Madeline ReFab
Jesse Thompson General Contractor
Rising Tide Custom Builders Building Shell
Context
Walkable, in-town neighborhoods in New England have very few available building lots, so renovation is the logical way to rebuild and re-fabricate our neighborhoods to meet the challenges of the present day. If we are to create a better, carbon-neutral & revitalized country, it will start with improving our existing environment.
The owners searched for a house to perform a radical transformation. The search led to a faded 1960's 1,100 SF ranch house in an in-town Portland Maine neighborhood, an ideal candidate for improvement. It may have been the worst house on the block, but it had a strong foundation, a spacious lot, and no one would miss the vinyl siding.
Response
The key to affordable renovation is in imposing limitations: build up and not out, re-use whatever possible, and maintain existing services whenever possible.
We designed a compact second story for the children's bedrooms, and used long span I-joists to span the full length of the house, opening a cramped floor plan up into a generous open plan with 12 foot ceilings at the high point.
The roof pitches align with the existing garage pitch, allowing a coherent composition without incurring expense incurred in modifying valuable existing structures.
Careful window orientation maintains privacy from the street while drawing sunsets deep into the house. The backyard, previously isolated from the living spaces is opened up with expansive triple glazed glazing.
Renovation
The existing 1,100 SF 3 bedroom house is expanded to 1,800 sf with a guest room.
In Town
The house sits within walking distance of elementary, middle and high schools, shopping, restaurants and hundred acre city park.
Renewable Materials
Salvaged materials were used throughout the project, including slate roofing from an 1840's barn, wood end-grain tile flooring, salvaged sinks, and manufacturer's remnant ceramic tile. As well, the 5 1/2" blanket of exterior insulation is entirely reclaimed from demolished buildings.
Water Conservation
Low flow fixtures will be used throughout.
Budget / Economy
Salvaged materials and careful budgeting keep the renovation costs under$70 / SF.
Sustainable Landscape
The landscape plan includes native blueberries, berry bushes and apple trees, creating a truly edible landscape.
Energy Efficient
Energy efficiency was a primary goal for the project. The goal is a 70% reduction in energy use, even with an overall expansion of the footprint.
All windows were replaced with triple glazed fiberglass windows of up to R-5 insulating value, with carefully tuned glazing for solar heat gain.
The walls will be insulated to over R-40 (5 1/2" poly-iso rigid foam + 3 1/2" cellulose), the ceiling to over R-60 (dense-packed cellulose), and the existing basement insulated above the existing slab and on the interior walls with rigid foam.
Waste-water heat recovery will be installed, and piped for a future solar hot water system.
Award Winning
The project targets LEED Platinum.