For the Residential Rehabilitation of the George M. Jones House, 618 Wills Forest Street, Raleigh
The two-story frame Victorian house at 618 Wills Forest Street was built for George M. Jones around 1909. More recently, it was a quadraplex with a massive street-facing addition until purchased by Chad Harrell in 2013 with the aim of returning it to single family use.
Harrell’s vision was to bring together historic preservation with modern sustainable building practices in order to make the house viable for the next hundred years. The desired goal was a rehabilitated 105-year-old historic building that was 50% more energy efficient than the average existing home on the market and 30% more energy efficient compared to the average new construction homes built to code in 2013.
The renovation scope included high performance materials and construction techniques to improve the building fabric and envelope, and to properly size the right mechanical, electrical and water systems for the home. There are low flow and flush fixtures and toilets for improved water conservation. The HVAC, a ClimateMaster geothermal system, was integral to achieving the energy efficiency compared to similar homes. The existing renewable energy tax incentives and a can-do attitude made it possible to install a superior energy efficient geothermal HVAC system. It required a lot of coordination with state, county, city and utility company officials to dig the necessary vertical wells so close to existing structures, but “having renewable energy at work under your feet” is paying off in lower utility bills.
The final product surpassed the goal. Through a cross-functional project team with a shared vision upfront, and integrated initial design plans for both the green retrofit of the existing structure and the new addition resulted in a certified Energy Star home with a HERS score of 52. The home is 78% more energy efficient than comparable existing family homes and 48% more efficient than average newly built homes being delivered on the market today. There is an annual energy savings of $1,787 per year.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2014 Anthemion Award to Chad Harrell; Greg Paul Builders; Meg McLaurin Architecture; Lindsay Hair Interiors; E2 Technologies, Inc; Louis Heating and Cooling, Inc.; Simply 1 Electric, Inc.; Yadkin Drilling for the Residential Rehabilitation of the George M. Jones House, 618 Wills Forest Street, Raleigh.