Page 60 - Zero Net Energy Case Study Homes-Volume 2

CASE STUDY NO. 8
STRATTON-LEE DIY HOUSE
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The house was to remain the same in appearance and floor plan layout—one-story and all rooms within the existing exterior walls. The renovated house has the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms as the original. The living spaces were combined into one large loft-like space, to reflect modern living preferences, with some of the existing attic space above removed and combined to enlarge the volume of that common area. A small storage loft above the entry foyer was created.
The opening of the living area into one volume was the only major aesthetic decision of the renovation, with all other new features involving the zero-carbon goals of the project. Basically, the building program changes involved only the energy-related systems. The house retains es- sentially the same appearance as it had pre-renovation, but it is radically different in its makeup of materials and systems.
Site Constraints
All work was internal to the existing building envelope, so there were no site constraints.
Low Energy Design Strategies
A principal characteristic of the DIY approach is phasing of the work and adjusting the living ar- rangements to that phasing. There were two main phases, one for each half of the house. Phase 1 (the north half of the house) included the kitchen and living spaces, followed by Phase 2 (the south half of the house), which included the bedrooms and bathrooms.
During Phase 1, a temporary kitchen was located on the covered patio in the rear yard, a work- able arrangement only because of the benign climate of the northern suburbs of Los Angeles. As a temporary aspect of the project phasing, this was acceptable (similar to trailer camping).
Building Envelope — Insulation and Windows
The original house was built in 1963 without any wall insulation and only minimal insulation in the attic. With the priority of very low cost determining many design decisions, as much of the
PHOTO: LAWRENCE ANDERSON
(Above) The renovated house, completed in 2019, as viewed from the street.
Zero Net Energy Case Study Homes: Volume 2