LmP House Final

Building a “Green” Home - Inside and Out

The LmP House

Summary

K & P Contracting Ltd. is known throughout the residential construction industry as a

leading R-2000 and EnerGuide builder, having built the first R-2000 home in Newfoundland

and Labrador in 1982. Now they are breaking ground again as the builder of the first

Net-Zero, LEED Gold Certified, Energy Star Registered home in the province.

The planning and design of this state of the art new home, the execution of novel

approaches in both the exterior and interior construction, energy efficient and

environmentally friendly appliances and finishes all combined to reach the goal of building

a truly “green” home.

K & P Contracting Ltd

K & P Contracting Ltd (K & P),was started by Jack Parsons and Francis Keating in the

1970s. Since then, they have always been in the forefront of the industry when it comes

to high quality, energy efficient homes. Recently, K & P became a 2 generationnd

company with Wayne Keating and Curtis Mercer building on Jack and Francis’ past

successes, and preparing to take the company through the next 37 years. Dr. Clifford

Stamp is also a key member of the team - adding to the technical evaluation and design

of the projects. Quality contracting, durability and customer satisfaction continue to be the

primary focus for K & P, as they provide a complete building service, design - manage -

build, to new construction or renovation projects.

The Beginning

Jack began designing and planning the home for his daughter, Laura Parsons (LmP), in

the Fall of 2013. Being a chemical-environmental engineer, she had a strong desire to do

something more than just meet the National Building Code (NBC) and even

R-2000/EnerGuide Standards. That gave Jack the push he needed to go above and

beyond what had been done before and build a house that was able to meet the goals of

a triple bottom line - environmentally sustainable, economically feasible, and socially

acceptable for the homeowners.

Planning for Innovation

The first step, and the key to success, in designing and building something that hasn’t

been widely done before is developing a detailed project plan and getting all stakeholders

involved from the beginning. It is vital to ensure that all systems work together and details

are combined to meet the overall end goal of an energy efficient product that meets all the

Building a “Green” Home - Inside and Out April 2014By: Laura Parsons, P. Eng Page 2 of 10

homeowners needs and wants. Optimum Value Engineering (OVE) was used to ensure

each aspect of the build was able to maximize value to the project while minimizing waste

and cost.

Communication has been key from the beginning to ensure that everyone was on board

with taking on this project and the challenges that come with it. The team at K & P

including Jack, Francis, Curtis, Wayne, Cliff and others were ready and willing to work with

the homeowners to design and build a house that would not only meet their family needs

while maintaining and enhancing street appeal but also far exceed the environmental

standards of a traditional home. For the homeowners, this meant some additional cost but

nothing that wouldn’t pay itself off over time due to added savings in energy, water, or

material life cycle costs. This house encompasses the whole picture of a triple bottom line

approach.

The design and planning process included a complete review of all aspects with regards

to both a life cycle cost analysis and simple payback. Products and design were analysed

to determine the best payback for increased energy efficiency while also taking into

account any added cost, maintenance and the energy savings payback period. K & P

considers the principal of OVE in all builds, and has attempted to take it to the next level

on this project. For example, the building envelope has reduced the size requirement of

the heat source and provided significant savings which more than balance the added cost

of insulation and framing.

Each decision was made while looking at the details of each component as well as the

house as a whole. A house works as a system such that small changes in one aspect of

the design can have a larger impact on another. For example, choosing which appliances

to use will impact the energy load, the kitchen design, heat requirements, and other

aspects. Similarly, the design of the insulation, ventilation, and thermal envelope all

needed to be evaluated in conjunction with each other. Multiple energy models were ran

using NRCan’s HOT2000 building energy simulation tool to determine the best options for

energy conservation. The design evaluation often involved initial design and subsequent

re-design to ensure all components worked well together. For example, after choosing the

initial floor plan, the insulation plan was done which increased the wall thickness

significantly. This meant some re-design to accommodate for this extra space. It is

imperative to pay close attention to this planning stage – there is no cost to making

changes on paper, but making changes later can have large financial and schedule

implications.

One of the most important considerations for this home was the functionality and

practicality – it is a family home, meant to be lived it. The homeowners wanted to ensure

that the design of the home would be able to meet their current and future needs. Whether


it was to make the house more comfortable, add to the street appeal, or help make the

house ready for their future family, each decision was made with purpose.

The investments made in building this home were carefully evaluated to find the best

options from an economical, environmental and social perspective. This meant that each

choice was cost-effective, environmentally responsible and, of course, able to meet the

needs of the home owner. One main goal in building this house is to provide an example

for others to build more sustainably and more environmentally friendly, without breaking

the bank.

Energy Modelling

Throughout the entire planning process the energy demands and green house gas output

was modelled using HOT2000 (H2K). H2K was developed by CanmetENERGY's Housing,

Buildings, Communities and Simulation (HBCS) group and has undergone over 23 years

of consistent development to become the Canadian standard for evaluating the energy

performance of residential buildings. It is used in over 150 countries, and produces more

energy evaluations of houses than any other equivalent software tool.

Each aspect of the house, from the basic wood frame structure, to the insulation type and

methods of application, the details of the heating system, the appliances chosen and the

type of lighting used, were continuously added and updated in the H2K model to ensure

that their impact was studied on a holistic level with the greatest accuracy and precision

possible.

Execution

The first step in any new construction project is choosing the location and land. Any area

has positive and negative considerations, especially when trying to optimize passive solar

gain. The key components to consider include the orientation of the house, natural

vegetation, street appeal, and, of course, the neighbourhood. South facing windows will

give the most solar gain so it is important to pay attention to direction when choosing the

orientation of the home. In addition, wind protection should also be taken into account as

it can reduce heat loss.

For this home, the land was previously owned by the home owners. It was shielded from

the wind but the vegetation was limited. When clearing the land, the goal was to keep as

much natural vegetation as possible; unfortunately, in this case, it was mostly low-lying

bushes and shrubs so there wasn’t much available. The land did provide south-east and

south-west (and some south and west) sun exposure which could be utilized for passive


solar gain.

The excavation had to be effectively planned and designed since the site had a high water

table. Francis, using his 40 plus years of experience, provided the balance between the

house plan, site work and the project planning. The derived balance is a 4’ (3’10”)

concrete foundation wall with a 5’ (4’9”) wood knee wall, see Figure 1, an enhanced K &

P Building Detail.

The house is being serviced by a drilled well and a septic system which had to be

accounted for during the excavation. In order to have a long term, trouble free septic

system, an in-house lift station was installed which allowed the disposal field to be installed

at a higher level. Fill, with a

percolation rate of 9 minutes,

was used to ensure that the

system will last for an extended

time frame with minimal

maintenance requirements.

Next the foundation, using a

fairly standard design. R & L

Contracting Ltd. installed an 8"

thick concrete wall, 3'10" high on

top of the previously installed

4'”'x16" footings. The foundation

was insulated with mineral wool

(Roxul) insulation to a rating of

R-28. The makeup was an 8"

concrete wall with dampproofing

on both sides and a double layer

of R-14 insulation. The interior

wall used 2x4 studs at 24" O.C.

and a standard 6 mil poly air

vapour barrier (AVB). A 3"

concrete slab was installed by

Firmini Concrete Ltd. over the

radon barrier, 2" rigid insulation

(R-8), 1" pea gravel, and 4"

washed stone. The main section

was finished with acid stained

concrete to allow for passive

solar heat storage.Figure 1. Wall Section.


The knee walls, a new design from K & P, included (exterior to interior) 7/16" OSB wall

sheeting, 2x4 studs at 16" O.C., two layers of R-23 batt insulation followed by 6 mil sealed

poly AVB. The inner wall was built with 2x4 studs at 24" O.C. and R-14 batt insulation.

Thermal bridging has been prevented by the offsetting of studs in both walls. The walls

were finished with ½” drywall. This innovative design gives the knee walls an overall

insulation rating of R-60. Figure 1 depicts this simple but effective innovation.

The floor is a conventional design, timber frame supplied by Hickey’s Timbermart. The

joists are 2x10 dimensional lumber, framed at 16" O.C. with a glued and nailed sub-floor

of 5/8” OSB. 1x3 strapping was used at the midpoint in the unfinished section of the

basement.

The main walls are also part of the K & P innovation to give an overall insulation rating of

R-42. The lay-out included vinyl siding with a house-wrap membrane over OSB wall

sheeting ensuring long term building durability. R-14 batt insulation was used with 2x4

studs at 16" O.C. followed by an R-14 batt insulation installed on the horizontal with 6 mil

sealed poly AVB. A second interior wall used 2x4 studs at 24" O.C. with a third layer of

R-14 batt insulation and ½” finished drywall. This three layer approach with staggered

studs prevents thermal bridging and ensures minimal energy leakage from the home. The

sandwiched AVB eliminated over 100 penetrations into the system. The plan is to achieve

an air tightness value of less than 0.5 air changes per hour (ACH) at 50 pascals.

The triple glazed double Low E argon gas windows were installed using K & P’s building

detail (KP-100). The detail was designed to adhere to the install instructions as per

Section 27 of the NBC, and can increase the seal between the house-wrap building

membrane and the window. This is designed to eliminate any water infiltration around the

window and to ensure durability. Due to the high wind and rain encountered throughout

Newfoundland and Labrador, it was felt that this additional level of protection would add

significant value to the building system.

After the window opening is framed to the rough stud opening (RSO), a sloped sill is

installed, 1x4 strapping ripped diagonally to allow a minimum of 6% slope. Building wrap

is installed across the bottom and stapled to the sill then two strips, one on each side,

overlapping the previously installed strip on the bottom. A small strip is then installed

across the top of the RSO. A peel and stick (P&S) membrane is then installed across the

bottom of the RSO so that it overlaps the sloped sill and allows for drainage. Each bottom

corner is sealed with additional pieces of the P&S. A single bead of high performance

sealant (chaulk) is ran around the other 3 sides of the RSO. The window is installed and

shimmed to ensure it is centred, level and square.


A 4x6 piece of P&S membrane is installed on each bottom corner and a 4" strip is installed

up each side, extending 5" above the top of the window. A 6" piece of P&S membrane is

installed across the top of the window extending 6" past each corner. This process has

proven to provide an extremely durable and tight window installation to prevent against any

water penetration.

The windows were designed with the

assistance of Anil Parekh with Natural

Resources Canada. An analysis was

conducted of four window options,

combining double and triple glaze, Low

E and double Low E Argon gas as

options. The results determined that

through the use of double Low E, triple

glazed windows filled with argon gas, a

gain of 2.3 GJ was possible (see Figure

2 and Table 1). This meant a 17%

reduction in space heating energy

needs. The windows were

manufactured by ACAN Windows and

Doors, and supplied through Hickey’s

Timbermart.

The roof was designed with major input

from Spencer Morgan of Terra Nova

Trusses in an original K & P design

including roofing shingles, roof sheeting

and R-70 insulation. The end cavity in

the eave used rigid insulation while the

rest was blown in cellulose insulation.

The trusses are pre-engineered at 2'

O.C. A 6 mil seal poly AVB was installed

with only one join above the 2x2

strapping to allow for electrical

components to be installed with minimal penetrations through the AVB. The heel height

(21") and overhang were specially designed to maximize passive solar heating – increasing

solar gain in the winter while minimizing it in the summer. The roof design also included

determining the optimum slope to add solar panels in the future while giving the aesthetic

appeal that was desired. The main roof is 5/12 slope with southeast exposure. The

garage roof maintains the same hip exposure but was decreased to a 4/12 slope to allow

for a kitchen window to be installed and for future planning of the rear deck and sunroom

Figure 2. Space Energy Consumption for Different Window Options.


(see details below). The shingles are an extended 30 year lifetime laminate shingle,

offering a higher durability to wind and element damage. Roofing shingles were supplied

by BP.

The main exterior doors were custom-built by K & P to achieve an insulation rating of R-22.

This incorporated a wooden shell filled with 1.5” aerogel spaceloft. Side lights in the front

entry system were designed by ACAN with the same triple glazing as the other windows

in the house.

The house exterior was accentuated with conventional vinyl siding with wood trim as well

as a stone accent using conventional cultured stone. The front entrance also included a

verandah and step with stylish railing. This gave the home exceptional street appeal and,

most importantly, appealed to the home owners.

The rear deck was also constructed after significant planning and design. As with the

house, the future uses of the rear deck were discussed to determine the possibilities for

adding to the overall efficiency of the home. The large deck, 12' X 14', was structurally

designed to be converted into an enhanced sun room that would utilize the maximum

passive solar gain possible. To accommodate the 6" planned concrete slab, the structure

of the deck was magnified to carry this load. The location was also chosen with the

passive solar gain in mind with glazing from east to west. The majority of the glazing being

on the south side was optimized to allow for the maximum daily solar intake. The slab will

have liquid fill piping embedded to move the energy from the concrete heat sink to the

interior of house.

Building a Home

The exceptional energy efficiency and improved thermal envelope design of the house

exterior is matched by the improved installations and amenities inside the home.

The building envelope described previously allows for a non traditional heating source to

be used within the home. The heating and ventilation needs will be met using two 12,000

BTU Art Cool Prestige mini split heat pumps by LG, supplied by Steers HVAC/P. These

units are high efficiency (11.5 HSPF), ultra-quiet (sound pressure as low as 17 dBA on the

indoor unit and 45 dBA on the outdoor unit), and low temperature operable (functions in

environments as low as -25 C). One unit will service the main floor and the other willo

service the basement; also allowing for a back-up in case of problems. Both units are

strategically placed to maximize the efficiency and heating consistency which increases the

overall economics of the project. The ventilation will be provided through a 195ECM, a high

efficiency unit produced by LifeBreath and supplied by Steers HVAC/P. This unit features

a cross flow aluminum dual core and an ECM motor for maximum heat transfer and


minimum power requirements.

The hot water heater utilizes a traditional, highly insulated, conserver water tank. A

passive drain water heat recovery (DWHR) unit will be used to preheat the water from the

pressure tank. The main limitation of traditional DWHR units is that unless the hot water

heater calls for water at the exact same time that the waste water is being discharged,

there is no energy recovery. The unit chosen for this application features a small storage

tank to hold the hot waste water until it is needed available for pre-heating any time the hot

water heater calls for water. In the future, the sunroom can be utilized to provide additional

heating coils to preheat the water from the pressure tank through the passive system.

The electrical and lighting system will utilize all LED light bulbs, including Smart LED pot

lights supplied by McLoughlan Supplies. In addition to the added energy efficiency, the

innovative design of the LED pot lights improve over traditional pot lighting by limiting

penetrations through the air vapour barrier membrane. Ms. Jackie Martin at Lighting World

also assisted in optimizing the lighting plan for the home to use the appropriate amount of

lighting – minimizing waste while ensuring there was adequate lighting throughout the

house.

The basement floor is a finished concrete, acid stained design by Firmini Concrete–

providing a pleasing aesthetic appearance as well as an effective heat sync to further the

passive solar design.

Figure 4. Main Floor Layout.


Many of the other interior finishes are conventional, incorporating sustainable options and

green thinking wherever possible. This includes:

• Local materials used wherever possible

• WaterSense fixtures and low-flush toilets used to decreased water consumption

• All appliances are Energy Star certified

• Kitchen cabinets, floor coatings and paints are VOC and formaldehyde free

• Smart power consumption to reduce “phantom loads” due to standby power

• Optimal ventilation for improved interior air quality

• Rainwater collection for garden use

• Sustainable materials, including FSC certified wood, used wherever possible

• Responsible management of waste construction materials

• Advanced framing techniques utilized for interior walls

• Elimination of fire place to prevent the additional heat loss

• Sealed entrance from the garage to prevent exposure to air emissions

• Oversized windows increase the natural light in the house, especially on lower level

• Flooring selection chosen to reduce chemicals emitted to the air

• Sustainable flooring products are used as much as possible

• All hot water lines insulated to reduce heat loss

• The heating equipment, HRV and hot water tank properly sized to reduce waste

• Dimmer switches and light sources matched to the task to reduce lighting loads

• Natural vegetation eliminates the need for extensive watering and maintenance

Future Planning

The home is being built to allow for future environmental optimization as well. Allowances

will be made for the house to be solar/wind power ready, with the goal of being a Net-Zero

energy consumer. This means that the homeowner would be able to put energy back to

the grid when over-producing, and to offset when under-producing energy. At present

neither Newfoundland Power nor Newfoundland Hydro allow Net Zero metering. In order

to meet the economic goals of the home as well as environmental benefits, a change in

these policies is important for the future planning in this Net-Zero home.


A Truly “Green” Home

This family home is built with the goal of meeting the standards set out by the Net Zero

House through the NRCan Net Zero R2000 Energy Pilot, LEED Platinum Certification,

Energy Star, and an Energuide rating of 100. K & P Contracting has partnered with

Memorial University of Newfoundland, College of the North Atlantic, and a variety of

dedicated sub-contractors to make this project a success – both for the new home owners

and for the environment. The goal is to minimize the environmental and energy impacts

while achieving the aesthetic and functional goals of the occupants and maintaining a

modest budget - a true representation of the triple bottom line approach. All these things

combine to provide a truly next generation living experience.

References:

K & P Contracting Design Publication

Tex McLeod

Green From the Ground Up – a Builder’s Guide, David Johnston & Scott Gibson

CHBA - The Better Built House

NRCan - Keeping the Heat In

Net Zero Energy Home Coalition

Figure 5. 3D Rendering of the Home.

Documents

LmP House Final