On Greenth Street

LEED for Homes

2009-05-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

CHDC is proud to be pursuing LEED for Homes certification for Greenth Street. A voluntary rating system, LEED for Homes was created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to promote green building techniques, energy saving strategies, and use of high performance materials, appliances, and mechanical and electrical equipment. The LEED-certification system is based on a point system within specific categories in the build process. These categories include: Innovation & Design, Location & Linkages, Suitable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Awareness & Education.

Based on the amount of points earned, a LEED-certified house will receive a rating of Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. CHDC is in the process of achieving Silver level for Greenth Street.

For more information on the LEED process, please visit the USGBC website.

Rain Garden Installation

2009-05-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

When building green, conservation of resources is just as important outside of the house as it is inside the house. For this reason, careful consideration should be taken when selecting landscape material. Native flowers and grasses, for instance, can help conserve water resources because they are adapted to local climate and rain-fall conditions; they also require little to no fertilizer because they have naturally acclimated to the soil types found in the Midwest region. Native plants help filter contaminates from rainwater as it seeps back into the water table, while prairie plants generally have extensive root systems that enable them to survive drought conditions.

When it comes to lawn care, CHDC decided to further reduce strain on additional resources such as petroleum products for lawnmowers by planting a "No Mow" Lawn Mix comprised of five different types of low-grow fescue. Because the grass grows slowly, the lawn should only need to be mowed once a summer, around mid-June, before the grass seedheads begin to open. A more manicured look may be achieved by mowing more often, but far less than regular lawns generally require. Fescue is drought tolerant and, once established, should not require additional watering.

Two rain gardens were installed at the front of 1347 Forest Avenue in order to capture roof rainwater run-off. One of the gardens is 60 square feet and the other is 120 square feet; both are tied into each other as well as to a 55 gallon rain barrel on the west side of the house. The gardens were sunk 36" into the lawn and shored up by timbers, in order to allow for excessive rain events. A mix of soil, top soil, and compost was then layered into each rain garden.

Plant material for the rain gardens are all native prairie species and include:

Red Milkweed (5), New England Aster (3), Crooked Stem Aster (8), White False Indigo (2), Wild Senna (2), Mistflower (3), Prairie Smoke (6), Maple Leaved Alum Root (2), Great Blue Lobelia (3), Bergamot (3), Marsh Phlox (5), Downy Phlox (6), Sweet Black Eyed Susan (2), Cupplant (1), Ohio Goldenrod (3), Ironweed (3), Culver's Root (3), Palm Sedge (14), Fox Sedge (14), and Indiangrass (8).

Both the "No Mow" Lawn Mix and the rain garden plants were purchased through Prairie Nursery based out of Wetfield, WI.

A small 2.5' by 9' 7" rain garden planter was also built onto the west side of the front porch deck. The planter receives rainwater from the overhanging eaves, which were perforated to allow for drainage. The planter was filled with dirt, compost, and red cedar mulch and was planted with Palm Sedge (3), Blue Hair Grass (3), and 'Red Wing' Creeping Phlox (6).

Running the tile from the house downspout to the rain gardens.

Digging out the rain gardens.

Shoring up the rain garden walls

The bottom of the rain garden was lined with garden plastic for weed control
and rocks for drainage.

Connecting the two rain gardens -- overflow valves linking the gardens.The finished 120 SF rain garden

The finished 60 SF rain garden

All plant material was one year old, with developed root stocks.

COSC Interiors Workshop

2009-02-04T09:51:00.000-08:00

On January 26th the Center On Sustainable Communities (COSC) hosted a public Interiors Workshop at Greenth Street. The workshop focused on the green products used in the interior of the house such as the bamboo flooring, green plus carpeting, no-VOC paint, and recycled paper countertop.

Below are some pictures from the event:

Jeani Lee from Kitchen, Bath, and Home in Ames (left)
and Emily Karsjens of COSC (right)
discuss green interior options.

Shawn Pippert from CHDC and Jamie Malloy from Wells + Associates
discuss the green products used in building Greenth Street.

Jordan Collins, CHDC Homeownership Program Manager, (left)
and Shawn Pippert, CHDC Construction & Maintenance Director (right)
discuss the Greenth Street project.

COSC's Interiors Workshop.

For more information on COSC's upcoming public workshops and events please check out their website at www.icosc.com.

Green On the Inside

2009-02-02T10:46:00.000-08:00

Below are a few pictures showing some of the green products used in 1347 Forest Avenue.

The kitchen cabinetry, including the PaperStone countertop
which is made from 100% Post-Consumer Recycled Paper.

Bamboo flooring was used throughout the first floor,
except in the bedroom and bathroom.
Bamboo is a fast-growing, rapidly-renewable resource.

The kitchen looking North: the recycled counter top, bamboo flooring,
and low-VOC paint and primer are all part
of Greenth Street's approach to a more sustainable, greener home living.

The pendent lights over the kitchen island.
All light fixtures in Greenth Street use Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL) bulbs,
which are generally more efficient and longer-lasting than regular incandescent bulbs.

The back hallway on the first floor, looking towards the kitchen,
showing the inset for the refrigerator. All furnished kitchen appliances will
be Energy Star.

The first floor bedroom's closet: all bedrooms and
bedroom closets are carpeted with green plus carpeting.

The upstairs stairwell. The carpet is green-plus carpet.

Looking into the master bedroom from the top of the stairs.

Looking downstairs from the upstairs open stairwell.

The master bedroom.

The upstairs bathroom.
The flooring is marmorette with NATURcot from Armstrong.
It is a recycled, fast-growing and low-emitting flooring material.

A close-up of the bedrooms' lighting fixtures using CFL light bulbs.

The second bedroom on the second floor.
The stained-glass pieces were made and donated
to the Greenth Street project by Don Scandrett.

A close-up of one of the stained-glass panels.

SketchUp Model 2

2008-12-29T06:50:00.000-08:00

Below are some SketchUp drawings of the second story bedrooms, bathroom, and closet space.

Fig. 1 Second floor layout

Fig. 2 Master bedroom and bathroom.

Fig. 3 Upstairs second bedtoom.

Putting on the Paint

2008-12-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are organic chemical compounds which can be offgassed into the atmosphere either through evaporation or through oxidization. Often times VOCs are found in common household products such as paints, paint thinners, and industrial cleaning products, as well as carpets and laminated furniture. VOC's can contiminate indoor air quality, potentially causing "sick building syndrome" which can have short- and long-term health effects in both animals and humans. According to the EPA, indoor air quality can be 2 to 5 times more contaminated with organic pollutants than outdoor air quality. VOCs may cause the following health effects: nose, throat, and eye irritation; headaches, nausea, loss of coordination; damage to liver, kidneys, and the central nervouse system. Some VOCs have been found to cause cancer in animals and others are suspected to cause cancer in humans.

To reduce the risk of VOC contamination, CHDC used both no- and low-VOC paints and primers for the interior walls of Greenth Street. To meet EPA standards, low-VOC paints and primers must contain less than 200 g/l. For all but one wall of the house CHDC used Sherwin Williams Harmony no-VOC (0 g/l) paint and primer; the north wall of the kitchen/dinning room was painted with low-VOC (43 g/l) Sherwin Williams Duration Home paint (due to the type of pigment used). Adding tint and pigment to paint and primers can raise the level of VOCs up to 10 g/l, which is still a very low VOC content.

The main wall and trim color in Greenth Street is Extra White; the bedrooms and baths are painted Mindful Grey and the north wall of the kitchen/dinning room is painted Real Red. See pictures below for a color sample.

For more information about VOCs and no- to low-VOC paint and primer, please refer to:

EPA's "An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality".
EarthEasy: Ideas for Environmentally Sustainable Living, Non-toxic Paints.

Fig. 1 North wall of the kitchen/dinning room -- paint color is "Real Red".

Fig 2 Downstairs bathroom looking into hallway --
wall color in bathroom is "Mindful Grey", trim and hallway color is "Extra White".

Fig. 3 Stairwell opening looking upwards to second floor --
wall color is "Extra White".

Drywall

2008-12-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

12/22/08 -- The drywall is now up in the house and painting has begun on the walls. Below are some pictures of the drywall process.

Figure 1. First floor bathroom.

For the bathtub and shower surrounds, CHDC used Georgia-Pacific DenoArmor Plus High-Performance Interior Panel; a paperless drywall that has fiberglass mats on the front and the back and which is highly mold-resistant. Paperless drywall is required by LEED for Homes in order to reduce the risk of mold and mildew inn moisture-rich environments such as bathrooms.

Figure 2. Second floor bathroom.

3. Kitchen, looking north.

4. Stairway, looking down towards first floor.

5. Master bedroom on second floor, looking north.

Stonework and Insulation

2008-12-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

11/25/08 -- Finishing touches are being put on the outside of the house, while on the inside the insulation is being installed.

Front facade: finished roof, siding, windows, decking and stonework.

Detail of the stonework (limestone).

The rain garden planter next to the deck.

Inside the rain garden planter --
this will eventually be filled with soil and plants to help divert rainwater from the roof.

Looking up through the open dormer above the deck.

The concrete pavers for the front and back walkways.
These will be set in place once the landscaping is ready to be put in.

Looking up at the second floor.

The tree in back was marked off to protect the root system during construction.

The garage pad in the back, off of the alleyway.

Insulation in the conditioned space of the upper floor.

Insulation on the stairwell wall, leading to the second floor.

Insulated water pipes, helps maintain water temperature and efficiency throughout house.

SketchUp Model

2008-12-02T10:30:00.000-08:00

Below are some SketchUp pictures of the first floor of Greenth Street to give readers a better idea of the interior. Second floor pictures will be added shortly.

An aerial view of the first floor -- looking Northwest.

An aerial view of the first floor -- looking Southeast.

The first floor bedroom.

The first floor bathroom.

The kitchen area (with color).

The living room and kitchen area.

Framing It All In

2008-10-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

Construction at 1347 Forest has been in progress for about a month and a half now. It's amazing how quickly a site can be completely transformed from a sparse patch of dirt and gravel to a fully-framed house. The following pictures show the framing progress:

Sustainably Harvested Lumber

Framing the First Floor

Looking Northeast

Looking North

Looking Northwest

The Reverse Open-Roof Dormer

The Kitchen/Living Room

Stairs Leading to the Basement

The Second Floor Bedroom and Bath

COSC Workshop: Basements and Foundations

2008-10-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

The first public workshop sponsored by Center on Sustainable Communities (COSC) took place at Greenth Street on September 23, 2008. The workshop was led by Jacob Kvinlaug with input from David Downs, Greenth Street's contractor, and Shawn Pippert, CHDC Construction and Maintenance Director.

The first half of the workshop took place at the construction site, with a follow-up session and refreshments served at the Forest Avenue Public Library.

Below are some pictures from the event:

"Living Green"

2008-10-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

To view coverage of Greenth Street by WOI ABC5 in Des Moines, please click the following Youtube link: "Living Green".

Got Foam?

2008-10-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

Above are pictures of the house foundation being insulated with R value of 5, 1" insullation foam. This method helps prevent heat loss from the house's basement and provides a tighter seal.

On site changes to building plans are a common occurance during the construction phase as onsite issues arise. This is true of Greenth Street, as well. The architect and contractor originally intented to use a 2" layer of R value of 10 insullation with which to swath the foundation, but there were concerns that this thickness would not allow a flush and tight envelope between the foundation and the framing. There was also a concern about the insulation not being rigid enough from which to hang the house's heavy fiber cement siding.

Waste Management Plan

2008-10-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

'Waste not the smallest thing created;
For grains of sand make mountains,
and atomies infinity"
--E. Knight

The adage runs: out of sight, out of mind. It’s a very apt adage when it comes to the topic of waste removal. We empty our dumpsters and the waste company hauls it away to be buried or burned – out of sight, out of mind.

Part of the green build process is to make people think about waste. It does this in a couple of ways. One, by encouraging contractors to employ build techniques that reduce waste, such as advanced framing. Second, green build experts recommend on-site source separation of waste materials. This means that each recyclable material (e.g. metal scrap, cardboard, framing remnants) is sorted by type into a separate, clearly labeled roll-up container or bin. Each type of waste material may then be weighed before it leaves the work site or as it arrives at the appropriate processing site. As much as possible, the material is diverted from the landfill to recycling centers, is reused in other building projects, or is renewed (turned into another usable product). In order to keep track of all this waste, how it will be separated, and where it is being directed to, a recycling coordinator may be assigned to the project to develop a Waste Management Plan. This plan is shared on a regular basis with everyone on the construction site from the workers to visitors. Communication is key to making sure that the Waste Management Plan is carried out properly and that the process is accurately documented.

It seems like a lot of work for waste. Indeed, for a step that is normally straight forward in the construction process, this step caused us some serious frustrations. These frustrations generally centered around finding the appropriate recycling centers in the area to take the kinds of materials that Greenth Street would be producing. In addition, the main company that we originally intended to use for most of our recycled material closed its operation, requiring us to start the process all over again and find separate centers for each type of waste material. We also had to decide how many bins and roll-up containers we would need for each type of material we could recycle (plus one container for non-recyclable material going to the landfill). Fortunately we had some help addressing these issues from Waste Management, Metro Waste Authority, and Iowa Waste Exchange.

Some people might think that with the extra work needed to reduce, reuse, recycle and renew it is not worth the effort. However, the alternative – that is, sending all waste material to the landfill or incinerator – adds to a waste stream that is rapidly overflowing its banks. In 2006 the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that the U.S. produces 251 million tons of municipal solid waste – approximately 4.6 pounds of waste per day per citizen1. That’s a lot of waste to ignore. And the expense to keep it hidden and contained from contaminating soil, water and air resources can be high. For instance, in 2004 the average tipping fee for landfill waste in Iowa was $32.42/ton and the rate of waste was 6,000 tons a day – a total expenditure of $194, 520 per day just on landfill waste.

Waste management planning for a green, LEED certified project such as Greenth Street, is not always easy, but it is worth it.

For more statistics about waste material production in the United States go to:
The Clean Air Council
http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): -- http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/index.htm

For the Best Practices Manual: Waste Reduction Construction and Demolition Debris, sponsored by IOWA Life Changing, Iowa DNR, and Iowa Waste Reduction Center go to: http://www.iwrc.org/downloads/pdf/BMP_C_and_D.pdf.
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1From the EPA’s website: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/facts.htm
2 From Solid Waste Digest, Vol. 14 No. 6.

Photo: Image #1077158 from stock.xchng.com

Location, Location, Location

2008-10-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

As any developer can tell you, it's all about the location.

Greenth Street's location is indeed a bonus. For one, the new house site faces South, rather than East, allowing more sun exposure for the front porch and minimizing heat-loss during the winter. Second, the site is adjacent to both the Des Moines Forest Avenue Public Library and Evelyn Davis Park. It also sits along a main public bus route, offering an affordable mass transportation option to the house's owner. The house is also only a few blocks from Drake University and is about a mile north of downtown Des Moines.

Fig. 1 1347 Forest Avenue: the property line lies between the
pink post on the left and the middle of the driveway on the right.

Fig. 2 Forest Avenue Public Library

Fig. 3 Kids playing in the fountain at Evelyn Davis Park

Another sustainable feature of the house location is that it is an urban infill site. "Infill" is a term used to describe land that was previously developed for residential or commercial use. By building on an infill lot, virgin or undeveloped land may be saved for agricultural use, wildlife habitat, or public green space. Developing blighted infill lots also helps raise adjacent homeowner's land values. In the case of Greenth Street, 1347 Forest Avenue was previously home to a building which the City of Des Moines demolished due to poor structural integrity.

CHDC believes that the location of Greenth Street truly enhances the sustainability of the project.

Growing Forest Avenue: A Groundbreaking Event

2008-10-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

CHDC broke ground for Green^th Street on September 9, 2008 at the building site. The event was a double celebration for CHDC as we were also breaking ground for 1622 Forest Avenue, an energy-efficient, HERS-certified affordable home designed by students at the College of Design at Iowa State University. The two houses are being built just a couple of blocks away from each other, giving us at the CHDC a fun and unique chance to watch the houses grow the neighborhood.

About 50 people attended the morning event. Speakers at the event included Mayor Frank Cownie, mayor of the City of Des Moines; Jamie Malloy and Zach Zielonko, architects from Wells + Associates; Nadia Anderson, lecturer at ISU College of Design and Ryan Larson, one of the architect students who helped design 1622 Forest Ave.; Karen Jeske, CHDC executive director, and Heidi Wessels, CHDC associate director.

Following the event a small celebration and review of the design plans was held at the pavilion in Evelyn Davis Park, across the street from the groundbreaking site. CHDC would like to thank everyone who attended and helped make this event such a wonderful occasion!

Meanwhile back at the building site, the construction crew held their own groundbreaking event as they commenced work on digging out the foundation for the house.

See pictures of the event below:

Groundbreaking site for Greenth Street: house foundation is marked out in white

Mayor Frank Cownie, City of Des Moines and Heidi Wessels, CHDC Associate Director

Heidi Wessels, CHDC Associate Director, and Mayor Frank Cownie, City of Des Moines

Jamie Malloy and Zach Zielonko, project architects at Wells + Associates

From left to right: Emily Karsjens, Center on Sustainable Communities; Mayor Frank Cownie, City of Des Moines; Jamie Malloy, Wells + Associates; Karen Quance Jeske, CHDC Executive Director; David Downs, Project Contractor; Zach Zielonko, Wells + Associates.

Watching the ceremony

The pavilion at Evelyn Davis Park

Looking at the site plans

A true groundbreaking event

Introducing Greenth Street

2008-10-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

As part of its sustainable neighborhoods mission, CHDC has embarked on a new project to incorporate green, energy-efficient strategies into the construction of a new affordable home. This project, dubbed Greenth Street, is being built at 1347 Forest Avenue in the King Irving Neighborhood in Des Moines, IA. Ground-breaking will occur September 9, 2008. Construction is expected to last 4 months.

The three main priorities that CHDC hopes to achieve through this build are:

1)Longevity of the house, with minimum maintenance needs
2)Affordable and efficient energy needs of the finished house
3)High standard of indoor air quality

The project will have a full basement, 3 bedrooms, and 2 baths. The house is universally designed to accommodate those living with disabilities. The house is expected to cost $150,000 to build and will sell for $125,900 to a low- to moderate-income family based on HUD median income requirements. Gap funding for this project has been provided by the City of Des Moines Home Funds and the Polk County Housing Trust Fund.

Greenth Street: Looking Northeast

Design by Wells + Associates

Greenth Street: Looking Northwest

Design by Wells + Associates

It's Easy Being Green

Resource conservation, energy-efficiency, and healthy indoor air quality are the foundation blocks of green buildings. CHDC’s Greenth Street will incorporate these standards into the project by:

1)Using green-certified construction materials
2)Employing advanced framing techniques to minimize waste, lower material and construction costs, and increase structural integrity
3)Reducing and recycling construction material through source-separation practices
4)Monitoring air quality and energy use in the completed home to ensure maximum efficiency
5)Equipping the house with energy-efficient appliances, mechanical, and electrical systems
Natural daylight will also be incorporated into every room of the house while minimal windows on the north side will help conserve energy costs. The high slope of the roof will not only reflect the architectural style of the neighborhood, but will also allow for rain water to be diverted to rain gardens planted on the site.
The housing site offers further green and sustainable amenities. Once completed, the house will sit across the street from the Des Moines Forest Avenue Public Library, providing on-going learning opportunities to residents, and Evelyn Davis Park, which provides picnic areas, play ground areas, a wading pond, and basketball courts. Greenth Street is also located along a DART bus route, providing a sustainable, public transit option to future owners of the house. The build will be built to LEED standards, a third-party measurement of design excellence and construction and maintenance efficiency. Greenth Street will also serve as a Best Practices home in order to improve the quality of future CHDC housing projects.

It Takes a Community

CHDC is working closely with several local organizations to make Greenth Street a reality. Many of our partners will be donating their goods and services to the project. Greenth Street is truly a community-based effort. CHDC greatly appreciates all of our community partners:

Cenergy

Center on Sustainable Communities

City of Des Moines

DoubleD Construction

Iowa Waste Exchange; Iowa DNR

Engineers & Surveyors

Menards

Metro Waste Authority

Polk County Housing Trust Fund

TEAM Services

Waste Management

Wells + Associates

For more information about Greenth Street please contact:
Press Contact:

Heidi Wessels

CHDC Associate Director

515-244-7798

h.wessels@chdcdesmoines.org

Purchase Contact:

Jordan Collins

CHDC Project Manager

515-244-7798

j.collins@chdcdesmoines.org

For General Information:

Community Housing Development Corporation

601 Forest Avenue

Des Moines, IA 50314

515-244-7798

515-243-8507 (fax)

www.chdcdesmoines.org

Greenth Street: Lower Level Interior
Design by Wells + Associates

Greenth Street: Upper Level Interior
Design by Wells + Associates

A Tale of Green

2008-10-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

A lot has been written on the topic of ‘going green’ and websites abound on the internet for helping build or up-grade to a green, energy efficient house. The task can still be daunting, though, especially when you are dealing with a limited budget such as Greenth Street. While durable and affordable construction is something that CHDC has engaged in since its founding, green building is new territory for us. We have had many adventures in figuring this whole “green” thing out – from struggling to find green build material, to understanding the LEED certification process, to developing a sustainable waste management plan. And our adventure is just beginning; this blog will act as a record for our journey into the realm of green building.
In the upcoming months we will be posting updates about the construction progress and will highlight some of the issues that are unique to green building. Our hope is that this blog will help us document our successes and failures in order to develop a Best Practices manual for our future housing projects. We also hope that this blog will inspire people to add green elements to their existing homes and use green, energy-efficient techniques and materials when building new houses. Please feel free to leave comments about Greenth Street, as well as any suggestions that you might have for helping others go green on a low- to moderate-income budget.