Mission Possible: Green building fest to offer house tours, lectures, demos and more

An artist's rendering of what the Meadowlark Builders' LEED platinum certified modular house on Jefferson Court on the Old West Side of Ann Arbor will look like when completed. It was being assembled this week on the site.

Doug Selby of Meadowlark Builders wants you to take everything you believe about modular houses - that they are cheaply made and cookie-cutter, energy guzzlers with toxic indoor air quality - and toss it out the window.

“People tend to think of modular houses as Cracker Jack houses,” Selby said.

Instead, picture a 2,600-square-foot, two-story, highly energy-efficient, custom-made home with a large front porch, bay windows, a walk-out basement with green building touches such as no-VOC paint and finishes, paperstone counters (a recycled product) and carpet with natural backing.

Workers prepare the site last week for the the Meadowlark Builders' LEED platinum certified modular house on Jefferson Court on the Old West Side of Ann Arbor.

Janet Miller | For AnnArbor.com

Meadowlark Builders is in the middle of building what will be the Midwest’s first LEED platinum certified modular house on Jefferson Court on the Old West Side of Ann Arbor. LEED is the certification system by the U.S. Green Building Council for green building, and platinum is its highest rating. Certification for the modular house is pending.

The house will be one of three stops on the 2011 Mission Zero Fest scheduled for June 11-12. The fest will include lectures, workshops, discussion and product demonstrations on green building and a tour of three of Ann Arbor’s greenest houses: Mission Zero, America’s oldest net zero energy house; the Nautilus House, a whimsical 1953 tri-level house near Nichols Arboretum that won LEED platinum certification and the Jefferson Court house.

The Jefferson Court house breaks stereotypes about modular building, Selby said. It starts with a Superior brand wall foundation, where the layers of concrete and insulation are separated to make them thermally isolated for a tighter building envelope. Foam between the layers creates a thermal break so cold air doesn’t enter in the winter and the air conditioned air doesn’t escape in the summer.

The siding will be fiber cement, a super durable material that’s considered green because of its long-life.

A geothermal system will provide heating and cooling and there will be an energy recovery ventilation system that allows for fresh air while conserving energy. There will also be a plumbing distribution system that controls the delivery of hot water, making it more efficient and cutting waste. There are even motion sensors in the bathrooms that signal hot water.

While Meadowlark Builders will finish the house, most of the structure was built inside the General Housing Corp.’s Bay City factory under Meadowlark’s specifications. The house was delivered, with plumbing and electrical wiring already in place, in four sections that are bolted together.

Because of the efficiencies of the factory - there are no weather delays and little waste - the house will cost about $75,000 less than had it been traditionally constructed on site, Selby said.

The Nautilus House, an artistic and deeply green remodel, is one of the three houses on the Mission Zero tour.

Courtesy photo

The Mission Zero Fest is meant to build interest in green building.

There will be two other tour stops:

>> Kelly and Matt Grocoff’s Mission Zero house, named one of USA Today’s seven Best Green Houses of 2010 and America's oldest Net Zero energy home. Net zero houses at least break even when it comes to energy consumption. The Grocoff’s 110-year-old house produces an estimated 600 kWh more than it consumes and they have no utility bill. The fest will be based at the Mission Zero house, 217 S. Seventh St.

>> Nautilus House: North of Geddes Avenue, this artistic and deeply green remodel is Michigan's second LEED platinum residential remodel. Ann Arbor’s Architectural Resources designed the project and the builder was Meadowlark. Geothermal heating and cooling, a striking wall of mismatched “found” windows, tight building envelope, solar panels and thermal siphoning tower makes this a green project. Also, brick from the original masonry chimney was recycled as the new brick floor of the bio-solarium.

For more information about the fest or to buy tickets ($8 in advance), go to web.me.com/kellygrocoff/missionzerohouse/Tour_Info.html. Tickets are available at Downtown Home and Garden and Nicola’s Books.