The Context: You’ve decided that it’s time to downsize (or right size) and to do it in Vermont, so now you’re searching for a builder who specializes in high performance / zero energy home construction. You want a builder you can believe in and trust that, when it comes to…
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One of the worst fears imaginable is that you contract for a net-zero home in Vermont or New Hampshire and get something else. Maybe you get some form of energy-saving home with solar panels, but it doesn’t achieve net zero. A net zero home, by definition, is a home whose…
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The drywall phase of a project is that major point in a build when people are able to finally visualize the interior spaces of a house. As builders, it comes as second nature to us when the walls are only framed up. I am amazed at how many clients come…
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Cost and energy efficiency considerations drove many design decisions for the ProHOME project. But the upgrades inside, like the cabinets and counters in the kitchen and the radiant heat in the bathroom, help to make the sale. Watch this video to see how these factors related to finish a…
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The ProHOME is an all-electric and solar-ready house. Designing the mechanicals starts with the target R-values, then the design for the heating system. Minisplit heat pumps take care of heating and cooling. Because the ProHOME is airtight, it uses a ventilation system. We use a heat-pump water heater for…
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Tight houses need air exchange. Period. Our target air exchange rate for this house is less than 1 ACH50 and with a goal like that, a clean source of fresh air will be necessary. This was our first time using the Zehnder system. We’ve relied on another heat-recovery ventilator(HRV) product in…
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The system is sized for temperature control in each room. The ProHOME is heated and cooled with Mitsubishi Heat Pumps. Specifically, there are two outdoor units (MXZ-3C24NAHZ2) that feed five indoor units (two on one outdoor unit and three on the other). This provides 48,000 btu’s of heating capacity, which…
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Mathews Brothers windows are high-performance and locally manufactured. The windows of choice for the ProHOME are by Mathews Brothers. We like triple pane windows because they provide more R-value than a double pane, are less likely to have condensation than a double pane, and there is some added marketing value,…
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Boral siding will stand up to the weather without moisture concerns. Boral Bevel siding looks really sharp. The lines are crisp and blind nailing makes for a clean appearance. Other than blind nailing, it is installed just like wood clapboards. Chalk lines are snapped every four inches and boards are…
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Holding off on the roofing saves time painting. When possible, we like to spray paint the exterior trim of a house because it is a lot faster. Of course, no roofing can be in place and additional prep work such as covering the windows and doors with plastic is required,…
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Production builders try the composite building material and conclude that it is competitive with traditional wood options. The ProHOME has been our first experience with Boral TruExterior Siding and Trim. Because I hadn’t used the product before, I called up our local supplier to hear his thoughts on it. He…
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The interior air barrier is installed before framing the interior walls. A continuous air barrier is critical to a high-performance home. At the ProHOME, and most of our recent builds, we rely on Intello Plus membrane to carry the bulk of the workload when it comes to air sealing. Installing…
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The crew foreman likes the new nail guns. “Hey, did your deodorant give out?” I heard one guy on the crew ask another as they were stapling 1×3 strapping over the Intello Plus membrane in a tight space on the second floor of the ProHOME on a hot, humid afternoon.…
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Thick walls mean tying together inner and outer rough openings. We are always tinkering with our framing techniques to try and improve them, but one that has worked well for the double-stud wall is to wrap the rough openings for doors and windows with Zip System sheathing and tape. It…
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For the window and door headers, we used 3½-in.-thick Weyerhaeuser Parallam PSL beams. Using Parallam PSL speeds up the framing process as they don’t require any assembly, the way sandwiching a piece of ½-in. plywood between two pieces of dimensional lumber would. Just cut them and nail and screw them into…
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The ProHOME includes a clever approach to creating 20-in.-deep rafter bays for extra dense-pack cellulose insulation. For the most part, the roof framing of the ProHOME is standard: 2×12 rafters and 3.5-in.-by-16-in. Eastern Parallam PSL ridge beams provided by Weyerhaeuser make up the brunt of the framing. In addition, 6×6…
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Dense-packed rafter bays need rigid vents. The roof slopes in the ProHOME are dense-packed with 20 in. of cellulose. To provide adequate roof ventilation there is a ¾-in.-high air channel in each rafter bay directly under the roof sheathing. Dense-pack cellulose and cheap Styrofoam vent baffles don’t mix, so…
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Hanging a floor system off balloon-framed walls isn’t too different from platform framing. The floor system is comprised of Weyerhaeuser’s TJI joists, Microllam LVLs for ledgers, Timberstrand LSL Rim Board, and Huber’s Advantech flooring. Microllams are used where joist hangers are needed to support the TJIs and the LSL rim…
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How we start framing with permanent power installed Ideally, we want to have the permanent power operational before we begin framing. But, the utility meter needs to be installed on the building, at least in this area of the country. That poses a bit of a challenge: How can the…
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Insulation is critical, but a continuous air barrier is just as important. A few years ago, we began using 15 mil-thick plastic as part of our under slab air and vapor strategy. Plastic that thick may seem like overkill to some, but I’ve remodeled multiple houses where the scope of…
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