Heppner Residence

Location
8628 S. Marquette, Chicago Map

Owner
Charles and Timothy Heppner

The Heppner Residence is an example of extreme do-it-yourself green renovation. This existing 100 year-old wood frame single family home is being rebuilt by Tim and Charles Heppner, two brothers, with Tim acting as architect and performing most construction work himself. The home is on a double lot with the southern half vacant, providing lots of opportunity for outdoor green as well. The Heppner brothers are seeking Energy Star and Chicago Green Homes certification for their new home.

Many DIY projects focus on interior finishes or fixtures while missing the energy basics, but here they are addressed head-on. In addition to the usual insulating strategies, triple-glazed windows with deep overhangs are used for passive solar heeating. The home will have no incandescent lights, perhaps a first in Chicago. A shallow hydronic earth-loop will preheat or precool air entering the energy recovery ventilator - this simplified take on a ground-source heat pump (minus the heat pump) may also be a first in Chicago. Rough-ins for future solar electric or hot water panels make it easy for the brothers to add these features over time.

Tim and Charles deconstructed the internal structure, reclaiming hundreds of linear feet of old growth forest wood framing, hardwood flooring, sub-flooring and joists. They have also recycled all the metal, concrete, glass blocks and windows with the assistance of a local scrapper. All new materials are required to meet at least one of the following criteria: sustainable, durable, recycled/recover content, produced locally, low or no VOC, formaldehyde free, plantation grown, rapidly renewable, or FSC certified. They intend to utilize the reclaimed materials for framing up window openings, reinstalling hardwood flooring and building custom kitchen cabinets.

The home takes advantage of its large site by including a large rain garden and bioswale in addition to a vegetated garage roof. Crushed limestone will be used in place of concrete for all sidewalks, addressing both stormwater management and urban heat island. A new reflective metal roof will be installed - a rarity in the shingle-loving midwest.

With this level of DIY, there aren't a lot of project team members to highlight, but if you stop by the site perhaps Tim can take a moment to give visitors some tips. The Heppners are targeting completion in summer 2008.