UPDATED 8-12-08.

The goal of the PlayHaven Green Building Project is the creation of:

1. An existing residence renovation that incorporates many high efficiency, improved indoor air quality and sustainable material features. Plus the addition of renewable energy production and a successful, self-sufficient organic farm.
   
   
2. New construction of a complex that:
   • Is energy efficient, and meets ENERGY STAR and LEED® for Homes qualifications,
   • Uses renewable energy systems,
   • Combines new technology with recycled and reclaimed products,
   • Is designed to meet the needs of the homeowners, and,
   • Promotes a sustainable lifestyle.

The PHGB Project website is available so that any interested party can:

• Follow the progress of improvements and construction,
• Get information about the energy efficiency and green building techniques used,
• Find information about the products used, and
• Learn to incorporate these feaures into their next project.

Welcome to the PlayHaven Green Building Project website!

My name is Bobbi Walker (the Owner/Designer of Intuitive Design). I have spent the last 17+ years dreaming of the day when I would be able to build an earth-friendly home. When I first started researching the possibility, there was very little available to give me hope that it could ever be accomplished... unless I was willing to do it all myself.

Over the years, hope turned into optimism and optimism has turned into joy. Now, there are:

• architects who design sustainble, net-zero energy houses,
• builders who use energy efficient construction techniques,
• contractors who have networks to build sustainably,
• energy raters who make sure it is energy efficient and works the way it should,
• financial institutions who understand that this is more than a "niche" market,
• renewable energy products that are more affordable to the average homeowner,
• products made from reclaimed and recycled materials,
• and lots and lots of information on the internet (assuming you know what the questions are).

The PlayHaven Green Building Project is the culmination of those dreams. In addition to being our home, it will be so very much more than that!

It has always been my intention to make this a showcase of products and techniques that the average homeowner could show to their contractor or builder and say "see, that's what I want in my house."

And even better yet, an example that contractors and builders can show to their clients of what kind of energy efficiency and sustainable features can be incorporated into their projects.

And even further still, a place where many options and ways of doing things can be used in a single location to show what choices there are and comparisons can be made.

This all being said, the PlayHaven Green Building Project will be available (by appointment) for physical tours; both during construction and ever after. AND, this website will provide virtual tours for anyone interested in what we're doing but who are unable to make the trip to the Kansas City MO (U.S.A.) area.

August 2008

PlayHaven East is proving to be an excellent resource to showcase remodeling the green way. Which is a nice way of saying that we have discovered some problems that we were either not expecting, or not expecting to have to deal with right away.

We had planned to utilize an existing water well and put a ground-source heating/cooling system (which would also replace the current propane water heater) in before the next heating season. However, the cost of that system has increased substantially since I last investigated them and the well alone will not be enough for the loop, so we find that we are unable to do that at this time. We are investigating alternatives and will use the current propane system this winter (2008/2009).

The sump pump quit working less than two weeks after we took possession. Thank goodness there is a Home Warranty policy in place! A B May came out very quickly and replaced it the day after we called. They had to come out again in August to repair a leak in a joint of one of the water lines. (And we asked for quote to have the plumbing updated.) I highly recommend having a Home Warranty policy when you buy a house. So far we have saved about $600 because of it.

Unfortunately, the policy does not cover structural problems and so, please learn from my experience... if there is a fireplace and/or wood stove in a home you are wanting to purchase, pay the extra money to have a professional chimney inspection done! The company that did our building inspection did not inspect the chimney and told us the flaking of the brick on the exterior was cosmetic and while it needed to be watched, was not a problem.

We have had water in our basement, coming in next to the brickwork around the wood stove, every time it rains. We now wish we had paid to have the chimney inspected separately because our first renovation will be the chimney. The source of the water in the basement is the chimney.

We had both a mason and a chimney sweep company come out and inspect the outside and inside (respectively) of the chimney. It turns out that the stone cap of the chimney is cracked and separated from the brickwork. Also, there is SO much water damage to the brick veneer (the outside of the chimney) that it will be less costly to remove it all and start fresh than replace individual bricks. AND, the lining of the fireplace chimney is cracked in two places, making that chimney unsafe. Which means it also needs to be replaced or repaired. (The lining for the wood stove in the basement is not damaged.)

Our options for repairing the chimney include:

• Exterior: remove the brick veneer entirely (disposed of in a landfill) and put up a brand new brick veneer OR remove enough of the brick veneer to get a good surface to adhere man-made stone as a second layer.
• Interior: remove the lining entirely (disposed of in a landfill) and rebuild it OR insert a metal tube liner with the gaps between it and the square existing liner with a special product that is made specifically for the purpose and that hardens (like mortar).

NOTE: Adding the man-made stone veneer is not a "quick-fix" nor is repairing the lining by adding the tube. Either option will create a chimney that will stand the test of time. Either option will require the exterior to be sealed (something that was never done to the current chimney... the mason told us that if they had sealed it even up to five years after it was built, we would not be having water damage problems).

I investigated ways to avoid having to send the removed brick to a landfill and discovered that no one in the Kansas City area will take it unless the brick can be reused as brick. Since that is not the case here, I looked for someone to take the brick and crush it for use as an aggregate; again no luck. I considered crushing it myself and using it for landscaping until I read the Materials Data Sheet for brick and discovered that due to the silica in it the dust is as damaging as asbestos to our lungs. Another suggestion was to use it as rip-rap in the pond; but, since we will not ready to work on the pond for another year, that would mean storing the rubble on-site.

Luckily, the cost to either 1) rebuild the interior and exterior of the chimney is about the same as 2) adding the man-made stone exterior and inserting the repair tube liner.

So, the deciding factor for us was to do this in the most environmentally friendly way possible which is number 2): adding the man-made stone exterior and repair liner. There will still be some brick that has to go to a landfill, but it will be a fraction of what it would have been otherwise.

Work should start on the chimney in late August or early September. Visit the Gallery for pictures of the progress.