Birdhouse

The three-bedroom home has a dedicated home office and workshop that enables the parents to work comfortably from their home. An Accessory Dwelling Unit on the lower level accommodates the owner’s parents. The lot to the east of their home enables the owners to produce food for their family.

Science matters to the home’s health-conscious owners whom required that the home be designed and built to specific performance metrics and third-party independent verifications. The Birdhouse has received the following certifications and recognition:

• Earth Advantage “Zero Energy Certification”
• Earth Advantage Green Building “Platinum Certification”
• Earth Advantage “2019 Lowest Energy Performance Score” (Zero)
• Earth Advantage Blower Door Test for Envelope Tightness = 1.88 ACH50
• Energy Trust of Oregon “Energy Performance Score” (EPS) = 0 (Best Possible)
• World Wildlife Fund’s “First Fully FSC Certified Single-Family Home in the US”
• Energy-saving features include R-62 roof insulation, R-38 walls, R-42 floors, U-0.14 Glo triple-pane windows, interior and exterior sunshades, a 1.5 EF water heater, 4.1 COP electric heating, a continuously thermally broken envelope, 2” rigid rockwool exterior insulation, 100% LED lighting and Energy Star appliances. The all-electric home’s 11,834 kWh/year consumption of electricity is offset by 11,853 kWh of on-site solar-electric generation.

Exemplary indoor air quality was a given for the owners. Materials that off-gas formaldehyde and VOCs were avoided. A radiant heating and cooling system reduces air-borne particulates. Non-porous floor surfaces were selected. A Zehnder HRV provides fresh air on days when the operable windows are not feasible for natural ventilation. 100% of the home’s stormwater is managed on-site. All wood in The Birdhouse was sourced from FSC-certified forests with a mix of “FSC 100%”, “FSC Recycled”, and “FSC Mix”. The Birdhouse in Hood River is the World Wildlife Fund’s “First Fully FSC Certified Single-Family Home in the US”.