Here's what the cork flooring looks like - but its much lighter in real life. It comes in different patterns and colors - from very light to dark chocolate. Yon can even get it non-natural colors - green, blue, etc.

Another thing we designed has worked very well - using cool reflective light from the outside to illuminate the inside. Under the large north and south windows in the dining/living room we built patios outside. The light reflecting off of the patios reflects up to the ceiling - we slanted the ceilings to reflect the light into the rest of the room. The result is from about 8:00 am to 8:00 pm in the summer we don't have to turn on any lights in the dining/living room - which is the most used room in the house during the day. This is helping to reduce our electric bill.

We finally got in the water tanks - they have been very helpful during our drought this summer. Any time it rains more than about 1/2 inch, all four on the 200 gallon tanks fills up. We then use this water to keep our newly planted trees and vines alive until the next rain.

As you can see, this is a very simple design - water flows off the roof through the downspout into the tanks - then just attach a water hose. The tanks are tall enough so the water pressure easily pushes the water to the back of our property over 100 ft away. I evaluated below ground tanks, but they require electric pumps to get the water out - more electricity and maintenance. Some people have not liked the way the tanks look - they are black to keep algae from growing in them. So we put all four tanks on the north side of the house - the opposite side from the pool where most of our outdoor activities are. So the tanks are really not that much of a eye sore. Here's how I anchored them to the ground so they wouldn't blow away during a hurricane.

I put two layers of 12 X 12 cement pavers with a left over sheet of StegoWrap in between. The StegWrap causes the overflow water to drain away from the house. I put L bolts in concrete on each side and attached a steel cable from the L bolts to the top of the tank. The steel cables keep the tanks from blowing over even when they are empty. The tanks cost about $215 a piece. With all of the materials included, I spent about $1,000 for all four tanks. That works out to $1.25 per gallon and since the tanks should last 30 years, I figure they will pay for themselves many times over. And since flooding is the biggest issue around here, I'm doing my part to retain water to reduce flooding.

Here's some of our plants that have benefited from the rain water collected in our tanks.
One of four grape vines - I'm hoping to have twelve vines and a large grape arbor - and some home made wine! Here's one of our fruit trees - I'm planning for a least 12 fruit and citrus trees. I'm also planning two large gardens. Long term I'm hoping to grow much of our vegetables and fruits - reducing the carbon foot print of our foods - plus home grown is guaranteed organic and tastes much better.

Here's the first fruit (or vegetable) of our labors - a large butternut squash.

Here's some pictures from the outside. We got up the spiral staircase to the balcony overlooking the pool. The kids love being able to go from the upstairs directly down to the pool.

Here's the front of the house - we're still working on the landscaping and probably always will be.

We've been in the new house for almost seven months now and WE LOVE IT! Everything we designed into the house works. The dogtrot design was wonderful this winter and spring - we had the house opened a lot and the breeze through the living/dining room was just as we had hoped. We also used another concept that is found in houses built before electricity and A/C - they are called breeze rooms. My wife's grandmother's house had a breeze room that she loved to sleep in during the summer. A breeze room is a room on the second floor usually over a porch that faces east and has windows on three sides. By facing east, the breeze room doesn't get hot with the afternoon/evening sun as it sets in the west. With windows on three sides there is always a breeze blowing through the room. During the hot summer months, everyone in the family would go up to the breeze room and sleep - it was always the coolest room in the house. We have two breeze rooms in our design - but we had to put them on the first floor. The master bedroom faces east and has windows on three sides - the breeze through this room is wonderful. The other breeze room is the music room and it faces south - which means it has one window facing west. But this window is under our ten foot porch and only gets a little direct sunlight late in the evening (we were hoping for no direct sunlight in the west windows but we missed on our porch legth calculations by a few inches). We also have opposing north-south windows throughout the house - both upstairs and downstairs. Even with a slight breeze outside, we have such a strong breeze throughout the house that we have to have door stops so the doors don't slam shut.
The three foot eves all around the house also has really made a difference. This is one thing our architect really push as being important for two reasons - 1. to shade the house as much as possible to reduce the direct sunlight and 2. to minimize the splashback on the house when it rains. Long term, most rotting comes from the splashback on a house. You can see houses in nearby subdivisions where the builder cut costs by having one foot eves and the houses have all sorts of rotting along the eves. The splashback will also go through the brick and start rotting anywhere moisture can get to wood.
One thing that surprised us was how cool the limestone stays even when the sun is low and shines directly on the house. As an example, when the west sun gets low and we get direct sunlight on the west porch, the bottom of the front door (fiberglass so it won't deteriorate) gets so hot you can't touch it. But the limestone right next to it is cool to the touch. I haven't seen any studies on limestone, but I have to guess it has something to do with the high level of silicon in the limestone that allows it to dissipate the heat from the sun so well.
We absolutely love the cork floors. While the best cork is imported from Portugal and has a high carbon footprint due to the long distance shipping, cork is really one of the best green flooring options because the cork trees are not harmed. The cork is the bark and only the bark is harvested - the trees are not cut down. The cork bark can be harvested every seven to eight years without harming the tree. Don't by cork from China or other places because its not as dense and won't last as long - get the stuff that will last - cork from Portugal. I would highly recommend Amcork - http://www.amcork.com/. They import their cork flooring directly from Portugal - we purchased the cork from them and they did the installation - they did a great job. We even have cork on the stairs - its beautiful. What's special about AmCork products is they have no VOCs in their products. Other cork floors from some of the major suppliers have VOCs in the engineered wood part of the cork planks. AmCork's products are certified safe for even hospitals. The cork is cushier to walk on than any other floor we evaluated - great for the old back. Cork tile is a little different looking, but most everyone has like it. Its been very low maintenance - just sweep or vacuum with an occasional damp mopping. The cork has shown no signs of wearing or scratching - even with a golden retriever running through the house. One thing to watch out for is the installation of the cork flooring. Make sure the installers are away from the house when they are sawing the cork planks. When cut with a saw, cork planks create a super fine dust. Our installer was outside on the balcony on the south side and the cork dust blew into the house - it took us two months to get the cork dust vacuumed out of the house.
The slate is also wonderful. We got it directly from Camara Slate - http://www.camaraslate.com/ . They mine the slate themselves and they gave us a very competive price. We got the unfading green color - we love it - very earthy. It is very dense and has not create any dust - its pratically indestructible and too easy to care for - just mop it occasionally. Slate from other parts of the world (China and India) is not nearly as dense and will wear and create dust - plus the carbon footprint is much greater due to the shipping - slate is very heavy. We especially like the slate when the kids come in from the pool dripping wet and we don't have to worry about the floor at all. The kids also got a kick out of the occasional piece of gold in the slate - fools gold that is - pyrite.
The StegoWrap really worked as planned. As you can see from the pictures below, last summer was the wettest summer in 65 years in the Houston area - we had +65 inches of rain! All of the flooring guys were surprised that we had NO moisture coming up through the foundation. I would highly recommend using StegoWrap for any new building project.
Here's some things we did differently than originally planned.
We decide to go with the Rinnai tankless water heaters because they are clustered together - if one can't handle the load then the other kicks in to help out. RACed water heaters - you got to love it.
We didn't seal the limestone. A quick over with a power washer and all of the stains from dirt/sand came right off.
We didn't use Tyvek because I found a forum where a builder had problems with water getting behind the Tyvek and causing rotting on OSB plywood - which is what the SIPs are made of. It turns out Tyvek allows water waper through - but not water. If water gets behind the Tyvek it can't get out and will cause rotting. Before you put up brick or stone, you have to nail brick ties to the house. Each brick tie is a hole in the Tyvek and a potenial spot for water to get through. So we used a fiberglass impregnated tar paper that should last 30-40 years to seal between the SIP panels and the stone. Tar paper is self sealing when you put a nail through it.
My wife decided she like Moen fixtures instead of American Standard. Both are good quality products.
Soundproofing - after further research I found that fiberglass insulation has about the same soundproofing qualities as cotton batting - and its much cheaper. So we used Johns Manville fiberglass insulation because it has no VOCs.
For soundproofing the main wall between the living area and the sleeping area we used two techniques. First we made the wall the width of a 2 X 6 , but instead of 2 X 6 studs we used two lines of 2 X 4 studs offset from each other - effectively making two independent walls. This way the sound vibrating the wall on one side is not transfered to the other side of the wall. We also used two layers of 1/2 inch sheetrock on the living room side with a special sound deadening glue between them. This is really neat stuff - its called GreenGlue - http://www.greenglue.org/ . Its viscoelastic technology for sound isolation and vibration control - and it really seems to work well. Between the offset wall and the GreenGlue, the kids can be having a great time in the living room and I can barely hear them in my home office right down the hall.
Now for the final test of our new green architecture house - our energy usage. We've had a very hot summer so far compared to last summer's constant monsoons. Compared to our old house built in 1988 with 2,200 sq ft, we are using less electricity in the new house at +3,500 sq ft - and we now have an electric pool pump. I'll put up some numbers on electricity and natural gas usage later...

Getting close!

Originall posted on:

Thursday, November 22, 2007

We've been busy trying to get the inside finished and there are a thousand details to remember. But we are close - we will be moved in before Christmas. Its taken us three years to get here - but we are quite please with the results. All the cabinets are in and all but one of the counter tops have been installed. Electricians should be completed next week - its nice to have electricity and lights so we can work late in the evening. The tile guys are back on Mon. and the cork floor installers will be starting on Wed. All that will be left on the inside is finishing the A/C vents, plumbing fixtures, appliances, and paint touch ups.


Here's the front of the house looking from the west showing the garage and front porch.

This is the front again looking a little more from the south to show the south patio and lap pool.

This is the south side of the house looking from the east showing the lap pool and the upstairs balcony. The long back tube on the right is where one of the above ground water storage tanks will be. We would have had them in by now, but the plastic mold broke - so it will be another month before we get them from the manufacturer. We will have four 200 gallon tanks when done. We will use this water to irrigate the trees, flower beds and gardens.

This is the north side of the house showing the north patio. Above the air conditioner condensing units are the two Rinnai 85E exterior tankless water heaters (two white boxes on the wall). These water heaters are 'clustered' together - one is the primary and the other is the secondary. If the primary is unable to handle the hot water flow rate demand, the secondary unit starts up. After a predetermined time, the primary and secondary units switch roles so that the primary doesn't wear out sooner than the secondary.

This is the Music Room looking southeast - outside is the pool.

This is the Living Room and Dining Room looking from the breakfast bar - again that's the pool outside.

This is the kitchen looking across the breakfast bar from the dining room.

Here's a close up of the kitchen granite - its called Cold Spring.

The Stone is finished.

Sorry its been soooo long since I put up pictures - we've been focused on getting ready to sheetrock. Big news is the stone is finished and they did a great job. The metal roof is getting close - they should be finished next weekend. More later....

Last of the SIP walls are going up.

Here's the last SIP roof panel going up!!!

To hold up the SIP roof panels, beams are placed at the peak, and for long roof panels, in the middle of the panel. We decided to use 3X3 in. steel poles (brown poles) to support the beams. The steel poles are bolted to the concrete, then the beams are bolted to the steel poles and 10 or 12 in. screws are used to hold the roof panels to the beams. This gives us better hold-down for the roof during a hurricane. This view is looking at the Living Room wall and the Powder Room door.

Turning around, you can see the beams over the Living Room, Dining Room and Kitchen - lots of beams and steel poles! The doorway is between the Foyer and the Living Room.


This is the beam over the Master Bedroom before the SIP roof panels were put up.

Second floor is almost up

We've finally had two weeks of good weather! The second floor walls are up and they finished putting on the second floor roof today! Next step is to get the roof up above the living/dining room area. This will require some large roof beams to be set in place first, then the roof panels go up. More later...


View from the South looking at the master bedroom.

View from the Northwest looking at the second floor and the dining room.

Putting the roof panels on is quite challenging - but these guys have been doing it for years. Its like putting together a big puzzle.

View from the West looking at the front of the house.

View from the Southeast looking at the master bedroom and the where the second floor balcony will go.

First floor walls are up!

All of the plate and the first floor walls are up except the wall between the kitchen and garage. This wall was left out so we could have access to the second floor roof. Otherwise we may have to rent a crane to put up the second floor roof -big $$$.

View of the front porch.

View of the south wall

View of the interior from the kitchen looking to the master bedroom.

Structural Insulated Panels - how to put up your house

SIPs are not a new technology - they have been around for 50+ years. It's just that not many people know about them and few framers know how to put them up. The concept is quite simple - two sheets of 1/2 in. OSB plywood with structural Styrofoam in between. Putting the SIPs up is fairly simple - but requires someone who knows the 'tricks' or you can get into trouble. The SIPs fit together like a big puzzle - one mistake and you can have walls in the wrong place and not level.

When building with SIPs, you start by putting 10-inch L bolts around the perimeter of the foundation (every 2 to 4 feet) and hurricane straps in the corners. The L Bolts stick up 4 inches out of the foundation.

Then a treated wood plate is glued to the foundation with the L bolts sticking through. A nut and large washer are used to hold down the plate, also.

The SIPs are pre-cut to fit over the plate. The SIP in the below photo has a 2X6 board attached to support the window it is going to hold.

If a SIP buttes up next to another SIP, a spline is glued and stapled between the panels. The yellow stuff is expandable foam - it's used to make sure there is no air flow between the panels.

Next, glue is put on the sides of the plate and a bead of expandable foam is put on top of the plate. Then the SIP panel is raised and put over the top of the plate. The SIP is moved into place and stapled to the plate.


You start in one corner and work your way around the perimeter of the house - making sure every SIP is level and exactly in place. At the corners, the SIPs are screwed together with 8-in. screws.

This looks easy, but one mistake and every other SIP is in the wrong place - and trying to remove a SIP that has already been glued and stapled is not easy. If done right, the walls go up very quickly.

Hopefully all of the first floor walls will be up by Fri. evening.

After the first floor SIPs are up, the next step is to frame the interior walls and get the floor joists in place.

More later..

After doing much research and looking at what seemed to be over a thousand house designs, we decided to design our house and be our own general contractors. Others who had built their own house told us we were crazy, but I think we have made the right decision.

To general contractors, time is money. They work on a fixed price so the faster and cheaper they build your house the more $$$ they make. Based on our research, they charge about $8-10,000 per month. Looking at houses being constructed near us, it amazes me how cheaply they are built – they look good on the outside and inside but everything in between is cheap. We have been able to take our time, do the research and make good decisions. But I have to admit, I would not recommend this process to everyone. I have a good understanding of house construction concepts (I worked construction in college) and a good friend that works in the construction industry is helping me.

The key to our success so far has been my friend’s ability to get us excellent craftsmen at good prices. Without his direction I would have been lost. Learning building codes and getting building permits from your local agencies is a science unto itself. Having someone who knows the building permit process is important so you don’t get halfway through building and then have to rebuild to meet building code specifications. So there is some risk in being your own general contractor – but we think the $80,000 we are going to save is worth the risk.

We had several requirements for our house design:
Energy efficient
Structuraly strong
Low maintenance
Quiet
Designed for the enjoyment of family and friends

Here’s how we met these requirements:

Energy efficient
Rising energy costs are hurting several of our friends and relatives who have badly built houses. Everyone seems to be focused on gas guzzling SUVs, but most of the $$$ spent by a family for energy is for cooling and heating their home. With the rise of China and India, energy costs are going to continue to increase. Living green is just plain smart and if done correctly, will save you $$$ in the long run.
We chose Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) from R-Control - http://www.r-control.com/sips.asp for the exterior walls instead of 2X4 wood. These SIPs are made of dense OSB plywood with structural Styrofoam in between and are 6 ½ inches thick. The SIPS are glued and held under pressure so they form a very rigid structure. We have hired Chapman’s Building Systems - http://www.sips-chapman.com/ - to build the SIPs. They pre-cut all of the doors and windows and have built-in chases for the electrical lines (their operation is very impressive).
We are also using SIPs for our roof. This means we will seal our house at the roof line and the attic space will be ‘conditioned’ air; i.e., not open to the outside air. Most people don’t know that vented attics waste energy. A vented attic (moving air) creates a low pressure that sucks the cooled air from out of your house into the attic. This causes air to be sucked into the house from the outside through any holes – door jams, badly caulked windows, etc. I didn’t believe this could be such a problem, since most all houses around here are built this way. So I went into my attic on a hot summer day and to my surprise the bottom 6 inches of my attic was considerable cooler then the rest of the attic. The cool air in my house was being sucked into my attic by the attic vent fans. I was shown studies that showed a well-insulated sealed attic can be substantially cooler than a vented attic. So, we are sealing our house at the roof line and not venting the attic. The SIPS are bolted, nailed and glued together to form a near airtight house. Airtight is great for energy efficiency, but can cause other problems. Fumes from paints and lacquers can build up in the house and cause the inhabitants to become sick. Part of being ‘green’ is using materials in the house that are not harmful to people. We are going to make sure we use low VOC paints and finishes throughout the house. We are also going to use an air filtration system that brings fresh air from the outside into the house. We are going to use the Ultra-Aire APD unit - http://www.sylvane.com/images/productpages/therma-stor/ultra-aire/150h/UA150Hspec.pdf.
We have 3-foot eaves all around the house to shade the house during the hot summer months when the Texas sun is directly overhead. We have also oriented the house to the south to take advantage of the low southerly sun in the wintertime to help heat the house. In the summer, we will have no direct sunlight coming into the house, but in the winter, the windows on the south side will have sunlight coming in. We are protecting the west side of the house (facing the street) from direct sunlight by having the garage on the west side and a large porch covering the front door and windows. The windows on the west side of the house will not get direct sunlight any time of the year. The only windows facing east are in the master bedroom – which will be great for watching sunrises in bed. We were told by a ‘green’ architect from Austin that if all the houses in Austin were oriented toward the sun (like ours), the total energy consumption in the area could be cut by as much as 40% - wow.
We are using efficient double-pane windows. In the South where it’s hot, the window glazing should be on the inside of the outside pane – this keeps the UV rays out from between the panes and keeps them cooler. In the North, the glazing should be on the outside of the inside pane – which allows the UV rays to heat the air between the panes and help heat the house. I thought this concept was pretty cool – or pretty hot if you live up North.
When you think about it, having your hot water heater continuously heat water is pretty ridiculous. We are using Bosch gas tankless hot water heaters – these systems should pay for themselves within about 3 years - http://www.boschhotwater.com/?gclid=CJLd-eW7p4kCFTlmGgodkyLiOQ. We are using the outdoor version to ensure there will never be a build up carbon monoxide in the house.
We love to open the windows whenever the weather allows, so we have designed the house for efficient airflow throughout. We are using a design technique borrowed from the pre-A/C era – the dogtrot house - http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Dogtrot_House.html. The dogtrot down the middle of the house is usually open from the north and south. The breeze through the dogtrot causes a low pressure that pulls air out from the rest of the house – causing a nice breeze all through the house. If you have a chance, stop by the Sam Houston Memorial Statue - http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/TXHUNsam.html. The gift shop is a dogtrot house. Even if there is just a breath of a breeze, the wind blows through the dogtrot at an amazing rate. We have incorporated the dogtrot design into our house by making the living and dining rooms a continuous room that goes from the north to the south side of the house. We have 102 inches of casement windows (5 windows) on both the north and south walls. This will allow us to ‘tune’ the breeze through the house by opening some or all of the windows. The living/dining room is in the middle of the house and any breeze should pull air from throughout the house – just like a dogtrot house. We also have opposing windows all along the house on the north and south sides of the house for maximum breeze throughout the house.
Based on our energy plan check, our house design is rated 50% more efficient than code requires. I’m not sure how much more our energy efficient design is costing us, but I believe given the rise in energy costs, we will save $$$ in the long run.

Structural strong
In south Texas, our hot and humid summers are sometimes briefly interrupted by torrential rains and sustained winds of 130 mph – hurricanes. Texas Insurance Agency requires homes to be able to withstand 110 mph winds in our area – so all homes have to be structurally designed accordingly. We decided to design for 120 mph winds just to make sure. To my surprise, what happens during heavy winds is the roof lifts off the house then the house implodes. With typical house built with 2X4s, the roof is an integral part of the structural integrity of the house – if the roof blows off, the house is not able to withstand the winds. So holding the roof down – not up – is the main problem to solve in designing a house in hurricane areas. These requirements and the energy efficient requirements led us to the SIP solution. The SIP panels are put together in such a way that the house becomes a one-piece house – all the SIP panels are stapled and glued together using splines. The result is an airtight house that is very strong. This testimonial convinced me of the strength of a SIP house - http://www.design101.tv/news/TNTornadoRelease.pdf . Image, 200 MPH winds and the house stays intact but the cinder block foundation fails. So we are planning to use SIPs for the walls and roofs. The roof will be supported by large pre-manufactured beams that will be held up by 3X3 tube steel poles. The steel poles will be bolted to the concrete using special bolts designed for high-wind areas. The net result will be a very strong house.

Low maintenance over a forty year period
Moisture control is one of the most important considerations when designing a house along the Texas Coast. We started our moisture control from the beginning by using a product call StegoWrap http://www.stegoindustries.com/ instead of the normal 6mm black plastic for the moisture control under the foundation. It’s supposed to last almost forever under your slab without deteriorating. It’s a little more expensive, but I think it’s worth it to never have to worry about moisture coming up through your slab. We recently had 11 inches of rain in one day (not uncommon for the Texas coast) and one of our friends houses got water damage because water came up through the slab and flooded the middle of their house – ouch.
We plan on using 4 inch limestone for the exterior instead of bricks. The housing boom around Houston has caused a brick shortage – plus we love limestone. Drawbacks of limestone are it’s very porous and tends to stain easily. We have different opinions on whether we should seal the limestone or not. Some say to seal it so it won’t stain and others say don’t seal it so it can breathe and let the walls dry out quicker. We’ll do more research before we make a final decision.
We are using fiber cement board (Hardy Plank) for the entire non-stone exterior. Hardy Plank will last for almost forever and requires little maintenance if it’s painted on a regular basis.
R-Control SIPs have a termite treatment to keep out termites. We hired Orkin to apply a termite treatment under the foundation and spray all exterior walls with a borate treatment 4 feet up the walls. Borate keeps out termites and helps prevent fungi growth.
Splash back from rain running off the roof is a major cause of wood deterioration. We are going to have a thick plastic sheet 2-3 feet up the base of the walls to prevent moisture infiltration at the bottom the SIPs. We are also going to use Tyvek - http://www2.dupont.com/Tyvek_Construction/en_US/ to prevent moisture from getting to the SIPs. Tyvek is breathable – so it doesn’t keep the walls from breathing. Otherwise, moisture would build up behind the plastic and mold would form. We have 3-foot eaves all around the house – which will help prevent splash back.
We are using high quality appliances whenever possible. We are looking at a Lennox A/C system – it has a 10-year warranty. We are using Panasonic vent fans in the bathrooms to remove moisture – Panasonic is one of the quietest and most reliable vent fans available. We are using American Standard for all of the plumbing fixtures.
Carpet is nasty stuff. If you have ever removed a 8-10 year old carpet you know what I’m talking about. There is a layer of dirt and dusts under every carpet. We have been told by our allergists and several other people not to have carpet in your house - its one of the worst things you can have in your house. New carpet gives off nasty fumes and old carpet collects dirt, dust, mold, dust mites, etc. So we are going to have slate tile in the high-traffic living areas (kitchen, dining room and living room) and cork tile in the bedrooms. Slate lasts forever and if you get the good, dense slate, it doesn’t have to be sealed. The slate will give off some dust until it is worn down – but I believe the longevity of slate is worth the minor hassles – plus we love the look of slate. Cork tile is pretty interesting stuff. We are going to use the cork tile that has the top finished, the middle made of engineered wood, and the bottom made of raw cork. The finished top requires two coats of water-based polyurethane every 10 years – how’s that for low maintenance. The raw cork on the bottom gives the tile a little cushion – better for the old back. If taken care of properly, cork tile can last +100 years. The bathrooms will be tile – but we haven’t decided on which type.

Quiet
I love my peace and quiet – so sound control is important requirement throughout the house. The SIPs and the double paned windows are great for keeping out sound from the outside world. But we love to have the entire neighborhood over and we are all musicians in our family – so sound control inside the house was a bit of a challenge. Since we are not putting carpet anywhere in the house (the only good thing about carpet is its sound deadening quality), we needed others ways to keep down the sound. Sound travels across hard floors very well. I’m amazed at how loud some houses are that have all hardwood floors and are not designed to minimize sound. So there are a couple of things we did for sounds control. We isolated the Music Room at the front of the house away from the bedrooms. Sometimes we like to have the music float all through the house – other times we like to keep the music just in the Music Room. So we put the double door entrance to the Music Room in the Foyer and put double doors between the Foyer and the Living Room. These doors will be sealed at the bottom (just like an exterior door) so they will be almost sound proof. When we want to contain the music, we close both sets of doors so we shouldn't be able to hear the music anywhere else in the house. When we want to share the music, we can open both sets of doors and the music will be heard all through the house. In the walls we’re going to use a cotton battening for soundproofing - http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/natural_fiber.htm. This stuff is also fire retardant and resists fungi and mold. I am also researching other soundproofing techniques such as mass loaded vinyl - http://www.extremesoundproofing.com/Projects/Mass_Loaded_Vinyl/mass_loaded_vinyl.htm. There is some pretty good soundproofing information at http://www.extremesoundproofing.com/Projects/Walls_and_Ceilings/walls_and_ceilings.html. We will strategically put floor rugs where sound tends to travel across the floor the most. Since sound travels along a hardwood or tile floor, we are sealing doors between the Living/Dining Rooms and the bedroom area - just like an exterior door is 'sealed'. The Master Bedroom also has a sealed door to its entrance. Having sealed doors cause an air flow problem - each area that is sealed must have A/C source and return. We had to design chases in several places to accommodate the returns – in the Music Room and the Master Bedroom.
We also put the bedrooms upstairs so that they are not above the Kitchen/Living/Dining areas or the Master Bedroom. We are using 1 1/8 inch plywood for the second story floor and special nails so the flooring will not squeak over time. We will use cotton battening between the floors for sound proofing.
We are going to hang in the A/C-furnaces from the roof in the attic to minimize noise and vibrations from them. This is something we did in our current house and it made a big difference.

For Family and Friend
We spent a lot of time on the design of our floor plan to make the house as family friendly as possible and so we could easily entertain. First, we took out the formal Living and Dining Rooms. These rooms are for another time and in most modern houses are not used much at all. We do have a Music Room that will serve also as a formal living room – but it’s primary purpose will be for playing music. By taking out the formal living and dining rooms, we were able to design a house that is open and cozy at the same time. The kitchen is designed so there is easy access to the rerefrigerator and microwave without there being traffic in the food preparation area – kids can get to and microwave snacks without interrupting Mom’s cooking. The Dining Room and Living Room are one continuous room that runs north and south across the middle of the house. The rooms are visually divided because each ceiling is a Crawford (raised) design and goes up to 11 feet. The ceilings will help trap sound in each area so someone watching TV in the Living Room won’t disrupt a conversation at the dining room table. The house is divided into two main parts – the living area and the sleeping area. The living area has the Foyer, Music Room, Kitchen, Dining Room, Living Room and Powder Room. The sleeping area has the kid’s bedrooms, the Master Bedroom and Master Bath, the Landry Room and my Office. There is a wall (with sound proofing) running down the middle of the house to separate theses two areas.

More coming later....