The word green at the Garden Home Retreat has many meanings and applications. The organic gardens are the first to come to mind for those who visit us. In a relatively short time, six years, we have planted acres of flower gardens, orchards and vegetable gardens — even the pastures for our sheep and free-range poultry are organic. But it is the house that surprises visitors.
At first glance it looks as though it has been sited overlooking the river valley below for 175 years, actually it has only been two years since construction was completed. The style of the house is Greek Revival, and its proportions, details and materials were all chosen to reflect the age of the farm, circa 1840. Since that time, the site has been farmed and the large Post Oak (Quercus stellata) centered in front of the house stands as a testament to the age of the farmstead. One of the greatest compliments we receive is when first time guests, thinking it is a recently refurbished 19th century house, ask how long the house was under restoration. There are lots of words and phrases thrown about these days that suggest “green,” such as sustainable, environmentally-friendly, reduced carbon footprint, zero-energy, etc. Our focus was to make the house as green as possible and apply aspects of all of this. In short, the house serves as a bridge from a conventional (traditional) approach to a greener one.
For my TV show, “Garden Home,” we wanted to illustrate that being greener is, in part, about making better choices. We can make choices that impact the planet in a more positive way. The methods of construction and materials were considered during each phase of the design process. Some of these approaches apply to new construction and others can be employed when renovating or retro fitting an existing home or structure. Our goal was not to make the project platinum LEED-certified and zero-energy, but to show the public that there are more green choices than one might think.
For instance, we used Benjamin Moore’s Aura series of no-VOC paints. No-VOC simply means these paints do not put chemicals into the air when applied. Here, there is no shortage of designer colors; we chose “Nantucket Whisper” green for the main rooms, and many who visit remark on the color’s soothing effect.
The foundation of the home was made from interlocking Styrofoam blocks (Amvic) filled with concrete. This allowed us to create a well-insulated, waterproof basement level and a solid foundation for the house. Once the walls went up and the brick (Boral, 17th Century blend, regionally-produced and fired with the heat of peanut hulls used as fuel) was applied, soy-based insulation was sprayed between the framing and joists of the ceilings, walls, and floors. This made the “R” value (used to measure the insulations ability to resist heat flow) of the house much more appealing from the standpoint of long-term energy efficiency, comfort and surprisingly, sound reduction. Like many of these features, we had to weigh the initial cost — investment — with the long-term pay-off. As an example, the radiant heat system installed under the standing seam Follensbee roof. The system (Dawn Solar) takes the radiant heat from sunlight warming the metal roof and transfers it through a series of undulating PEC tubing from the roof into the basement. The same tubing system is set in the floor and covered with brick pavers. The heat from the roof heats the floors; as we know, heat rises and therefore helps keep the house cozy even on the coldest, sunny days. This system also “pre-heats” the water for the house, which is a huge boost when warming water for a comfortably hot shower.
As you can see, the roof is one of the most important aspects of our green initiatives. The Follensbee standing seam system is based on a time-honored method of roof design. In fact, Thomas Jefferson used a standing seam metal roof on Monticello. Our country is full of examples of these roofs that have endured the perils of time and weather for more than a century and a half — so, we will not have to replace the roof for another 100 years (unless some disaster occurs, of course, heaven forbid!) This innovative design cuts down on the use of materials to replace conventional shingle roofs (with an average lifespan of 12 to 15 years) and reduces waste as traditional roofing materials go into landfills.
This roof also has a direct relationship to the gardens as it serves an integral part of our rainwater harvesting system. With extreme weather conditions and water scarcity, we wanted to create a system that would collect and store rainwater to irrigate the gardens rather than draw from the five wells on the farm. Currently, we are able to store 6,000 gallons. The tank/reservoir is under the lawn between the two out buildings. The gutter system (Follensbee) is made of a terne-coated metal that is inert — meaning no heavy metals will be deposited into our collection reservoir and find their way into the organic flower and vegetable gardens and orchard. We also collect run off water in six ponds (soon to be nine) as another way of collecting water.
From the beginning, the land that surrounds the house and garden has been as important to me as the previously mentioned aspects of the property. We have spent the last several years working on soil conservation — maintaining the old organic pastures and creating new ones.
We have our annual bluebird program with a dozen nest boxes placed around the property. This year, we hope to re-establish our Bob White Quail population with the help of regional experts. I have learned throughout this project that the idea of living a greener life has many applications and each day more opportunities open up to all of us. The key, it seems to me, is to think about the choices you have and make the greenest one possible.
Our entire design team, lead by Ward Lile, has been conscious from the start of finding ways to make the house, garden and farm greener and more energy efficient. We have had the good fortune to design in the beginning … with the end in mind. It has been a source of pride for all or us to use this project in my national media and to show green living from the great state of Arkansas.
Visit www.pallensmith.com for more information!
