Trilogy Partners in Architectural Digest May 2010

Summit Daily News 2-2010 – Sun Earth Science 1

Summit Daily News 2-2010 – Sun Earth Science 2

Trilogy Partners in Timber Home Illustrated February 2009

Trilogy in Builder News January 2007

Trilogy in Mountain House and Home January 2007

Trilogy in Luxury Log Homes 2007

Trilogy in Timber Homes Illustrated 12-2006

Goliath Business News

Steamboat Pilot 11/10/2009

USA Today 11/9/2009

Summit Daily News April 13, 2009

Steamboat Pilot  11/8/2009

Denver Post 11/10/2009

Cherry Tree Design

Craig Daily Press

Earlier this week, we discussed what LEED certification means for homes. As promised, today we’re going to tell you a little bit about the LEED certification points system, as well as the levels of certification for homes. Let’s get started with the points system.

The LEED for Homes rating system is a set of industry best practices that help guide builders in constructing better homes. There are 35 topic areas with a unique intent or goal for each. Under the requirements section of each topic area, very specific measures are identified that should be incorporated into the home. Those measures include good practices, better practices, and best practices. Good practices are the prerequisites that need to be met, which are considered a mandatory measure. Better practices are typically worth one point, and best practices are worth two points.

Prerequisites must be met during the design of construction phase and include 18 prerequisites. The 67 credits in the rating system are purely optional measures, but a minimum number of points must be earned in some of the credit categories. Once the prerequisites are met, the home can proceed with being rated on better and best practices.

We built the Timber Trails residence, shown above, to meet LEED sustainable standards.

Based on the number of points a home earns in terms of better and best practices, it can then be certified into one of four levels – Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. Certified homes are those that receive between 45 and 59 points out of the total 136 points available. A Silver home must receive 60-74 points, and a Gold home must receive between 75 and 89 points. Platinum home are the highest level of LEED certification, earning between 90 and 136 points.

We hope this information has given you a better understanding of the LEED for Homes certification process. Here at Trilogy Partners, we strive to meet LEED sustainable standards with every build. You can find more information on the LEED for Homes certification process on the U.S. Green Building Council website.

Image Courtesy of Trilogy Partners

The interior and exterior stone wall features at the Timber Trails residence are noticeably different than those of any other home in Summit County. This was purposeful design, and the combination of three different stones with a tinted cement grout made for the unique appearance. We studied a lot of stone design before coming up with something that we thought would be reminiscent of a small European mountain castle. Some of the design choices we made with regards to the walls include having the walls flare out at the bottom beginning about three feet above the foundation level. Above and below each window we have a grey sandstone header and sill sourced from Telluride Stone Company . And on the side of the windows acting as legs we have off-white sandstone bricks. The body of the house is a random sized gray and brown fieldstone that was locally mined.

Perhaps the single ingredient, subtle as it is, that transformed the walls of this house into “castle walls” was the use of a grout tinted toward the white and brown spectrum rather than the grey concrete mortar usually seen on mountain style homes. This colored grout represents a heavy limestone in the cement, something commonly seen in European towns and stone structures. The stone being such a successful design element, despite the cost the amount of stone used on the interior walls was increased substantially.

Zero Net Energy (ZNE) structures use only as much power as they are able to produce. For instance most structures use electricity. A ZNE building might have photovoltaic solar cells on the roof to produce that electricity.

During the summer months, when the panels produce more electricity than the structure requires, the excess is sold back to the utility grid. During the winter months, when the solar panels are less efficient or even covered with snow, electrical energy that was originally sold to the grid would be purchased providing the needed electrical energy. In this manner, the net consumption of grid tied energy is zero. And because most electrical utility grids rely on carbon based fuels, the carbon energy footprint of the structure approaches zero, something most would agree is good for the environment.

Oftentimes a variety of different systems power and support the ZNE structure. Take for example a zero net energy residential structure. Many decisions about what systems to incorporate into the home will be decided during the design phase often many months before construction actually begins. One focus of the design process is concerned with energy management and conservation while another focus of the design process is energy production and harvest. For instance, conservation focuses on developing super insulated wall and roof systems to prevent the loss of heat energy or to reduce cooling needs. To further recude the homes energy requirements, energy control systems such as automated lighting controls, occupancy sensors, and consumption monitoring systems, are designed. For energy production and harvest, passive and active solar systems are often utilized. Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels may occupy much of the south facing roof surfaces. Geothermal, which harvest heat from the earth, may also be employed to heat the structure. Solar panels may also be used to heat water for domestic use or heating purposes. Small wind turbines may also be used to help power the structure.

One of the most important aspects of creating the ZNE structure is energy modeling. This takes place early in the design phase. It’s important to estimate accurately the energy requirements of the finished structure. An energy census is completed and sophisticated computer modeling is employed. Once the energy needs of the structure are estimated, systems can then be employed to provide enough energy to the structure so that it consumes no more than it produces and can indeed be called a ZNE building.

As time progresses, sustainability in design will continue to be a pressing issue. Sustainability means more than just using building and design materials that are made to last. Certain standards must be followed to ensure we complete projects in a manner that is environmentally friendly, such as the Timber Trails residence. To make that possible, we follow the LEED certification standards set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

LEED for Homes is a consensus-developed, third party-verified, voluntary rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. For a home to be considered LEED-certified it must be registered with the USGBC.

Registered projects are measured for overall performance in eight different categories, which include Innovation & Design Process, Location & Linkages, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environment Quality, and Awareness & Education. Homes are rated on a minimum level of performance and are rewarded for improved performance in the categories listed above. Homes accrue points and achieve one of four LEED for Homes Certification Levels based on the amount of points earned (we’ll look at the points system in greater detail later on).

Here at Trilogy Partners, we strive to build homes that are as environmentally friendly as possible. LEED for Homes is just one of the tools we use to aid us in that process. We’ll explore more factors of the LEED certification process in the near future, so be sure to check back with us often!

Image courtesy of The Daily Green

Woodhouse Post and Beam has featured the Trilogy creation “Calecho” on its website referring to it in their Gallery section as a “Dream Home.” Woodhouse, located in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, has designed hundreds of homes and erected as many timber frame and panel house systems nationally and internationally. Choosing this Trilogy creation as a “dream home” certainly puts it on the short list of some of the countries greatest timber frame homes. The home, designed and constructed by Trilogy Partners and Woodhouse Post and Beam, features a gold and silver mining theme and includes an antiqued full timber frame, exterior panel wall system, and recycled flooring and siding materials. It’s located on a majestic lot with tremendous views of the Breckenridge Gold Course and ski area.

Caleb’s Journey Winter Construction

Days like today remind me of the many years we’ve been building great houses in the middle of the winter at 10,000 feet. Last night we got over 2 feet of snow and as I sit here writing the snow is falling, horizontally, as it often does when the wind is howling. This is what they call a powder day. But for those who will spend the day in workboots and not skiboots there’s nothing like arriving at the job site at 7 in the morning and the temperature is below zero. Not optimal working conditions to be sure, especially if we’ve had a dump like the one last night. So the first thing we try to do when building a home in the winter is to get the walls up, and the roof on, and the framing sheathed. At that point at least we’re out of the weather. Unfortunately we still have to deal with winter temperatures. Inside the house “shell” the temperature remains frigid because the shell holds the night’s cold air inside. Hardly pleasant working conditions. Sure, we can and sometimes use portable propane heat, but that’s an expensive proposition. Once the walls are up and the roof on it will be weeks if not months until the plumbers lay down the radiant floor tubing and get the boilers and gas connected to the house so we can have real heat. It’s a hardy bunch of souls that live at this altitude and work building homes through the winters. Though building slows down this time of year, it certainly doesn’t stop. Because folks, it’s winter here 8 months of the year!

In 2005 I began a series of design meetings with Trey Parker, the creator of the South Park Television Series, about a home he wished to build in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Trey wanted something large enough for family and friends and also a retreat for the South Park crew of writers. After walking the lot I immediately began to think Mountain Lodge, and then Trey began to mention his love of Japanese art and culture. What eventually emerged was a mountain house strongly influenced by Asian sensibility. Because Asia embraced Timber Frame construction centuries ago, we decided to do an Asian Inspired Timber Frame home. But where would could we find extraordinary aged timbers for the frame? I contacted Trestlewood, a company that specializes in large quantities of reclaimed and salvaged timbers sourced from old bridges and barns. Trestlewood informed us that they had in stock a large quantity of timbers salvaged from a railroad bridge that once spanned a portion of the Great Salt Lake. The timbers were over a hundred years old, and were completely imbued with salt. This seemed perfect. Our friends at Woodhouse Post and Beam designed the frame and milled the beams. In all honesty, I have never seen such a beautiful frame. The salty timbers were lightly oiled to reveal light shades of cherry with darker cherry veins. The frame was a big hit with local wildlife as well. During construction some of the local deer and other animals would use the timbers as a salt lick. Reclaimed siding and ancient cabin timbers were also used to complete a home that looked like it had stood on the site for half a century or longer. This house was published in the May 2010 issue of Architectural Digest. Many photos of this amazing house here.

When I was in college I worked for a summer in Glacier National Park for the company that ran the grand old lodges at Many Glacier, Lake McDonald, and East Glacier. I loved those magnificent european inspired holdovers from the great Railroad travel era. I was pretty much in awe of the fireplace at Lake McDonald Lodge at the southern entrance to the park. The fireplace opening was so big at 6’6″ tall you could stand up in it. I’d never seen anything like it… and they kept a fire going in it all year round! Now, that’s a fireplace! When it came time to design the Great Room fireplace for the Timber Trails residence, my thoughts returned to Lake McDonald. Online research turned up other inspirations of many shapes… perhaps cousins if only in size to the one at Glacier. So inspired, we put pencil to paper and came up with this fireplace which, although large enough to stand up in, is sized and shaped to best compliment the room in which it stands. Benches on either side of the fireplace will provide a wonderful warm niche on a snowy day. Even though this fireplace is an original design, its inspiration is firmly rooted in the past. In design, nothing is truly new and credit is always to be shared with those who came before.

In the design world, because there are an infinite number of options and choices, choosing just the right item for the right purpose sometimes feels downright overwhelming. But from the beginning we thought a hefty carved stone sink would be perfect for the kitchen in the Timber Trails residence in Breckenridge. The theme of the house was European Castle reconstructed after World War II (yes, every house has a story) and this sink, or one just like it,  seemed to balance well with the massive rafters and beams and stone walls that would surround it. But because we were building this house to LEED “Sustainable” standards, we needed to source the sink from as close to Colorado as possible (LEED encourages local purchasing to reduce the environmental impact of shipping.) So, after some searching, we sourced this sink from Mexico, which is certainly closer to Colorado than Europe or Asia, which were other options. Sometimes choosing the “right” thing means more than just form and function. Especially if you are as concerned as we are about designing and building in a way that is friendly to the planet.