Energy, Utilities & Water  October 17, 2014

Historic cottage a model for the future

Abundant solar, salvaged materials are its hallmarks

BOULDER — A 110-year-old, run-down stone cottage in North Boulder is now a first- class model of a sustainable “green” home and one of the few residential buildings in the country to be awarded LEED Platinum certification.

Property owner Bob Carmichael and a team of “green” specialists, have transformed the 900-square-foot cottage in the Newlands neighborhood into a 3,200-square-foot house that includes living space, a professional studio where Carmichael works, and a rental apartment.

Carmichael’s enthusiasm for what he’s achieved is infectious, and he hopes that other residential property owners will follow in his footsteps. He describes the house as “one of the most energy efficient homes in America” although no documentation is available proving that claim.

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What is true is that the property at 3231 11th St. is historic, and that Carmichael has done an outstanding job restoring it, said Marcy Cameron, an historic planner for the city of Boulder.

Carmichael, a professional photographer and videographer – among other things – is so excited about the property that he documented its conversion from shack to greatness, and all that involved. Jesse Carmichael, Michael’s son and a founding member and current keyboardist for Maroon 5, created the sound score for the video.


Watch Bob Carmichael’s video, Boulder Landmark Meets LEED Platinum, with a soundtrack by his son and Maroon 5 keyboardist Jesse Carmichael.


Carmichael hopes that others will see the transformation of his house and be inspired to follow a similar path.

He has also issued an invitation to people who are interested in what’s possible when it comes to preserving the planet.

“The home was built to inspire people to think green and consider their carbon footprints,” Carmichael said.

Most LEED buildings, which are certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, are commercial or educational; LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Even skeptics who see LEED certification as a boondoggle designed primarily for tax breaks can wrap their heads around the desire for LEED designation. Besides the energy savings, there are potential tax credits and property tax breaks.

But LEED certification has been much slower to catch on among individual homeowners, who receive little except bragging rights.

This remodeled home in north Boulder was built using many of the salvaged materials that were initially torn out. Courtesy Bob Carmichael

Achieving certification is expensive, not just in materials but in verification fees. In addition to huge-expense items such as solar panels, a homeowner has to hire a “green rater” to make sure everything works.

Carmichael can attest to the challenges of creating a “green” house in a historic property.

The process – from receiving approval from city of Boulder officials to assembling the right team of professionals and from scraping one structure to building a new one, was at times overwhelming.

“The requirements from Boulder’s Landmark Board were rigorous so blending the old with the new was a delicate process,” he said.

“We created a home that salutes the past while heralding the future of environmentally sound construction and sustainability,” he said.

Being green or LEED certified means much more than installing bike racks and solar panels or replacing an old refrigerator with a super-efficient model

It also means using:

• Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint

• Super insulation techniques that waste little or no heat regardless of the type of heat source being used.

• Dual-flush, low-flow  toilets

• Energy Star appliances

• 10Kw photo voltaic system to supply the house with a surplus of energy

• LED lighting throughout the house

These are the kinds of fixes anyone can make.

But gutting a building, super insulating all the exterior walls, using wood from the house’s deteriorating floors to build a ceiling, these things were much more complicated.

“The floor became my living room ceiling,” Carmichael said.

The house will generate 30 percent more energy than it will use, Carmichael said. He is growing his own food, riding his bike more places, and constantly studying ways to make his corner of the world more sustainable.

Brad Burch, a greenpoints certified architect, and Kevin Morningstar of Morningstar Homes, worked with Carmichael to ensure the house was constructed to win the prestigious LEED Platinum designation.

The goal was “zero emissions” in which solar energy , energy efficiency, and changes in behavior eliminate the need for fossil fuels.

Creating a “green” house in a historic district was no easy task. The first job was to obtain a historic designation from the city, which required several reviews and votes.

That part turned out to be relatively easy compared to other requirements that had to be met to achieve the coveted LEEDs/Platinum label.

While the shell of the house remains, much of the material was recycled back into the structure.

“We are trying to promote the process of thinking that went into this home’s renovation and build. The aim of the house and the film is to inspire others along a similar sustainability path,” Carmichael said.

The Carmichael team was chosen for his or her proven abilities to build sustainable and affordable homes. It included Joel Ripmaster, president of Colorado Landmark, Realtors, Index AD project designer and manager Brad Burch, Namaste Solar, Colorado Resource Conservation, Big Sky R, and James Hewat, of the City of Boulder Landmark Boad.

The 900-square-foot property on 0.29 acres sold for $530,000 in October 2009. The current assessed value of the new property is $957,900, but Carmichael estimates the market value of the property is in the $2 million range.

Abundant solar, salvaged materials are its hallmarks

BOULDER — A 110-year-old, run-down stone cottage in North Boulder is now a first- class model of a sustainable “green” home and one of the few residential buildings in the country to be awarded LEED Platinum certification.

Property owner Bob Carmichael and a team of “green” specialists, have transformed the 900-square-foot cottage in the Newlands neighborhood into a 3,200-square-foot house that includes living space, a professional studio where Carmichael works, and a rental apartment.

Carmichael’s enthusiasm for what he’s achieved is infectious, and he hopes that other residential property owners will follow…

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