When Breckenridge homeowner Kyle M. decided to build a Net Zero home in Breckenridge, he knew the process could be daunting – but he was up for the challenge. He cared enough about reducing his energy usage that he searched and found an experienced team of Summit County professionals who would commit to his goal of building a zero energy home.

As we mentioned in our story yesterday, when our Breckenridge homeowner purchased his lot on Timber Trail Road, he knew that the overall design of the home would need to fit into the upscale theme of the Timber Trail neighborhood. Bringing the experience of having successfully reduced the energy consumption in his 10,000 sq. ft. Boulder home, he found a green building development team that could design and build a custom 8,000 sq. ft. home which would be as energy efficient as possible. Kyle selected Trilogy Partners of Breckenridge who were already well known for their expertise in designing luxury homes, interior design and construction management while incorporating environmental solutions and features into houses.

What follows is the journey of the home starting from the inside and covering the home’s energy modeling, insulation and framing.

Energy Modeling

First challenge: how to work with a and intricate architectural design and meet the goal of Zero Energy. Among the first professionals engaged for the Breckenridge Net Zero Home was Andy Walker and Renee Azerbegi of Ambient Energy of Denver. Ambient developed a net zero energy model which provided an analysis of how much energy is needed to power the home’s lighting, heating, coolingand other daily living needs. “Our greatest challenge was making a significantly-sized home energy efficient and renewably powered,” said Renee of Ambient Energy. “Based on the energy efficiency and net zero energy modeling and analysis, we determined how to reduce the life cycle energy use of the home and save over $58,000 in energy costs over the life of the home. We used an hourly energy use simulation model to calculate how to provide 100 percent of the house’s energy use from on-site renewable energy systems,” said Walker of Ambient Energy. The energy report recommended a combination of a large solar electric PV array along with a geo exchange system for space heating.

Framing and Insulation

However, before the team focused on the renewable energy systems it was important to make the home as energy efficient as possible to reduce the need for additional energy in the first place. The team turned to Joe Sundquist of Sundquist Design Group, Inc. in Conifer, Colorado. “To address the owner and builder’s desire to make this building energy efficient, we wanted to minimize unnecessary framing, while allow for increased insulation wherever possible,” said Sundquist. The home design utilizes manufactured lumber products purchased through The Breckenridge Building Center. Heavy timber members were used to create the structural framing system. Exposed wood beams were functioning as structural support elements to minimize redundancy within the framing system. Boise Cascade engineered wood products were chosen for framing purposes. Engineered wood products eliminate the waste associated with inconsistencies found in traditional wood products and typically uses only half of the wood fiber compared to ordinary lumber. “Boise engineered floor joists are 54 percent stronger and 33 percent stiffer than traditional lumber, yet use 48 percent less wood fiber, “said Jeff Sexton out of Boise Cascade’s Denver office. “The stronger engineered lumber allowed for increased stud spacing and greater insulation coverage,” said Sexton. By increasing the distance between the studs, the home was able to have approximately 30 percent more insulation.

Once the framing was complete Shane Aschan, owner of The Foamers, Inc. based in Silverthorne, Colorado, managed the insulation process. To ensure the inside of the structure was insulated to the highest degree possible and that the in-floor radiant heat would perform efficiently, Aschan sprayed a high density closed cell foam insulation with an R-value of R 14 under all slabs of the home before the concrete was poured. The Foamers insulated the exterior walls of the home with 3 to 3 1/2 inches of polyurethane closed cell foam with an R value of R 21 and insulated the roof with 6 1/2 inches of polyure- thane closed cell foam with an R value of R 40. “One of the building criteria we needed to meet was to produce an even flat surface of the finished foam to help the other subcontractors do their work efficiently,” said Aschan. Continuing on the insulation, Colorado Building Company insulated the exterior of the home using Dow Building Solutions Styrofoam Residential Sheathing. “One square foot of properly installed Styrofoam insulation of one inch thick can avert over one ton of CO2 emissions during the average life of a building,” said Karen Durfee, senior account manager with Dow Building Solutions, based in Denver.

More tomorrow on the Breckenridge home’s renewable energy systems and how an automatic lighting program functions as an energy management system.

After Kyle M, a successful Colorado direct marketing business man became a father his perspective changed. Watching his children grow older and seeing the environmental challenges they would face, he began to learn all he could to convert his Colorado home from an energy hog to an energy miser. Kyle succeeded. He hired a Denver solar engineering firm to install a 10 kW solar photovoltaic array which reduced his electric bill by 75 percent. He put in a solar greenhouse which brings heated air into the home and doubles as a cozy family room. He switched out his light bulbs to compact fluorescent (CFLs) which use about 1⁄4 the energy of incandescent light bulbs. Perhaps most importantly he used technology to assist him and his family to make significant lifestyle changes to conserve energy. He learned that by programming simple occupancy sensor devices to turn lights off in key rooms after two minutes of no activity, he could dramatically reduce his energy usage – without the constant reminders  his family “… please turn the lights off when you leave the room!” Kyle set an even higher goal when he decided to buy a lot on Timber Trail Road to build a ski in/ski out mountain home in Breckenridge. This luxury Summit County house would be a net zero energy home. The goal was to design and build an 8,000 sq. ft. highly attractive mountain home that fit seamlessly into the existing neighborhood and whose renewable energy systems were well integrated into the overall house design. Over the following months, a skilled and committed team of professionals was brought together to achieve these goals. This is the first time in Summit County that a team of this depth and experience in environmental building and renewable energy solutions has been assembled.

Steamboat House and Japanese Garden

These 10 elements are key essentials for sustainable homebuilding.

1. A Leadership Attitude – The owners of the home are the leaders of the effort toward sustainability and must be willing to enforce sustainable standards and practices during design and construction.
2. A Commitment to Preserving Environment and Resources – A willingness to confront the environmental and resource issues created by putting a structure where there was none before.
3. A Sustainable Lot – Choose a lot which makes sense. Some building sites are inherently better for building sustainably. Consider orientation, exposure, topography and accessibility. For example: choose a southern exposure in a cooler environment. Choose an accessible lot to minimize resources expended on infrastructure. Don’t fight the topography. Embrace it.
4. A Supportive Community -Does your community or owner’s association support sustainable standards and practices. Some towns and subdivisions restrict the use of solar panels or wind turbines.
5. An Interest in Research – Sustainable Practices and Principles require study. Technologies change quickly so it’s important to stay current.
6. A Sustainable Design Team – Do available Architects, Designers, and Engineers have the knowledge and commitment to support a sustainable project?
7. A Sustainable Build Team – Do available Builders have the knowledge and commitment to support a sustainable project?
8. A Reasonable Concept – Is your concept compatible with sustainablility. Are you willing to compromise to achieve sustainable objectives?
9. A Reasonable Budget – Is your budget adequate to fund a sustainable project. Sustainability is seldom less expensive than standard construction standards.
10. A Reasonable Timeframe – Designing and Building the sustainable home takes time. Inflexible deadlines don’t allow for design optimization or project planning.

A common misperception (and one apparently endorsed by many government agencies that intend to promote energy efficiency) is that the energy effectiveness of a wall depends almost solely on the R value of the insulation in that wall. Definitely not true. Think of how a wall is constructed. Lumber, windows, sheathing, house wrap, drywall. Each stick of lumber not only conducts heat or cold from the outside, but makes that much less room for insulation. What about windows? The more windows, especially those that don’t have the benefit of direct sunlight, the less energy efficient the wall system.  If you want to consider the overall efficiency of a wall, don’t just consider the R-value of the insulation. Consider how the entire wall system is constructed. For instance, for the Zero Net Energy home we constructed in Breckenridge, we reduced the amount of lumber in the exterior walls so that we could increase the amount of insulation. We did this by using engineered lumber from Boise Cascade. This allowed us to place the vertical framing studs farther apart, increasing the amount of insulation in the wall. We used blown in rigid (blue)  foam insulation which filled every potential air gap. Air infiltration in fiberglass insulated walls dramatically decreases a wall’s energy efficiency.  And then we wrapped the entire house in rigid foam board insulation, increasing the R-value  and further eliminating air infiltration. Windows on the north and north western sides of the home were reduced in favor of more window area on the southern areas of the home. Exterior wall systems properly engineered are an order of magnitude more energy efficient than conventionally constructed walls with higher R-value insulation, thereby putting the R-value Insulation Myth to rest.

John and I built our first house for ourselves. Then we sold it, bought land and built another. We know how to build homes. We also know what it is like to be a client. To be the one for whom the house is being built. On that first house, Woodhouse Post and Beam manufactured and erected the Timber Frame and the panel walls for the home. We were their client. We hire architects and engineers on every project. We are the client. We are the client of the guy who delivers the Port-O-Let. We are the clients of the banker, the attorney, and the plumber and electrician. We know how it feels to be a client. You’re either serviced well, and really feel that you matter to the service provider or supplier. Or you feel like you don’t matter and you should have taken your business elsewhere. We know this feeling. What it feels like to pay money to someone who doesn’t seem to value your business.  It’s a terrible feeling. It’s just plain wrong. Which is why, at Trilogy, John and I and every person who works here is committed to an extraordinary level of service. Our clients are the people for whom we design and build. To us, they are the most important people in our business lives. And we never forget that. How it feels to be a client. To us, the client really matters. And making the client happy is what makes our job fulfilling.

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

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!

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.