A down-at-the-heels 1960s ranch home with a wet basement was turned into a test bed for exploring affordable, energy-efficient, northern-climate remodeling by Thomspon Kaplan Architects.
The home's heating system combines several high-performance components such as a Scan DSA 4 wood-burning fireplace insert that offers the lowest recorded emissions for a non-catalytic wood insert according to the company; a Triangle Tube Solo 110 condensing gas boiler that is 96 percent efficient; and a Zehnder ComfoAir 350 Ventilation System, which acts as an HRV system and has been certified at 92 percent efficient.
Low-VOC paints, such as Sherwin Williams Duration Home Low-VOC Extra White and Olympic Zero-VOC Semi-Gloss in Blue Beads (in the mudroom) and Field Poppy (in the staircase accent wall), were used throughout the interiors to maintain healthy indoor air quality. Cabot’s Solid Color Acrylic Siding Stain was used in dark slate on the exterior. Thompson darkened the existing red oak flooring in the great room and adjoining kitchen with a home-brewed “ebonizing” treatment that consisted of steel wool dissolved in vinegar, followed by a clear, water-based polyurethane sealer.
In the bedroom, Inline Fiberglass 325 Series of triple-glazed casement windows have an overall average R-value of R-5 and feature Cardinal LoE-180 glass with a U-factor of 0.26 and a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.69. Generic Baltic Birch plywood flooring was installed in 5-foot-square, 18mm-thick tiles separated by 1/8-inch cork strips.
The existing envelope was improved by the addition of 6 inches of rigid polyisocyanurate insulation that was salvaged from decommissioned buildings via Insulation Depot. Existing wall cavities were filled with National Fiber Cel-Pak dense-packed cellulose. Grace Construction Products’ Grace Ice & Water Shield was added as an air barrier element to the existing house while Zip sheathing from Huber Engineered Woods was used for an exterior air barrier on the new walls.
