[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
GBlist: (Some) affordable house design strategies
Further to Buzz and Mike's correspondence on affordable houses ....the
houses at Pine Street CoHousing illustrate some specific design strategies
that I think can make houses last longer, run cheaper, seem larger and more
spatially efficient, and look better. There are diagrams that would make
this a little clearer, but I do have the wherewithall to include them
Here's my list of useful strategies:
* use the basement to provide a "supplementary living space" for kids play
and TV so that the living/dining/kitchen space on the first floor is not a
combat zone of conflicting adult's and children's interests. (In small
houses the livign/dining/kitchen are often combined to create a sense of
increased spaciousness).
* use a U-shaped stair and design techniques to ensure that the basement
living space is high quality space. The U-shaped stair keeps the basement
access right adjacent to (and therefore of equal status with) the stair to
the second story.
* make the upper floor bedroom spaces unequal some that at least one
bedroom is "large".
* make a loft space in the very small upper bedroom to compensate for it
ships-cabin size - and maybe building in a (bunk) bed.
* make a roof steep (12:12) with a cathedral ceiling to generate the
required loft space. (This also allows the upper exterior wall to be 6'
high instead of 8' which save some exterior cladding costs and reduces the
vertical scale which seems necessary to prevent such small structures from
looking like rocket ships.
* provide for a third bedroom (now or later) as a single story addition to
the first floor. This makes a much more flexibly useful building. The room
can be used as master bedroom, or a study, or an office. It makes it
possible for people with limited mobility to live (or to continue living)
in the house.
* provide an outdoor deck or courtyard to the first floor bedroom - to
increase the sense of size and amenity in what might otherwise be quite a
modest interior space.
* use a bay window, built-in seating and shelving, well design and
controlled lighting to create a special quality to the compact interior
space.
* keep the south facing ( and it should be south facing) slope of the 12:12
pitch roof available for future solar collection - probable for PV. That
means for example, keeping the plumbing vents to the north.
* invest in a tight, well insulated envelope. I think a 2x6 internally
strapped (2x3) and rigid foam sheathing is a reasonable option - it allows
for cellulose to be blown in; for a relatively simple air/vapor barrier to
a high standard of tightness. I recommend this additional effort, even
especially for affordable housing, because adding thermal integrity to a
structure is really difficult and messy to do later on - and folks on
smaller incomes really notice the benefits of lower utility bills. Besides,
on small, really geometrically simple structures the upcharge is smaller.
* install a simple central exhaust/ventilation system.
* go for the 'Fibertherm' windows.
* back off from a complete heating (cooling) distribution system. I still
thinking this through, but it seems entirely reasonable that a superior
thermal envelope takes a great load of the mechanicals - why distribute the
heat to the perimeter when you no longer have to compensate for draft
inducing cold exterior surfaces. So I am inclined to find most or all of
the cost of the envelope enhancement in simpler mechanicals.
You can see an illustration of the Pine Street Cohousing project which has
incorporated these (and other) strategies at www.coldhamarch.com
Bruce Coldham
______________________________________________________________________
This greenbuilding dialogue is sponsored by CREST <www.crest.org>
Environmental Building News <www.ebuild.com> and Oikos <www.oikos.com>
For instructions send e-mail to greenbuilding-request@crest.org.
______________________________________________________________________