Case Study

Vital Stats Location: Issaquah Star Level: 5-Star Checklist: Single Family Size: 2,486 square feet, 4br Section Points Site and Water 130 Energy Efficiency 144 Indoor Air Quality 129 Material Efficiency 104 Size Multiplier 1.00 Total Score 517

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Bennett Homes 315 NE Eagle Way
Issaquah, WA

This month's featured project is a 5-Star single family home in the West Highlands Park community of Issaquah Highlands. With a particular focus on indoor air quality, this home is one of the only homes in Washington to achieve the American Lung Association (ALA) Health House designation. It was also certified by Energy Star Homes Northwest. In addition to the indoor air quality measures, the home was also designed to perform at least 30% better than Washington State Energy Code. This combination of indoor air and energy measures was achieved through a tight envelope with less than 0.25 ACH, sealed ducts, a combination of blown in cellulose and spray foam insulations, and 75% compact fluorescent fixtures among numerous other green building strategies. The builder also added zero impervious surfaces outside the home's footprint and used landscaping that would not require watering to ensure that the site would perform as well as the home.

Site and Water Protection

• Home located in Built Green certified community
• Constructed no impervious surfaces outside of the home footprint
• Installed landscaping that will require no irrigation
• Use of low-toxic outdoor materials for landscaping
• Limited turf grass to less than 25% of landscaped area
• Selected lower flow bathroom and kitchen faucets
• Home includes a usable front porch
• Home built within 1⁄4 mile of a public transit stop

Energy-Efficiency

• Home designed to be 30% more energy efficient than Washington energy code
• Blower door test demonstrated air leakage of less than 0.25 ACH
• Used blown in cellulose for wall insulation, and spray foam insulation for attic
• Home certified through Energy Star Homes Northwest
• Duct blaster test showed less than 6% loss for sealed ducts
• Installed hard wired fluorescent fixtures for 75% of homes lighting needs
• Used a water heater with .90 efficiency rating
• Energy Star front loading washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, and heating equipment

Indoor Air Quality

• Home achieved ALA Health House designation
• Used heat recovery ventilator and jump ducts to ensure clean, efficient air flow
• Garage air sealed from house
• Low-VOC/low-toxic paints used for all interior surfaces
• Air sealed all ducts and tested performance with duct blaster test
• Built to have positive indoor air pressure using controlled ventilation
• Installed metal flashing at all windows and door heads
• Ventilated home after each new wet finish application
• Trained subcontractors on healthy jobsite plan and workplace safety

Material Use

• Achieved 85 percent overall construction waste diversion rate by separating waste on site
• Source separated recycling for drywall and clean scrap wood
• Used finger jointed studs for framing
• Installed natural linoleum resilient flooring
• Used a 50-year recycled content siding product
• Provided built-in recycling center for home

Still Images

Click on an image to enlarge.

Exterior photos courtesy of Bennett Homes, interior photos courtesy of Andrew Buchanan, Subtle Light Photography.

 

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