Project Details Project: Whole-house Remodel, San Francisco Size: 3,600 square feet Cost: Undisclosed Completed: March 2006 Architect: Malcolm Davis Architecture, San Francisco General Contractor: Jeff King & Co., San Francisco
Consultants: Double-D Engineering, San Francisco
Credit: Treve Johnson
The owners of a 118-year-old house in San Francisco initially hired Jeff King & Co. to rebuild an awkward, light-blocking central stair. But as is often the case with remodeling, the project grew to include floor-plan improvements and upgrades to the building envelope and mechanical systems.
There was never really a question that the new construction would be eco-friendly and energy-efficient, since company owner Jeff King has been committed to sustainable practices since 2004.
The house sits on a narrow urban lot; a two-story addition attached to the rear made the house deep and dark, so infusing the home with daylight became a prime goal. After purchase, the owners added a third-story master suite to the back and redid the kitchen. King gutted the house except for the kitchen, and carved out an additional 400 square feet in the basement.
King’s crew installed new, enlarged windows, added skylights, removed room partitions, and, of course, reconfigured the stairway. The new U-shaped staircase created a light well in the second-floor ceiling and opened up space for a large foyer.
The project scope was ambitious, since making the structure bright and ultra energy efficient meant rebuilding it from the outer walls in. King tore off the three-story rear elevation, inserting steel framing that let him install floor-to-ceiling windows on each level. In front, he dropped a large ridge skylight over the staircase, rebuilding the gambrel roof with engineered lumber.
Throughout the process, material reduction and reuse was top of mind. An exposed ridge beam was plucked from an old army barracks. Dismantled lumber was relocated and reused throughout the project, including large timbers that found new life carrying bearing walls above new doors and windows.
The addition of steel framing allowed Jeff King & Co. to add floor-to-ceiling windows to the back of the house, flooding the interior with natural light.
Any new framing lumber was kiln-dried and kept covered during storage to avoid moisture and mold buildup. “Most lumber has been sitting in the lumberyard for weeks and, in many cases, will have black fungus growing on it,” King says. “By the time you add insulation, you’ve trapped water in the walls.” Wall cavities were insulated with cotton denim batts; blown-in cellulose insulates some of the ceilings.
The house’s mechanical system is robust. King’s crew retrofitted the house with a radiant heat system fed by a 96%-efficient Munchkin boiler. Rather than rip up the floors, “we screwed aluminum transfer plates to the bottom of the floor sheathing from the underside,” King explains, “and pulled the tubes up through the existing joists into the transfer plates.”
The hot-water delivery itself was designed for maximum efficiency. The main plumbing trunk passes through the center of the house, minimizing the length of secondary pipe runs and, thereby, heat loss. And each pipe is insulated to its point of use—an upgrade from California’s Title 24 Energy Code, which requires only 5 feet of insulated pipe beyond the water heater.
One of the owners’ requests for this project was to avoid drywall, so King finished the 3,600-square-foot interior with a combination of plaster and wood walls, some of it salvaged from a third-story redwood deck.
Other high-end finishes in the 15-month project include stonework that figures prominently in the baths. A child’s bathroom is marble-tiled top to bottom, and the master bath contains slab marble.
“The design choices the owners made about materials and finishes were the significant expenses,” rather than the outright green measures, King says. In that sense, the remodel presented the rare opportunity to build for ultimate durability and permanence, which is a key component of sustainability.
Cheryl Weber is a freelance writer in Lancaster, Pa.
Credit: GTODDphotography
Jeff King grew up in eco-conscious Boulder, Colo., and founded his remodeling company in San Francisco in 1994. But it wasn’t until 10 years later, when he and his production manager got certified through the local Build It Green program, that he began developing minimum environmental standards for every project. Since then, he’s made sure that all four management-level employees are green building certified.
One core principle on King’s remodels is to reuse as much of the dismantled lumber as they can on the new project. Discarded cabinetry, appliances, and the like are donated to a local non-profit salvage company, and clients get the tax write-off.
New products and building materials must also meet stringent standards. All concrete now contains at least 30% fly ash. Only kiln-dried framing lumber is used to avoid mold growth, and engineered lumber is speced where appropriate.
Another standard for whole-house remodels is to use the highest-efficiency boiler available. “We don’t even discuss it with the client,” King says. “It adds minimal cost, and the clients get payback.” Ditto for the hot-water delivery system. Its main plumbing trunk is always installed in the center of the house, and pipes are insulated to the point of use.
“We want to make sure we’re building the absolute best for the life of the house. It’s not something we have trouble selling,” and it doesn’t add significant costs to a high-end budget, King says.
Decks
A third-floor redwood deck was dismantled, and its boards reused on interior walls and to form the concrete for a planter and retaining walls. New second- and third-floor decking is FSC-certified ipe from EarthSource. 800.675.7257. www.earthsourcewood.com.
Residential remodel for Jeff King and Co.
Credit: Treve Johnson
Insulation
Open wall cavities were stuffed with Bonded Logic’s recycled cotton denim batts, which provide an insulation value of R-13 in the 2x4 walls and R-19 in the 2x6 walls. GreenFiber’s blown-in cellulose insulation (R-30) fills the vaulted ceiling cavities. Bonded Logic: 480.812.9114. www.bondedlogic.com. GreenFiber: 800.228.0024. www.cocooninsulation.com.
Hot Tub
A SeaOtter Woodworks 280-gallon Japanese hot tub occupies a separate zone on the radiant heat circuit. An ionizing purification system from Sun Light & Power eliminates the need for chemicals, and the discarded water drains to a spigot, where it is used to water the garden. SeaOtter: 888.810.7717. www.woodentubs.com. Sun Light & Power: 510.845.2997. www.sunlightandpower.com.
Residential Remodel for Jeff King and Co.
Credit: Treve Johnson
Skylights
Daylighting and passive solar gain are enhanced by Royalite Universal Energy Master skylights: two large ones on the ridge of each roof, and a small one in a bedroom. The dual-glazed, low-E glass and thermally broken aluminum frames provide a 3.45 R-value. The glass transmits nearly 70% of available light while reducing heat gain to 44% of what is transmitted through standard glass, according to the maker. 800.875.9548. www.royalite-mfg.com.
Residential remodel for Jeff King and Co.
Credit: Treve Johnson
Cabinetry
All cabinetry was custom made by Woodshanti from FSC-certified poplar and covered in Benjamin Moore low-VOC paint or hand-rubbed natural oils. Earthsource wood: 800.675.7257. www.earthsourcewood.com. Benjamin Moore: 866.318.3236. www.benjaminmoorecontractor.com. Woodshanti: 415.822.8100. www.woodshanti.com.