Sarah Susanka & Matt Belcher provided answers to some of the extra questions from our very popular March webinars session. Some questions are still being answered by other presenters and will be posted once received. Our appreciation goes out to these folks for taking the extra time to share their thoughts.
If you missed these webinars, or want to catch them again, check out the "On Demand" section of the Auditorium.


Sarah Susanka: Not So Big: The Doorway to Happy Customers
Q: Most of the small houses tend to have a Craftsman look. How can we approach alternatives?
Sarah's Answer (1)

Q: What is your opinion of the use of ICF for a whole house application?
Sarah's Answer (2)

Q: I live in a somewhat remote area. How do you balance the need for energy efficiency, character, and personalization, without access to mass market products?
Sarah's Answer (3)

Q: What will be the selling price of the Libertyville home?
Sarah's Answer (4)

Q: If your fees are based on square footage...how to you adjust for value?
Sarah's Answer (5)

Q: What is a good book or resource for unifiying the not o big concept with universal design and sustainability?
Sarah's Answer (6)



Matt Belcher: Remodeling and the Green Building Standard (with Philip Beere)

Q: Is the heating providing by the Airhandling Unit (using electricity?)
A: Yes, It is a small geothermal system and the air ‘handler” is actually an air blower/exchanging unit.

Q: What is "closed cell" spray? on those rafters? Did you use a vapor barrier?
A: The spray on the rafters and primary wall insulation is “open cell” (Icenyne) spray (If I said “closed cell spray”, I mis-spoke, sorry). We are now actually using Lightweight steel framed Structural Insulated ½ panels that are made with “Closed cell” insulation to line the interior walls of these older brick structures as they provide a great insulation, vapor/air barrier and structural support for the brick structure at a very competitive cost and ease of installation. (www.LeeCorsystems.com)

Q: Typically what type performance rating HVAC equipment are you specifing and how important is this to the overall design.
A: It completely depends on the type of structure and level of rehabilitation. The vast majority have antiquated HVAC systems and even more antiquated building envelope issues. The entire process always begins with design (Rule #1! Whether new or rehab.): The focus is on the envelope. Once we address that and make it as “High-Performance as pragmatically possible, we then apply HVAC design to that. Our goal is to be near zero energy with envelope/design so it will be easy for our clients to get to NZE with little additional investment. We will even pre-wire the home for solar, if possible, to create more incentive to add it.