News flash!
Peoples Choice for the EVHA competition is now open, on line, waiting for your vote.
Peoples Choice is where the general public has a say in picking their favorite remodeling or new home project out of the posted finalists for the EVHA competition. The project that accumulates the most votes will win the Peoples Choice award at the banquet on February 8,2012.
Dear DYI’rs, we would love for you and your friends to vote for our project.
Peoples’ Choice Voting Instructions:
Entries are now posted on the website below. Any computer IP address is allowed only one vote. Very simply, review the different choices of both new and remodeled homes for this year’s competition. Look at their pictures and the stats.
http://www.nahbrc.com/evha/peopleschoice.aspx
The GreenPinkies entry is house choice #7
(After you press the submit button, you will no longer be able to access the pictures of the finalists so we recommend that you do all your looking before hand).
One last request: once you vote, tell all your friends! (This is one of those instances when ‘viral’ is a good thing this fall).
Thanks, Your GreenPinkies
Oh, almost forgot: in case you missed the Channel 5 news report about this remodeled house project, which aired on Sept. 19th, here is the link:
How GreenPinkies, LLC came about:
Question: Can reasonable energy efficiency be engineered into an already existing house? What would be the most logical/cost effective system to upgrade in the 30+year old Ranch style houses found in large numbers, many of them on the market, in the communities of Fayetteville, Arkansas?
Answer: Find one of those houses, take it apart entirely, then put it back together. Perhaps the answer will suggest itself in the process.
Rewind back to August 2010: Here we go!
This blog is for education: How an average homeowner with average funds can put energy saving features in an existing house. Where do you go for information? Where do you start? Questions like these and others will be answered here. By all means if you do not see your question being answered, ask it and we’ll find the answer!
We are not ‘ditzy’ women, nor are we stupid. We are simply unfamiliar with the new territory and are learning as we go… and blogging our findings.
From mid-August to, hopefully, the end of December, (Not, try: July 2011), two women in Northwest Arkansas are renovating a vacant house to be, not only livable, but green! Yup, that buzz word that everyone nowadays is using. They are experimenting with different systems and gadgets that can be put into a house to make it more efficient. Oh, and by the way, the house pictured above is NOT the house being renovated. There is a less frightening, a little more plausible house we’re tackling…see the picture below.
Throughout the renovation, we’ll keep you updated on the progress, what’s involved, and the surprises along the way. If you have any suggestions or ”green” things you would like us to try. Let us know and we might just try them.
Origination of Our Name: “Green Pinkies” A ‘Green Thumb’ is a person who is an expert in the green house with plants. Being that we are not strong in our knowledge of being green, we chose the less strong finger, the pinkie, to depict us. Thus, we are the ‘Green Pinkies’, in that we are not experts in the Environmentally Green House retrofit experience… but we’re about to be!
The Goal: Entry of our retrofitted Environmentally Green house into the 2012 EVHA National Competition for existing homes with a HERS index of 40 or lower. (Update: July 2011: Official HERS Index of 51, Energy Star 5+ rating)
The Subject: 226 S. Happy Hollow Road, Fayetteville Arkansas 72701
This is a one story, brick, 1708 square foot home on half an acre. It is approximately 30 years old and was bank owned. Perhaps it has not been lived in for several years? It is really not habitable now. Any other info you readers might have on this home would be greatly appreciated.
Inspection revealed most of the problems stem from a wet crawlspace and neglect and, possibly abuse. Possible animal urine staining. Interior humidity is too high, even for Arkansas. There is evidence of recent whole house floor tile installation and new ceiling fans. There is evidence that the house was well constructed, 2×6 framing, 24″ on center. From a scrap of wallpaper and what looks like an architectural feature in the bathroom, we also conclude this house was once loved.
Updates:
August 18: cinderblock foundation is nearly flawless except for small crack in the SW (lowest)corner. This is reflected in a similar small crack in the brick veneer near the same corner. Crawlspace is not wet.(Seasonal?) Wood sill above the cinderblock is rotted on the NW corner. Large crack in the Northface brick veneer. Subfloor looks o.k. from the underneath except under the bathrooms where it has rotted clear through.
August 21: It was lived in within the last year. Two dogs lived there too.
October 29: Tile was put down over heavily damaged, wet particle board subfloor. Extensive dog urine and dog hair were underneath.
November 1: Exact measurements reveal the square footage of the house to be, in reality, 1478 square feet. We knew we shouldn’t have put it in the drier! (Buyers beware and measure your houses!)
May 2011: matted dog hair found in the motors of the ceiling fans and electrical outlets!?
July 2011: Four dogs lived there.
The Time Frame: mid-August till 2010 shuts its eyes
December 13th: Schedule is now more like end of February.
April 10: Huge delays in the heating and cooling systems have pushed us back to mid-June for completion date. However, the deadline for the EVHA application will be coming up in July. So, now we’re in the home stretch and starting to run hard.
July 1, 2011: House is 90% completed, competition entries are being filled out for the EVHA. It is now partially furnished.
July 29,2011: The house receives an Energy Star Rating of 5+ stars.
July 31, 2011 3pm: Full entry packet submitted to the EVHA competition, three hours before the cutoff deadline. (Yes, folks, this is how we get our adrenalin rushes!).
October 3, 2011: The house is selected by the EVHA as a finalist and will receive either a Silver or Gold award at the 2012 EVHA Banquet on Feb 8, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. Peoples Choice Award and Remodeler of the Year Award will be announced at that time.
The People:
Lauren, (daughter #1) Mechanical Engineer and Ultimate-Decision-Maker
Kim, (mom) Project Manager and Focus-Maintainer
Carolyn, (daugher #2) Graphic Designer and Back-up
Wayne, (husband & dad) Will-be-sucked-into-the-project and Financial Advisor
Jon, (son) Lunch-provider, yes?
Project Motto: “Work smart, not hard”
Everybody is looking to find ways to save money. Especially in this economically challenged climate. But if you think about it, what does the word Economy mean?? Here are some definitions: ‘Careful management of available resources’ ; ‘Sparing or careful use of something’; ‘A financial saving’, ‘ Offering the best value for the money’! So technically, if we applied that definition to our current market, then really the ‘Economy’ should actually be Good! By finding ways to ‘economize’ on fuel, ‘economize’ on utilities, housing, natural foods (it costs more to provide the chemicals for preservation, and treatment for non organic foods but why is organic food more expensive? But thats another blog!) and make them truly more Economical, then it would have a ripple affect for the whole Market and it would actually be better than it was before! Because savings= more $$$! When there is more $$ for the consumer where does it go? Back into the ECONOMY!! Something to think about! Good Job Green Pinkies!!
By: Robert Webb on August 20, 2010
at 3:58 pm
It was really nice meeting you yesterday. We like what you are doing to the house. Let me know when you are ready for our Green Services and we will be there.
By: Randy Jackson on September 3, 2010
at 12:21 pm
Dear girls of all ages…
Great to meet and talk with you at the home show about this project. Please call me (you have my card) when you’re ready to take a major step toward that HERS rating with spray foam insulation!!!
Bill
By: Bill Langston on February 21, 2011
at 1:21 pm
Just saw info about your project on 5 News–way to go! My husband and I have been remodeling our old farm house for years, as we’ve had time and money so I can relate to all the hard work. We have also made things more energy efficient. The news interview said to vote for you in a national contest but I didn’t hear how to do this. Please let me know and keep up the good work!
By: Dora on September 1, 2011
at 5:25 am