Framing & Roofing

If you watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, you may have caught the interview he did with Steven Chu. If you missed it, CLICK HERE

Steven Chu is the Energy Secretary. As the Secretary of Energy he knows a lot about the environment. One of the simple solutions Chu has talked about is the white roof. No, it's not a political colloquilism, it's literally a white roof. Yes, it's common sense, another ' environmental solution' that celebrates common sense.

Changing your roof color to white will reduce cooling costs by as much as 20 percent. That's big savings in warmer climates. It's also less time putting out harmful emissions from running your air conditioner. Chu suggests that not only change your roof to white but the pavements as well. 'It will have a profound effect in the climate conditions, (similar to) if you took all the one billion cars off the road for eleven years.' The color white on such large wide surfaces reflecting such huge amounts of heat back into space packs a great environmental punch.

Another great part about the suggestion is that there are no gimicky white roofs that are a better shade of white or what not. You can just paint your roof white if you wanted to.  The popular choice has been a white plastic, and  the white panel.

Check out lots of other great stuff on the topic in our Framing and Roofing Workshop! 

Healthier Spray Foam Insulation: The Green Cocoon installer spraying foam insulation to enhance a building's energy efficiency. The Green Cocoon uses a spray foam that substitutes some carbon-producing ingredients with soy-based ones.

New mixtures for spray foam insulation successfully uses healthier ingredients in a construction staple that is already widely accepted as fairly green. Spray foam insulation has been applied in many types of building projects. Chosen primarily for its excellent insulating and sound-dampening qualities, spray foam is a big player in achieving LEED Points by reducing the demands for heating and cooling thus reducing energy consumption. The benefits of this product outweigh the negative points associated with spray foam, most notably the oil that is mixed with a foaming catalyst to produce it. Traditionally, spray foam is made with petrol-based oil, which, of course, is a large contributor of carbon. It is seemingly a necessary evil: not a 100% green option, but the best option available.

Heightening the competition in the green product arena foam producers are using “a soybean based polyol that can replace the conventional petroleum-based polyols [and] help the polyurethane industry become less dependent on imported mineral Crude oil” (http://www.biobasedtechnologies.com/). See my “simple duck” references below for definitions! The percentage of soybean-based substitution currently varies by manufacturer but could be upwards of twenty percent when combined with renewable and recycled materials.

This smart substitution method should act as a model for other companies that produce materials consumed by the construction industry. Investing in research and working towards higher standards of sustainability can only pay off in the end as more building projects demand the healthiest, most eco-friendly products from businesses that strive to uphold responsible practices.

“Simple Duck” terminology (as promised, which I needed in order to write about this):

What is a polyol?

A polyol is a sugar alcohol. Polyol molecules can be chained together using certain chemical procedures to produce polyesters. Soybean-based polyols have been used as a petrol-substitute to manufacture parts of farm vehicles like John Deere tractors. (Deere & Co.)

What does the polyurethane industry produce?

Varnish, skateboard/rollerblade wheels, furniture and car seat foam. Maybe these will be the next products to get a boost of green-esteem from the diverse soybean.

This post was submitted by ThinkDwell. Visit Our Blog.

Ive had taken the liberty to privy you to some of the informal pics of what was labeled by the General Contractor, to become one of the most photographed façades in NYC. Some of the pics were taken by one of our NYC maintenance technicians Tom Walsh at Parker Plants (http://www.parkerplants.com) and others either by myself or our award winning installer Steven Dubner Landscaping. (http://www.stevendubnerlandscaping.com/) The real credit goes to Tony Caggiano and Melissa Daniels from Plant Connections (www.myplantconnection.com) who took the concept of the architect (James Harb NYC) and brought it to life with a variety of the heartiest plants available to create a potpourri of texture, color and shapes. The plants were grown in their green house on Long Island to a mature state and then delivered and installed. The installation took 3 days with 8 workers. The hardest part is coordinating the trucking and the actual lifting of the panels to the 3 story elevation. Because it is NYC a full scaffold bridge was required and the easiest way to get the fully grown panels to the top was with a scissors lift. The key is trying not to handle the panels more then once. Once in place then it makes it easy for our NYC irrigation specialist Tony Dilluvio and his staff from Aqua Turf (www.aqua-turf.com) to install and retain the maintenance on the watering system.

The wall was installed at 85% maturity and it is expected to grow to 100% by the fall of 2008. The irrigation system is calibrated to the gallon alleviating wasted water. We know exactly how much water it will take to saturate our walls. The irrigation is complete with a rain and moisture sensor preventing operation if it’s not needed. The 1000 sf Green Living™ Wall is one of a series of projects that was being installed for the Equinox line of fitness centers and yoga facilities. The wall will provide what I coined as “Marketing Genius” in my last article as “The Green Wall Editor” for (www.greenroofs.com). I have yet to meet anyone who does not look our green wall projects and say something like “Cool, Neat….is that real?”……The great thing our walls provide to our clients is attention…….We also launched a rental site within our retail site (www.shop.agreenroof.com) that caters to persons and corporations that need or want something other then everyday signage……the pic attached was a “Freestanding” Green Living™ Wall we rented to Pangea Oragnics and Lexus to be used as a backdrop for the guest speaker. Created with wheat grass prtruding through a custom logo (we manufacture that too) with a variety of darker green foliage surround. Wheat Grass for Pangea We also created a custom centerpiece for the Go Green Gala NYC that contained herbs and wheat grass for a truly green event. In fact it has been so popular we are now offering it to wedding planners and party events.

DO you drink wheat grass? I dont not at 8.00 per shot but what if you can grow your own? Oh and did I mention the benefits of a green wall……cosmetics first function later (Outer Beauty, Inner Function www.greenroofs.com) as part of the Green Committee overseen by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, we have $50,000 available for research on green walls! This only helps make the data official, through in house testing we know that the Green Living™ Wall can reduce heating and air conditioning use, contribute to the urban heat island effect, absorb some storm water run off…..yada yada yada…….sound like an advertisement for a green roof, which we have too…..fact is green walls are very cool and functional…..I can be reached for comment at george@agreenroof.com hope all is well I look forward to your comments….

Also check out the launch of our retail site (www.shop.agreenroof.com) to purchase a few do it yourself panels and our do it yourself green roof!

Still considering green alternatives to drywall... So I decided to harass the fantastic eco furniture designer and green materials distributor, Anthony Brozna, to see what he thought. Now many of you may have seen Anthony's beautiful furniture in Dwell, HGTV, Town & Country, and more. But Anthony also has a green materials business, EcoSupply Center, which promotes green, energy efficient, sustainable building materials. He immediately launched into DragonBoard. According to him, DragonBoard

"May even eventually replace drywall. I think it could even be the answer to Portland Cement / lime based cements. It's made out of magnesium oxide & chloride, and is cold pressed. It has a 4 hour fire rating, submersible in water, you can paint on it, clay it-- one side is smooth, the other rough, so it works well for either application. It's also anti-macrobial. And they make tons of products- subfloor, exterior OR interior..."

The DragonBoard web site had even more great information:

Meet DRAGONBOARD the only UL-Approved construction panel that is:

• Fire-Proof (UL 055 and ASTM-Tested and A-Rated)
• Waterproof (Freeze/Thaw-Tested for 36 months)
• Mold/Fungus/Bug Free (Non-nutrient to mold, fungus, insects ASTM G-21)
• Impact-Resistant (ASTM D-5628)
• NYC Approved (MEA # 359-02-M)
• Silica/Asbestos Free
• Florida Hurricane Tested
• STC-Rated 53-54
• Ready for all 2007 ICC criteria
• Ideal for Flooring (3/4" = 21/2" poured concrete!)
• Guaranteed to Offer Substantial Cost Savings*

Our Commitment to the Environment DRAGONBOARD US is concerned about the environment. DRAGONBOARD is manufactured from mineral components and water. DRAGONBOARD contains:

• No organic solvents
• No oils
• No toxic ingredients
• No heavy metal salts
• No asbestos

DRAGONBOARD sawdust may be safely buried in a landfill without contamination or environmental damage to land, streams or bodies of water. No energy is consumed in manufacturing DRAGONBOARD. The entire patented process is conducted at room temperature and scraps or drop-offs are reground and used in the production of DRAGONBOARD.

EcoSupply is an east coast retailer of DragonBoard, so if you are interested in purchasing it, please feel free to contact them directly.

The Corrigan Rug Cleaners of Winchester, VA had a building that was 1375 square feet and was a traditional stick built structure. The building did not have air conditioning and they use heat to dry the rugs. Now they have a Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) building that is 4800 square feet with a drying room that is 80 % larger than their previous one.

What are SIPs? SIPs are a strong structural system consisting of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) insulation which is laminated to oriented strand board (OSB) forming a structural panel. The panels resist warping and racking. They are especially cost effective when strength, comfort, performance, and energy efficiency are demanded by the building owner, designer, and builder. SIPs can be used for walls, roof, and floors. Here are the price differences of the two buildings. Keep in mind the new building is three times larger than the original building and has air conditioning which the previous building did not.

Month Electric Gas
2007 2006 2007 2006
January $109.81 $281.84 $202.40 $348.78
February $260.93 $207.14 $242.96 $370.48
March $231.73 $324.04 $151.69 $347.07
April $226.35 $202.34 $80.82 $235.34
May $205.41 $145.49 $23.47 $136.56
June $312.95 $148.26 $23.77 $69.76
July $223.38 $164.94 $17.66 $68.09
August $300.34 $177.06 $21.30 $34.76
September $281.50 $165.36 $19.14 $102.84

Total $2,152.40 $1,816.47 $783.21 $1,713.68

The new SIP building uses a two zone 3 ton and 5 ton radiant geothermal heating and cooling system and a radiant heated floor. For 2006 in a smaller building they spent $3,530.15 for gas and electricity. For 2007 in a building three times larger with air conditioning and a larger drying room they spent $2,935.61 for electric and gas. That is a savings of $594.54. The numbers were over the course of nine months for 2006 and 2007.

This is only one example of how SIPs can save on heating and cooling costs. Not to mention that the new building is amazing to look at. You walk into an open area with high ceilings. The Eagle Rigid Spans give the space an almost timber frame look. The SIPs had pure white paint applied directly to them. There are three garage doors that are only moderately insulated which open directly to the main area in the back of the building. Even after they have all been opened it takes only minutes to feel the temperature return to normal. There is a mezzanine overlooking the entrance which had decorative concrete imbedded with the company’s logo . This is a very impressive structure which has allowed them to grow their company without having to expand on their energy budget

Kevin,

I plan to build a straw bale home within a clearspan steel building in the Olympia, Washington - Portland, Oregon area.

The den and dining areas will be on open decks in the plaza and the plaza will have a Japanese garden with a Koi pond. But, the question is of roof color. Is it cheaper to produce solar heat to heat or thermal cooling to cool the building? In other words, should the standing seam metal roof be white or silver, or dark in color?

Danny

Danny,

This sounds like an interesting project, although I can’t quite visualize what you’re up to. There is always a quandary about heating and cooling the building. We want the sun to heat the building when it’s cold outside and yet keep from heating it when it’s warm out. Ideally, in the winter everything including the roof would be dark colored and un-shaded during the day, to soak up as much heat as possible. Then, it would be wrapped up in a big blanket at night to keep all that heat in. In the summer, it would be insulated, light in color and shaded to protect from any heat absorption. So, what do we do?

The simple answer is:

1. Insulate the walls and ceiling very well to keep the temperature from being affected greatly by changes in outdoor temperatures.

2. Make sure all windows are dual pane to let in natural light while accomplishing the same as the insulation.

3. Put a light colored roof on the house. Since you are insulating between the roof and the interior, any heat gain on the roof is only going to create what is called the Heat Island effect, where sun is absorbed and released to heat the atmosphere unnecessarily.

Good Luck!
Kevin

Image sxc.hu, Henk L

Kevin & Co.,

You mentioned a sealer or primer paint that can seal over old boards that contain formaldehyde, etc. What brand is that, please?

Thanks!
Byron Savage

Byron,

That would be Safecoat Hard Seal. According to livingreen.com, “when applied properly it is particularly effective at sealing in pollution or outgassing of toxic chemical compounds from surfaces.”
Thanks for writing,

Kevin

photo by Dominic Morel

Hello Kevin,

I stumbled across your site and was impressed with its polish. I applaud your efforts and wish you success.

I hope you will address how using steel frame in a straw bale virtually erases the green benefits of straw, however. The embodied energy in the manufacture of steel is huge, and makes your green project a paler green. It will take you decades to pay back in energy efficiency the energy debt you incurred by using steel. And since you are teaching about building green, other builders or owners might be misled into thinking steel is the way to go.

Now, conscious choices are better than unconscious ones, and it looks as though your project has a lot to offer. I would simply suggest that you address your use of steel in this project and recommend against it for your viewers.

Thanks for your time,

John