Pretty Good House – List
I think the idea of the Pretty Good House, or PGH is to have a general list to use as a guide while making the design and build choices that every project has to make. It is a higher bar to set for the every day builder that does not require certification.
Here is a basic list of things for a Pretty Good House. These are based on two Building Science Discussion Groups for homes in Maine and posts from Mike Maines blog on GBA. (and I am sure I have missed some things)
These are things we talk about everyday with people who visit our showroom.
Let us know what you think!
General:
Use locally sourced materials and labor
Use local suppliers 
Commission and test performance after completion
Supply an Owners Manual for the house
Make things durable
Reduce construction waste and recycle materials
Use materials that have low embodied energy
Site Considerations:
Use an in-fill site if possible
Face the sun in an appropriate way for your location
Plan for food cultivation in a home garden
Design:
Keep the conditioned living space relatively small per occupant (maybe 600 s.f. for the first and 300-400 s.f. per additional occupant)
Keep the structure less complex
Design around mechanicals (plan for duct work, keep plumbing runs short)
Build around a service core for plumbing, wiring and ductwork
Use an Energy Model
Design should be Performance based (how about a design load of less than 12 btu’s per s.f.)
Foundations:
If basement – R-10-20 below slab, R-20+ walls
If slab only – use appropriate insulation levels and techniques (R-40 below, R-50 perimeter)
Air-Seal perimeter
Building Envelope:
Walls – R-40 with thermal break
Ceiling – R-60 with thermal break
Airtight – 1.5 ACH 50 or better (air seal)
Aim for whole wall system values (IECC 2012 Code)
NO fiberglass insulation
Air-seal electrical outlets in exterior walls (or avoid them altogether)
Avoid recessed light cans in ceiling (or at least air-seal them)
Use a rain screen wall detail
Windows:
Whole window U-value below .20
High solar heat (SHGC) on south windows (.55 or better)
Use fewer operable windows
Air-seal around all rough openings
Mechanicals:
Avoid using fossil fuels
Use HRV or ERV with programmable controls
Use the right type of heating system for the design load
Install active solar hot water and / or electric or (solar ready at least)
Insulate hot water pipes
Use low-flow fixtures
Interior Finishes:
Use non-formaldehyde plywoods, glues and products
Use low or No VOC finishes and paints
Use Non-Toxic materials
Focus on Indoor Air Quality!
I can’t wait to see more people’s ideas of what a Pretty Good House (PGH) consists of. I’ve been a builder for a decade in all sorts of manifestations from additions to production multi-family and high end vacation homes. I recently built my own PGH applying all the things I like from what I’ve learned. I call it the “Souler House.” See info here http://www.platinumgreeninc.com
Here is my list of what is Pretty Good.
1) Use Non-Toxic materials – I know it’s an obvious point, but I think that many builders don’t pay attention to this detail. It takes a lot of effort to follow through on this topic. My Souler House has no-vocs in it and no added formaldahyde. I don’t think many builders can say this.
2) Good solar exposure – if you don’t have this, then try to find a different place to build or remodel.
3) Orient the house along East – West axis for maximum solar gain. In Maine’s climate place most of the glass on South side. I have a house in Florida with all the glass on the North Side.
4) Use Intus windows. Now with triple pane windows at such an affordable price it takes away the ROI (Return On Investment) arguement that high performance windows don’t make financial sense. Intus is a game changer. If you haven’t checked out their pricing, then you should. U-value (glass) 0.1, SHGC 0.62
5) Durable Materials used from slab to roof. Do a RAINSCREEN wall detail with whatever siding you use and pick a material that will not mold or rot. I like metal roofs and so does my insurance company. They lowered my annual insurance premiums with fiber cement siding and a metal standing seam roof. I went with a finished concrete floor to avoid ongoing floor maintenance and lower initial costs.
6) Energy Efficiency – I’d like to think that we can build homes that need very little energy without depending of fossil fuels and then close up that gap with a little solar PV. I like the benchmark of sizing the house and insulating it well enough that you can heat/cool with a mini-split heat pump. Close to Net Zero is Pretty Good for me. With the price of PV right now – it’s crazy not to fill up your roof or yard with it. I use all LED bulbs! And TIER III Energy Star appliance, because I can. (They’re actually not that much more $)
7) Water Efficiency – I come from CA and FL where water is a major issue. In Maine I say we match their water efficiency standards and then sell the rest off at $4/gal. when LA and Vegas run out. Maine will be the new IRAN. I have dual flush low flow toilets from Kohler and low flow everything else. All my plumbing runs are less than 15 feet, which minimizes waiting for hot water.
Mechanical Ventilation – Get the house as tight as you can and ventilate it! You can have a whole house HRV / ERV and eliminate bathroom vent fans. Save $.
9) Build smaller – Not sure how this translates for everyone, but for me it’s about 1000 – 1200 square feet for 2-3 people. Less money you spend on building it, the less you spend on heating and maintaining it. The more time you can be enjoying this great state of Maine. Or getting the hell out of here in the winter.
10) Support local manufacturers and materials.
11) Energy Modeling pre-construction. I did this with Dana Fischer on a free DOE website in about a half an hour. We came up with heat loads and tweaked a couple of things. It showed how getting a thermal break really matters. A PGH needs to have some kind of thermal break!
12) I like the idea of homes being considered living systems. Not sure if that fits into the PGH concept, but no matter what budget or scale, integrated design is critical in making a house healthy and function with or without power. Survivability!
Ok, that’s my two cents. I’m sure I’ll come up with more ideas in my sleep tonight and freak out about what I wrote here today.
Jason