Design Awards: Platinum Green Remodel - Architectural Resource/Meadowlark Builders

Green Remodel
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Designer: Architectural Resource, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Remodeler: Meadowlark Builders, Ann Arbor, Mich.

For years, the owner of this home had been trying to find a remodeler who was willing to make the green updates she wanted.

“It was during the boom, and they all just kept telling her, ‘Add more square footage,’” says Doug Selby, president of Meadowlark Builders. “She had pretty much given up on it.”

It wasn’t until one of Meadowlark’s trade contractors recommended the firm that she found the right company to work with. Although

Meadowlark has a design department, Selby quickly decided that the client needed the architectural expertise of Architectural Resource principal Michael Klement.

Although the project was initially prompted by a recurring leaky roof, the client (who Klement describes as a “visionary”) recognized there was an opportunity to do more.

The remodeled home features solar panels, along with a four-ton geothermal heating and cooling system to meet its energy needs. In the summer, the home produces more energy than it uses. Advanced framing allowed the construction to use 30 percent less lumber than traditional methods, and the 12-inch structural insulated panels used in the roof assembly give it an R-48 rating. The windows were placed in such a way to create a pressure differential that passively cools the house.

The construction and design team was also pleasantly surprised to find the home had originally been built with heavy-duty ceiling framing, which made the eventual second-floor addition easier to construct.

The finished product ended up not only meeting the client’s goals, but also delivered a LEED Platinum rating from the USGBC.

The project also won a Silver Award in the Whole House $300,000 to $750,000 category.