Today, members from Envinity’s construction team were insulating the foundation of the GreenBuild homes. It’s often overlooked, but heat is able to escape the home through the foundation, in some cases, enough to actually melt snow surrounding the home! The GreenBuild homes are being built with 2″ of Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) rigid insulation to the inside of the foundation walls and under the first floor concrete slab; XPS insulation in a high-density foam insulation able to withstand the constant pressure of the floor slab and hydrophobic so that no water will enter the insulation, keeping it performing well throughout the lifespan of the homes. This insulation will reduce thermal bridging and help to keep the interior of the homes warm throughout the harsh Central Pennsylvania winters.
Pouring the Footers
Today, Envinity really began construction by pouring the footers of the GreenBuild homes! The footers are the first step of the foundation; as the footers cure and harden over the next week, the crew will pour the foundation walls and begin insulating the homes. Because of the design team’s careful consideration of the site’s natural slope, some of the footers have to be stepped, a little extra work by the construction crew but a great way to reduce materials and impact to the site.
Digging, Digging, Digging
Today, Envinity is excavating the site in preparation for the foundation of the homes. The design team wanted to reduce the impact to the site as much as possible, so the homes are stepped to respond to the natural slope.
The Driveway is Ready
Over the past week, Envinity has laid the stone for what will become the shared driveway for the GreenBuild duplex. The stones are set now so that the construction team is able to safely and easily get their machinery on and off the site without damaging the ground. Even though the stone is set now, the driveway will be one of the last things completed so that it is in near-new and functioning condition for when the new homeowners move in.
Excavator on Site and Protecting Trees
We were greeted by an excavator on the GreenBuild site this afternoon. Over the next couple of weeks, the construction crew will begin excavating the site and building the foundation of the homes! Before beginning excavation, Envinity took time to fence around all of the existing trees on the site that are planning to remain; not all trees were able to stay on the site with the addition of the duplex, but several of the smaller trees were able to be replanted on the adjacent site to the south. One of the trees that is very well protected is the GreenBuild ‘Legacy’ Tree. This tree has been on the site for years and was cared for by a member of the community; as a testament to the importance of community connection, the GreenBuild duplex was designed not only to protect, but to enhance and highlight this tree.
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