Welcome!
The Speer family hopes you enjoy our project and we look forward to sharing its progress with you.
The site address is 9211 Ox Road Lorton, VA 22079
We’re located in the beautiful southern part of Fairfax County, Virginia approximately 20 miles from Washington D.C.
For most recent pictures go to the “site pictures” tab on right.
Here’s our promotional fence. As the contractors and engineers start to do their work we’ll hang their company signs on it.
This location is very public and 1000’s of cars pass it every day. We’re publicizing this project in hopes that other land owners and their builders will choose environmentally inspired technology and building techniques.
Solar PV panels will work on many homes with an unobstructed southern exposure. If your Home Owners Association won’t allow them then you should lobby them to change their by-laws. Better to stipulate size and type- for uniformity- than to forbid them altogether.
This site will accept comments. All you have to do is register, see the tab to the right, and a password will be emailed to you.
I’ve heard from a couple of people who wanted to know about the construction qualities and engineering that are geared toward reducing reliance on fossil fuels. I’m not sure this list will be complete, or that I have a perfect understanding of their true benefits but here we go, from memory, in no particular order other than, perhaps, chronologically. I’ll not elaborate on these bullet points. Do a little work yourself, okay?
1.The house is oriented due south, few windows face south, many windows on other compass points. 2. The foundation is insulated on the outside. 3. The exterior framing is 2″x6″ 4. A foam insulating board is applied to the exterior framing. 5. The house is wrapped in Tyvek. 6. The windows and doors are highly rated for energy efficiency. 7. We’re using geothermal technology for heating and cooling. 8. We’re putting solar panels, generating over 4kWh, on the south facing roof, which is pitched at 30 degrees, for maximum collection. 9. We will directly use no fossil fuels, oil or natural gas, for anything. Unfortunately we will have to rely on electricity generated from coal-fired power plants when the sun isn’t shining. Our PV panels will generate more than 1/2 or our annual electric demand, at a minimum, however. 10. There is a reflective barrier applied to the underside of the roof sheathing. 11. All appliances are Energy Star rated, including a induction range that uses less than 1/2 of the energy of a typical range. 12. All toilets are “dual flush” 13. All recessed lights (44) are “pin-type” fluorescents. 14. All sconce and pendent lights (14) are halogen. 15. All shower heads are “low flow” 16. We’re heating the house with hydronic in-floor radiant heat. 17. The office, master bedroom and basement all have the radiant tubes running through the “slab” pour (4″ of concrete), which are insulated from below, and the remainder of the 1st floor has the radiant tubes running through 2″ of “gypcrete” (a light weight concrete mix) providing highly efficient “thermal mass” properties that moderate temperatures swings around the clock. 18. A highly efficient wood stove could be used to heat much of the house. Since it’s located in the two story family room much of the heat will rise to warm most of the second story. 19. Ceiling fans are present in most rooms. 20. An in-ground cistern will collect rain water for irrigation 21. Cork flooring will cover most of the 1st floor. 22. A closed-cell spray foam insulation will insulate the roof and joist-ends. 23. A blown insulation will fill out the remaining exterior framing. 24. This technique allows no unconditioned air to enter the envelope so the attic spaces will be nearly the same temperature as the rooms below. 25. Per regulation over 40 trees will be planted on the 3/4 acre lot. Some of them strategically planted deciduous varieties that will provide shade from the west.
Whew, not sure what I missed but you get the point.
