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Ranger Hybrid Home
Ranger Hybrid Home
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Ranger Hybrid Home
The Ranger Hybrid Home is a living-laboratory & demonstration in sustainable concepts & strategies for homes. The purpose of The Ranger is to illustrate a multitude of environmentally friendly construction methods & materials, intelligent & efficient systems & strategies, as well as cost-effective solutions designed specifically for its site on Sycamore St. in Greensburg, KS. While the employment of a multi-pronged strategy lends itself to be replicated with ease elsewhere, this home also strives to remain a contiguous whole which fits well within its surroundings.The Ranger consists of a 2-story, 1750 SF, 3 bedroom, 2 ½ bath home. On the first floor, an open living & dining area allows for a flexible family space with ample natural light & air. A concrete floor with water-based stain, natural plaster, & low VOC paint allows for a healthy indoor environment. The kitchen & utility room are within a factory built unit containing sustainable structural & cabinetry components, as well as pre-installed, energy efficient appliances & HVAC equipment. This Pre-Assembled Core (PAC) also arrives “pre-plumbed” with a kitchen, washer & dryer, and a composting guest toilet. Also, HVAC & plumbing stub-ups are ready to be connected through a central chase to second story fixtures. The second floor includes a master suite with sensible closet space and a private bath. A second bathroom serves the second & third bedrooms. Both facilities exhibit low-flow fixtures & high recycled content finishes. The bedroom spaces are designed to utilize natural air & ventilation, and can be adapted into multiple configurations including a home office or playroom. Indoor air quality is promoted by low VOC paint & recycled plastic carpeting diverts waste from landfills. To serve its function as an effective demonstration home, The Ranger employs several construction methods & concepts, but strives to maintain sound cost-effective & energy efficient principles. The first floor is buttressed by two parallel walls of Virginia Lime Works’ Environmental Masonry Units (EMUs). These are stacked and solid-grouted with lime base insulative grout. The blocks have excellent thermal mass and actually eliminate CO2 from the atmosphere, on top of being an age-old construction method familiar to local builders everywhere. Completing the first floor envelope are 2x6 FSC certified stud walls with “Bio-Based” spray foam insulation made from soy bean shells, a locally grown crop. These walls employ Advance Framing Techniques (ATF), such as “double-stud” corners, and hangers to replace bundled studs and headers to conserve wood & allow for more insulation. The PAC (described above) consists of factory built, finger-jointed FSC studs with Bio-Based insulation. The second floor is constructed using Structural Insulated Panels, known for their quick installation & weather tight construction. The Ranger uses time-tested architectural elements and modern materials to create a lively contemporary home which suits its surroundings. A deep front porch and wide eaves shields southern exposure window from the high summer sun while allowing for solar gain when the winter sun is low. The insulated, low-e windows are “tuned” for their respective exposures. Vertical shades on a glass door in the master bedroom create a balcony when opened (see Figure 4). Reclaimed materials such as aluminum farm stall gates are used for porch rails & other components whenever possible. Being a 2-story home, The Ranger consumes less land than a ranch-style alternative. This configuration allows maximum yard space for subterranean geothermal coils which supply highly efficient heating & cooling for the home. A condenser line for heating is also embedded in the southern facing EMU wall. This wall will absorb great amounts of heat energy in the summer which can be passed to the condenser line to supplement the domestic hot water system. As part of responsible use of the land, water from the roof & grey-water from interior sinks are diverted to a storage tank beneath the porch to be used for irrigation of a vegetable garden & indigenous landscaping. Pervious paving reduces demand on city storm water control systems. While these components are included in the initial cost of construction, several upgrades & investments can be made later such as a rooftop solar array & green roof pods on the porch roof. This wall assembly diagram illustrates the use of energy efficient, environmentally friendly components in The Ranger while providing a home that is exceptionally strong & resistant to storms. While no structure is tornado-proof, heavy-duty, shear-resistant, clips & bolts are used to attach walls to foundations and roofs to walls to resist high wind forces. A threaded rod bolts the SIP top plate securely to the EMU wall. Large, high-strength screws at 6” O.C. then attach the SIP roof to the plate. The Ranger is split into 2 different HVAC zones: the first floor & stair and the second floor. Both zones are heated and cooled by a high efficiency “mini-split” system with wall & ceiling mounted supply units. The upstairs bedroom zone can be completely isolated by an exterior grade door at the stair landing. Therefore, at night the first floor HVAC units can be turned down or turned off, greatly reducing conditioned square footage & thus energy demand, and vice versa. Operable windows in unconditioned spaces are designed to promote natural stack ventilation. The stair landing is constructed of a reclaimed metal grate, allowing operable windows above to pull warm air out of the first floor space below. Clerestory windows provide ventilation for the second floor. While spaces are conditioned, an Energy Recovery Ventilator mixes expelled indoor air with supply air to absorb otherwise wasted energy back into the home.
This 1750 SF home is calculated to cost $187,000 for turn-key construction. This translates to a cost of $107 per SF. Special attention was paid to include strategies which could be completed using owner’s sweat-equity, thus qualifying for special financing such as USDA Rural Development Loans.
This 1750 SF home is calculated to cost $187,000 for turn-key construction. This translates to a cost of $107 per SF. Special attention was paid to include strategies which could be completed using owner’s sweat-equity, thus qualifying for special financing such as USDA Rural Development Loans.
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