One thing we have realized in our pursuit to build better homes is that it’s hard to tell the story of green building in the short amount of time that people are experiencing our homes on their first visit. First impressions go a long way, and we have thought a lot about the best way to quickly impress some of the most important aspects of what we were trying to accomplish. We want to first build cool houses, and then make them even better by being more efficient, healthy, comfortable, environmentally friendly, and well connected to their surroundings.
With this challenge in mind we have been very excited about our work with GreenDwellingSeattle on a piece we think says so much about our goals in a format that’s recognizable, clear and simple, and that give a realistic comparison to other similarly sized homes. We have put forth our best efforts and we think the Environmental Facts Label says a lot about how we are building better homes. It provides the basic facts of a home and the means by which we achieve efficiencies. It lets people know what they can expect in the way of utilities costs compared to local average homes of similar size. It speaks to walkability, public transit time and also what certifications the home has targeted. It also includes one basic number: the HERS index, which represents what percentage of efficiency a home should realize over code built homes. Low is good and each number represents a 1% improvement, with code built homes being 100. Keep in mind that to achieve Energy Star certification a home must be at least 15% better than code. At 1105dwell our homes are 45% more efficient and we are very proud of that. We reached this number by building with SIPS, utilizing an airtight drywall approach, tireless air sealing to keep hot and cold air where we want it, and including efficient systems like Tankless Hot Water, and Heat Recovery Ventilation.
There is a lot more to tell about green building, but quite a bit of it is said in this label. We hope it connects and resonates. Come see for yourself. See the recycled and renewable materials, smell the clean fresh scent of a healthy home, realize that with so much natural light you use the light switches less often. We are happy to share our work and that it is being appreciated by our buyers and the community. 3 of 4 have sold and we are looking forward to completing this project just in time to release our next, 436dwell.
This is an amazing single family home that could quite possibly be the most efficient speculative home built to date in the city. Not only is it extremely cool, it has a HERS rating of 46!!! We would love to welcome you to a release party on Thursday, September 2nd from 4:00-7:00 pm. More details to come on this project. Stay Tuned!!!
Another one of the many features of 1105dwell is the attention given to healthy indoor air quality. We started with an extremely tight envelope; meaning we worked tirelessly to ensure that the house was as airtight as we could make it in order to lay the foundation for the efficiencies we were striving for. The finishes that went into the homes were also very important, and we are proud to say we used only Low/No VOC finishes to make sure we were creating a healthy environment from the get-go. Passive ventilation is also great in the summertime (cracking a few windows), but in the cooler months we needed an efficient means by which to fill the homes with fresh air on a constant basis without additional heating costs.
Enter Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV). It basically works like this:
In a home there is an inbound flow of fresh outdoor air, and an outbound flow of moist indoor air that needs to vented. In a tight house that is highly interested in efficient operations we want to be able to control moisture and air temperature, and to minimize the heat loss that occurs as we ventilate. An HRV works by using a heat exchanger between the cooler, incoming fresh air and the warmer, moist indoor air that needs to be vented from the home. The cool air picks up heat from the warm air as it is brought into the home and also helps to reduce the humidity of the indoors at the same time. These systems can recover as much as 75% of the heat from the air that is being vented and ensure a low humidity interior that can have a significant effect on the health of the indoor air quality, the integrity of the home and furnishings; all while reducing the operational costs of the home as a whole.
While we’re on the subject of operational costs, the cost of financing a new home comes to mind. With interest rates at historical lows (4% range in most cases) it is hard to think of a better time to buy. At 1105dwell we have put together a great preferred lender program with Golf Savings, and are offering various other incentives to bring the total to almost $25,000 in buyer incentives per home. We are even offering a $1,000 referral from Dwell for anyone who brings us a buyer that leads to a closed transaction.
Just produced this short video to share a bit about what we do and the philosophy behind it. It’s about raising the bar on residential development; to contribute to community, to promote Health, Efficiency, Sustainability, and the value of investment in a better built home. Our project 1105dwell is our latest addition to the Judkins Park neighborhood and we are very proud of our efforts there. If you are interested in a tour or would like to know more about the project let us know at dwell@dwelldevelopment.net.
This weekend is Seafair and many of us have already started looking up in the sky to follow the scream of the Blue Angels as they streak across the sky. Seemed like a perfect time to say a little something about the roof top decks that have all but become a staple of dwell projects and are a beautiful, functional, sustainability added feature of our latest project 1105dwell.
Rooftop decks are a fantastic way to add living space to homes built in the urban environment. We have been adding them to our projects for years and the feedback we get from our homeowners is they are the place they most often find themselves from the first signs of Spring on into the long Indian Summers we are so fortunate to enjoy in the Northwest. We outfit ours with everything from a natural gas line to hot and cold running water, plenty of open space for entertaining, and ample gardening areas so our homeowner’s can grow a full spectrum of fruits and vegetable year round.
Rooftop decks get you up and away from it all. The view is always outstanding and they offer outdoor privacy seldom found in the urban environment. They are far more than a deck. They are a place to entertain, relax, cook, and garden with the added benefit of watering all those fruits and vegetables from our rainwater catchment systems. They are definitely a way to enhance the urban living experience and something we are proud to offer on all of the homes at 1105dwell.
We are excited to share the details of these homes and will be doing so every few days or so for some time. Monday will be a video update that tells the story of dwell and what we hope to accomplish with our developments. Stay tuned. If you have any questions about the project as we go along or would like to arrange a tour, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at dwell@dwelldevelopment.net.
Thoughtful design is a collection of many things, not the least of which are efficient operations and technologies that offer as much in the way of comfort and convenience as they do in savings for the residents. Today’s topic: Tankless Hot Water Heaters.
Tankless Hot Water Heaters are an excellent example of just one of the features of our latest project 1105dwell that offer all three; comfort, convenience, and efficiency. Tankless Hot Waters heater have become more commonplace in residential design as of late and we thought it might be nice to share a few of the benefits of these compact little powerhouses that are often overlooked. Yes, they have the capacity to offer forever showers, and take up much less space than a conventional hot water tank, but there’s far more to it than that.
Let’s take a look:
Tankless Hot Water Heaters are designed to last 20 years, compared to Tank Water Heaters that have a lifetime of 2-9 years.
Tankless have a standby heat loss of 0% compared to an average of 20% on Tank Heaters.
Tankless save an average of 30% on the water heating bill.
Tankless burn less fossil feuls than a Tank Heater that heats water that isn’t being used.
Tankless are more efficient over the life of the heater due to reduced mineral build up.
Click on the image and look closely at the yellow Energy Guide Label on the side of the unit. See where it lands on the range of efficiency for water heating units….Amazing!!
At 1105dwell we chose an incredible 98% efficient Navien Condensing Tankless Water Heater. This unit delivers not only the domestic hot water (sinks, showers, laundry) but is also the heat source for the 3-zone radiant floor heating in these homes. The efficiency of the unit for space heating is complemented by the superior insulation and air sealing that went into the construction, all of which add to the overall comfort, convenience, and efficiency of this system and technology.
There is far more to thoughtful design of course, including use of sustainable materials, natural daylighting, passive ventilation, improved stormwater management, durability, quality of construction, etc. But let’s bite this off in small pieces and talk a bit about each. We would love for you to visit our project and see the result of our approach to thoughtful design for yourself. These homes are on the market and we are offering up to $25,000 in buyer’s incentives and will pay anyone a $1,000 incentive for referring a buyer who purchases one of them. Check out these images and see for yourself the approach we have taken to thoughtful design at 1105dwell.
Our latest project 1105Dwell is now complete and is on the market. We are very proud of this project and the advancements we have made regarding the blending of high efficiency, materials choices, healthy indoor air quality, and community contribution.
In it’s first two weeks on the market we have had excellent traffic through the project and been honored to have received media coverage from such sites as Jetson Green, Materialicious, Contemporist, and a few international media outlets who will be writing about the project in the weeks to come.
We would love to have you come by the project and will be open on weekends for public open houses and tours through at least June. If you would like a private guided tour of the project we would be happy to arrange one. Matt Muhsam from GreenDwellingSeattle is working closely with us on this project to help communicate the value and benefits of the green building materials, techniques, and technologies that help make these homes so special. GreenDwellingSeattle has been following the construction of this project from it’s foundation to it’s finishes. The complete collection of these posts can be viewed by clicking here.
Having longprioritized the walkability and connection to public transportation in our developments, we see great value not only in the creation of great homes, but in the connection our homes have to the world around them. We believe strongly in our homes being a positive addition to the community and to the vitality of urban neighborhoods.
In the process of researching future projects, including a fantastic collection of homes in the next phase of Seattle’s Rainier Vista development, we came across a report that supports our belief in the value of walkability. Here is a short excerpt with the complete report available here.
“More than just a pleasant amenity, the walkability of cities translates directly into increases in home values. Homes located in more walkable neighborhoods—those with a mix of common daily shopping and social destinations within a short distance—command a price premium over otherwise similar homes in less walkable areas. Houses with the above-average levels of walkability command a premium of about $4,000 to $34,000 over houses with just average levels of walkability in the typical metropolitan areas studied”.
In our ongoing efforts to increase the efficiency of our homes and the sustainability of our developments we also are taking a look at the variety of ways we can implement our efforts and broaden our impact on the urban built environment. We are primarily an infill development company and have always focused our work within Seattle’s walkable communities which have strong connections to public transportation. With these factors in mind, relatively recent news from the DPD has gotten us very excited about Backyard Cottages, aka DADU’s (Detached Accessory Dwelling Units).
There has been a great deal of local discussion around Backyard Cottages (DADU’s) since the Seattle City Council unanimously approved code revisions allowing for these structures on conforming lots city-wide in November of 2009. Taking into account our familiarity with the infill development process, our extremely talented design team, and a strong dedication to the vitality of our urban communities, it is with great pleasure that we expand our services into Backyard Cottage design and construction.
Backyard Cottages are an excellent way for existing homeowners to provide solutions to many issues concerning the built environment and housing through their individual contributions to urban densification. Whether you would like to provide affordable housing by renting out your DADU, would like to easily care for aging parents or boomerang children, or would simply like some extra space for yourselves or your stuff; a Backyard Cottage would be a great addition to your home.
These building designs can be easily integrated into the style of your existing home or can signal your modern aspirations. They are ideally suited to re-use of materials and can be built to the highest standards of efficiency, sustainability, healthy indoor air quality, and reduced impact. The list of benefits go on and on.
We have provided some helpful links to more information above and would be happy to discuss the possibility of adding a DADU to your backyard.
One thing we have realized in our pursuit to build better homes is that it’s hard to tell the story of green building in the short amount of time that people are experiencing our homes on their first visit. First impressions go a long way, and we have thought a lot about the best way to quickly impress some of the most important aspects of what we were trying to accomplish. We want to first build cool houses, and then make them even better by being more efficient, healthy, comfortable, environmentally friendly, and well connected to their surroundings. 
