Sustainable Flooring

According to the Project Manager, this project contains:

-Ceramic tile floors that are made with recycled glass.  We picked this product because it is resilient and the glass has been recycled from old car windshields, and other post-consumer glass products.  Carpet was not used due to it ability to hold particulates and "cheapen" the air quality in the house. 

-Wood flooring is a local wood product.  FSC was not used due to the thousands of dollars it would have added to the project.  Low VOC finish will be used on the wood flooring.

-We are using cocomats (walkoff mats) at all the entries to reduce contaminants entering the house.  This will assist in better indoor air quality in the home.

FSC Lumber Makes It To Maine

Here are a few facts about the carpentry and lumber for Cranberry Ridge:

-Forest Stewardship Certification (FSC) lumber was used to frame the exterior and interior walls of the house.  This lumber is harvested from well-managed forests and can be used towards one LEED point.
-The use of framing lumber was minimized by spacing floor joists, rafters, wall studs at 24" o.c. instead of the industry standard 16". 
-We used a peel and stick sill seal material at the PT plate and low-voc caulk at all potential air infiltration susceptible locations.
-Siding and trim was purchased from a local supplier and harvested within 500 miles of the jobsite, minimizing pollution and consumption caused by excess transportation.  The siding and trim was installed in a rain-screen system (1" air space between siding and exterior wall sheathing.)  This is a very durable construction in that it minimizes the potential for water to rot the structure or enter the house and cause mold harming people within. 
-Interior trim and cabinetry materials are a combination of FSC wood and dakota-burl products which is made from recycled materials and sustainable resources.

Hancock Lumber is now carrying FSC products to supply the demand of this project.  Owners, Architects and Builders are encouraged to use this new resource in the State of Maine!

How about the foundation?

We placed a lot of time and attention selecting environmentally preferable products for this project.  Here's a couple of note from Ben, the project manager:
-ICF forms were used.  These are made from EPS (expanded polystyrene) insulation that does not use CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons) in its manufacturing (believed to harm the ozone layer).  The product also creates a very tight building envelope as well as a highly insulated basement.
-We replaced cement with slag in our concrete mix.  We did this because slag is a recycled product, being a byproduct from the manufacture of steel.  

Site Work Specifics

Sustainable Sites, simply put, is planned to minimize impact on the natural site.  The category includes minimizing demand for water and synthetic chemicals and to reduce heat island effects.  Here are some ways that the Cranberry Ridge home addressed sustainable sites:

-Installed silt fencing around entire site to prevent erosion control.  Erosion is found to cause pollution in our waterways by carrying contaminates to them.
-We left 50% of the previously undeveloped lot undisturbed.  We delineated these areas with flagging and silt fencing and made sure no one parked/worked in these areas. By disturbing the site, it is thought that natural drainage flows can be disturbed and harmfully affect adjacent areas.
-For landscaping we will plant drought-tolerant plantings that don't require irrigation and constant use of water for health.  We will also use indigenous plants from local cooperatives minimizing transportation. 
-Using permeable paving materials for the driveway.  Currently we are carrying a gravel driveway for cost reasons, but may end up using a more resilient materials such as permeable asphalt or concrete.  We are constructing the patio/walkways out of concrete pavers that are spaced at least 1/2" apart to aid in permeability.  Permeability of surface materials assist in reducing runoff and erosion (see first item this list).
-We are limiting turf (grass) to 50-20% of the landscaping.  By doing this, we are reducing the need for water use and runoff.
-We are applying 3-4 inches of mulch around all plantings to improve soil structure and provide natural nutrients around plantings as it decomposes.

Cold Climate Framing Techniques

We have used a few of the Cold Climate building techniques in this house.  The book, by Joseph Lstiburek, holds a lot of information and I suggest you read it.  Here are a few techniques we used in the construction of our LEED house:

-Rigid at the perimeter band joists (outboard of the rim joist) to act as a thermal break
-ICF foundation to minimize heat loss through the basement
-Compressible sill sealer to minimize air infiltration through that interface
-Insulation at all box sills
-2' O.C. framing to conserve lumber as well as maximize insulation in exterior walls
-Rainscreen wall system to prevent moisture retainage in the siding and trim plane - More durable
-Metal roof to minimize snow/ice buildup on roof
-Sealed all wall plate to deck interfaces to tighten envelope