TEMPORARY C OF O

Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Issued

Last week the final inspections by the Cincinnati Building Department were completed and Temporary Certificate of Occupancy was issued for the Oakley Home 2.0 project. Much like the Final LEED Certification, the Final Certificate of Occupancy can't be issued until the landscaping is installed, which should happen at some point within the next couple weeks. That said, the Temporary C of O does permit the home to be occupied and lived in as a residence, so it is officially move-in ready at this point. Below is a screenshot of the Temporary Certificate of Occupancy.

DECK NIGHT

Rear Deck Perspectives

With temperatures in the 70's this week in Cincinnati, it was a great opportunity to get a feel for what nights out on the Oakley Home 2.0 deck will feel like in upcoming months as warmer weather becomes the norm. Below are a couple photos looking back from the deck into the main living space.

NEW & IMPROVED GARAGE STEPS

Garage Step Painting & Staining

It is amazing what a little paint and stain can do to improve the look of steps. Below is a before and after of the Oakley Home 2.0 garage steps that were colored to match the main interior stairs.

BATH PHOTO UPDATES

Color Corrected Bathroom Photos

When professional photos were taken of the Oakley Home 2.0 project last month, the one thing that bothered me always bugged me was how the bathroom color was over-saturated and not an accurate representation of the real life color palette. Below are the color corrected versions of the professional bathroom photos to give a better idea of what those spaces actually look like.

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SPRING PLANTINGS

Landscape Planting Plan

Earlier this week with some help from one of the best landscape architects in the city, I was able to update the landscape plan for the Oakley Home 2.0 project so that it now includes a variety of drought tolerant plant selections that will pick-up some extra points towards LEED Gold Certification. Below is a screenshot of the new landscape plan and a breakdown of the planting selections.

Oakley Home 2.0 Drought Tolerant Plant Selections

• Henry's Garnet Sweetspire

• Blue Star Juniper

• Dallas Blues Switch Grass

OAKLEY HOME 2.0 VIDEO BLOG UPDATE 20

Wrapping Up

This is episode 20 in the series of updates on the Oakley Home 2.0 @ 3874 Isabella project that will serve as a supplement to my other Home 2.0 Project Blog Posts.

• Topics Include: LEED, Listing, and Project Wrap-Up

A FINER FILTER

LEED for Homes Furnace Filter Requirements

The LEED Rating System is made up of a combination of Pre-Requisites (mandatory minimum requirements for LEED Certification) and Points, which are above and beyond minimum requirements and determine whether a project is LEED Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum. One of the pre-requisites is for superior furnace filters that have a minimum MERV 8 rating. So why is a MERV 8 filter considered to be a finer choice than the standard filter? Here are few reasons... 

• MERV 8 AC and Furnace Filters are over 30-times more efficient at capturing micro particles than ordinary fiberglass filters
• MERV 8 pleated AC and Furnace filters utilize 100% synthetic media which offers significantly higher particulate efficiency than regular poly/cotton media pleated filters, with little change in static pressure. 
• These filters capture airborne particles/allergens between 3-10 microns in size, such as particles that carry viruses and bacteria, pollen, dust mites, mold spores, fine dust and pet dander. 
• MERV 8 filter media is naturally antibacterial and inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold, mildew, or fungi in normal operating environments, without being chemically treated.
• MERV 8 pleated filters use permanently charged electrostatic material that helps dust cling to the air conditioner furnace filter. 
• Finally, these filters last up to 3 months, meaning One 6-pack typically provides over a year's supply of cleaner air.

SHOE REMOVAL & STORAGE SPACE

LEED Indoor Environment Quality Credit 8.2b

One of the LEED for Homes credits that the Oakley Home 2.0 is picking-up in its pursuit of LEED Gold Certification is for Contaminant Control where a point is earned for 'Designing a shoe removal and storage space near the primary entry way'. In other words, provide a bench with some baskets for shoes underneath it by the front door. Here are a couple photos of said bench and baskets.

SIZING UP THE GARAGE

Parking Test

This past weekend I wanted to try and get a feel for the size of the Oakley Home 2.0 garage with a car parked in it to see how much room there was for storage and maneuvering around the vehicle. I was pretty confident based on the fact that I made sure it could easily fit a large SUV that there would be plenty of area to move freely around my Toyota Camry and I'm happy to report that was indeed the case with enough extra space for storing a lawn mower, trash/recycling bins, and bikes. Below are a couple images I took illustrating this was the case.

FINAL LEED INSPECTION

LEED for Homes Systems Tests

On Friday the LEED Green Raters from Green Building Consulting were on site for the Final LEED Inspection to observe and run tests on the building envelope and HVAC systems to verify compliance with a series of LEED for Homes Credits and Pre-requisites that need to be achieved in order to gain LEED Gold Certification. The good news is that the inspection passed without any issues, which means pending the installation of landscaping, the Oakley Home 2.0 project is all set for Gold. Below are some pictures of the various testing equipment used during the inspection and an in-progress test on one of the ventilation fans.

SOAP & BELL

Soap Dispenser & Doorbell Install

Two of the remaining items on the punch list for finishing out the interior of the Oakley Home 2.0 project that I was able to take care of on Thursday were installing the soap dispenser for the kitchen sink and the wireless doorbell system. Here are some images of the aforementioned handiwork.

DOUBLE DOUBLE

Pull-Out Trash & Recycle Bin

Earlier today the base cabinet next to the kitchen sink was retrofitted to accommodate a double pull-out trash and recycle bin. Below is a picture of this latest addition to the 'Power Peninsula.'