We just settled on the Two Point Five Beta yesterday marking the completion of Postgreen’s eighth house. We don’t have final photography or LEED results yet, so this is just a quick celebratory post with a more comprehensive one to follow.

This house is the first to feature our new 1two5 Cabinets in the kitchen. The Sepviva Line, designed with matte laminates, aluminum edge banding and clean, simple lines was created for this house in Matte White and Terril. It features the Frigidaire slide in hybrid induction range and the Whirlpool/Bosch combo of fridge and dishwasher. The dishwasher blends in with a custom door panel. The final piece is a 2cm Ceaserstone countertop. We snapped some quick scouting pictures of this kitchen the other day with young Teague in the role of professional model. We felt his former work as an unhappy hipster qualified him for the work. Here’s a sample. More will follow when we take the actual professional shots.

In addition to the 1two5 kitchen the Two Point Five is home to another first. It is the first time we have beat the Passive House air sealing requirement of .6 ACH (Air Changes per Hour) at 50 Pa. Our final blower door came in at .54 ACH as you might have guessed from the cryptic title of this post. We will have more discussion of that in the coming week including how we got there and how it effects our final HERS rating.

Well, it’s a somewhat brief and unsatisfying post, but I promise more very soon. For now, feel free to put any appropriate unhappy hipster captions for the above picture in the comments. Check out the real site for inspiration.

Amanda is an intern at Postgreen and will be posting semi-regularly on products she is researching. Be sure to give her good feedback as any one of these products might find their way onto the Postgreen Homes site and into one of our houses.

Based in Tacoma Washington, Richlite® Company has released countertops which are derived from renewable or recycled paper resources. Their products are durable, heat resistant up to 350 degrees, stain resistant, and they look pretty cool too!  The FSC-certified or post-consumer recycled paper is treated with resin, pressed and then baked to create solid sheets.  It’s strength allows for long spans and cantilevers without any additional support. Isn’t the freedom of design amazing?!  Also, who is to say that you just have to use their product for countertops?  Their products are also great for use in the application of wall caps, stair treads, flooring, and columns and, many other architectural details.

DESIGN ASPECTS
Richlite currently manufactures two different styles available in a variety of colors. FSC surfaces, which has a matte finish and is offered in many warm colors, adds a sense of softness to a spaces aesthetic equation.  Their offered color names reflect natural and historical landmarks located near their main headquarters; chocolate glacier, browns point, yellow island, blue canyon, green mountain, redstone, and black diamond.

Cascade was released as a modern twist on their FSC surfaces.  They are created from a layering process of their matte finish solids.  One is able to choose from their offered styles or simply customize their own!  Their styles include names inspired by the Cascade Mountain Range; rainier, shasta, adams, hood, little tahoma and baker.

GREEN?!  HOW?!
A percentage of the paper used comes from the pulp that is derived from trees located in managed and sustainable forests’.  The other percentage is derived from recycled resources. But the materials are not the only portion which makes an item green.  During the production process, 99% of the volatile organic compounds are incinerated and that heat from incineration is used for the drying process.  This allows for minimal thermal pollution and no hazardous waste is generated.

HOW MUCH?!
The prices vary depending on the color, the thickness and style. The FSC surfaces (all colors excluding black diamond) will run you about $41.33 on average per sq ft.  Black diamond will run about $32.85 on average per sq ft.  Color, shade, and grain are known to vary from samples and from sheet to sheet.

The Cascade line varies in price depending on the colors used in the layers and the thickness of each of them.

We need to begin to appreciate innovative surfaces and to replace the more traditional surfaces that we have grown up on.

Let me know what you think of Richlite’s countertop product in the comments.

One of the hurdles in designing a minimalist kitchen layout is always the ventilation above the range. If you have the budget you can have options like beautiful steel and glass hoods or flush vents that pop up from the countertop only when in use. There are even really fancy, slim new vents that mount under upper cabinets, but will run you over $1,200.

Those of us on a budget have limited options and often have to resort to tacking a fan under their cabinets or buying one of the unsightly US designed Microwave/Range Hoods.

In the 100K project we eliminated the range hood altogether by mounting a fan on the roof that was connected to a simple $50 flush mounted ceiling vent. This works great, but it’s also not the cheapest option and it can throw off the air pressure balance in a tight home real quick.

In the Passive Project our consultants advised us not to vent the kitchen exhaust outside directly, so we were looking at re-circulating fans. The kitchen layout also was simplified by putting the cooktop in the main stretch of the kitchen cabinets to free up the island for more flexibility. We didn’t want to interfere with the nice clean lines of the horizontal upper cabinets on the ply wall, so we needed to find a new solution for our kitchen ventilation.

After much research and one incorrect order, we installed the custom ventilation configuration you see below.

This simple setup comprises one range hood liner that is designed to be used in custom range hoods, a charcoal filter and one stretch of 8″ round ductwork. We used the Broan PM250 Power Pack for $127 as it fits easily within our upper IKEA cabinets. The toal cost was only $150 and is hidden completely in our small IKEA upper cabinets. The kit even comes with lights, where we installed some small CFL candelabras.

We use a recirculating fan in our kitchens and let our ERV handle the ventilation of the kitchen space, but we’ll talk more about that in an upcoming post. You can still vent this setup directly outside if your kitchen is located on an exterior wall or you are mounting in a tall cabinet that connects flush with your ceiling and allows for easier running or you ductwork in your ceiling.

There you have it. If you don’t mind taking up one upper cabinet (which would be eliminated anyway by normal hoods or microwaves) and you have $150 in your range hood budget, this could work for you too.

The Philadelphia Passive House is about to pass into the possession of its new owners. We held two final tour sessions of the home yesterday which were very well attended. Thanks to all of you who came out. Between tour sessions I took some final pictures, and while I may be adding to these over the weekend as we make the place sparkle for the new owners, I figured I would show you what I have so far. We will go with an “image followed by explanatory text” format here.

Above is an image of the house numbers on the outside of the Philadelphia Passive House. These are our “Neutra Style” numbers against the fiber cement lap siding. You can, of course, find these numbers and several other choices in our home customization tool at www.postgreenhomes.com.

I know it is somewhat unorthodox to start with the second floor, but that is just the crazy kind of guy I am. Well, that and I am somewhat more proud of my fist floor photography and would like to finish strong. Anyway, you can see from these pictures that, unlike the M&M clients, these buyers chose not to have a different core color. Thus, Postgreen Gray prevails throughout. The flooring, which we will be cleaning and taking some better shots of, is birch plywood cut to 2×8 sheets and finished with a low-voc product called Parlay 21.

This is another shot taken of the second floor from the opposite direction. Here we are looking front to back along the birch plywood railing. Perhaps the most interesting part of this shot is the solar PV inverter visible to the right. We left this exposed as a conversation piece of sorts. Unfortunately, it is right outside the bathroom which is not generally considered an ideal location for extended conversation.

Speaking of the bathroom, here is the best shot I have taken in there so far. This shot is lit solely by the light from the Solatube and highlights the IKEA bath package with the double sink, double drawer upgrade. Again, repeating an earlier shameless plug, you can design your own bathroom at www.postgreenhomes.com, and we will be adding more options and functionality there as we move forward (end shameless plug). Also in this image you will note our Kohler dual flush toilet. And, while I’m at it, I would like to commend our buyers for their choice in bathroom colors.

These next two images are capturing the first floor from the front (top) and the back (bottom) doors. You will note the finished concrete floors that have been sanded down and coated with Poly-Soy. You also get a nice view of the kitchen and stair, both of which we will get to in a minute. Throughout these images you have probably noticed the windows and back door. These are Serious Materials triple-glazed windows. They have an R-9 rating which is pretty ridiculous for a window, and they happen to look good as well.

These images give you a nice look at our Birch Plywood stair. The wall and the treads are both made of birch plywood that was cut and finished for us by Pappajohn Woodworking. The stringers are made from PSLs which we think look great as a finish. You’ll also notice the “window” cut in the wall which is a favorite of every little kid that has visited the homes.

And finally, the kitchen. This kitchen features our base IKEA cabinets in black lowers and white, aluminum trimmed uppers. The counter is also our base choice. It is made from strand woven bamboo plywood and is finished with a natural oil. The backsplash is more of the birch plywood you have seen throughout and the sink and faucet are both IKEA. The appliances, however, are our highest available upgrade on the Postgreen Homes site. This is the LG appliance package complete with a beautiful full induction cooktop. I will tell you that I am personally very jealous of this kitchen.

Well, that is all the photos I have for you right now. As always, I apologize for the amateur photography, but I will be trying to improve on it in the next batch. If you have any questions on what you see in these images, please hit us up in the comments.

We are in the midst of some overhauls to the Postgreen Homes website which will continue over the next couple weeks. These changes are motivated by budget concerns, warranty issues, new product finds, basic improvements and other lessons of the past months. This is just the first entry in what will be an ongoing series of changes including some expansion of the scope of the customization process.

The first major change was a juggling of our kitchen appliance packages. Partly these changes were budget related as we moved money away from appliances and into air sealing and insulation. We think the dollars will have a greater impact for the end user if they are spent on energy efficiency. Using that thinking we developed three new appliance packages, one base and two upgrades.

We also took the induction cooktop out of the base option, but allowed it to be added back in as an upgrade. This was both a budget move and a usability one. Since only certain pots and pans work on the induction cooktop, we felt that it was unfair to force buyers to invest in pans at the same time they invested in a house. We still believe induction is the best cooking method for our homes, but we felt it was to soon to force the issue.

Package 1: IKEA

IKEA has fortunately given us some great design options for our base appliances. For this package we are offering their built in oven (in three color options), their dishwasher with interchangeable face plate and their electric cooktop. We stuck with the Frigidaire refridgerator because of its energy efficiency and practicality. We also offer an upgrade to a full induction cooktop in the package. For this we use the LG cooktop that is in our third package.

Package 2: Frigidaire

The Frigidaire Package features many of the appliances that were in our original homes with updates to recent versions and the addition of the hybrid induction/electric cooktop. This is the perfect cooktop for those who want to change to induction but have a couple favorite pans that might not function properly on a magnetic burner. We also allow the upgrade to LG’s full induction cooktop for this package.

Package 3: LG

Our new high-end, pretty appliances come from LG. Those who come to the Passive House Tour this Thursday will get to see how nice these things are in person. The package features a bottom-freezer, double-door fridge, a sleek dishwasher, an oven with a touch display and a very nice full induction cooktop. This upgrade is an investment, but its a good one.

We think these three packages give a nice range of options to our customers. Over the next few days I will be adding more detailed descriptions to the website, but you can see them in place now at www.postgreenhomes.com. Just customize a house and pick the appliance package you like best. Then, let us know what you think in the comments.

We received a lot of feedback on our kitchen and have revised some of our decisions. Thank you for your contributions. Throughout this post you will find renderings of the design reworked.

Just to give a bit more detail about the kitchen, it is approximately 14 feet long and the countertops are about 2 feet wide. When it comes to materials we most likely will go with apple-ply or green MDF, but it all depends on what the final say is from Nic and Chad, so we will see. As far as the mobile units go, we envisioned that the pieces would be stainless steel for durability and strength. However, Pappajohn Woodworking is assembling the cabinetry and will let us know if that is a wise decision. We wanted to better explain how the mobile units are able to move out from underneath the counter while base cabinet storage space remains. In the pictures it may not be clear that the cabinets are attached directly to the wall, similar to the upper cabinets, so the mobile countertops would fit around them, hence the storage space is always usable. We really enjoyed the suggestion to looking into RV living as a space saving inspiration and have decided that we will revise the counter top a bit, if it is feasible, to increase the mobile work spaces past 25% to an even 50. We also wanted to note that as of right now the mobile countertops will be locked in place by a stopper on the casters themselves. As of yet, we have not designed a way for them to lock to the refrigerator island since there is the possibility that the user will not place them in that position. However when the design is finalized, we will know for sure whether or not there is enough stability or if they need to be latched onto surrounding structures.

On to recycling. We did have qualms about the amount of space we allotted for it, so we decided that the unit for recycling and trash will just be for recycling. This is in hopes that between the recycling unit and the composter the owner would be discouraged from creating “unusable” waste. The recycling drawer consists of three removable bins, a larger one for plastic and two equal sized bins for glass and paper. This means that the homeowner would need to purchase their own trash bin, which would hopefully be smaller, since the kitchen provides more sustainable methods of waste management. We also think the recycling/trash chute to the basement is a great idea and will be sure to suggest it as another extension from the kitchen to the basement along with the food chest.

Now on to water issues. Some readers had questions about what type of foot pedal system we were looking into. We have done the most research into Footfaucet.com, a business that makes foot faucet kits along with an installation manual of how to connect the pedals to a control box that is wired to the garbage disposal or dishwasher for energy and to the water valves. Based on their installation packet and diagrams the system appeared to be relatively simple so we have yet to discuss it with a plumbing contractor, however based on your concerns we are looking into what would be the response to this type of installation.

We also researched a bit on dishwashers and the advantage of having them to the right or left of the sink. There is no conclusive evidence of it needing to be on one side or the other however some right handed consumers have mentioned that it is more comfortable for them to load and unload when the dishwasher is to their right, most likely because it is parallel to the more dominant side of their body. Thus in consideration of the kitchen user’s ergonomic experience we will suggest to Postgreen that future homeowners  be given the option of having the dishwasher to the left or right of the sink based on their preference, although it will remain to the left as a default.

Thank you again for your comments and feel free to leave more. This is our final blog post for postgreen, but we have enjoyed our time working on this kitchen concept for one of their homes. We hope that in the future, if any of you get to experience one you will let us know what you think, and whether or not it provided you with a space that was more energy, water, waste and work efficient, making it in fact an extreme green kitchen.

-Megan and Victoria

]]> http://www.100khouse.com/2009/08/20/one-more-kitchen-post-for-the-road/feed/ 4 http://www.100khouse.com/2009/08/14/are-you-green-with-kitchen-envy/ http://www.100khouse.com/2009/08/14/are-you-green-with-kitchen-envy/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:44:22 +0000 Victoria http://www.100khouse.com/?p=1216

Its been a while since we have checked in with our progress on the Extreme Green Kitchen, but we want you to know that we have been designing a kitchen that promotes efficiency for water, electricity, and work flow. We looked at the common kitchen work triangle and decided that we could save you time by minimizing the space between the sink, stove, and refrigerator. To do this we moved the refrigerator out from the wall and made it into an island across from the counter top. We looked into many different under the counter refrigerators and have decided that SunFrost would be best choice. Not only do they fit our desired measurements and provide a fair amount of space, they also conveniently save approximately 80% of the energy consumed by typical refrigerator/freezer units. Although these units are a reasonable size, they would most likely be used in Postgreen homes with basements which would hold a freezer chest for additional food storage.

One feature of this Extreme Green Kitchen is the option to customize your space with mobile counter top units. These would be tucked underneath the main counter top around two of the base cabinets. Both units would be able to slide out and  exist on either side of the refrigerator island, increasing the overall counter space by 25%. These modular counter tops could be moved anywhere in the kitchen and when the user is finished they can save space by sliding them back underneath the counter top. This concept is illustrated in the images below.

To save water we have finalized our decision to use the foot pedals and as we mentioned before homeowners can choose to include a NatureMill composter underneath the sink to contribute dirt to their backyard garden. We have also fashioned a “clean-up work triangle” in our kitchen. This triangle consists of the sink, dishwasher, and waste units. Next to the sink, we have placed a large drawer to hold recycling and trash bins. This way everything you need to clean-up after meals is close to one another. Your clean-up process is not only more efficient, it is also cleaner–no more carrying dripping plates and trash across the room to the trash bin. Without moving to a new location in the kitchen you can simply bend over to place uneaten food into the composter under the sink, place rinsed dishes in the dishwasher, and rinsed food containers into the recycling bin.

Besides the refrigerator other fixtures like the cook top, stove  and dishwasher will remain either Fridgidaire or Bocsh depending on the appliance package you pick. This kitchen would maintain the Postgreen aesthetic while providing the user with a more ergonomic, modular, efficient and over all awesomely pragmatic kitchen experience.

Please tell us what you think in the comments, and we will revise our design with the bit of time we have left here at Postgreen.

We imagine a way of life where waste is significantly decreased by our Extreme Green Kitchen, backyard garden, and composter working together in a self-sustaining cycle. Many of you have probably heard of the concept “waste equals food.” William McDonough, architect, designer and author of the esteemed book Cradle to Cradle, developed the idea. Working alongside his colleague and co-author Michael Braungart, McDonough calls for “the transformation of human industry through ecologically intelligent design.” “Waste equals food” is a system of “true recycling”—a system designed with the Life Cycle in mind. By applying this concept to our kitchen we hope to revise the current relationship between food culture and production so that they connect more closely to the home.

I recently met with Alison Hastings from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to discuss a current project she is involved with entitled the Greater Philadelphia Food System Study. They are researching ways to redesign the food system so that it is healthier, more efficient and able to exist in a world without oil. She gave me the contact information for Roxanne Christenson, co-founder and President of the Institute for Innovations in Local Farming. The Institute operates Somerton Tanks Farm, an urban farm acting as a prototype for Small Plot Intensive (SPIN) farming. I will be contacting her to discuss her work and thoughts on backyard farming kits, which could be sold with Postgreen homes. We also currently have our eyes on the Nature Mill composter because it is fully automatic, able to break down meat and dairy, and Energy Star approved. And don’t be worried about odor because it includes an odor-absorbing air filter that lasts up to five years.

So, our general idea is that owners of Postgreen homes could use these kits to plant their own backyard garden, which, using the SPIN method of farming, could produce a large amount of their fresh produce. The food is then cooked and stored efficiently in their Extreme Green Kitchen. The food scraps would then be transferred to the included composting system located under the kitchen sink. Food that would have been wasted, instead becomes nutrient rich soil that is added to the backyard garden to “feed” the existing soil, and continue the cycle of growth.

If you have any other product ideas, methods or even words of warning, share them with us in the comments.

An update from our interns, Victoria and Megan, as they work to design a better kitchen for our homes.

One week down and many more to go on the way to the extreme green kitchen. In our first week of research and design we have come up with tons of features we would like to see in the kitchen that will maximize space while minimizing waste. First and foremost we have looked at a wide variety of cabinetry and shelving. Most cabinetry is built off of the wall, but we hope to incorporate internalized storage units being those that are either recessed or  “hidden”. Either of which would give the kitchen a lighter feel. We have also looked at slotted wall units,  that apply most readily to canned foods, thus freeing up space in the pantry. We also have been playing around with the idea of mobile base cabinets, which could slide out and lock in place along side the countertop to create additional space for food preparation, or could “unlock” and roll out to become an island. Another storage option could be open shelving above, below, or to the side (cantilevered fold down shelf) of existing cabinets, that is if cabinets were placed above the countertop.

When it comes to food you automatically think of the refrigerator, we love the idea of minimizing its physical and visual dominance so we have been looking at integrated refrigeration systems like Sub-Zero’s 700BR Refrigeration Drawers, they look amazing and fit easily into any kitchen decor by simply altering the face plating. Another plus is that they are energy star certified. The down side is that they are rather expensive so we are in the process of looking for similar models. If we succeed in minimizing the refrigerator then a “pantry”(additional storage for non perishable goods) could be added to take its place. While considering this we realized that smaller fridges are great for energy consumption but not so great for people buying locally, especially those who by meat from farmers markets to be stored in large quantities. So we are bouncing around the idea of “The Veg” or “The Meat” kitchen, which would offer different refrigerator and overall storage options based on the home owner’s needs.

In addition to energy conservation we have been looking at solutions to minimize wasted water. Most specifically when it comes to the faucet, there are a few options out there for the kitchen, less than the bathroom when it comes to water conservation mainly because low flow fixtures are less practical for the kitchen and greywater systems are usually shunned. So we have been setting our hopes high by seeking out foot pedal sinks and automatic faucets. Although both are appealing and both save tons of water throughout the year they are a bit pricy so we will continue to shop around. However we are gravitating toward an automatic sink with a manual override or timer, but we will see.

Last but not least we have been scooping out our waste management options, considering trash and recycling units, as well as composters. We hope to find a recycling unit that compresses plastics and papers but have yet to discover such an item that actually exists. Perhaps it only exists in our dreams but we will continue to be on the look out. As far as composters go there are a few options that seem viable and intriguing which are designed for the kitchen instead of the garden. But this decision comes with an essential discussion of nutrient rich soil for urban farming and or backyard gardens, which we hope will come into play, and which we will discuss further shortly. As for now we implore you to mull over what we have written, look over the following pictures and send any suggestions our way that you would like to see included in the new design.

On our site visit yesterday with Brian the Builder, we ran into a bit of a design issue that just sprouted its ugly head. The plumber on the job brought to our attention that since we don’t have a basement, we will need to install the water meter and main shutoff on the ground floor. By code, it can’t be on the second floor so the utility closet is out. Our second choice would be to put it on the side of the fridge in the back of the house, but that is most likely where we will be hiding our electrical panel and building code doesn’t like lots of water near lots of electric for some reason.

So we don’t have many options left. Brian suggested bringing it up under the stair and hiding it the best we can. I love the open stair and wasn’t crazy about this location, but we quickly came up with a good compromise.

We have been discussing options to add more storage in an affordable manner throughout the home. Once of those ideas was to build a modern IKEA Credenza out of AKURUM upper cabinets just like the one shown in the image below from Apartment Therapy.

This custom credenza could be built for as little as $200 and would add valuable storage to the kitchen/dining area while also providing another surface to display flowers, books, pictures or liquor. The simple, cantilevered design fits our modern and affordable design philosophy to a ‘T’ as well.

So what does this have to do with the water meter you ask? Easy. Instead of locating the water meter under the stair, we simply move it towards the back of the house a few feet beyond the stair into the dining/kitchen area. This allows us to bring the water main out of the slab and directly into the bottom of the credenza where the water meter and main shutoff will be hidden. This takes up one of our storage locations, but solves our ugly water meter issue on the first floor. Hooray teamwork and compromise. See my lovely diagram below illustrating the new setup. We just returned from the site where we confirmed the correct placement and by now, it’s long buried. Feel free to comment on your dislike, but it’s not changing now. Development is fun.