Eco Home plan review:

• Proven foundation to straw bale connection details: slab-on-grade or crawl space
• Interior & exterior drainage & moisture control systems
• Infill & load bearing
• Window & door rough frames
• Window & door flashing
• Straw bale wall to eave structural connections
• Plumbing & electrical & cabinet connection details with the straw bale walls
• Stucco preparation, cement stucco work, but earth is more fun. Interior stucco creates a extremely hard interior surface & in conjunction with wood, concrete have a echo effect. Adobe floors have a softer feel like walking on leather.
• Earth plaster formulas, preparation.
• Thermal envelope, radiant barriers,
• Ventilation: Earth tubes,
• Healthy affordable insulation.
• Healthy building materials & systems, recycled building products.
• Recycled your used building scraps lessons.

B) Our conventional home plan review includes:

• Thermal envelope design: design for your local climate, perhaps micro-climate. Energy efficiency! Fuel oil & propane are $2.50+/gal. It will probable drop, but it will increase again, why pay more money?
• Exterior wall design, walls must allow moisture to dry to the exterior & interior. Have you heard of rain screens? Has your designer or builder? If you live in the Northwest or in other mixed humid climates to better find out.
• Eliminate the air conditioner. With a proper designed envelope & orientation you can use natural cooling, techniques new & ancient to reduce your cooling loads.
• Healthy affordable super insulation systems.
• Air quality: how do I create a healthy home for my family especially my children? Ventilation, air exchange is it enough or too much.
• Window & Door Flashing details: Don't all builder's flash properly? Unfortunately they do not. Allowing water to penetrate behind synthetic stucco cost hundreds of millions.
• Orientation & proper site placement: is not just for passive solar efficiency. The easy way to provide a comfortable home is to position the home using the natural foliage, topography and utilizing the sun's arc in the day lighting design.
• Healthy & recycled building products best uses.
• Recycled your used building scraps lessons.
• Suggestions, corrections, to be made on supplied owners plans & separate notes.

 

Building Site Analysis:

Will passive or active solar work with my home?

Which trees should I remove or protect?

Where should I place our home.

• determine the exact amount of solar gain & the best direction for your home to be in.
• Whether you are just starting to look for property, or
• You already own land but would like a professional site analyst call me, this can be a on site or sometimes via digital pictures & plot plan surveying information.

Orientation & proper site placement: not just for passive solar efficiency. The easy way to provide a comfortable home is to position the home using the natural foliage, topography with the interior layout.

• Passive solar calculations for appropriate fenestration-to-mass ratios, fenestration glazing types & placement.
• Suggestions, corrections, to be made on supplied owners plans & separate notes.
•  

Getting the right start is the key to great project!

Most long distance solar consulting can be accomplished with clear digital or film pictures( please scan & save in Photo Shop), compass orientation, and construction plans.