August 13, 2015

‘Emerald Star' house in Ballard is completed, and sold for $850K

Photo from Dwell Development [enlarge]

The house is clad in cedar and weathered steel taken from an old cannery in Oregon. There is a power line to the house, but it’s for selling electricity back to the utility.

Dwell Development has completed a spec house with a certification that's new for Seattle: Built Green Emerald Star.

The 2,218-square-foot house is at 1749 N.W. 61st St. in Ballard and it just sold on Monday for $850,000.

A 6.6-kilowatt solar array supplies all the electricity, helping the house achieve the classification of Zero Energy Ready. There is a power line to the house, but it's for selling electricity back to the utility.

Energy and water use are reduced by a high-efficiency, air-to-water heat pump; high-performance windows; an Enviro-Dri weather-resistant exterior barrier system; LED/CFL lighting; and low-flush toilets.

The Sanden heat pump made in Australia provides hot water and in-floor radiant heat. Dwell said it uses 78 percent less energy than traditional hot water systems.

A Zehnder heat recovery ventilation system keeps the air-tight house filled with fresh air.

The siding is cedar and weathered steel salvaged from an old cannery in Oregon's Willamette Valley. All the framing was done with FSC-certified wood.

Floors are covered with century-old hardwood taken from barns and old buildings in Montana.

Dwell Development was the contractor and developer, and Caron Architecture the designer. Puget Sound Solar installed the solar array. Other team members were Carissa Farkas Structural Engineering, Root of Design (landscape) and Evergreen Certified (third party verifier).

Dwell also built two 5-Star townhomes directly behind the Emerald Star house. Both have been sold, according to Dwell's website.

A Dwell spokesperson said there were a number of challenges in reaching the Emerald Star level, including a limited local supply of FSC-certified lumber and getting high-performance windows from Poland.

The Built Green certification system was developed by the Master Builders Association and sets standards for construction materials, energy efficiency, water use and indoor air quality. The Built Green ratings are 3-Star, 4-Star, 5-Star and Emerald Star.

There are many requirements for reaching the Emerald Star level: the site must be within a half-mile of five essential services, clean energy production must be on-site or close by, water use must be reduced by 70 percent and stormwater infiltration must be 100 percent. At least 20 of the building materials must have at least one “environmental attribute” and there can be no wall-to-wall carpet, fireplaces or PVC products.

Sale of the Ballard house was brokered by Susan Stasik and Shauna Dean of Windermere.

The new owners? An Italian couple who is moving to Seattle for a job at Amazon.