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Going the extra (green) mile

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

SHORELAND HILLS - Today is Earth Day, the 39th annual celebration of efforts to promote a healthy environment.

The green movement has become a daily endeavor for those who are committed to lifestyles that reduce their carbon footprint.

Two of those environmentally sensitive people are building a SIPS house in Shoreland Hills.

SIPS - Structural Insulated Panels - form the skeletal structure of the duneside house being built by Larry Zimmer and life partner Ted Perzanowski.

SIPS are the latest in green building materials, formed of Styrofoam sheets sandwiched between oriented strand board. The SIPS roof panels are a foot thick and wall panels are 8 inches thick. Zimmer selected Kevin Flemington of Flemington Construction in Long Beach as his builder in part because Flemington already knew about SIPS and had been trying to talk clients into using the building material. "He seemed to get what we wanted to do," Zimmer said.

Flemington said SIPS are 50 percent more energy efficient and 40 percent more physically sound than conventional building materials. And construction goes faster - five days to frame a SIPS house as compared to two to three weeks for a stick house.

"Most people don't know about it," Flemington said. "We can take anybody's plans for a house and convert it into a SIPS house."

Flemington said the building material is so airtight that an energy recovery ventilator is needed to allow air exchange with outside air. The system traps heat and reuses it to heat fresh air coming in. Zimmer said its energy efficiency made the choice of SIPS "a no-brainer."

For Zimmer, who designed the house, the project commemorates his 30 years in the residential interior design field and gave him an opportunity to create a reality out of ideas he's contemplated for years.

Zimmer and Perzanowski share a commitment to using only as much as they need, and decided to have a modest 1,000 square feet of living space. A lower level will have another 1,000 square feet of office space - the two have their own businesses - that will double as rooms for guests.

Zimmer's rule of thumb in selecting building materials was that they come from within 500 miles of the Michigan City area, reducing the amount of fuel needed to bring items to the construction site. The SIPS came from PorterCorp in Holland, Mich.; the triple-insulated Marvin windows are from Minnesota; and a Corian-type countertop material is made in Stevensville, Mich. The ceramic tile surrounding the living room fireplace comes from Terra Green Ceramics of Richmond, Ind., and is made from 50 percent recycled glass. Cabinets are being hand crafted by Doug Barnes of Michigan City. The drywall is made in Indiana from 97 percent recycled materials.

"A whole web of pluses come from making these decisions," Zimmer said. "We know the Indiana economy is struggling, and if we can spend our money in this area, why not help our economy?"

One construction item was found in their own yard. Fifteen red, white and black oaks were harvested from their property, milled and will be used as flooring. As Perzanowski said, "The trees have come back home."

Their appliances all have Energy Star ratings, the toilets are low-flow and the water heater is an "in-demand" model that heats water only as needed. Lights will be on dimmers and kept low to conserve energy.

Flemington said the house has received an Energy Star gold rating from Energy Diagnostics, an independent auditor of energy efficiency. Even before designing and building their house in the dunes, Zimmer and Perzanowski made a conscious effort to be environmentally responsible. The couple shares a Honda Civic hybrid and one computer.

"It's not like the whole world is your plate anymore," Zimmer said.

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Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.