Brandywine 2848 in Virginia Development Stage:  Completed Bed/Baths:  4 / 3 Square Feet:  3300 Location:  South Central Virginia Project Images The Story This is a "third generation" Enertia® home, built with laminated timbers. The owners chose an ICF foundation and SIPS panels for the roof for easier construction It all starts with a hole in the ground! This particular hole is on a beautiful property in southern, central Virginia. The foundation wall forms are built with a system of foam blocks (ICFs) that hold the concrete and become an integral part of the foundation wall. Braced metal posts support the walls during the pour. This system is called "Aarx." Radiant heat tubing is tied to rebar in the lower level floor before the slab is poured. As the lower level slab is poured, an additional footer is poured behind the shear wall (upper left) where the stone fireplace will be built. The subfloor and subfloor framing are the link between the foundation of the house and the Enertia® structure. Meanwhile, the Enertia® kit has arrived. This kit was ordered with the "Lower South" option. The lower South wall is built with Enertia® components. Windows and a door will be installed after the kit is completed. When the Lower South option timbers are in place and the subfloor is complete, the door frames (part of the Enertia® kit) are put together and set in place. Of course the doorframes position the openings in the walls where doors will be hung, but they also act as alignment guides for the timber walls as they go up. Each timber component has a code number that matches a location on the "chart." Paul and Andy consult the plans to determine which timbers are needed next. Once the door frames are set, the timbers are stacked up between them one row at a time until they are even with the tops of the door frames. The "tongue and groove" timbers fit together tightly. Special metal fasteners are drilled into place. Before the next row of timbers is set, strips of adhesive-backed rubber gasket are applied to the tops of the tongues as an extra protection from wind and water infiltration. The inner North wall (an EnergyWall™) is an important part of the Enertia® building system. There are matched openings in the two North walls for two windows. The residents do not really notice that there are two windows, and there is no concern about the loss of heat on the North side of the home that would ordinarily be a problem. The wall between the Sunspace and the primary space is another EnergyWall™. The South exterior wall is essentially a post and frame structure that will be filled in with windows after the kit has been erected. Eventually the timbers cross over the door and window openings. After the timbers for the main level are in place, the girder and floor beams are set and temporary sub-flooring is put down as a working surface for the building of the upper level. The crossover timbers add strentgh and definition to the South wall. Next we will go upstairs for the upper level, gable ends, and roof structure. There are four full courses of timbers in the second floor, forming the "knee wall." Then the outerNorth and South walls are complete. The inner North and South walls and the gable walls on the East and West continue to rise. The top timber of the inner North Wall is beveled at the pitch of the rafters, and pockets to receive the rafters are mortised into the outer North Wall top timber. Metal struts stiffen the North Wall structure across the airshaft. Construction continues on the coldest days - as long as there is no rain or ice. The Sunspace is taking shape. Heavy timber ties connect the inner and outer South walls. The Enertia® Kit walls are solid wood all the way to the peak of the gables. A scaffold has been built across the length of the house to give the crew a place to stand while setting the ridge beam and rafters - which we will see in the next segment of this story. A glue laminated ridge beam will span the entire length of the house. It arrived on a flatbed truck with the bundles of flooring which were ordered as an option to the Enertia® kit. Greg cuts the ridge to exact length on the ground before the crane hoists it into position. Once the ridge is in position, the East and West walls are tied together, making the house much stronger. Now the rafters can be set, one pair at a time. The crane does most of the heavy work. The most important task for the crew is to communicate with each other and the crane operator. It helps to have a windless day. The crane does most of the heavy work. The most important task for the crew is to communicate with each other and the crane operator. It helps to have a windless day. Setting a North-South rafter pair in opposition maintains equal pressure on both sides of the ridge beam. The strength and integrity of the house continues to increase. Once all the rafters are set, the Enertia® kit is complete. The structure is so beautiful that it is too bad that the reality of weather requires it to be roofed, which happens in the next segment. Structural, insulated roof panels from Eagle Panel are set on top of the heavy timber roof framing. These panels have strength, good insulating value, and can be ordered with tongue & groove wood facing on the inside for areas of the home where their lower side will be visible. The crane earns its rental fee by saving time and backaches. Each panel is quickly lifted into position by the machine and screwed down by the crew. In less than a day the panels are set and the house has a roof. At the corner some of the detailing of the Eagle panels can be observed. Nailers within the panels will be helpful when the fascia is installed. The thick foam insulates. And tongue and groove paneling on the underside where the panels are exposed add architecutral style. The Sunspace is taking shape. The panels in the sunspace have the T&G paneling. Panels in the sections of the roof that will not be visible have a more utilitarian bottom side. The air flow path through the roof is between the rafters above the top timber of the Sunspace "Energy Wall."™ This Brandywine is nearing completion. The kit is complete and with the addition of the doors, windows and roof panels, the shell is dried-in. This home is now completed. We visited early one summer morning. The approach is on the North, and at the top left is how it looks as you drive up the road. You only see the solar features of the home when you walk around to the South. The solar hot water panels are mounted on a heavy timber frame constructed on the ground in front of the house. The main entry is on the North. The kids enjoy the morning shade on the entry porch. Once inside, the glass door leads from the "mud room" into the living room. The stone fireplace is the centerpiece of this living space. The sitting room is tucked behind the fireplace, which sits at an angle to the wall. The living/dining area and kitchen are on the other side of the fireplace. The Kitchen is on the east end of the house. Outside the east entry door is another covered porch, which was an option to the home kit. Misty in thinking about going out. The Brandywine has a deep sunspace across the entire length of the house. It is everyone's favorite room, and the engine that makes the house run. Also on the main level is the master bedroom suite (left). The kid's bedrooms are on the upper level. One of them is shown on the right. A large family room and an office are on the lower level. Back outside, Mike is interviewed for a TV program to be aired in August. Check back to the Enertia.com home page for time and date. The West peak is another illustration of the total solid wood construction of the Enertia home. One of the family pets is a peacock. And, the family members themselves are proud as peacocks about their Enertia home. They have built a beautiful, sustainable, green home, that is going to take care of them and many generations of their family in the future.