Name
Dara Flynn
08/30/2023 14:45
Building company
Builder's name
Dara Flynn
Architecture firm
Architect's name
Passive building consultant
Date when the project began or is expected to begin (enter "01" for the day if you only know the month and year)
01/01/2022
Type of structure
wood-frame
Town or city
Monmouth
State or province
ME
Original construction year
1855
Year when passive building work was or will be completed
2024
Lot type
rural
Building use type
residential
Brief description of the retrofit project
Complete new interior and exterior. Structural rebuilding where necessary, new heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical.
Type of retrofit
Why did you choose to do a whole, partial, or phased retrofit?
What were the main goals of the retrofit?
Was this a registered historic building?
no
Did you use historic tax credits?
no
Total area of the structure (in square feet)
2000
Passive house certified?
no
If certified by another group, please list the organization:
How many months did the renovation take? If ongoing, how many months is the renovation expected to take?
28
Were people living in the building during renovation?
no
Air tightness (ACH)
Energy use intensity (EUI)
Annual electricity usage (kWh)
Annual electricity costs (USD)
Annual heat usage (kBtu)
Annual heat costs (USD)
Heat source(s)
wood-stove
Annual hot water usage (kWh)
Annual hot water cost (USD)
Hot water system
electric
Air tightness (ACH)
Energy use intensity (EUI)
Annual electricity usage (kWh)
Annual electricity costs (USD)
Annual heat usage (kBtu)
Annual heat costs (USD)
Heat source(s)
heat-pump, wood-stove
Annual hot water usage (kWh)
Annual hot water cost (USD)
Hot water system
electric, air-source-heat-pump, on-demand-tankless-electric
Is the retrofit now using renewable energy sources?
If using renewable energy, please describe the type, kWh generation and any other system specs
Were/are any passive house certified materials used?
Please describe your reasoning in using certified or non-certified materials
Door type before renovation
steel
Door type after renovation
fiberglass
Please describe any methods you're using for controlling thermal bridging, water, vapor and air movement related to doors
U-value of doors before renovation
1.2
U-value of doors after renovation
.28
Window type before renovation
wood and vinyl replacements
Window type after renovation
fiberglass new construction
Please describe any methods you're using for controlling thermal bridging, water, vapor and air movement related to windows
U-value of windows before renovation
4
U-value of windows after renovation
.2
Materials in the wall assembly before renovation (listed from outside to inside)
Materials in the wall assembly after renovation (listed from outside to inside)
Please describe methods for controlling thermal bridging, water, vapor and air movement related to the wall assembly, e.g. materials used and construction
R-value of wall assemblies before renovation
7
R-value of wall assemblies after renovation
22
What rough percentage (0 - 100) of the wall assemblies have thermal bridges after renovation?
10
Materials in the roof assemblies before renovation
asphalt, board sheathing, ice and water shield, metal drip edge, air space, blown-in insulation
Materials in the roof assembly after renovation
asphalt, plywood sheathing, board sheathing, ice and water shield, metal drip edge, air space, mineral wool insulation
Please describe methods for controlling thermal bridging, water, vapor and air movement related to the roof assembly, e.g., materials and construction
R-value of roof assemblies before renovation
11
R-value of roof assemblies after renovation
32
Please upload up to four images of the structure and/or retrofit
Ventilation strategy (type and number of ERV or HRV) before renovation
no active ventilation prior to retrofit, passive air infiltration through walls and windows and doors
Ventilation strategy (type and number of ERV or HRV) after renovation
Single HRV ducted heating and cooling with air source heat pump, electric radiant floor heating in bathrooms
If any make-up air systems were used, please describe
dedicated makeup air for kitchen exhaust, dedicated ventilation air for wood stoves separate from hvac, makeup air for bathroom exhausts
Please describe any thermal bridging issues before renovation
Please describe strategies to mitigate thermal bridging after the renovation
Please describe any moisture issues before renovation
moisture intrusion into basement
Please describe the moisture control strategy after renovation
new mortar in basement and installation of rigid foam insulation and vapor barrier as well as mechanical dehumidification in basement
On a scale of 1 to 10, what was the perceived comfort of the structure before renovation?
On a scale of 1 to 10, what is the perceived comfort of the structure after renovation?
What was the total cost, or estimated cost, of design for the retrofit project (in dollars)?
1000
Total construction cost per square foot, or estimated cost, for the project (in dollars)
150000
Roughly what percentage (0 - 100) of the project was financed?
What types of funding did you use?
personally-funded
Total door cost (in dollars)
5500
Total windows cost (in dollars)
15000
Total wall assembly cost (in dollars)
35000
Total roofing cost (in dollars)
22000
Total ventilation cost (in dollars)
15000
Total foundation cost (in dollars)
1000
What is the expected life of this retrofit (in years)?
30
If you calculated it, what was the energy return on investment, i.e. the EROI (in dollars)?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how much did you take the EROI into consideration before starting the project (if it was calculated)?
Please upload up to four images of the structure and/or retrofit
What would you say was the most successful part of the process?
Actually finding products that I wanted to use.
Rate the following in terms of difficulty...
Section 1: Contact
The first section is just to get your contact info...
Working with your builder and/or architect
Procuring materials
Technical challenges
Local regulations and rules
Financing
What do you wish you knew before starting the project?
Everything, I started this project with construction experience but this is my first whole home renovation so there was a lot of researching and learning. It would have been easier if there was a central source of information that contained the bulk of what I was looking for.
If you do another retrofit, what would you do differently?
If I had the money for different exterior insulation I would have used the Rockwool Comfort Board instead of rigid foam.
Any additional notes or comments
You did not ask if I had intended this project to meet passive house standards. I did not plan on meeting passive house standards, I wanted to include a lot of the commercially available new products to drastically increase the efficiency of the home. My motivation for this was to decrease my overall carbon footprint while living in the house. Not only will it decrease my monthly expenses but adding a substantial amount of insulation and an air barrier will allow me to electrify all the heating and cooling in the home. I do not plan on using fuel oil or propane for anything and only kept the chimneys and wood stoves for ambiance and supplemental heating on very cold days.
This survey seemed to assume this project was completed by a company or builder. I am just the homeowner but am completing a substantial portion of the rebuild myself. I hired people only when I needed a second set of hands or in case of the roof, when I needed to get active leaks under control quickly.