In Narragansett, R.I., on a 1-acre lot where an abandoned house had been decaying, a new and more sustainable house—dubbed the “Green Life Smart Life” project—is rising. Conceived by the homeowners as a demonstration project, the Green Life Smart Life (GLSL) house aims to be an example of an energy-efficient, healthy, technologically advanced home that is also a great place to live, according to homeowner Kimberly Lancaster Hageman.
Rhode Island architect Laura Dahlquist Krekorian created a 4,500-square-foot New England shingle-style beach cottage that incorporates passive solar design; impact-resistant, triple-paned windows; 2×6 exterior wall framing to accommodate high R-value sprayed foam insulation; and a geothermal system for the home’s radiant floor heating, cooling, and water heating needs. With these and other features, the GLSL team projects up to a 40 percent reduction in energy consumption, compared with a conventionally built home.
Local custom builder Merchant Construction is currently building the GLSL house from FSC-certified lumber and ordering materials efficiently to reduce construction waste and divert more than 80 percent of it from local landfills. Waste is sorted into multiple dumpsters on the site, and according to Robert K. Leonard of Merchant Construction, as much scrap and unused material as possible will be reused or donated to local organizations; what can’t be reused will be directed into the recycling stream.
The GLSL team aims to achieve Gold certification under the Leed for Homes (LEED-H) rating system. It is one of only three homes in Rhode Island currently registered under the U.S. Green Building Council’s green building program. The GLSL house is Krekorian and Leonard’s first LEED-H project, and they both are enjoying the learning experience the project provides. “I’m always anxious to learn something new, and I think [green building] is a very smart idea,” says Leonard, a 14-year custom building veteran. “It would be nice to keep our natural resources around for as long as we can and not waste them.”
In addition to its sustainable and energy-efficient features, the house will be wired as a “smart home” with centralized systems that monitor and manage water and energy use, climate control, and automated home entertainment and security systems.
Project completion is expected this summer. Visit www.greenlifesmartlife.com to learn more about the house, track construction progress, and read the Green Life Smart Life blog.
