Page 8 - Green Builder Remodeling Field Report 2021

REVISION HOUSE SCOTTSDALE PROJECT

ACCESSIBLE FUTURE.
Placement of the master bedroom and bath on
ground level allows the couple to age in place. Wide
doors and low thresholds remove trip hazards. A
curbless shower allows easy access.

OPEN
FLOW.
With additional
headroom, ample
daylighting and
careful placement of
windows and awnings,
the downstairs will
have a more modern
feel, passive cooling,
and flow naturally into
outdoor spaces.

A View to the Future

Once renovated, the A year later, the skin-deep beauty of the place has taken on a much more complicated and realis-
Forever House (new plan tic tone. Over months of discovery, demolition and delay, Easley continues to push the envelope
in a literal sense: not simply for the sake of consistency. The house has also experienced one of
shown) will include more the most shocking ripple effects of global climate change: extreme heat.
Easley discovered that, prior to reconstruction, the house simply could not keep up with the
headroom, solar panels, rise in outdoor temperatures. During the day, with the multi-ton HVAC system full on, he couldn’t
and a more functional get indoor temps below 84 degrees Fahrenheit. This poor performance led Easley to conduct a
second floor that’s ready full “behind-the-walls” thermal analysis of the house.
Not surprisingly, that analysis found numerous problems with the original construction detail-
for long stay-at-home ing. Contractors had cut corners with framing and insulating, failed to take air sealing seriously

periods. enough, and generally took a “just good enough” approach to completing the house, back when
this coveted riverfront community was rapidly being assembled.
This set the stage for the whole-house makeover to come. We’ll cover this in more detail in the
next few articles.

8 GREEN BUILDER REMODELING FIELD REPORT