Genesis 2 Development Stage:  Complete Bed/Baths:  3 / 2 Square Feet:  2000 Location:  Wisconsin Project Images The Story This Genesis 2-3240 MI (mirror-image) is being built on the edge of a golf course outside Green Bay, Wisconsin. Renewable energy includes Wind energy in Wisconsin. In this first set of photos, the excavation is completed and the footers have been poured. A grid of rebar was set in the cement of the footers on the East, West and North sides of the house where the walls will be full height The foundation subcontractor is using aluminum forms. Here they are in place and you can see the rebar grid in the center and the ties that hold the forms together as you look down inside the form. The forms are all set in place and the concrete is being poured. Notice in the image on the left, that the South wall drops down in height. This is to accomodate the lower South windows that will make the lower level such a bright and cheerful space. Some of the concrete is poured by a "pumping" truck. Once concrete is poured to the top of the forms, the finish is applied by hand. The subfloor is under construction. The triple outer band has been built and the girders are being set. The foundation has been waterproofed, insulated and backfilled. The subfloor framing under way. Once it is complete and the plywood subfloor is nailed on, this foundation will be ready for the Enertia kit to be built. The Subfloor First, a triple band of pressure treated timbers is built around the perimeter of the foundation. On the North wall, shown here, an inner band is also built to support the inner North wall. The pilasters that are poured along with the foundation walls support this inner band. The open area between the inner and outer band will be part of the air circulation pattern for the North wall. 2x10 joists are being set in the Sunspace Anchor bolts run up through the triple girder that crosses the shear wall. (left) This system will support the inner Sunspace wall. Joist hangers support the joist ends that butt to the internal triple girders in the main living space. The pattern for the joists in the subfloor layout is specified in the blueprint for the kit. The direction changes as necessary to provide the best support in each area of the house. Another reminder that Wisconsin is one of the most advanced states in the nation regarding alternative energy. What a great place for an Enertia home! The subfloor framing is topped with the actual subfloor of treated plywood. The South view shows a better view of the attached garage on the West. The hole near the center of the subfloor is for the stairway. Enertia in Wisconsin in Winter Before any timbers were set, the subfloor was completed, trapezoid-shaped "watershed block" was nailed around the perimeter, and the base flashing supplied by Enertia was nailed to the foundation. There is a break in the watershed block and a different shape of flashing is applied where a porch or deck will be built. Corners receive special attention. The flashing must be cut at an angle and bent to create a mitered corner. There is enough space left behind the flashing to add the appropriate insulation and finish material (usually wood paneling or stone facing) to the foundation. This will also cover the subfloor band that sits on the top of the concrete under the first timbers. This home has an attached garage on the West. The floor level of the garage is lower than that of the house, so there are several courses of timber set on the garage before the timber for the house begins. The door frames and buttresses have been set in the house and garage. These add strength and alignment to the structure as it rises. Here is the same situation on the South. Notice the large openings for the windows that will let light into the lower level of the house, and the heavy timber framework for the sliding glass doors that will separate the inner living space from the sunspace. Paul and Mark are making some calculations at the point where the house and the garage merge. Eventually the snow starts in again. Will the crew get the house up before it fills with snow? Come back to see Once the garage reaches the height of the subfloor of the house, the timbers mesh and the entire perimeter of the building goes up row by row until the garage walls are completed. The the house continues to its peak. This is as far as the garage goes. The framed trusses will be set on top of these walls to form the peak of the garage. On the North side there will be a 28' glulam (covered with matching siding) set above the roll up garage door openings to support the roof trusses. Until the timbers are set high enough to cross over the windows, the door and window bracing is critical. Without the bracing, the door and window openings could shift and the house would lose important anchor points for the construction process. Also, if the openings shift, the doors and windows might not fit correctly. Notice that there is bracing in the plane of the openings and perpendicular to the openings. Bracing is an important tool in the buildling process. The corners are half-lap joint type corners. When the timbers are all set, the corners will be capped with matching corner boards that are provided with the kit. There are two timber walls on the North with an airspace between them. This is the "EnergyWall™" that forms an important part of the Enertia home heating/cooling system. The metal struts link the inner and outer walls to strengthen them but do not block the airflow that is another important factor in the comfort system of the home. Here the timbers are crossing over the door openings. The house is almost up to floor beam height. At this point, the weather forced a break in the action, but not for long. 2x6 T&G decking blind-nailed under the rafters and collar ties form the surface of the ceiling of the upper level. The result is a place for air to flow in the envelope portion of the home, and a small attic area in the peak of the roof. Again notice that a settlement gap has been left in the upper plate of the framed walls. Notice the jack post in the frame wall in the upstairs hallway. Necessary support posts are designed into locations where they will not be visible whenever possible. The attic access door will be located above the bedroom door in the picture on the left. A small portion of paneling will fill in the open area in the stairwell wall in the image on the right, and the inside corner of the timber wall will be capped. The Clerestory area is insulated around the windows, and drywall, paneling, or other finished wall surfacing is applied. Some of the Clerestory windows will open into the stairway and master bedroom, and others will open into the envelope area after sheeting has been applied to the collar ties. These stairs from the main level to the upper level are rough "working" stairs in use during the construction process. This jack post will also be hidden in a frame wall. Ready to move in Finished! The nearly completed Genesis 2 gains solar energy from reflection off the snow on a winter day. The Sunspace will be a wonderful place to have breakfast, read a book, or grow some plants The door on the North leads out to a covered deck. The stairway and interior walls are drywalled and will be a great place to hang art or family photos. The lower level has a string of windows on the South side letting in lots of light. The family has moved in and is enjoying their Enertia home. There is an entry from the porch on the North side, going into the living room, which also opens into the sunspace on the South. The main level of the Genesis 2 is an open floorplan. The kitchen and diningroom are on the East side in this mirror-image of the original floorplan. The bedrooms are on the upper level. The low headroom areas under the eaves are used for built-in beds for the kids, leaving a lot of space for playing and studying. The master bedroom is well-lit by the a string of clerestory windows at the peak of the roof which are lined up with internal skylights in the bedroom to admit lots of daylight. The South side of this home faces a golf course. The row of windows on the lower South bring a lot of sunlight into the lower level.