Tight home sales turned Peter Glavin green. You can see how green at the 2014 Parade of Homes featuring Erickson Farms when you look at the Glavin home on the tour. Located in the Felida area at Lakeshore Avenue and 106th Street, Erickson Farms is going up in three stages. Phases one and two have 116 homes. Eight luxury homes are on the tour this year.
Each year, the Building Industry Association of Clark County runs the Parade of Homes event.
“We have much for attendees to consider, including two Color and Design Days, where you can find out about the latest in home trends, and a family day,” said Danielle Killian, event coordinator.
The Parade of Homes runs from 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. July 11-24, except Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission is $12, and half-price on Wednesdays. Saturday, July 19, is family day, but kids always get in free. The designers of the homes lead the tours, which are limited to 50 people on each of the Thursdays, July 17 and 24. The design tours start at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Energy efficiency
Glavin Homes built an energy-efficient home featured on this year’s tour. Lakeview Prairie is a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired plan.
“When the business took a downturn, I started studying green building and how to make homes more energy efficient,” said Glavin, who co-owns Glavin Homes with his son. “It seemed like the best thing for everyone. Lakeview Prairie is probably the most energy-efficient home we’ve built yet.”
Merely insulating the walls to the standard R21 level still lets heat move from inside the home to the outside, Glavin said. Lakeview Prairie has an external wrap of insulation that adds an additional R5 value to the entire house and decreases heat escape through the studs. The extra insulation increases the effective R-value of the walls nearly 30 percent.
Even with tight exteriors, heat can wick through the walls. So, Glavin closed up all the cracks with an environmentally friendly, nontoxic sealant. Sealing every joint with this nontoxic sealant increases the comfort of the home by keeping the heat in.
If you toured the attic space, you’d be surprised to see silver shining on the ceiling. This roof sheathing with an aluminum backing is a radiant barrier that keeps the heat from the roof from entering the attic space. It reduces cooling costs by 17 percent for the home.
Most people taking the tour might not find ductwork as captivating as decorator cabinets, tiled floors, marble-topped sinks or a great view. However, in many homes built to less efficient standards, as much as 25 percent or more of the heat is lost in the ductwork. Putting the ductwork and furnace in “conditioned space” prevents that. A modulated furnace with electronic air cleaner and a heat recovery ventilator heats and cools the home.
The Glavins built the home to meet not only the Energy Star standard, but also to the National Association of Homebuilders standard. NAHB has a stringent Green Building certification program, called National Green Building Standard. Their goal is to have the home certified at the Gold level.
For more information about the Parade of Homes, including a schedule of all happenings, go to the website (www.clarkcountyparadeofhomes.com). To view pictures and read about some of the energy-efficient features of Lakeview Prairie, visit www.glavinhomes.com.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
