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Saving grace
Big Sky home designed to conserve energy, building materials
By Carol Ferrie
(As Featured in Big Sky Magazine, Summer 06)
Planning for the future usually means saving and investing money. The
future took on a different meaning, however, when it came time for Christian
and Amy Johnsen to build their house a modest, colorful two-story home
near Big Sky's Town Center.
The house manifests their concern for elements of the future that money
can't buytheir family and the environment.
While planning and designing the house, the Johnsens were particularly
interested in making it functional while, at the same time, integrating
"environmentally friendly" features.
Their two daughters are young now and several rooms in the house were
created specifically for them to discover their creativity. But Christian is
quick to point out that those rooms were also designed to accommodate the
girls' transition into their teens. Looking even beyond that, he said that
he and Amy also anticipated their own needs as they get older as well as
potential needs their parents may have as they age. Various design features
were added to adapt to that point in their future.
Josh Greene of Greene Construction, the contractor on the project, said
the Johnsens put in "a lot of time, energy and research" to select all of
the materials for the house.
Christian admitted to having "an eye toward the future" as he and Amy
planned the details of the house. None of the features would be considered
extreme when compared to so-called "green" buildings but the Johnsens are
confident that the choices they made will leave the environment and their
family better off.
A stained concrete floor, stamped to mimic large tiles, spans the main
floor of the house. Concrete is becoming the new flooring material of choice
for designers and homeowners, often chosen because of its aesthetic appeal
and low maintenance. The Johnsens chose it for other reasons to save
energy and wood.
Without the need for floor joists and a sub-floor, the four-inch-thick
slab floor minimized the need for using wood which the Johnsens viewed as
an opportunity to reduce the need to cut trees. Although a radiant propane
heating system was installed in the floor, the concrete itself has heating
and cooling attributes that make it energy efficient.
With a wall of south-facing windows in the house, the slab soaks up the
sun's heat during the day and releases it at night. Cooled by night air, the
slab helps regulate daytime temperatures during the summer.
Christian confessed to initially being a bit skeptical of a
hard-surfaced floor but now talks enthusiastically about the benefits of it.
The Johnsens designed their 3,269-square-foot house using a four-foot
grid, which is somewhat unconventional from an architectural standpoint,
Greene said. By doing this, there was very little lumber waste during the
course of construction since plywood is purchased in four-foot increments.
To put this in perspective, Greene said that if he buys $90,000 worth of
framing lumber for a home, it is not unusual for $5,000 of it to go in the
dumpster because the dimensions of the house require using only a fraction
of a sheet of plywood. The same goes for sheetrock, Greene said, which also
comes in increments of four-feet.
"We used a minimum amount of materials to maximize square footage" in
the Johnsens' home, he said.
Opting for cement fiber board plank siding on the exterior of their
house was another wood-saving measure by the Johnsens. With only a small
percentage of wood fiber used in this siding, it is primarily a cement
product, Greene said. Designed to withstand the wear and tear of cold
climates, cement fiber siding is extremely strong, resistant to fires,
insects and rot, and it absorbs paint in an enduring waymaking it virtually
maintenance free.
Being maintenance free, cement board offers more savings than just
trees. Greene pointed out that energy both physical and petroleum-based
is conserved by not having to take road trips or spend the money to gather
up the materials needed to repair and repaint.
The same goes for the maintenance-free Trex decking that was used on the
front porch and deck. Trex is made primarily with recycled plastic grocery
bags, reclaimed pallet wrap and waste wood. Although it costs a little more
than traditional wood decking, the long-term savings outweighs the initial
cost, Christian said.
Insulation is another area where the Johnsens knew it wouldn't pay to
skimp. Foam insulation was sprayed two inches thick into the wall cavities;
the foam then expands to fill all of the nooks and crannies within the wall.
Once again looking ahead, the Johnsens chose a material that costs more up
front than conventional fiberglass batt insulation but the long-term energy
savings is substantial.
The spray foam insulation in the ceiling is five inches thick so it is
more effective against what Big Sky builders and homeowners are all too
familiar with"ice damming." Without adequate insulation, Greene said, heat
from the house will escape through the ceiling to the roof, causing
accumulated snow to melt and drain into the eaves. When the water reaches a
shaded area in the eaves, it freezes again. The ice in the eaves creates a
dam effect and results in standing water on the roof that eventually leaks
into the house.
In addition to the spray foam insulation to help maintain the
temperature in the house, the Johnsens installed a high-efficiency, low
emissions wood-burning fireplace insert. A catalytic combustor in the system
burns away gases and particulates that would normally be emitted into the
air. This process makes it cleaner and slower burning than traditional
wood-burning fireplaces.
Aside from their contributions to conserve energy and the environment,
the Johnsens are most proud of how they utilize every space in the house. A
second-floor room with three crank-open skylights currently serves as an
oversized playroom for their daughters. When the house was being
constructed, the Johnsens had it pre-wired for a home entertainment system,
knowing that as their children got older, the playroom would need to
transform into an environment more conducive to teen-agers.
A support beam in one daughter's bedroom was used as the base for a loft
against the sloped ceiling, where the Johnsens expect their daughter will
want to put a computer desk and study area someday.
Another room that they anticipate will transform into something
different in the future is the art room on the main level. With Amy being a
painter and ceramicist, it is an ideal place for her and the children to let
their creative juices flow with chalkboard easels, paints, beads and a host
of other art supplies. There is no need to worry about messesthey purposely
did not put any baseboard in the room and installed a drain in the center of
the concrete floor so that they could hose down the floor to clean up
spills. The hallway wall leading into the art room is an exhibit area for
everybody's works of art.
If the need arises, Amy said the art room can be converted to a bedroom
for their aging parents.
Down to the landscaping that uses the native sagebrush, Greene said he
appreciated the Johnsens' forward-looking approach to planning and designing
their home. The experience has inspired Green to educate himself on more
environmentally friendly ways to build homes.
"As a builder, parent and citizen, everyone needs to wake up their
conscience," Greene said.
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