Bathrooms, Kitchen, Lighting, etc.

So, I thought I would take a break from dealing with shipping companies on the phone today and update the blog a bit. (By the way if anyone ever wants to see me go into a total rage, just say the words "We only deliver between 10am and 2pm and your package weighs 1,000 pounds")
Below is the master bath. Notice the Enviroglas (EnviroPLANK) flooring.

Here is the kid's bath - still need to caulk tub and finish plumbing, but cabinets are in.

Kitchen lighting

Kitchen island cabinets - still working on end panels, counter top, and toe kick.

Progress pictures

Cabinet Photos

Update Pics

Kitchen Cabinets

More update pics

Rough Grade pics

Unfinished Master Bath Tile

Miscellaneous Lighting

Powder Room

Entry Hall

Bedroom and closet lighting

Today's Work

Installing some lighting over the stairs . . .

Kids' bathroom tile . . .

Lighting over stairs . . .

Close up of lighting over stairs . . .

Happy April!

Well, no new pics today - maybe I'll add some more later on this evening, but I had some time to spare, so I thought I would take a moment and add some interesting information about the house. First, now that March is over, we have our first monthly reading on the PV system. Actually it's not for the entire month, since the system wasn't placed into service until Tuesday March 20th, but from that day, until the end of March 31st, we produced 187.8 kWh of electricity. We'll keep you posted on our production throughout each coming month. We'll also keep you up to date on our usage so that we can all see what our "net" is at the end of each month!

Some of you may be wondering (and some of our tour participants have asked) about rating systems, certifications, and so on. There are many green building rating systems out there for homes, unfortunately none are common in our area of the midwest. The most recognized system at the moment is the LEED H (LEED for Homes) system. Is it a national system that was introduced in its pilot phase a year or two ago. In order to participate, it's my understanding that you have to hire an outside company that has been "pre-approved" by LEED and the US GBC. The closest one of these to our site is Michigan. LEED is also a pricey undertaking. LEEDs Ratings are Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

Another well known certification process or rating system is Energy Star. Many people are familiar with Energy Star as an appliance or equipment certification, but you can also have your home tested and certified as an Energy Star Home. Energy Stars ratings are 1 Star through 5+ star with 5+ being the highest possible.

Other regional rating systems and green building systems, while not really applicable to our house, have still been useful in evaluating the design and performance of our house. A few of those systems include the Austin, TX green building guidelines, the State of Vermont green building guidelines, the Earthcraft (or is it Earthship? I forget) guidelines, and the green building guidelines published by the Sustainable Building Industry Council (www.sbicouncil.org). There are others in California, Oregon, Washington, etc. We've read all of these rating systems and guidelines to incorporate the best possible building practices into our home.

Another more recent system is the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Guidelines which were just released in 2006. This system sought to overcome the shortcomings in the other national systems. Their point system is more flexible and can relate more closely to a specified climate or building type if necessary.

Having described all of these, I'll say that we participated in only one of these programs "officially" but all of them were instrumental in the design and construction of our home. With all of these systems there are fees involved and for the homeowner, it's often not cost effective to participate just for the sake of receiving a certificate at the end. I'd rather participate in ALL of the systems unofficially and have my home's performance speak for itself. We particitpated in the Energy Star program and underwent an initial plan review which awarded us 5 stars. We then had an interim inspection called a thermal bypass test which went very well. Upon the home's completion, the Energy Star (HERS) rater will come out again and perform a Blower Door Test, Duct Leakage Test, and a number of other tests to measure the performance of the house. We are hoping that the house is actually built better than the drawings and specs and that we will receive a 5+ rating.

When going through the other rating systems, I can say that we qualify or "pass" them all. In the LEED H rating system, the house would fall into the Gold range. In the NAHB Green Building Guidelines, we far surpassed their highest level of Gold. Of course, none of this is official or substantiated with third party testing results except for the Energy Star rating, so that is the one that will count.

That's about all for now, I just thought some of you might be interested in knowing about these systems!