by Charles Hendricks | Aug 7, 2018 | architecture, Indoor Air Quality
Church Renovation
Park View Mennonite Church is going through a church renovation. This project started several years ago and has developed into a major overhaul of systems in the building. It is complicated, expensive, and needs to be solved quick. Working on a church renovation means working for a committee or even several committees. This creates its own set of challenges.
So let’s go back to the start, at least the start where I joined the project. Soon after starting to attend Park View Mennonite Church I found “my people.” The creation care building committee welcomed me to their group and the work they had already started. One of the first conversations I encountered was about adding solar pv to the roof – I had really found “my people.” The goal of the committee work was to reduce our carbon footprint here in Harrisonburg. You see as a missions based church we want to help people around the world. It turns out that those most impacted by climate change are among the poorest in the world. Our actions locally and our energy usage locally impact them. Our goal on the committee was and is to reduce our carbon based energy usage as much as possible. The committee had already, before my involvement, done an energy-audit and insulated some of the biggest air leaks in the building. After I joined the committee we continued that work, added solar pv, and started replacing light bulbs with LED bulbs.
However, something was wrong in the building and it was becoming more and more clear it was time for a church renovation. The building was suffering from water leaks that had been occurring since the addition was added 26 years ago. It seemed each time we corrected a new leak that water would find a new path. Venture Builders repaired a failing basement wall that had water issues. We started a service contract to have a company clean out the gutters to keep water flowing in the right paths. We added a dehumidifier in the basement. Beck Builders adjusted a concrete slab that was draining water into a wall. We caulked, repaired, adjusted – but something was still wrong. We were trying to put a band-aid on a gash. Our work was not catching up to the problem and it was becoming clear that we needed more than just volunteers to coordinate the fix. We hired an expert to evaluate our indoor environmental quality and he provided an extensive report of all the issues we had in the building. It was time to start the church renovation.
More on this project tomorrow.
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 19, 2018 | architecture, Indoor Air Quality
Sometimes the little things in our homes aren’t designed at all. I have the opportunity on occasion to share my experiences with students from all levels – Kindergarten to Graduate Students. Recently, I was invited to the Department of Energy to talk building science with graduate student interns spending their summer at the DOE. The room was full of determined and intelligent future leaders. Only one of them had a background in architecture / building science / sustainability. So how do I offer a presentation that is relevant to a group with no knowledge of my industry? I honestly was not sure. I started looking at how the industry has changed in the 20 years I have been in it. In January of 1999 there was almost no home technology being used outside of surround sound in a home theater. Now Google Assistant can call to make you a hair appointment and the salon does not know they are not talking to a human.
Alexa can adjust my thermostat, turn off lights, and turn on white noise in the background when I am going to bed.
These are huge jumps in technology and impact how we want our homes to operate. More important in an energy-efficiency discussion – we keep adding electric demand in our homes that we need to be able to supply. So in this technology driven age what does it mean to be sustainable? In a technology age where clients have access to touch screens to see their home performance, how do you provide solutions that meet their HGTV expectations? What is the balance between energy-efficient, indoor air quality, durability, and affordability? How do you define sustainability – green rating certification or energy usage or healthy?
I used specific projects that I have designed to talk about this idea of “green.” Is a home designed to be carbon neutral “green?”
It has green elements certainly, lots of them, but is it affordable? Does it need to be affordable to be sustainable?
What about a Dairy Queen that is more energy-efficient than other fast food restaurants?
It has solar PV on the roof, reduces water usage, includes day-lighting strategies, and has 100% LED lighting. It checks many of the boxes for a “green” building. Reducing operating costs adds to profit and success. So is it “green.”
Rotted wood wall
We then moved the conversation to things I find in building that are common issues in building science. For instance, a garage inside the envelope of your living space – meaning not detached has a huge impact on indoor air quality. A vapor barrier in a wall system in our mixed humid climate can destroy a building in under 30 years.
It is interesting to present to a young group that grew up with all this technology around them. They are not impressed with the newness of it all – they just want to know how it works and how to use it to future benefit. If you can now 3D print your Christmas toys for the kids, will Target survive? If you can use virtual reality to tour a historic home – will you still see it in person? If you want to live in a luxury home, can that be 3D printed by a robot and you use virtual reality to transform your home into the style you want at any given moment? Maybe that is jumping too far ahead, but the options exist. We are now today seeing homes printed. We are seeing robots replace jobs that people used to perform in construction with higher levels of accuracy. The world is changing quickly, with little things and big steps every day. However, building science remains a constant. We have to understand how all this technology being used in homes will impact our energy demand, our building operations, and quality of life. Building science is so often left out of residential design. We allow our homes to waste energy that we have to pay for monthly. We are ok with poor indoor air quality because we have medicine to make us well again. We don’t mind using too much water because we have plenty. This is not sustainable. There are little things that make your home better – please do them. I hope that message resonated with the students and with my readers.
Here are some little things to make your home better:
Air sealing
Crawl Space
Attic Insulation
HVAC
Spiders
Electrical Outlets
Insulation
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 4, 2018 | architecture, Indoor Air Quality
Duct work is a key to a healthy building. While there is not any one single thing that can be done in a building to achieve healthy indoor air quality, duct work is a critical element in the system. On one of our current projects at a local church, we are in the construction process to mitigate indoor air quality and water intrusion issues. Facilities of this scale are difficult to manage without a full-time building maintenance team. In this case, issues arose which further complicating things; decisions during a construction job 25+ years ago to cut construction costs have ended up causing indoor air quality challenges. The elimination of a fresh air distribution system as a cost cutting factor increased the potential for indoor air quality challenges for instance.
Added complications
At the time, it was acceptable to use fiberglass insulation inside of duct work to control noise from the mechanical system in the sanctuary. This fiberglass insulation captured dust and dirt that flowed through the duct work. The dust and dirt provided food for mold growth, and multiple water leaks throughout the structure have added to the complications in this building. The lack of fresh air ventilation, technology available for HVAC at the time, lack of regular preventive maintenance, no dehumidification systems, and high humidity levels have led to this need for a major renovation.
Duct work storage and protection
During the renovation process, it is critical to protect the HVAC duct work that is being installed. A construction site is messy and dusty on a good day. This one already had indoor air quality issues prior to construction. The mechanical contractor, Excel HVAC is sealing all the duct work that is being installed until it is sealed in place. They are also storing duct work that is not currently needed off site to keep it away from the dust and dirt on site. These simple steps protect the ducts to keep them clean and free of damage.
Installation of Duct Work
Once the duct work is installed, all the joints need to be sealed. The vents should be covered until the system is activated, which only happens after all the dirt and dust of construction has ended. Sealing joints in duct work is done with mastic glue and mastic tape. These strategies are geared towards keeping dust and dirt out of the ducts during construction and operation of the system.
These key elements focused on duct work are only one part of the solution. We are also addressing roofing, flashing, and gutter issues. Materials that are impacted by mold are being removed and replaced. This is a complicated project with many moving parts. Working with an integrated team approach using Suter Engineering to design the appropriate HVAC system, and a qualified general contractor, Herr and Company, to manage all the team members is the best strategy overall to achieve the best final solution for this project. Stay tuned for more information as the project continues.
by Charles Hendricks | Jan 30, 2018 | architecture, Building Science, Indoor Air Quality
Air leaks at light switches are a big cause of comfort issues in your home. There is an old saying in the construction industry that “you don’t want to build to tight.” So what window do you want to leave out of your home? The reality is leaks around light switches, electrical outlets, doors, windows, recessed lights, water pipes… and on and on are how we achieve “not too tight.” The unfortunate part is air leaks hurt the comfort in your home and impacts your monthly energy usage. It also impacts your indoor air quality.
Sealing up all the leaks is difficult to achieve in an existing home. These pictures show the drastic impact air can have around one light switch on an exterior wall. Read this post to see what fixes you can make, but if you want to save money and improve the comfort in you home – schedule an energy audit today. Give us a call at 540-437-0012 to start the process.
by Charles Hendricks | Oct 10, 2016 | Building Science, Green Building, green term defined, Indoor Air Quality
Is your crawl space working properly? In our area a crawl space is a popular feature in a home due to the sloping land. It is also a popular place for problems. From critters to wet insulation these spaces almost never perform as planned on paper. The idea that they will dry out when the air moves through them when our air is often includes over 50% humidity just doesn’t work. Here are some posts that might help you get your crawl space in order.
Your crawl space is impacting your home comfort.
Frozen pipes in your crawl space is a problem, but pipes that did not freeze might be a bigger problem.
Keep the critters out of your crawl space by encapsulating it.
Green term defined: Encapsulated Crawl Space.
Should you vent your crawl space?
Crawl Space moisture problems
by Charles Hendricks | Sep 22, 2016 | Building Science, Indoor Air Quality
It keeps coming back to me time and time again – the best value is found in higher quality solutions and not in low price. It seems to be true in every aspect of life – the best quality solution is almost never the lowest price. I am certainly not advocating for the highest price solution, as there is a balance to everything. Sometimes things cost more simply because they are new inventions, have more features, or because they have a particular brand name. That is not higher quality. Higher quality comes from long-term sustainability, durability, and functionality. Higher quality in the built environment is something that is energy-efficient, healthy, and durable. Higher quality reduces long-term costs and provides better solutions that are durable and comfortable.
The problems that occur with low price and low quality is often not evident on the surface. It might literally be below the floor surface. For instance, a floor vent’s supply run should be sealed to the sub-floor for the best quality solution, much like how a low-cost door handle will not be durable: It will need repeated maintenance and adjustment to allow it to function properly. A low-cost HVAC (heating, ventilation, and cooling system) solution is likely to impact indoor air quality, short cycle, and not keep the humidity at a comfortable level. A low-cost insulation strategy will increase energy usage. A low-cost flooring will not last and will require regular maintenance and probably replacement.The low-cost solution in almost every case increases long-term costs through maintenance and replacement costs.
So how do you determine the best value? It takes careful evaluation of the products used in buildings. An architect does continuous research to evaluate materials and to determine the best value solutions. An architect sets the performance standard for the construction.
When making decisions for your next building project, be sure to ask as many questions about quality of the solution as the price of the solution. The long-term costs (as little as 4-5 years) will almost always be less with the higher quality solution.
