So we happily installed the flooring.

This pic shows the layers. First [...]]]>

We found about 500sq.ft. of 5 inch wide maple plank flooring in a dumpster. It had a very slight warp to it due to it not being installed correctly. But with a little sanding we could get rid of that.

So we happily installed the flooring.

This pic shows the layers. First Pex tubes in sand/structolite mix with stringers 16" on center. Then some paper. Then the wood nailed into the stringers.

Despite our good intentions there were complications….
1. Maple is not a good choice for radiant floor heating since maple bows, warps, expands and contracts more than other woods when there are humidity swings.

2. Wide plank flooring is not good when there are humidity swings because it expands and contracts more than narrow planks.

We had wide planks. We had maple. We had radiant floor heating.

Then we had just laid the sand/structolite mix around the tubes. And my ex-carpenter didn’t give the mix enough time to dry before putting the wood down.

And my ex-carpenter nailed the planks in as if they were narrow plank oak over a normal floor, that is to say he nailed the floor down WAY too tightly. Wide plank, maple, radiant, these are all reasons to lay the wood down with some space between them so they can move.

And sure enough the wood warped immediately. I fired my carpenter.

With my new carpenter we have taken the wood up….yes these free planks of wood, valued at around $3500 for that many square feet, are no longer free. But no worries. We are still way ahead of the game.

The new plan is.

1. dry the wood out.

2. Let the floor dry out.

3. Seal the wood on all sides so that it doesn’t absorb water as well.

4. Before laying the wood we will put a real vapor barrier on the floor.

5. Then if all goes well we will just have to sand out the original bow and have a great, salvaged, affordable floor!

We have a floor with a high ceiling which means we can lay the pex tubing on top of the subfloor instead of hanging the tubing beneath. The pex tubing takes up valuable space and you can only lay it on top of the subfloor if you have the ceiling height.

Having the [...]]]>

We have a floor with a high ceiling which means we can lay the pex tubing on top of the subfloor instead of hanging the tubing beneath. The pex tubing takes up valuable space and you can only lay it on top of the subfloor if you have the ceiling height.

Having the tubing on top is better because the heat does not have to pass through the sub floor.

We laid stringers of wood 16 inches on center over the sub floor. They were about one inch high.

We put a look of pex tubing between the stringers.

Then we covered the tubing with a mix of sand and structolite. This dense mass was added around the tubes for two reasons.

One it creates a good sound barrier between the two floors. And two it pulls the heat out of the tubes and into the room.

Structolite is a mix of plaster and perlite. Perlite makes it very light which is important since it is a wood joist floor. Perlite is also a good heat insulator, which is bad since we want the mass to pull as much heat out as possible. So we mixed it with sand which is a good conductor but heavier. It was basically a balance we had to find between weight and conductivity.

We dry packed the mixture, meaning we used barely any water at all and packed it in manually instead of pouring it. Wood flooring is going over it so we didn’t want a wet mix that would take a long time to dry.

The end result is a nice warm floor that stops sound between the two apartments. Price was also a consideration. Sand and structolite are very cheap yet very effective in their uses here. The labour was a consideration since it took time to pack the mix in. But it still was much cheaper than any other combination that I can think of.

One important point is that we did not put any tubes or mass near the walls. Instead we put insulation. This is to keep the heat inside the house and create a dense insulation barrier between the heat and the cold. This keeps the house warmer and with a lower heating cost since less heat is lost to the outside.

Originally the top facade of the building had a lot of rotted wood. And there was a great view. So in the heat of the summer I tore down the wall and planned on adding a wall of glass. It would have been magnificent.

But [...]]]>

Above: Facade with planter and recycled joists.

Originally the top facade of the building had a lot of rotted wood. And there was a great view. So in the heat of the summer I tore down the wall and planned on adding a wall of glass. It would have been magnificent.

But then as the cooler weather came I came to my senses and realized the large window was on the north side. To have it would be a huge heat drain on the house. I basically made a colossal mistake. This is green building 101.

So I took the windows I had already bought for the space and put them on the south side of the house. This creates a very powerful passive heating element as the sun pours into the house and heats it. Solar gain to the max.

Then I was faced with doing something with the gaping hole on the north side. Some of the old slate had been broken when we took down the wall so we had a problem. We didn’t have enough slate to built it back nor could we buy similar stuff. Do we take down the rest of the remaining slate and replace it or what? Taking it down is so not green.

So I decided to get a little artsy and use the slate we have for the lower part of the facade. For the upper part we are going to create siding out of salvaged wood joists. We are going to shape it in a “V” shape and at the base of the V we will put a large planter that will collect the water from the siding above it.

The planter will be made of two triangular sides attached to the facade to create a harmony of triangular shapes with the larger triangle formed by the siding.

Even though the planter box will be very well insulated and one of its three sides will be against a heated house we will use plants that don’t need sun or warmth since the cold winds can be harsh up there. Water probably won’t be an issue since we’ll use water retaining materials in the earth.

The planter will help insulate the north wall, provide greenery, allow us to recycle old joists and keep the existing slate. This is a great example of green building.

Pre Construction:
The truly green thing would have been to repair the damaged wood and leave the windows as they are in this picture. But in the heat of renovation we got these grand ideas to make a wall of glass. Being in an environment you love is green to but not at the expense of wasted energy when you can have just as nice windows but on the south side….

And so we tore the facade off:

But then we realized our mistake and tore the south wall down to put the already ordered windows there. The sun shines in wonderfully making a fantastic space and heating us up. In the summer this heat can be a problem so we plan on having good passive ventilation, blinds, and solar panels above the windows that will also act as awnings when the sun’s angle is high in the sky during the summer months. During the winter months the sun’s angle will be low enough to pass under the panels.
The south opening:

First we dug out the cellar 3 1/2 feet:

While digging we found a giant stone which I decided to keep and put under [...]]]>

We have a cellar half of the ceiling on the south side being open so that large amounts of light stream in and make a very nice living area.

First we dug out the cellar 3 1/2 feet:

While digging we found a giant stone which I decided to keep and put under the stairs, much to head shaking of everyone else. They wanted to dig a hole and bury it. I want to give it a name and designate it the protector of the house. I’m different that way I guess:

Then we underpinned the walls:

Then 3 inches of insulation including around the border.

Salvaged steel from fencing. From this:

To this:

Pex hot water tubing (the black foam is to insulate some water pipes in the ceiling):

4-5 inches of concrete. We used cement and sand without rocks to not damage the tubes.
We decided to not use Fly Ash in any of the cement because even though fly ash makes a better mix and is also recycling material I had doubts about the heavy metal content of fly ash.

Passing the concrete into the cellar along a chute we made out of plywood:

Coloring. We scattered a cement/sand/color mixture and troweled it in. I’m not sure I like the coloring. I wanted something warm and sunny for the cellar but it turned out a little too dramatic. I might sand it down a bit to remove some of the intensity. We might also cut grout lines and put some lighter grout to also cut down on the intensity.

We have completely dug down the cellar by 3 and 1/2 feet. Then we put a vapour barrier and 3 inch insulation which we taped at the seams. Then we put down the salvaged fencing from the back yard to act as strengthener for the cement. On the fence we tied the pex [...]]]>

We have completely dug down the cellar by 3 and 1/2 feet. Then we put a vapour barrier and 3 inch insulation which we taped at the seams. Then we put down the salvaged fencing from the back yard to act as strengthener for the cement. On the fence we tied the pex tubing for the radiant head.

Meanwhile on the ceiling we are insulating the pipes. Fanatical insulation is the trick to green building.

The next step is to pour the cement.

The only problem is that this product is costly. And [...]]]>

After some research we noticed that one of the most effective ways to reduce impact noise between floors was to put a recycled tyre product between the floor and sub floor. It creates a vibrating cushion that absorbs the impact, thus deadening the sound.

The only problem is that this product is costly. And costly is not green in the slightest.

So we went to the mechanic down the road. He was more than happy to give us some used tires. He has to pay to dispose of them into the landfill. We took the tires and cut them into little strips.

The strips were placed wherever a stud or support beam made contact with the floor above, creating a sound impact barrier between the two floors. Kids jumping, heavy boots and games of basketball should all become less audible from the neighbors above thanks to our technique.

Cutting the tires into strips.

Placing the tire under the joists.

The same tire pictured above but now we have put the support beam beneath it. The tire now acts as a sound barrier between the joists and the beam, breaking the vibration that would normally pass from the joist to the beam and the floor below.

Here is an example of the tire placed between the stud and the footer. It is better to place the tire between the stud and the header to stop sound coming from above. But in this case the stud was supporting the stairs so it didn’t matter.

Despite the cost, the fiberglass frame part I LOVE. I think this is the way to go. I really love them and once they are nicely painted and repaired I will be very happy with them. When it is [...]]]>

I paid a lot of money for fiberglass windows for the Brooklyn Green Show House.

Despite the cost, the fiberglass frame part I LOVE. I think this is the way to go. I really love them and once they are nicely painted and repaired I will be very happy with them. When it is cold outside you touch the frame and it is almost warm, meaning it is not letting much of the cold in or heat out.

The above photo shows us installing the windows. On the right you can see one installed.

Unfortunately fiberglass windows are expensive. And there are no local fiberglass window manufacturers in Brooklyn. As a Brooklyn green contractor local materials is important to me.

For the past two jobs we have actually suggested the client go with locally made vinyl windows. They are very affordable, locally made and as of late I have disliked vinyl less.