Our Green Touch  niche has finished another boiler swap in West Roxbury. This dated boiler was better at creating dangerous carbon-monoxide and high utility bills then heating the house.

The MassSave Heat Loan program and the GasNetworks Rebates made the immediate out of pocket expense on this project under $500.00.

The project took 5 days to complete and there was no loss of heat throughout the process.  The only impact to the actual heated space was when we installed the new NEST learning thermostat. We install the NEST stock on all our heating system upgrades. The client choose to install the smaller of the two back plates supplied by NEST.

The boiler we installed was a 95% efficient Buderus which created hot water for both the heating and domestic hot water. We installed a 45 Gallon Superstor Ultra water tank to expand the domestic hot water capacity.

We pride ourselves on efficiently installing efficient systems. We start by installing a wall with plywood to create a solid surface to install the boiler, valves, piping, electric, etc. This makes for an easy and clean install. Further maintenance is made easy with clean and labeled installation.

The first step of starting a project is protection. We protect any areas that we will not be working in;  objects, fixtures or appliances that the client would like to save or reuse. We are saving the kitchen cabinets and dishwasher for reuse. The heart pine floors, historic mantel and fireplace are all slated for pick-up by John Isgur at  Nor’east Architectural antiques for repurposing.

The next step is to mark out all the surfaces to be demolished. We mark out on every wall what needs to happen to it, as you can see n the pictures below.  If there are no marks on the walls, it stays the same.

Stack Design Build in RI is the brain behind the exciting new layout of the space. The interesting  design coupled with the clients’ enthusiasm to live in a healthy, efficient home that uses local and repurposed materials is right up our ally and we are thrilled to be working on what promises to be an exciting project.

The Scope:
New Kitchen, Pantry, Master Suite, Kid’s Bath,
Renovation of the entire second floor to remove the attic space and add cathedral ceilings in all the rooms ; an a loft space in the kid’s bedroom

We will be setting up a time-lapse camera to capture the transformation of the space into an open floor plan and new kitchen space; and will come back with more !

We had previously briefly talked about design options for the deck railings.
The clients have a thriving organic garden in their back yard that needed to be enjoyed and shown off. Like we said earlier, the Mahogany railings and Cedar balustrades, although beautiful would have obstructed the view of the garden.
The lighter cable rail system that was the result of a few brainstorming sessions allowed us to have code-compliant, sturdy railings that are visually lighter and aesthetically more pleasing. Cedar posts and the top rail complement the light cable rails. IPE decking with hidden fasteners complete the rear deck and allow the client to enjoy an unobstructed view of fruits (and flowers) of their hard labor !

We used James Hardie skirt trim with Fir lattice in the front deck.

Our scope:
First Floor: To create an open floor plan by removing all the partition walls; kitchen, ½ bath, flooring and removing the lowered ceilings

Second floor: new master suite, full bath, flooring

Attic: upgrade finishes and add 3 Velux skylights

Basement: dig out half the existing basement slab to create a level surface and pour a new slab; install closed cell foam on the blockers (area where floor joists meets the foundation wall).

General: Upgrade electrical, plumbing, mechanicals, roof, windows, insulation Rough-in for Solar PV.

We will wrap up demo this week. The electrical walk-through is scheduled for next week, followed soon after by rough-ins for the mechanicals.

“Where has this type of product been ?” was what the clients said when  we introduced them to their new NEST thermostat.

We agree that the NEST learning thermostat is special. It is easy to use and learns from you; which makes it unique. The client we met this morning received their NEST as a gift from their son (great gift !). We explained how the NEST works and showed them a video on how it works. They liked it so much that they ordered a second one for their cape house in the first 10 minutes during the install.

As you can see from the pictures, we used the large plate that comes with the NEST because the client didn’t mind how it looks.We could have also installed just the NEST; which will involve a little patching and paint after the install.

The product is currently out of stock on the NEST web-store. BGB has half dozen available within a week. We will install the NEST and give you a tutorial on how it works and how to use it.

If you would like to learn more about the nest, you can start on their website and then email us with your order and preferred installation dates.
john@bostongreenbuilding.com

All the existing attic insulation and mechanicals have been removed. Rough framing has begun; all existing floor joists  and roof rafters have been sistered.  ¾” AdvangeTech plywood has been installed over the new floor joists and interior partitions start to shaping the new space.

Our Somerville Nstar DER (deep energy retrofit) has the finish line in sight. The exterior is in punch list mode and is looking good.

As the series of photos below prove, there is no compromise on the aesthetics of a DER. No one (other than the people who executed the project and the people who are saving money on their energy bills) can tell that there is an additional 4″ of foam on the sidewalls and roof surfaces.

The interior is being painted on the first floor and trim being finished in the attic. The basement has been foamed and the Buderus wall hung boiler is up and running. We re-used the Ultra Super Store water tank, but all other mechanicals are new.

Progress report of one of our Jamaica Plain projects.

90% of the James Hardie pre-finished siding has been installed.If you recall from our previous post, the clients decided that they wanted to retain the deep window well on the inside and we moved the windows to the outside plane of the  rigid foam that we added.
What you cannot tell from the outside is that the shell is 5 1/4″ thicker, with the addition of rigid foam, strapping and siding. Without compromising on the aesthetics, we have managed to upgrade an energy-hogging building to a high-performing one that blends very well into its context.  We are working on the interior trim and will update pictures of the larger sill when done.

All that is left is the rear & front deck, gutters, new front door and finishing the HRV installation.

For the decks, we had initially spec’d fir posts, mahogany railings and 1 ¼”x 1 ¼” square fir balustrades, spaced 3″ on center. During our routine review of the specs with the clients to ensure that they are still on board with the idea, we understood that the client wanted a relatively unobstructed view of the garden while sitting on the deck. The current design did not allow that and we presented a couple of alternatives in order to accommodate their request. As a result, we will now be installing Mahogany posts with cable rail to allow greater views of the garden.

Jon Taylor first created a kitchen design that the client loved, then realized it by building, staining and installing the cabinetry. Clever Green first installed the base-cabinets unfinished  with all the face frames to be able to template early. Jon’s team then removed the face frames and applied the stain and finish in their spray booth. This ensured a consistent finish.

Some of the cool products installed on this project are the Blue Star range, 8” wide oak flooring and Ashfield schist stone.

The icing on the cake for this project just came on site. The hand-made and painted backsplash tile from Tile Showcase that took 7 weeks to arrive  and will be installed next week.

We will complete a project re-cap once the backsplash is installed.

Its holiday season and we are trying our best to keep the spirit, by becoming a Toys for Tots drop-off location. We have boxes in our entry foyer where you can bring new, unwrapped, non-violent toys and drop them off to be distributed to needy children in the Greater Boston community as Christmas presents.

We would also like to offer pick-up of toys near any of our current projects. Please comment on this post with your location and we will let you know when you can leave the toy out for pick-up. Current towns we have projects in: Belmont, JP, West Roxbury, Cambridge, Hopkinton, Medford, Arlington, Lexington, Beacon Hill, Dorchester and Newton.

We are located at 218 Lincoln St in Allston, MA ;
you can call 617-202-3777 if you have any other questions. We are collecting until the 15th of December.

If you want to read more about Toys for Tots,  here is their website.

Season’s greetings from the BGB family, we wish you a very happy holiday season !