Coldstream Court Residence
Please see our photo gallery for Coldstream Court.
We spent three years planning our house. After my years of experience in the restoration and repair business I had seen the many heart aches of clients who probably put their single greatest financial investments in the homes they bought to live in with the assumption that their investments would be reliable shelters to make their homes. Many clients with homes just three to ten years old were facing major maintenance and repair cost that would take longer than their mortgages to recover in net equity value. Most of the problems my clients had with their homes could have been avoided had their homes been built with more careful thought to design and materials implemented for the structure as well as if more conscientious workmanship had been applied to the construction of the house.
The biggest single problems we have seen in the Atlanta metro area have been moisture damage and insect infestation. I was determined in the designing and building of my own home that I was going to use my best knowledge and experience gained through my experience in the construction business to avoid the kinds of problems I had seen professionally.
Consequently we set several major criteria for the planning and implementing of such plans for the construction of the house where my wife and I planned to make our home:
1. Since this would probably be our single largest financial investment in our lifetime--the house we would build would need to be built to last for generations and would need to have an architectural style whose appeal is timeless.
2. The house would need to be planned for the lot and lot elevations we would choose and thus be a compliment to the land.
3. Since water and insect damage have been the most costly maintenance and repair issues with which I have addressed professionally, the design and the materials we used in the construction were to specifically overcome these issues.
4. One of the major monthly home costs is the cost of heating/cooling. Thus both design and construction was to be aimed at lowering utility costs.
5. The living space would need to fit our specific lifestyle.
6. One of the joys of life is aesthetic beauty. The house would need to have a simple eloquence that is both functional and have an aesthetic quality that could be enjoyed for generations.
7. The house in which we are to live should, as much as is possible be a healthy environment.
As follows are the means by which we addressed the criteria as stated above:
1. We chose to build the primary structure of the house out of time tested solid materials. After much research I chose to build the house out of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete block. The manufacturer we chose for such block is Hebel. Acc construction has been used in Europe for over seventy years. We built the entire shell of the house all the way to the top of the gable walls with eight-inch thick Hebel block. This satisfied our concern for a solid strong construction that could last for generations.
I have been an avid student of classical architectural designs for a number of years. The most common elements of the classical architectural styles are they have always placed the emphasis on simplicity of design and function and aesthetics has been achieved primarily in the craftsman's pride for unique detail.
We chose the Federal Farm house architectural style. The typical design of a Federal era house was basically a square house with a single roofline. There were usually four main rooms on the main floor and four main rooms on the second floor. This is a very simple design making very efficient use of the living space. The Federal farmhouse typically incorporates outdoor living space with a covered porch at the front and rear entries. Federal style's elegance is in the simple but fine details, such as functional roof brackets and plain tapered support columns for the porch roofs.
2. We chose a beautiful estate lot in an estate lot subdivision. The lot is heavily wooded with mostly mature hardwood trees. The lot slopes down from the road and its boundaries are formed by a small creek on one side that forks into a large creek at the back boundary. We wanted to place the house so that we could hear and see the two creeks when we sat on our porches. This meant that we would need to place the house on the slope from the road and yet high enough from the creeks that they would not present a problem to the house in heavy rain. Given these factors we needed to place the house so that it would not be in a position of negative elevation from the road. Though we wanted a house that had a ground level entrance to overcome a negative elevation we needed to raise the foundation so that we could build up the grade on the plain where the house would sit. We graded the driveway so that it would also serve to drain surface water away from the house. We had to bring in dirt to place around the foundation so as to slope surface water away from the house, which meant that our front entrance is four steps up and our rear entrance is eight steps up from grade. The house fits very naturally on the lot and we were able to minimize the number of trees that had to be removed and yet were able to place the house so we could most completely enjoy the creeks that flow along its boundaries.
3. One of the reasons we chose to build our structure out of AAC block was to eliminate the damaging effects of moisture and termites to the integrity of the structure. Aerated concrete is made of totally inorganic materials (sand, lime and cement) thus making it a building material that is not vulnerable especially to termites that live off organic matter. Once acc building material is appropriately covered with an external covering it is not vulnerable to moisture or the deteriorating effects of the sun. Furthermore acc because of its composition resist the penetration of water but also allows moisture vapors to escape. A house constructed of acc allows the house to breathe naturally, unlike other high energy efficient frame built houses that depend on materials composed of plastic to provide thermal mass and to shut out draft, causing condensation moisture to be trapped within the walls allowing fungus to grow in the wall and moisture to damage the wood framing materials.
One of the very costly repairs that we have addressed numerous times in the restoration business is repairing or replacing windows and doors. The primary reason why doors and windows rot is because of their direct exposure to the elements. Simple construction designs can help to eliminate this problem. Where practical and possible windows and doors should be covered by a roof to limit their exposure to rain and the sun. In our house design we built a covered porch over the front and rear entrance to the house. To help protect the other windows we built larger eave overhangs and wider roof soffits. Furthermore the windows that are not covered by porch roofs, though solid wooden windows are clad on the exterior side. The windows that are directly exposed to the sun on the southern side of the house have a solar reflective coating and are low e argon gas filled thermal windows. This is effective in helping to shield out the damaging ultra violet rays in the summer time but yet in the winter help provide some solar thermal gain.
Another very costly maintenance issue we have addressed too often professionally is the cost of roof repairs or replacements. One of the most popular elements in architectural designs of the past ten years are building houses with very complex roofing systems with many different gables, hips and valleys and roofs pitching into walls. While attractive these types of roofs present many problems. The more roof lines and valleys in a roof the more you increase the probability of leaks. It is usually very difficult to naturally ventilate these complex roof designs and without adequate ventilation such roofs put enormous stress on the roof decking and decking cover. Since asphalt shingles were converted from an asphalt and asbestos composition to a fiberglass composition, I have never seen in the Atlanta metro area a so-called twenty-year roof last twenty years. Most standard composition shingle roofs in this area need to be replaced within ten years.
We chose the very simple roof design of a single gable primary roof and simple shed pitch roofs over the porches. The roof trusses were constructed on site out of Southern yellow pine 2” x 8” members and all collar cross ties were laminated together. The trusses were fastened to the wall plates with galvanized hurricane straps and galvanized screws. There is not a single nail used in the roof framing system. Since the roof endures so many different temperature extremes there is more movement caused by expansion and contraction than any other place in a house's structure thus for this reason nails tend to be forced out over time. Our gable roof has continuous natural thermal convection flow by having continuous soffit vents and a continuous ridge vent as well as gable end vents on either end of the roof. The roof decking is a lath system of 1X6 Southern Yellow pine placed four inches part. The roof is covered with architectural grade galvanized steel standing seam roof panels with no exposed fasteners. Such roof panels typically will last more than 100 years.
4. Energy efficiency was very important to us particularly because utility costs are a continuous monthly cost. This is another reason why we chose to build the shell of our house out of solid eight thick Hebel block. Hebel is manufactured from sand, lime and cement. A gas-forming agent is added to the cement slurry after the cement is poured into large concrete forms. The gas expands the mixture forming tiny finely dispersed air spaces. The cement when set is removed from the forms and cut with a highly precise cutting machine into dimensional building members. Then the building materials are placed in an autoclave to be completely cured and tempered under controlled pressure conditions.
The solidity and thickness of the blocks provide thermal mass and the tiny-trapped air pockets provide a natural thermal resistance to changes of temperature within the house or from temperature changes from the outside. These factors give the block construction an equivalent thermal resistance value of R30 and the blocks are virtually fire proof. Another attractive element of this type of construction is that since the blocks are so dimensionally accurate they are bonded together in construction with thin set mortar, meaning the joints between the blocks are no more than 1/8 of an inch thick. This solid type of construction unlike composition type of construction (such as framed construction) eliminates the possibilities of air draft infiltration immensely.
Because in the South our highest energy cost are in cooling a house during the long hot summer, careful consideration was given to insulating the roof especially from heat induction from the outside. We placed solid 6" thick polystyrene foam insulation between the rafters of the roof including the porch roofs and covered the foam with a reflective solar shield. This gives the roof an equivalent R-value of 46 in the summer time and R24 in the winter.
We carefully chose the location of doors and windows to maximize the areas where we wanted natural light and to the areas of preferable view. Since windows and doors are the area of greatest thermal loss we left out windows where they did not give us the most benefit. We used thermal windows and doors with the highest thermal value available and as mentioned earlier we used low E windows on the south side of the house.
We wanted a fireplace both for aesthetic value and for emergency or optional heating. Most fireplaces rather than providing energy efficiency instead create an enormous draft that robs the house of energy. For this reason we chose to install a high efficiency controlled draft wood stove in the fireplace. This wood stove many times has provided the sole source of heat for the house.
For our heating and air system we chose a high efficiency heat pump system. Because the walls and roof have such a high R-value we were able to install a much smaller unit than would be required for a house this size. The heat pump system as with all heat pump systems requires an auxiliary heating element for when the outside temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Most heat pumps use electric heat coil elements, which are very inefficient. We installed a gas fired high efficiency boiler that provides the hot water for the household use but also provides hot water that circulates in the copper coils in the air exchanger to augment the heat pump.
We have lived in our house for eleven years and with the choices we have made for energy efficiency we have saved thousands of dollars in heating and cooling cost.
5. My wife and I have been married for more than twenty five years and in that time have lived in many different homes and have grown to understand what we like and dislike about floor plans. One of the common elements we have grown to disdain in all our previous living spaces is that none of them had adequate storage space. This was particularly important to us in planning the floor plan for our present house. We decided that though we like large expansive rooms, we understood practically that our budget was not adequate to have large expansive rooms and plenty of storage space, so we planned for our living spaces to be dimensionally adequate, but each living space would also have a walk in closet well stocked with shelves and hang up rods for clothes.
We also realized that in our budget we could not waste floor space with rooms that did not serve daily functional needs. We made the ceilings on the main floor nine feet tall to give a more open feeling and the second story ceilings are thirteen feet tall with vaulted ceilings. There is no wasted living space in the house in fact on the main floor in the short hall that connects the front rooms with the rear rooms there is a built in china cabinet with walnut and glass doors.
Since I do most of the cooking in our household, the kitchen lay out was very important to me. I wanted to set up a lay out that fit the way I prepare food. I do not like to feel that while I am cooking I am cut off from my family or my quest, so the kitchen is open with a large eating area on one end and the kitchen/breakfast room open up to the family great room.
I wanted my stove/range in the center of the kitchen with a cutting board top on one side and a place to house all my spices over the stove. So we built a cabinet to house the stove/range that provided every thing I wanted but yet from the side and the front of the cabinet it looks more like a roll top desk than a stove. I wanted to be able to have lots of counter top and yet not have to travel to get to the sink or other work surfaces. So the kitchen lay out is a very efficient U shape arrangement with no more than one or two steps to the sink or refrigerator from the cook center. I also wanted a large built in pantry and a separate broom/utility closet which both were installed on one wall of the kitchen.
We also wanted comfortable outside living space to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the lot we chose. We built expansive covered porches on the front and back of the house. There is many an evening I sit on the back or front porch and listen to the serenely comforting sounds of water rushing over the rocks in the creeks.
These are just a few of the floor plan implementations we made to custom fit our lifestyle.
6. We thoroughly enjoy the simple lines of the Federal Farm house style we chose. It is an architectural style that has endured in the United States for more than two centuries. Not just the style, but also the many details give this house aesthetic charm and elegance. The house is adorned along the roof gable ends and the soffit panels with handcrafted dental brackets. The corner quoins are simple chamfered edge blocks shaped out of Hebel blocks. The white sand finished stucco corner quoins contrast strikingly with the pale yellow grooved finished stucco on the house. All the windows are inset in the eight-inch thick walls and have large Hebel drip cap sills. The windows all have raised panel dark Charleston Green shutters making a stark contrast against the pale yellow walls. There is a Hebel drip cap between the second story wall and the gable end wall giving depth and a sense of loftiness to the house. The expansive covered porches with white plain tapered columns are warmly inviting drawing one to enter its enfold. When one approaches the house eyes are drawn to admire a custom made Federal style four paneled entrance door made of heart yellow poplar and finished with a patina hand rubbed oil finish.
The piers that support the front porch and the front steps are covered with stack stone. All the stone for the front of the house and the fireplace were all collected out of the creeks on the property. Thus there are many colors and textures in the stone giving it a nostalgic native to the land aura.
Inside the house one is gently embraced by the rich colors and grain of custom crafted moldings made of Walnut and White Ash as well as random width floorboards of White Ash and perimeter borders of Walnut. The floorboards and moldings were all planed, sized and shaped on site. The floorboards are screwed to the sub-floor and pegged with contrasting hardwood pegs, giving one the feeling of being in a house of a by gone era. All the cabinets in the house are custom made out of walnut and have a hand rubbed oil finish. There are numerous uniquely crafted built in bookcases to house all of our beloved books and paraphernalia. All these handcrafted personal details have helped to make this abode our sanctuary of comfort and peace.
7. There are so many products made for the interior of the house that contain toxic or at the least allergy aggravating elements that it is nearly impossible to avoid using any of these products in your house. Many of the synthetic composition materials used for making mouldings or doors or carpet contain formaldehyde among other chemicals that irritate ones respiratory system. We carefully studied what products contained more or less of these elements and tried to avoid their use. Two of the most undesirable elements that are common in houses of standard construction are fiberglass insulation and molds that grow in the walls of framed houses due to condensation moisture that gets trapped within the walls. The more frame construction is built to shut out drafts and increase thermal resistance in the walls the more this element is probable. Fiberglass insulation is a highly toxic material because it is made of millions of fine strands of glass, which over time break down and compress creating a fine dust that gets circulated throughout the living environment and thus binds its fibers throughout the tissues of our respiratory system. It has also become common in modern construction for the heating and air ducts in houses to be lined with fiberglass.
Again we chose Hebel construction to eliminate the need for fiberglass insulation in the walls. As stated above it is a solid inorganic building material that breathes naturally and is a natural insulator. As for the roof we insulated the roof with solid polystyrene foam not only because it is better at reducing external heat induction through the roof than fiberglass insulation, but also because when it is protected from exposure to the sun it does not break down over time producing an irritating dust. The only time polystyrene puts off toxic gas is when it is burned.
I absolutely insisted that no ductwork in the house contain fiberglass as an insulator within the pipes.
Above I have described just a few of the features that were a part of the planning and implementing of such plans in the construction of our personal home. The same conscientious effort goes into the planning and building of my clients' homes.
Please see our photo gallery for Coldstream Court.
Providing Impeccable Service For All Your Home Construction, Improvement, And Repair Needs