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The story of the R.E.A.D. Project
Resource Efficient & Affordable Dwelling
1641 Mt. Vernon, East Lansing, MI

In 1993, we had the opportunity to help design and build a house in East Lansing.
While we loved our Eastside neighborhood, the four of us worked and/or schooled in E.L.
and the thought of walking and biking to work/school was appealing.

LeRoy had been teaching about Energy Star homes at Urban Options for several years,
and this seemed like a good opportunity to "learn by doing."

A loan from the Home Ownership Assistance Program helped us with the down payment. Many others offered their encouragement and support. For starters Frank Baker (Insulspan), Ron Krzanowski (Sunway Builders), Sally Silver, Mike Rideout, Gary Zick, and Jim Cassidy (East Lansing Housing and Neighborhood Services Corporation) were helpful. Monique Jost (with Tomie Raines) helped us sell our home in Lansing. Elise Harvey and Nancy Brandon were incredibly supportive. Last but not least, a very special thanks to John Barrie (architect) and Pat Ballentine (Instructor/Builder) who had vision, enthusiasm, courage, and imagination to spare and share.

Urban Redevelopment
The house was built on a lot where a dilapidated home had been demolished a few years before.
"Infill" development offered several advantages.

Besides reducing urban sprawl and costs for infrastructure (water, sewer, electric, natural gas, roads),
the location was an easy walk to school and work.

The design was based on a design from the Center for Housing Innovation at the University of Oregon. John Barrie (John Barrie Associates Architects) helped us customized the design with input from builder Ron Krzanowski and Frank Baker (Insulspan/Structural Insulated Panel Association). In addition, builder/teacher Pat Ballentine provided numerous suggestions and constant encouragement.

Our goal was to achieve extremely high levels of resource efficiency and eco-friendliness
while maintaining health, comfort, aesthetics, and affordability.

This diagram (click to enlarge) illustrates R.E.A.D. principles.

What is a green home?

Preserves natural vegetation
Maintains indoor air quality
Conserves natural resources
Uses non-toxic, recycled or renewable building materials
Uses energy and water efficiently
Makes use of natural lighting
Provides access to public transportation
Reduces construction waste through recycling

John Barrie and Frank Baker approached the U.S. Department of Energy
about testing and monitoring the performance of the house.

CLICK HERE FOR COPY OF REPORT

Initial testing included infrared scanning (Armin Rudd views heat loss with special camera below), blower door testing, and air quality monitoring.

In December of 1995, building diagnostics were completed,
and the energy and environmental monitoring system was made operational.

A mad scientist's career is launched ; - )

Energy consumption and indoor/outdoor environmental data
were collected between December 1995 and June 1998.

An infrared camera shows cold and hot spots. The 1st photo was taken inside (on a cold day) -- the 2nd, outside (also on a cold day).
Blue or purple is cold and red/white is warm.

The house is built with structural insulated panels (SIPs) built in Blissfield Michigan. Read about Insulspan here. SIPs consist of a polystyrene core bonded between two outer layers of strand board. SIPs create a sturdy, tight, super-insulated structure which is fast to build.

The house sits on a bed of pea gravel. A 1" layer of extruded polystyrene foam insulates underneath the concrete slab.

The basement walls are made with special R-26 SIPs.
(concrete block is less than R-2!)

Basement walls are sealed with special caulk and a high-strength vapor barrier (Tu Tuff).

Two high-performance windows and/or skylights in major rooms offer daylight ventilation.

Passive solar heating captures the sun's warmth and reduces heating and lighting costs. Eave overhangs shade south facing windows and minimize heat gain and reduce cooling load.

A timer ensures that the fan provides 60 cfm of air for 12 hours per day (evenings) and exhausts stale air from the home.

This "continuous air regulator" provides ventilation air. Outside air is supplied to the cool air return duct of the furnace at a rate of 60 cfm.

This Airtrack unit controls the ventilation rate.
Timer switches are located in the 1st and 2nd floor bathrooms.

The home is heated with a 90+% efficient natural gas condensing furnace with sealed combustion. The gas water heater is also sealed combustion.

The home also features, low-VOC paint, carpet made with recycled plastic, reclaimed building materials (windows, door, sink, and appliances), and insulation made with recycled newspaper.

Tom Smith, Grass Roots, Inc., assisted with design of an ecological, low-maintenance landscape. "Rescued" trees and other native plants were brought in from construction sites threatened by encroaching development. Drought and pest-tolerant species were chosen. A pond collects rainwater and water from the sump pump. 20 yards of compost, fruit trees, compost bins, and gardens were added.

In 2003, a new addition was designed with the help of Alicia Bleil. This 400 SF addition created space for a music room in the lower level and a larger dining room/home office on the main floor. A larger deck was also added to the north.

Call 517-336-7840
for details, questions, or to set up an appointment.

Why are we selling?