Why FSC Was Important to This Project
It seemed only fitting for the Horton's to set out to build a "green house" as Tom has written about the environment for many years, as the environmental columnist for the Baltimore Sun and as the author of several books about the Chesapeake Bay. Jenny serves on the boards of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Maryland Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. They felt they needed to practice what they preach, so to speak. Through their involvements, they were well aware of FSC certification for wood products, and felt the qualifications for FSC wood products were more rigorous than for other available wood ratings.
Through this project, Wicomico County has approved its first composting toilet and de-nitrifying septic tank. Other green features include closed loop geothermal heat and air conditioning, solar panels, blown cellulose insulation, 6" studs, reclaimed longleaf pine flooring, locust wood for the porch from the Environmentally Sensitive Lumber Company, and bamboo and cork flooring. County inspectors, sub-contractors and visitors have all become familiar with these building alternatives, in addition to FSC wood.
The contractor, David Gooch, who already had a strong concern for the environment in addition to high quality standards, was willing to undertake this building challenge and is now a pro on green building.
Tom frequently speaks to groups about the environment on the Nanticoke River where this project is located. His topic mix now includes green building, along with the state of the bay and what we all can do to sustain our natural surroundings.
The owners are very pleased that the finished product could be welcoming and look and feel like home – and be green too. Working with an existing footprint and saving mature trees have added greatly to the feel of the house. Most visitors assume it is a renovation, rather than new construction.
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Project Name: Horton House
Location: Sparks, MD
Building Type: Single-Family House
Square Footage: 4,250
Owner: Jenny and Tom Horton
Architect: Corbin Tucker, Inside Out; Janet Harrison, J. Harrison Architect
Use of FSC-certified Wood
SPF Dimensional Lumber
1/2" CDX plywood
3/4" birch plywood
Tongue & Groove poplar dimensional lumber
FSC products were used for framing, sheathing, exterior shingles, ceilings, finished walls and shelving and constituted 52% of the total new wood used.
Through the internet and a high quality building supplier, Warren's Wood Works's in Easton, MD, we were able to obtain FSC framing and finished wood products from Minnesota. While this was not preferred from the standpoint of embodied energy, it filled the bill and the transportation cost was manageable. This began a cooperative effort with Warren's to source many of the green aspects of the house. The company's staff is now well equipped to handle green building questions and has started working with other homeowners on their green projects.
The FSC certified shingles for the exterior siding were fortunately readily available from Maibec.
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