Creation: Contemporary Camp in the Woods

Description: Finishing touches have been recently completed at Raven Beach, a contemporary camp in the woods, which has undergone an Energy Star rated deep energy retrofit and addition over the past year. Built in 1985, the original house was constructed using the standard methods of the time – 2x6 exterior walls with fiberglass batt insulation, an interior vapor barrier behind the drywall, an air infiltration barrier behind the siding, and truss roof assembly insulated with two layers of R-19 fiberglass batt insulation. As part of the retrofit, the existing truss roof has been reinsulated using spray foam insulation at the eaves and 20” of cellulose insulation throughout. Exterior walls are now a 12” thick, double 2x4 wall assembly with dense pack cellulose insulation and where interior space was at a premium, existing exterior walls have been completely reinsulated using dense pack cellulose or spray foam. Windows have been replaced with highly energy efficient, triple-pane, fiberglass framed units manufactured by Inline. Air sealing the entire building has been done meticulously throughout in order to assure the least amount of air infiltration possible. A high efficiency heat recovery ventilator (HRV) system has been installed to provide fresh air – a must when building such a tight exterior envelope. The entire house has been re-sided after the installation of a drainage plane. Choices have been made to use local, environmentally friendly products from the local pine siding to the concrete countertops. The project has achieved a 5 Star Plus Energy Star rating and a HERS Index rating of 48. Cushman Design Group would like to thank Scott Gardner at Building Energy and Lindsay Jones at Efficiency Vermont for their knowledge and guidance throughout this project.