Community Roots Housing: Hazel Plaza

Solutions

Community Roots Housing partnered with Environmental Works Community Design Center for architectural services and the Rafn Company as the general contractor and identified three key areas to focus on during the renovation: the building envelope, HVAC & domestic hot water equipment, and lighting. Key elements of the retrofit included:

New fiber cement rain screen siding system, including 2” exterior rigid insulation (R-8) and new continuous air infiltration barrier over the existing plywood wall sheathing and R-11 wall insulation
Vinyl windows and sliding glass patio doors with argon-filled, low-e glazed units. The typical window U-value is 0.26, and the typical sliding glass door U-value is 0.29
Cove heaters in bedrooms and ENERGY STAR/CEE Tier 1 rated heat pumps in living area
Bathroom exhaust fans that provide continuous whole-house ventilation for better indoor air quality
91% efficient Energy Star-rated hot water heaters
Low-flow plumbing fixtures conserve water and electric use by reducing cold and hot water use
Energy Star-rated interior and exterior light fixtures with LED lamps

The energy efficiency upgrades were part of a larger project renovating the property as a whole, which cost just under $1.3M. Financing was accomplished with a mix of the owner’s capital replacement reserves and a bank loan. The heat pumps were installed with a grant of approximately $45,000 from the City of Seattle Office of Housing (and are not included in the project cost numbers). Other upgrades to Hazel Plaza included:

Roof, gutters, and downspouts
New resilient flooring and formaldehyde-free cabinets and counters in kitchens and bathrooms
Kitchen sinks and bathroom lavatories, mirrors and medicine cabinets
New window sills and window treatments
Selective replacement of interior doors
Site improvements including drought-tolerant and native landscaping, repairing damaged paved surfaces and perimeter fencing

Other Benefits

Given the range of building types and vintages in Community Roots Housing’s portfolio, the organization expects to continue its retrofitting efforts well into the future. This project brought more experience to the Community Roots team in news areas like in occupied rehab, energy efficiency, building envelope replacement, and the financing structures necessary to pull it all off. Most importantly, the project was completed as an occupied rehab. Communication with residents and coordination of work to minimize impact was a big priority for the project team. One existing vacant unit was used as a “jump unit,” available to residents while their kitchens and bathrooms were being renovated, and all interior work was done as quickly as possible to shorten the inconvenience to each household.

ANNUAL ENERGY USE

ANNUAL ENERGY COST

ANNUAL WATER USE

ANNUAL WATER COST

ANNUAL PLANT ELECTRICITY USE

ANNUAL PLANT ELECTRICITY COST

IN BUILDING ENERGY USE

IN BUILDING ENERGY COST

ACROSS NETWORK USE

ACROSS NETWORK COST

ANNUAL EMISSIONS

USE

COST

ANNUAL WASTE COST

ANNUAL WASTE USE

Hazel Plaza

Hazel Plaza

Community Roots Housing: Hazel Plaza

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Hazel Plaza

Hazel Plaza