makinghouseswork.cchrc.orgMaking Houses Work – Promoting sustainable shelter in Alaska

Making Houses Work Promoting sustainable shelter in Alaska Menu HomeAsk A Builder CCHRC Contact Us Search for: Built to Code” Owning a home that is built to code gives you access to many mortgage options and rebate programs, and can make it easier to sell your home when the time comes. But what does it mean to say a house is built to code”? A house is built to code when it meets the requirements set forth in local building code. Local building departments typically adopt the International Residential Code, designed to protect the health and safety of occupants. The IRC regulates construction of houses, duplexes and townhouse units. It covers the whole building – from structural components such as floors, walls and roofs to mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. It addresses common and conventional construction practices – and does not cover atypical, custom construction. However, the IRC is constantly being revised to address new technologies and practices as they become more common. City building departments typically tailor the IRC to their location. For instance, in Fairbanks, city ordinance 5834 amends the code to clarify building type definitions and add requirements for carbon monoxide detectors. It also amends the sections on snow loads, ice barriers and flood loads to apply specifically to Fairbanks. City building officials determine whether or not a house is built to code with a 3-step process. First, the code official inspects the building plans and identifies any code deficiencies. These issues will have to be revised before a building permit is issued. If the code does not address a technology or construction practice used in the building, the code official will decide as to whether or not adjustments should be made. Second, the house must be inspected during construction – including foundation, walls, electrical system, mechanical system, ventilation system and more. Contractors must arrange inspections during certain construction milestones. If the code official determines the house does not meet code requirements, contractors must bring it up to code before moving on. At the end of construction, there is a final inspection and the city issues a certificate of occupancy. At this point, the house is considered built to code.” While building code technically only applies to homes inside city limits, homes in the greater borough can also be inspected to receive a certificate stating they meet code if the homeowners need a mortgage or loan. In this case, rather than going through the city building department, builders will have to consult with the International Council of Building Officials, a group of building inspectors. Posted in Ask A Builder and tagged alaska , building code , code , cold climates , fairbanks , home building , homes , housing on March 26, 2015 by mrettig . A Holistic Approach to Sustainable Northern Communities The First Roundtable on Holistic Design at CCHRC in Fairbanks, October 2014. Tens of millions of dollars are spent each year on housing and infrastructure to improve quality of life in rural Alaska – wind turbines, power houses, roads, housing, weatherization, plumbing, and much more. Meanwhile, many Alaska communities are struggling to survive in the face of energy costs, climate change, coastal erosion, lack of jobs, and other challenges. Plenty of organizations are trying to help – state and federal agencies, regional corporations, housing authorities, tribal entities, nonprofits – each focused on an individual aspect: energy, housing, sanitation, transportation, health, local economies, culture, education. Yet rarely do we address all these pieces in a holistic approach. The evidence is everywhere: brand new $70,000 sewer lines hooked up to rotting houses; leaky homes in villages that pay $8 a gallon for heating fuel; roads built one year and dug up the next to install water pipe. Jack Hebert with CCHRC talks about the role of energy efficient housing and indoor air quality in community development. The Holistic Approach to Sustainable Northern Communities is a demonstration project that will factor in the many elements of community development. It started with two roundtable discussions this fall, where leaders from all levels of government and community planning came together and shared their successes and challenges, their needs and ideas for a more effective process. Now we are planning a pilot project in the Yukon Kuskokwim region that starts with one piece and builds a model of collaboration for all communities in Alaska. Stay tuned for our next roundtable in Anchorage in December! Posted in Uncategorized and tagged alaska , cold climate housing research center , energy efficiency , fairbanks , holistic approach , Sustainability on November 13, 2014 by mrettig . What are Vacuum Insulated Panels? Vacuum insulated panels, or VIPs, are a relatively new product making their way into buildings in the United States. They can be used as stud cavity insulation or as continuous exterior insulation on structures, just like other types of insulation. As the name describes, VIPs consist of a panel with the air inside of it removed to form a vacuum. It isn’t a perfect vacuum, but the air pressure inside the VIP is considerably less than ambient pressure. The panels are airtight and resistant to water vapor absorption. They make good insulators because the lack of air almost completely eliminates conductive and convective heat transfer through the center of the panels. Typical panels are fairly small, 1 x 2 feet or 2 x 4 feet, and about 1 inch thick. VIPs have an R-value of approximately R-25 per inch at the center of the panel and about R-20 for the whole panel (exact R-value depends on the manufacturing process and materials). The center of the panel will have a higher R-value than the edges, much like a window, as edges provide a thermal bridge for conductive heat transfer and lower the R-value of the entire panel. Even the whole-panel R-value is considerably higher than other insulations: fiberglass batts are around R-3.8 per inch, EPS is around R-4 per inch, and XPS is around R-5 per inch. VIPs are installed on the sheathing plane of a building using adhesive. The material surrounding the VIPs in a wall is very important, because it helps protect the VIP from damage during installation. However, because the VIP is not continuous, the lower R-value surrounding insulation will bring the total wall R-value down. This is similar to what happens in a traditional stud-framed wall with fiberglass batts in the cavities — the wooden studs provide a thermal bridge for heat to escape and reduce the total wall R-value. With VIPs, even if the studs” were made of EPS insulation, the whole wall R-value will still drop more than the fiberglass wall drops with the addition of wooden studs. It is important to consider how to provide structure for VIPs without providing too much thermal bridging. As with any new building product, there are potential disadvantages of using VIPs that must be considered. First, VIPs must be manufactured in a factory and then shipped to the building site. They can’t be cut or modified in the field. This means that detailed plans must be completed prior to construction and there is no flexibility in modifying them, unlike a traditional stick-framed wall. VIPs also cost quite a bit more than other types of insulation. In addition to the more intensive manufacturing process, the panels have to be shipped to the building location. There are currently only a few manufacturers in the United States, so this could be quite a long distance. Finally, panels will naturally lose some vacuum over time. When they do, the R-value drops substantially. Manufacturers currently estimate the lifespan of the vacuum at 25 to 50 years. The seals must be treated carefully during the shipping and installation process to protect the vacuum. And putting a nail through a VIP damages the R-value of the panel much more...