Met Eco (continued)
—
MH: How about walls?
Shaw: I’ve been using a new product called American Clay, which is a natural clay plaster. You don’t have to paint; you mix colors right into it. And it works for any kind of house. You can make it modern and smooth, or you can texture it like a stucco or plaster [americanclay.com].
Harrison: If you’re painting, most people advise using paints that are low in VOCs, but a paint can be rated low-VOC and still be toxic. The ideal paint or finish is both low-VOC and low-toxic. My favorite paints right now are by Yolo Colorhouse [yolocolorhouse.com].
Shaw: If you’re opening up the walls, be sure to insulate. I’ve been using recycled denim insulation, made by UltraTouch. Insulating is one of the cheapest things you can do to save energy. I also like that, with denim, the installers don’t have to wear masks, because you don’t have fiberglass floating around.
Freed: Insulation is incredibly important. There are over 110 million houses in the United States, and it’s estimated that half of them are underinsulated (and some are uninsulated). That wastes about two million barrels of oil a day, more than we import from Saudi Arabia.
Gitt: Anyone who has ductwork for heating and cooling should have it tested for leaks. Often, there are so many gaps that something like 30 percent of the heated or cooled air leaks out. You’re using energy to heat and cool that air, paying high utility bills as a result.
Harrison: If you can, put the ducts within the heated or cooled airspace of the house—instead of in a crawl space or attic. That way, air that leaks out isn’t lost.
MH: The bigger a house, the more resources it is going to consume. Can a house be green if it’s enormous?
Lenard: Size does matter. It would be difficult to call three people living in a 9,000-square-foot house green, no matter how many solar panels and low-VOC paints they use.
Harrison: Many people who hire architects seem to want large homes. So far I have managed to avoid working on one bigger than 5,000 square feet, but that is still huge by historical standards. I would prefer to set a goal of less than 3,000 square feet, with smaller even better.
Freed: Some of my work is helping other architects “green up” their projects. But it’s ridiculous when someone unveils a 14,000-square-foot house and asks me, “What can we do to make it greener?” My usual answer is, “Why don’t we take off the second floor?”
Harrison: Many green building rating systems (such as BuiltGreen here in the Seattle area and the national LEED for Homes) include either a penalty once a home gets above a certain size or a bonus if it stays below a certain size.
Gitt: There’s a rule in Marin County that if you build bigger than 3,500 square feet, you have to maintain the energy budget of a 3,500-square-foot home. Which is a way of letting people build big houses if they want to, but only if they make serious efforts to conserve.
Shaw: In terms of size, many of the houses being built in Los Angeles have reached appalling proportions. When you put a 7,000-square-foot home on an 8,000-square-foot lot, you’re not leaving yourself any outdoor space.
MH: Should the government outlaw McMansions?
Gitt: I don’t think the government should be imposing lifestyle choices, but it can create incentives, things like expedited permitting or reduction in permit fees for going greener on a project.
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