Simply put, you can have the most environmentally-friendly construction process for the most efficient and healthy home, but if the house is located somewhere that forces occupants to drive for every errand, then you have not created a truly sustainable home.  Regardless of how “green” they may feel, denizens of buildings like this cannot avoid adding lots of earth-warming carbon to the atmosphere as part of their daily routine.

Instead, truly green homes are woven into a built environment that supports sustainable living – less driving, less energy consumption, a smaller ecological footprint.  For this reason, the authors laud Portland’s Urban Growth Boundary.  This UGB refocuses development on the region’s urban core and creates a more compact urban form scaled to people (walking, biking, taking transit) not just cars.  This provides us with green options.  We can still drive where we need to go, but there are other good choices for getting around as well.

Now, as responsible home builders we build green, reclaiming and recycling materials, striving for LEED and Passive House standards, making careful materials choices, etc.  But what can we do, as would-be green-dwellers and green builders, to ensure that our homes and businesses become part of sustainable patterns of community life?

It’s not an easy question and doesn’t bring easy answers.  But there are at least three things that we can do to ensure that green structures don’t go gray:

1. Fill It In.  Infill development maximizes existing infrastructure, supports walkable neighborhoods, and preserves greenfields on the region’s periphery by concentrating development in existing communities.  Infill structures built to green standards can therefore achieve the more elusive goal of “sustainability”.  Our recent Musician’s Dwelling is a nice example.
2. Granny Flats.  An Accessory Dwelling Unit can be a converted garage, a basement or attic addition, or a new standalone backyard cottage.  These compact living units, complete with kitchen, bath and all living amenities, add a distinct second residential unit to an existing property.  Perfect for sustainable, efficient living.
3. Remodel.  That’s right.  Following green remodeling principles, repurpose that old house to 21-century needs.  Existing structures contain tons of embodied energy.  By remodeling these homes, we’re repurposing or “upcycling” today’s neighborhoods one house at a time, preserving their embodied energy and weaving these households into existing neighborhood fabric.  Sustainable homes that sustain community.

-Zack

The post Sustainable Building 101: Don’t Let “Green” Structures Go Gray appeared first on Hammer & Hand.

Whether you call them backyard cottages, granny flats, mother-in-law apartments, or even tiny houses, ADUs can bring all sorts of livability, economic development, and environmental benefits.

Dwell just featured a cool carriage house conversion in Oakland that warrants a look-see.  Lesson?  You can do a lot with a little.

-Zack

The post From Carriage House to Backyard Cottage appeared first on Hammer & Hand.

What role does durability play? (An apropos question given the recent declaration that Salem’s LEED-certified Courthouse Square is now structurally unsound.)  How about the context of surrounding urban form?

TreeHugger tackled these questions in a post today, and proposed the following “equation” to measure shades of green:

Energy Efficiency + Building Area + Embodied Energy/Durability + Transportation Efficiency

It’s a handy snapshot of the factors that we should think about as green builders and dwellers.  And each element of the equation presents real, on-the-ground green building strategies to pursue.

Energy Efficiency & Building Area – Ultimately this boils down to how much energy we each use in our homes or businesses … energy use per capita, if you will.  Our favorite strategies:

• Home Performance, with its home energy audits and energy efficiency improvements, helps address this piece of the equation, particularly for existing structures.
• For new homes (and remodels), Passive House technology is a powerful way to achieve impressive energy efficiency.
• And of course, total building area plays an important role.  After all, bigger spaces mean more air to heat or cool, more rooms to light.  Smaller homes like Accessory Dwelling Units can play a big (or should I say “small”) role here.

Embodied Energy – In addition to ongoing energy use we need to consider the energy that goes into actually building the structure, or its embodied energy.  While this number is usually a lot smaller than the energy used to operate a space over the course of a building’s lifetime, it’s still an important part of the green equation.  Our favorite strategies:

• Use reclaimed, “upcycled” building materials, sourced both on and offsite.  These materials preserve embodied energy and embodied narrative, too.
• Remodel!  When we remodel homes or businesses, we are in effect upcycling existing structures for new life and new functionality.  Inherently green.

Durability – No matter what its LEED rating, if a building ain’t durable it ain’t really green.  Replacing flimsy or poorly-installed materials is costly financially and for the earth.  Same story when forced to scrap falling-apart structures.  Our favorite strategies:

• Use quality materials sourced by experienced building professionals.
• Apply exacting craftsmanship by a builder like us.
• Build based on lasting designs.  Functional, beautiful designs are sustainable because they have lasting values for building users.

Transportation Connection – We touched on this in a blog post last week (Sustainable Building 101: Don’t Let “Green” Structures Go Gray), but no matter how “green” the house, if it forces its owners to drive everywhere, then it’s not really a sustainable dwelling.  Our favorite strategies to make the transportation connection (addressed in last week’s blog) are infill development, accessory dwelling units, and remodeling existing structures in existing neighborhoods.

Comments or thoughts of other strategies to address the green equation?  Please share in the comment pane below.  Thanks!

-Zack

The post Shades of Green Building – Measuring (and Reducing) Carbon Footprint appeared first on Hammer & Hand.

It neatly accommodates all the necessities of a home – kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, ample living room – in its 474 square feet … all the while celebrating the gift of natural daylight with smart interplay between window openings and interior spaces.  As Japanese designers demonstrate again and again, a lot can be accomplished with a little.  Thanks to the blog Inhabitat for sharing their slideshow of this intriguing project.

-Zack

The post “Mineral House” in Japan: Lessons for Portland Backyard Cottages appeared first on Hammer & Hand.

“Can Granny Flats save Portland?”

This Accessory Dwelling Unit discussion is timely.  As we’ve commented on elsewhere, changes made by the City of Portland this March removed significant barriers to ADU development, so the stage is really set for a wave of ADU building.

But will these ADUs (aka Granny Flats, Backyard Cottages, or Mother-in-Law Apartments) fully realize their potential in meeting critical goals for our communities?

• Increased supply of affordable housing that blends with existing neighborhoods.
• Compact urban form that supports walking, transit, and vibrant sidewalks.
• Independent living for the elderly and disabled.
• Extra rental income for owners.
• Local, sustainable economic development.

A fine time will be had by all!

-Zack

The post Can Granny Flats Save Portland?: An ADU Symposium appeared first on Hammer & Hand.

This free Accessory Dwelling Unit symposium is filling quicker than anticipated, so if you’re interested in attending, please don’t hesitate to reserve your spot.  Space is limited and going fast!

We’re looking forward to insights from our expert panel and lively discussion moderated by Portland Architecture blog’s Brian Libby.

-Zack

The post Accessory Dwelling Unit symposium filling fast appeared first on Hammer & Hand.

Our friend Michelle Jeresek of Departure Design graciously agreed to write this joint post about one of our two projects to be featured on the Build It Green! Home Tour coming up on September 25, 2010.  (By the way, you can follow Michelle’s tweets on Twitter: @michellejeresek.)  Please read on …

NoPo Duplex Conversion (aka “Twin Studios”)
Owners Becca and Eric envisioned modifying their 1902, 1,500sf split-level home into a duplex, with one unit above and one below.  Their planning background and strong design sensibility helped drive a deeply collaborative design process with Departure and Hammer and Hand.  Working strategically to maximize value, the remodel focused on elements with the biggest “bang for the buck”, including a small modern steel-clad addition at the rear of the home.  A fully-accessible garden-level unit created through a complete basement conversion/remodel is accessed through the rear courtyard.  A communal backyard fosters a sense of community with adjacent neighbors (including Becca and Eric’s own home).

Sustainability in Design
As designers and builders, we see or role as stewards of the built environment, so we worked to honor both the embodied energy and embodied narrative contained within the building’s original structure.  The goal was to create a lasting design and to build it with lasting craft – the definition of fundamental sustainability.  Big sustainable design notions are at work, like:

• increased density
• compact living (750sf units)
• modest build-outs
• repurposing of an existing building
• shared, community backyard
• aging-in-place with accessible design

Sustainability in Materials
While the duplex incorporates a full suite of sustainable building features, materiality was particularly key.  We preserved embodied energy with salvaged and long lifecycle materials:

• The deconstructed chimney reappears in the courtyard paving.
• All of the original doors were relocated and reused within project.
• Original wood siding from Becca and Eric’s adjacent home clads the new addition.
• A salvaged bathtub and sink from the ReBuilding Center finish the upper unit’s bathroom.

This reuse, repurposing and upcycling pays homage to the story of the building and its community context.

Kitchen
The duplex features two hyper-efficient and charming kitchens that support the project’s goals for compact living and affordable design.  Careful design packs a full modern kitchen into just ten-and-a-half lineal feet.  Compact appliances and extra deep counters ensure that spaciousness and utility aren’t sacrificed.

To squeeze more design impact from a limited budget, we customized Ikea cabinets with finished plywood detailing.

Please join us on the Build It Green! tour and check out this project, as well as our Musician’s Dwelling, for yourself.

– Michelle and Zack

The post Project on Build It Green! with Michelle Jeresek appeared first on Hammer & Hand.

Connie and Morgan Curtis’ ideal for the new home was an open layout for joining creative people who share a common interest in making music and art. The small-footprint infill project integrates living space with an active work studio for jazz, painting and videography. A garage flex space on the ground floor will function as a future accessory dwelling unit.

The home was born out of a deep design-build collaboration between designer, builder and architect-client.  The team’s ongoing working process was nimble and responded rapidly when reclaimed materials became available in the marketplace, allowing the team to maximize sustainable use of materials and avoid expensive warehousing.  With affordability an ever-present concern, the team attained a high level of both environmental and financial sustainability for the clients.

As stewards of the built environment, the project team worked to create a lasting design and build it with lasting craft – the fundamental definition of green building.  Three big sustainable design notions are at work:

1. Increased Density: The infill project is embedded into the existing urban fabric of a highly walkable neighborhood, easily integrating a new structure into the City’s urban core.  This supports walking, biking and transit, and promotes a tight urban growth boundary.
2. Simple Compact Design: The project’s design and layout creates a light-filled and airy environment within a compact footprint.  Simple, open designs consume fewer materials and resources.  The project’s straightforward kitchen, simple bathrooms, and open floor plan free of walls benefit the environment and the wallet.
3. Live/Work Space: By providing clients with space for both working and living, the structure saves energy and natural resources that would otherwise go to commuting and work infrastructure.

Throughout the project, the team sought to preserve the embodied energy of building materials by reclaiming, repurposing and upcycling at every opportunity.  The previously existing garage was deconstructed and stockpiled for future projects.  Wood from the barn at the Oregon State Mental Hospital (of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest fame) was reclaimed and upcycled to clad the building, bringing forth that material’s embodied narrative of Oregon forestry, health care, literary life, and cinematic heritage.

The project also emphasized long lifecycle, low maintenance, and durable materials.  With the project’s extruded aluminum exterior windows, linseed oil-coated wood, commercial grade metal roof, concrete paver roof deck, and cement fiberboard panel siding, the house will require little maintenance.  Minimizing maintenance burdens – with their impact on personal time, resource consumption, and household budgets – is vital to supporting sustainable living.

While the overall design is one of simplicity and restraint, the project’s big design moves are about playful contrast.  Rustic reclaimed materials are juxtaposed against clean modernism.  Bright and glossy surfaces interplay with natural hues.  Sculptural forms play against rustic ones.  The main level, with its 12-foot ceilings and large volumes of space, contrasts spatially with the compact “tree house” bedroom penthouse upstairs.  But the compactness of this upstairs space is made spacious by generous windows and doors.  On the exterior, the strong, linear, commercial roof plays off rustic barnwood siding, which contrasts with refined classic white trim.  And the exterior’s modernity is nudged by traditional window patterning at the corner.  Everywhere we find playful paradoxes.  The end result?  An exciting and cost-effective design.

–Michelle and Zack

The post Musician’s Dwelling on Build It Green! Home Tour appeared first on Hammer & Hand.

I’ve been preparing today for a meeting tomorrow with local lenders to promote the virtues of Accessory Dwelling Units in Portland.

As part of our slide show presentation we’re sharing this cool graphic from Jordan Palmeri’s work at Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality.  Designed by Ryan Sullivan at www.pasteinplace.com, the image neatly summarizes how ADUs can provide flexible living options that shift over time as household patterns and needs evolve.

-Zack

The post Illustration: how ADUs provide flexible living options over time appeared first on Hammer & Hand.

Big ADU policy changes by the City of Portland in March (a moratorium on system development changes and an increase in SF maximums) have made ADUs easier to build and easier to afford for Portlanders.  But many conventional appraisers and bankers have not been willing or able to recognize ADUs as a “lendable” housing type.

That’s always struck us as very strange, given the tremendous return-on-investment and positive cash flow that accessory dwelling units can provide.  They’re a really safe bet.  So we’ve been meeting with City folks, realtors, appraisers and others to crack this nut.

These efforts culminated today in a meeting with local lenders at Portland Development Commission.  We invited our friends at Green Hammer and Olson and Jones to join us for the session with Washington Federal, Unitus, and Umpqua Bank.  Fred Atiemo of PDC and Skip Newberry of the Mayor’s Office organized and hosted the meeting.

What we discovered is that these local, mission-driven, portfolio-based banks may be an excellent source of lending for ADUs.  Hooray!  These are institutions that are both committed to the Portland community and have the flexibility to think outside the box.  A good fit for ADU development.

We’re still working out the details, but we’ll keep you posted.  We hope to be able to connect our ADU clients with an easy source for construction loans soon.  If you have any questions about ADUs or ADU financing, please contact us.  We’d be happy to provide answers, explore options, and (of course) build one for you!

-Zack

Click below to see a copy of our ADU slide presentation…

The post Can you get a loan to build that ADU? It’s looking good… appeared first on Hammer & Hand.