Construction Best Practices
You’re probably already incorporating “best practices” in every aspect of your coastal projects. Best practices make for durable low-maintenance (green) buildings.
Roofing, siding, windows, and doors. Coastal buildings experience more wind-driven rain on a regular basis than interior buildings. Detailing the exterior to resist water penetration is critical for long-term durability.
Insulation and air sealing. To achieve the best performance from insulation, it must be installed perfectly and the building must be air sealed. Coastal buildings are exposed to higher wind exposures than inland buildings, so air sealing has a bigger overall impact to energy perfor-mance. Seal all penetrations between inside and outside. Pay particular attention to air leaks from the conditioned space to the attic space.
Renewable Energy Sources
Solar and wind resources can be tapped along shorelines, but with some, maintenance may be an issue.
Photovoltaics. Knowing the true day of sunlight for the microclimate you build in is important. Many coastal areas (particularly in the Northeast) often experience more fog, haze, and clouds that would reduce the performance of photovoltaic panels. Airborne salt can deposit a film on collectors and reduce their effectiveness. While photovoltaics may be the first thing on clients’ minds, they may not always be the best choice for all coastal climates. Systems should be located for easy access to clean, and owners need understand the seasonal energy production limits due to clouds.
Solar hot water. Vacuum-tube systems are ideal for cloudy coastal areas. These systems can produce hot water even on cloudy days and will provide more bang for the buck than photovoltaic systems. They will suffer from salt film on the tubes, so someone will have to have easy access for cleaning (and be willing to do it).
Wind. Residential-scale wind generators are a slam-dunk for coastal buildings. Consistent breezes — no matter from what direction — will spin the blades on modern generators. Many states are incorporating laws that supersede local zoning and private development restrictions that would otherwise prohibit wind generators, though in many locales, this remains an issue that must be investigated.
Geothermal. Coastal building sites often have high water tables, and this is good thing when you’re thinking of geothermal. Deep well or field/trench-type exchange systems perform better when they are in the water rather than dry soil.
Material Selection
Materials are often the first thing people think of when they think “green,” and it’s where you’ll find the most controversy. The material arena is where you and your clients will find the most greenwashing and become the most confused.
Green Spec. To cut through the bias and confusion, consult Green Building Products (BuildingGreen, LLC and New Society Publishers, www.buildinggreen.com) — a compendium of some 1,600 green products derived from the online Green Spec Directory
(www.buildinggreen.com/menus/).
Durability/reduced maintenance. Materials that last a long time in service are preferable to ones that deteriorate. Most coastal builders I know already opt for durable materials — especially on building exteriors — because they understand how punishing the coastal climate can be.
Lot Planning and Site Preparation
Many coastal building requirements mandate best practices for lot usage and site impact already, so you may not need to change your current practices to go green here.
Minimize site impact. Only clear and dig where you have to. Coastal building sites are often environmentally sensitive. Keep the natural geography and retain native plants to minimize the effect of natural disasters and speed recovery (see “Wetlands Done Right,” January/February 2007). Minimal site impact practices are often economical as well.
Erosion control during construction. Common requirement on most coastal sites, you can improve erosion control just by minimizing site impact to begin with. Wrap up sitework activities as soon as possible and implement the replanting plan to reduce the need for mechanical control systems (see the discussion on low-impact development, Soundings, May/June 2008).
Landscape. Maintain the natural state of the site. Use native and drought-resistant plants, and minimize lawn areas. Use trees to shade parts of the building or let sun reach the building during specific times of the day/seasons to reduce or increase heat gain into the building. (For more information, see “Native Landscaping,” November/December 2006.) Be sure to include a water runoff plan to retain water on-site with the landscape design. Avoid hard, impermeable surfaces.
Indoor air quality and maintenance
Two other chief concerns arise in the green building arena: indoor air quality and operation/maintenance issues. However, there is nothing particularly coastal about these topics, though maintaining low indoor humidity levels might be more challenging in many coastal climates. Controlling indoor air quality starts with building a tight building envelope and installing a balanced ventilation system, but it also involves strategies for keeping pollutants out of the home. One place to begin gathering the requisite knowledge on the issues is the Healthy House Institute (www.healthyhouseinstitute.com).
Mike Guertin (www.mikeguertin.com) is a custom home builder and remodeler in East Greenwich, R.I., and a member of the JLC Live Construction Demonstration Team (www.jlclive.com). Clayton DeKorne is editor of Coastal Contractor. All articles referenced from Coastal Contractor can be found at www.coastalcontractor.net.
