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For Jeff Schafer it all came down to doing what he believes in. That’s why when Schafer, who owns Merle Inc. Homes, set out to build a home for himself and his family, he decided it would be “built green.”
The designation means it’s eco-friendly and designed to provide energy efficiency and a healthier indoor environment.
“It’s something I’ve been studying and believe in,” said Schafer, standing in the kitchen of the nearly finished home on East Second Street in downtown Cle Elum. “I did a ‘Built Green’ home at Suncadia.” Carly Faul, executive officer for the Central Washington Built Green Association, a nonprofit residential building program that certifies homes built with eco-friendly principles, says studies show 15 to 24 percent of Americans are allergic to their own homes.
That isn’t lost on Schafer.
“Knowing what I know now I’d have a hard time building a standard home,” he said.
Schafer’s 2,400-square-foot home, which is served by natural gas, also has an attached garage with a mother-in-law loft. It’s the first “built green” home in Cle Elum and one of only 10 in Kittitas County. Schafer figures the cost of the home at $125 a square foot. While initial construction costs may be more than standard construction costs, he believes energy savings and other benefits make for a fair trade-off out the other end.
“Say your mortgage (for a traditionally built home) is $1,500 and your heat bill is $300 a month versus maybe a built green home where your mortgage is $1,700 and you pay $200 for heat,” he said. “In the end it’s going to average out.”
Schafer figures he’ll spend about $250 a month on heating costs. The house also should stay cool during warm weather months.
“I should be able to open up an upstairs window and the house should actually cool itself, he said.
Among the “Built Green” features designed to improve energy efficiency: spray-in “closed cell foam” insulation that adheres to the surface it’s sprayed on and provides higher insulation factors than traditional fiberglass insulation.
“The main reason I used it is that it seals the house,” Schafer said. But without ventilation, an airtight house runs the risk of becoming toxic.
That’s where an HRV (heat recovery ventilation) system comes in.
In essence, Schafer said, “it’s the lungs of the home.” There are fresh air ports in the bedrooms and an out-take in the bathroom.
The HRV system brings fresh outside air in, preheating it during the winter months and cooling it during the summer months while providing airflow.
The home also has a hydronic radiant system (essentially an under floor radiator system). Tubes that transport hot water are placed in acid-stained cement floors on the first level and under the wood floors on the second. (Schafer passed on installing carpet which, in some cases, can release formaldehyde fumes into the living area.)
Those wood floors, a striking decorative touch, are another nod to “built green.” They’re recycled wood from an old barn that once stood on the site of what is now Cle Elum’s DeVere Airport.
They were done by Jim Didonato of Wood River Hardwood.
“He buys old barns, then mills the wood and tongue-and-grooves it,” Schafer said. “I can’t say enough about the guy.”
Among other touches: kitchen countertops from Trinity Glass are individually hand-crafted surfaces done in earthy tones and made from recycled glass and low-carbon cement. The cupboards are low formaldehyde. “We used plywood instead of particle board,” he said
Schafer also installed “Energy Star” appliances. The label means they meet energy efficiency standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
A tankless “on-demand” hot water system like those found in many parts of Europe also adds to the home’s energy savings.
To save water, “all of the commodes are dual flush,” Schafer said. That means there’s a “half-flush” for non-solid waste, a “full-flush” for solid waste.
A five-gallon tank placed under the vanity collects “grey water” from the sink that is used to flush the toilet.
But Schafer admits he strayed from pure “built green” philosophy in the master bathroom where a shower area big enough to be a walk-in closet features dual heads with water jets.
“I’ve gotten to build a lot of nice bathrooms,” he said with an apologetic grin. “I just couldn’t help myself.”
Because TVs and other electronics in stand-by or “off” mode still draw electricity, Schafer also installed a GreenSwitch, a device that allows him to switch off power to multiple plugs within the system by using just one switch.
A steel fireplace done in black “powder coat” finish provides a dramatic, but understated, centerpiece to the downstairs living area.
Schafer used steel handrails with the same finish on the stairs leading to the second level.
“One of the things with ‘built green’ is using products you don’t have to replace in seven years,” Built Green’s Faul said.
Outside, Schafer plans to install an “eco lawn,” one with no grass but that will have other vegetation. “All the paths will be a permeable surface so all the water that comes on the site is reclaimed on the site,” he said. “We won’t push anything onto the roads or into the drainage system.”
Besides energy efficiency, lower environmental impact and better indoor air quality, Faul said there are other advantages to “built green” homes.
“A study in Seattle in 2008 found green homes sell faster and for more than comparable homes that aren’t green,” she said. “Environmentally certified homes sold for 4.8 percent more and stayed on the market for 24 percent less time.”
Built Green homes are rated from two to five stars. Faul said Schafer’s home “will probably be a 4.”
Locals are invited to take a look.
An open house is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 30, and May 31, at the home, 312 E. Second St., Cle Elum.
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