Stormwater runoff and water reclamation isn’t the sexiest topic and not something most of us give a lot of thought to. But we need to: stormwater runoff is the largest source of most of the worst pollutants in the Puget Sound, according to a study commissioned by the EPA, and can gouge streambeds, alter habitats, trigger landslides and cause flooding. As we grow in density—a positive step that combats sprawl and leverages our existing infrastructure—the question of how to manage water in heavily paved areas is taking greater precedence. by Cedar BurnettLocal remodeler Mike Vowels used his own backyard as the experimental staging ground for a whole host of water-smart technologies when he embarked on a series of upgrades to his Duvall home. A registered Forest Steward with the King County Timberlands Program, Vowels had begun work on his hand-hewn, site-harvested log home nearly 25 years previous, but now felt compelled to incorporate his accumulated knowledge of water-smart, green methods into the property.
To retain the character of the land and maintain topographical stability, Vowels had already planted more trees than what he had taken on his six-acres. But he knew that nurturing his land would need to go beyond his reforestation efforts. The next resource he harnessed was water, which he sought to tame through a series of age-old technologies regaining favor with the eco-friendly set. Vowels utilized a series of rain barrels, fed by water runoff from the roof, that were strategically placed to offer auto-watering for drier areas when they hit capacity. The rain barrels also provide the home with backup water in case of emergencies—he would simply need to boil and drink for raintastic refreshment.
But Vowels didn't stop with rain barrels. Roof water was also diverted to a rain garden—a retention area teeming with wetland plants that encourages stormwater containment and absorption. Other roof water would also be met with by the bog garden—a planter box with a pond liner inside—that did double duty slowly filtering roof runoff and grey water from the washing machine. Finally, Vowels created a dry streambed lined with river rock to act as a larger overflow dissipation area.
The energy used for heating water was also considered, as Vowels installed solar panels on the roof, linked to the hot water system indoors. And never a fan of cold showers, he also included an on-demand tankless hot water heater as a backup.
With the water needs of the land and household accounted for, Vowels began work on other sustainable upgrades to his home. Considering energy use, he removed the fiberglass batt insulation in the home's crawl space floor joist cavity and replaced it with expandable polyurethane spray foam. He then added a south-facing clothesline beneath his roof overhang, to limit his use of the clothes dryer.
But the real fun began with his auxiliary buildings. Living out in the woods meant needing a lot of equipment and tools, including chain saws, a generator, and a wheelbarrow—most of which he was cramming into his garage. Vowels decided to build a couple of accessory buildings to house his "toys," but constructed them in the most sustainable way he could.
He began with 8 x 8 timbers from a local demolition project, augmented with new forest certified wood and accessorized with reclaimed railroad track steel plates and spikes for structural integrity. Reclaimed 100-year-old logging cable Vowels discovered in the forest was coupled with galvanized steel turn-buckles to serve as a required structural shear strength component, stabilizing one end of the open timber frame structure. Vowels then threaded the steel logging cable through an old-growth cedar stump that he built-around, adding an organic architectural element to the space.
Old beams and columns from warehouses made their way into the buildings as well, while discarded, corrugated metal found new life as the roof parapet cladding of the buildings. The two roof systems received a similarly ingenious treatment, becoming a living roof with the introduction of sword ferns, lady ferns, moss and even old growth cedar stumps, nursing huckleberries, salal and wild blackberries in their second life.
Vintage farmhouse doors were ganged together using galvanized unistrut into larger units and used as the new sliding barn doors for the two tool sheds. And granulated truck tires were leveraged for the driveway to the building housing the tractor, creating another permeable surface for rain runoff. Finally, Vowels, who works his land from a wheelchair, utilized universal design elements by running a Trex boardwalk between the driveway and the auxiliary buildings.
The new green upgrades will not only serve Vowels and his family in terms of energy reduction and increased comfort, but will also act as a showcase for he and his wife Karen's residential remodeling business, offering a tangible example potential customers can tour, and demonstrating their commitment to sustainability and green building practices. The home has been certified as a 3-star Built Green® project, it was chosen by the King County Green Tools program to be a "Remodel Case Study" of Sustainable and Green building practices and is scheduled to be shown on this year's Remodeled Homes Tour in September.
