakness in our current house at the farm is that it has 3 bedrooms. Most of our friends have children as well, so it puts a huge limit on the families that we can invite as weekend guests.
River view: The spot we have chosen is difficult. It's right on the ridge, overlooking the river. It's rocky and the soil is poor. Erosion will be a concern during construction. It would be much easier and less expensive to build the house somewhere else on the property. However, at the outset, we decided that what makes our property unique is its location right on the river, and the property's 3/4 mile of riverfront. We want the house to take advantage of it's greatest asset.
Basement w/ mud room. Digging a basement will be expensive on this rocky site. However, we spend a lot of time outside getting dirty when we are at the farm. We need a mud room entrance with a bathroom to change and shower when necessary before coming into the main house.
Deck: You can't build this house without a deck overlooking the river. You just can't!!

Andrew also had to make major architectural changes to the house. It just wasn't going to get built as originally designed because of cost. This is the most drastic area of revision.

Change from L shape house to a single bar scheme. One box instead of two, so the house will be rectangular, instead of two perpindicular rectangles that form an "L"
Orient the house along the existing topographical contours in order to minimize excavation and backfill, while still maintaining optimal solar exposure.
Single ceiling height, instead of a higher ceiling in the living room, to give an airier feel to the room overlooking the river.
rework the bedroom configuration on the second floor

It has taken Andrew, and us, to a lesser extent, a considerable amount of time and effort to redesign the house, with "Value Engineering" as the guiding force, while still achieving the goals of the house. At long last, I feel that we are at a point that we are back on track. The new design is still not complete, and we still need to review the cost savings that will be achieved by this new design.

We are all very happy with the way it is coming along. What we have is a very efficient use of space that achieves all of what we need in this house. We will be reviewing the new design with Gretchen later in the week, and moving forward from there.

I have drawings of the new design, which I will post in another entry, as this particular post is getting windy...

All for now. Thanks for reading, and please post a comment, as we're definitely interested in your feedback.

a slow few weeks for project rivercamp

2008-08-14T22:09:00Z

Not much to report since we got the initial pricing meeting. I've met a couple of times with Architect Andrew, and a couple of times with our builder, Gretchen, and they've met with each other a couple of times. The theme of the meetings has been "Value Engineering." That's a great term. We need to 'Value Engineer' about 50% out of the price in order for this project to proceed.

I have another meeting with Andrew tomorrow. I will make a full report on the Value Engineering process very soon.

There was also a vacation to the Outer Banks, a trip to Atlanta for my sister's wedding, and other family obligations that have slowed progress on this project. I hope to get things going again next week.

Sticker Shock

2008-07-11T21:41:20Z

I met with our builder yesterday to review the pricing of our house plans. Ouch. It was not even close to our budget. Nope, not in the ballpark at all.

We either need more money or less house. Since there isn't any additional money, it looks like less house!

It was a bit disheartening to look at the pricing schedule, and then see that there is no way that this thing will be built as it is designed now. But this also was somewhat expected. The design process to this point has been in a bit of a vacuum, looking more at what we want the house to be, rather than what we think we can afford. It's like when you're packing for a vacation; you take out all the stuff you want to take with you, and put it on the bed. Then you get out your suitcase, and you realize that there's no way that all that stuff will fit. You set your priorities, pack only your best stuff that you can't live without, and once you've made enough cuts, it will fit in your suitcase. We've got to do the same for this house.

There are two things that we will do next:

further define the costs of each line item. Many of the items in the pricing schedule were input as allowances. We will go and pick the actual items for these, along with actual pricing. This will make the pricing more real. For example, the cabinets were given an allowance of a certain amount, which was an assumption by the builder. Once we choose the actual cabinets, we can put in the actual cost. This will allow us to better control the costs, and prioritize where we want to make changes to save money. Another example is the terraces, which were priced out with concrete. I don't want concrete terraces, I want something more permeable for water to more naturally drain through. Concrete also is not a sustainable material, and we want to use it only where necessary. We want the terraces to be packed sand and pavers. This will be much less expensive than concrete as well.
We will need to redesign several aspects of the house. The terraces are a good example for redesign as well. By scaling these back, we are also scaling back the retaining walls that would hold them up. Lots of expensive concrete and stone work is involved in these, so they will be carefully cut back to bring down the cost.

There was another interesting aspect of the pricing meeting yesterday, and that was the effect of the slow economy and high gas prices on this project from our builder's standpoint. Materials suppliers are keeping very low inventories, not stocking any unnecessary inventory, which increases the lead time to get materials to the site. This will slow down the progress of the construction significantly.

High gas prices are causing suppliers to pass along Fuel and Shipping Surcharges for materials, which builders are in turn passing to their customers. There was a $3000 line item in our pricing schedule for anticipated shipping charges. A sign of the times, indeed.

We will take the first stab at reworking and refining the design and the materials schedule tomorrow. I'll meet with Andrew, with the pricing schedule and formulate a plan.

I am confident that with Andrew and our builder working together, and Karen and I making hard choices about what our priorities are with this project, we will be able to keep this thing moving, and we'll get it built in a way that delights us all.

Meet Me at The Big Mess

2008-06-28T18:17:00Z

At the very beginning of project rivercamp, Karen and I decided that we wanted the boys to be involved as much as possible in the design of the house and to incorporate their ideas and input. How much useful input would actually come from a 4 and 6 year old we weren't quite sure of, but what the heck, we gotta try, right?

During our first meeting with Andrew, he asked how, or if, we wanted the boys to be involved in the project. We were happy that he brought it up first, so we knew he wouldn't think we were insane to try to have toddlers help design the house. Or at least we were all equally nuts, if that's any consolation.

After more discussion and thought, we decided that The Big Mess would be a perfect way to get the boys involved in project rivercamp.

What is The Big Mess?

There are ruins of some old camping cabins about 100 yards down the ridge from the house site. The site is directly on the ridge, and the cabins had a prime spot with an unobstructed view over the river. The cabins were built around 50-60 years ago and were used by scout troops. The cabins fell from disuse to disrepair, to collapse over the years. Some of the locals familiar with the area remember the cabins still standing 15-20 years ago. I don't know when they stopped being used.

Since we have owned the property, the site has become known as "The Big Mess." It is a popular hiking destination for our family, fairly easy to get to from our house, and not so far that the boys get too tired to walk back.

Closer inspection of the remains of the cabins shows that the cinder block foundation still looks relatively solid (to this layman's eye at least.)

As a part of project rivercamp, we will build a new tent structure on The Big Mess. It will consist of a simple deck and railing, with an outdoor fireplace and a tent covering.

Here are some 'before' pictures of The Big Mess:

Looking up the hill at The Big Mess

What a Mess!

Front elevation(?) of The Big Mess

Another front view, with the front stoop visible on the right

Andrew has had a couple of meetings with Ry to talk about redoing The Big Mess. Ry has truly enjoyed the meetings and frequently asks when Mr. Andrew will be coming back to talk to him. Ry and Andrew will sit and talk, and draw, and Ry will bring out things that he's built to proudly show them to Andrew and describe their different features. Key has been involved a bit with these discussions, though I think he'll be more interested in knocking down the rest of the existing ruins with his tools.

I can't wait to see what they come up with...

Ry is showing Andrew how it should look

Building Green: The First LEED Platinum House in Virginia

2008-06-13T00:44:45Z

Our goal is to be the first LEED Platinum house in Virginia.

In order to do that, the house has to be built according to certain standards, and with energy saving features to help reduce the house's impact on the environment. All of these considerations are given point values, and you gain LEED points for each of the features you implement. LEED certification requires 45 points, Silver certification requires 60 points, Gold 75, and Platinum 90 points. The maximum number of LEED points is 129.

I will try to outline many of the things we are doing to maximize our eco-friendliness in this project:

We will use native plants in our landscaping plan.
We are designing the house to be as small as possible, while still providing the features and space that we need. We can reduce the number of points required for certification by keeping the building compact. For example, if we keep to our target of 2000 Square feet of living space, then the Platinum certification points are lowered from 129 to 125 for a 5 bedroom house. 5 bedrooms in 2000 square feet is compact! People will have to get along in this place...
We will use high efficiency fixtures in the kitchen and baths.
We will use all Energy Star appliances, and we're going with an induction cooktop. I'll write more about induction cooking, because it's pretty cool, and the most efficient cooking method available. It provides better control than gas, it cooks hotter, and it's very energy efficient.
We will use geothermal energy for:

A/C
radiant heat
hot water
One really cool thing about geothermal is that the system is always operating, so your house is always at a comfortable temperature. This is especially important in a weekend house with radiant heat. If the power went out in cold winter weather, the in floor radiant lines could freeze, and cause disastrous water damage, and you'd have to rip up your floors and replace the lines and the floor. The system requires a couple of electric pumps; our plan is to have these pumps run on small solar panels.

With geothermal and induction, we will have eliminated our need for propane. This means that while we are investing in the systems up front, we will reduce and eliminate other costs, like buying and burying a propane tank, which is about $5,000. It now costs about $1,000 a pop to fill the tank, and it's not getting cheaper. We currently fill our propane tank in our existing house 2-3 times a year. We use propane just for cooking and hot water, and we're only there on the weekends.
We will have our builder use framing techniques that minimize waste.
We will use environmentally friendly materials in construction. I wrote a while back about heat treated wood, or Thermo wood. We are seriously considering using this material to clad the house. As you may guess by the name, the siding material is treated without any chemicals, just heat and water. The heat caramelizes the sugar in the wood (like toasting a wine barrel,) and makes it impervious to rot and bugs. It enables one to use wood that otherwise would be unsuitable for siding and decking material, like poplar and pine, which will be much cheaper than exotic hardwoods, and can be sourced locally. The process has been used in Europe for 15+ years, and it has not yet caught on in the U.S. This could be another unique innovation in this house for the region, if not the country.
We will use very efficient insulation. Icynene is a high tech foam that is sprayed into the walls of the building, (similar to Great Stuff, but in a MUCH bigger can!) It seals up the building and provides a very efficient R rating of 3.6 per inch. Suffice it to say that it is excellent insulation, and you have a tightly sealed building envelope. Builders and homeowners that we know who use it swear by this material.

There are other items that will come up during the planning and construction process, but this is a good idea of the considerations that we have undertaken so far. The budget also will be a big factor in implementing our plan. We will have to compare the benefit of investing in these efficient systems with the savings they will bring, as well as the impact on the environment.

We hope to make this building special in many ways. We want it to be innovative, and a great example of how building a green home can be beautiful and practical. The house will be unique, and we don't want it to be an eccentric oddity, but an excellent example of environmentally sensitive and sustainable design that is warm and inviting, and a fun place to visit.