If you build it, they will come. At least that鈥檚 what Lauren Baldwin and Kevin Henshaw are hoping. The couple recently put the finishing touches on their 1,200 square foot 鈥済reen鈥� home in Hospital Hill and聽on Sunday聽(Oct. 26) the pair will put out their welcome mat for anyone who wants to take a peek into the consciously crafted, two-storey house.
The open house of sorts is part of Squamish CAN鈥檚 Eco Home Hop taking place from noon until 4 p.m. The brainchild of Baldwin, the tour features five of Squamish鈥檚 most ecological and energy efficient homes, and has been in the works for over two years 鈥撀爓ell before the couple ever broke ground.
鈥淪quamish as a community is growing and so is the environmental conscience here,鈥� said Baldwin, who spent more than two years to find a multi-lot property in the quiet neighbourhood that owners would be willing to divide. 鈥淥ur hope is that by getting together to showcase our homes we can strengthen the dialogue on innovative design and help propel residents, future builders and developers towards a more sustainable model of construction and design in Squamish.
鈥淭his is something we planned to do from the outset of our project, and featuring our home on a green home tour is a benefit in the LEED rating system as well,鈥� the engineer-turned-Waldorf-schoolteacher said, explaining that the聽LEED is a rating system recognized as the international mark of excellence for green building in 150 countries.
Baldwin鈥檚 goal all along has been to build a home that meets the criteria of the聽Canada Green Building Council which, since 2004, has聽certified over 1,800 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings in Canada and registered over 5,000 鈥� the second highest number in the world, according to the council鈥檚 website.
LEED works because it recognizes that sustainability should be at the heart of all buildings 鈥� in their design, construction and operation, states the website.
鈥淲e built a small, energy-efficient home with great indoor air quality and through co-operation with our builder we鈥檙e aiming to achieve LEED platinum certification,鈥� said Baldwin with obvious exhilaration. 鈥淎s far as we know, there is only one other LEED home here in Squamish with a gold level certification.鈥�
Henshaw agrees.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 get this sort of opportunity very often. It鈥檚 kind of a one-off,鈥� the civil engineer described. 鈥淵ou want to do it right, make it a special thing, but the LEED certification sort of puts the cherry on top. It鈥檚 a special thing.鈥�
Before embarking on their home design and build journey, Baldwin and Henshaw toured a number of custom-built homes in 小蓝视频 and Alberta.
鈥淲e met some great folks and learned a lot of tips and tricks from taking in open houses, eco home tours and the Vancouver Laneway House Tour. We also met some folks in Squamish who had taken on their own green builds and were open to the idea of participating in a tour too,鈥� she said.
Architect James Tuer of JWT Architecture and Planning said working with Baldwin and Henshaw was inspiring.
鈥淭hese are the pioneers that will show the community that the first step down the path to sustainability is how to do more with less,鈥� he said.聽
At just over 1,200 square feet, space is a premium and every area had to be considered for multiple use. Energy efficiency was achieved through thickened walls (eight inches), insulation choice, an air to water heat pump for heating, HVAC and window design to maximize passive systems. Materials where chosen based on environmental qualities such as having non-volatile compounds, being locally sourced to reduce the聽transportation聽carbon footprint and having some level of recycled content.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an overall ethical, earth-sustainability choice for both of us,鈥� explained Henshaw. 鈥淭he amount of waste that goes on in the building industry isn鈥檛 right. This build was designed to minimize that. It鈥檚 not just energy efficient, we used materials that would minimize waste directly, used local materials to reduce transportation 鈥� our posts and beams came directly from Squamish Valley, the concrete is local, the windows came from Kamloops. Most, but not all, of our base materials were sourced within 800 kilometres.鈥�
It took one year to source a builder, find their preferred architect and create drawings and line up the contractors. It took another year to build, but the couple plans to live in it for a lifetime.
鈥淲e want to be able to live here into our retirement,鈥� said Baldwin, who said she鈥檚 been aware of her ecological footprint from a young age. 鈥淚n the meantime I can walk to work, we can both walk downtown if we choose, and grow food in our yard. It鈥檚 the sustainability that we were after.
鈥淯ltimately we鈥檙e concerned about the planet. We want to leave enough for the next generation and don鈥檛 want to take up more than we need.鈥�
While a little bit nervous about opening the couple鈥檚 home to all of Squamish聽on Sunday, Baldwin said she is eagerly anticipating the event and the connection it will bring.
鈥淚鈥檓 really looking forward to meeting more people with similar values and those who are on the same journey as us.鈥�
