AN ENERTIA LEGEND
Construction Photo Album
In 1997 an Enertia
Aquarius 2 home was built on family farmland in the American midwest. Through incredibly cold midwest winters, violent storms, blistering summers, it has been an icon of American Preparedness.
Now another Enertia home (right) is being built nearby.
The same technical representative from Enertia is at the site to assist with construction. We'll bring you some construction photos of this project, with thanks to the owner and builder who have shared them with us.
Architectural Rendering of The Enertia Legend
The site is a beautiful spot at the edge of a corn field.
The excavation is a near perfect cut into the ground. Even the cows are interested.
After the excavation, the forms are built for the concrete footers that will support the walls and other structural elements. Gravel is spread outside of the forms. Rebar is put in place in preparation for the concrete pour.
After the footers have dried, concrete forms are erected. The rebar framework will strengthen the concrete walls.
The concrete pumper can place just the right amount of concrete in just the right place, resulting in a very clean and accurate foundation pour.
The concrete has been poured, the forms removed, and the outside of the walls are being waterproofed and insulated. Inside, the plumbing has been "roughed-in." The concrete pads (below) will support jack posts and other load paths that give structural integrity to the building.
The shear wall (above) has a brick pattern pressed into it. The shear wall supports the inner South timber wall that divides the Sunspace from the inner shell living area in an Enertia® home.
Pex tubing is laid in a special pattern to produce "zones" of radiant heat that can be controlled by the homeowner.
The jackposts are in place, and insulation is laid on top of gravel. This basement will have a radiant heat floor, and the insulation will minimize the leakage of heat into the ground.
After the posts are in place and the tubing is put down, the basement slab is poured. When the tubes are filled with hot water the floor will radiate heat, and the posts are now firmly anchored.
The first of three delivery trucks has arrived with the Enertia® kit. The bundles are unloaded and close to the building site.
A triple band of 2x10s has been built on top of the foundation walls. Floor joists have been set within the band, and plywood is nailed on top of the joists to create the main level subfloor. The subfloor in the Sunspace will be dropped 2" to allow for a tile floor.
The first row of timbers (A Row) is being set in place. This keys the position of the doors and wall openings. It is nice to have a lift on the site to do some of the heavy lifting and carrying. In the lower right image you can see the start of the double North wall.
The door frames and North wall buttresses are other key elements that define the structure and keep everything in alignment. They are also set with A row. Window frames are set as the appropriate row of timbers for each window placement is reached.
The bundles of timbers are uncovered as needed. Each timber has it's location written on the end and on top. It is essentially like putting together a big 3D puzzle - except in this case there is a chart which shows the location of each piece.
The walls rise very methodically, and the house begins to take shape.
Because the timbers are pre-cut and numbered, the main tool needed on the job site is a heavy duty electric drill to drill the long self-tapping screws that hold the timbers in place.
There will be a mudroom entry on the North side of the house. Later, a deck will be added.
The lift really comes in handy when it is time to set the large floorbeams that support the second floor of the house.
After all the beams are set, plywood is nailed down as a temporary subfloor for the upper level. Later, after the house is dried in, the plywood will be removed and flooring will be installed.
As the gables are finalized, the heavy timber roof structure begins. The long timber is a Ridge Beam that will hold the top end of the roof rafters. The crane and the lift work together to get everything in place.
Below the rafters you can see the decorative timber trusses that will support the ceiling and add incredible visual warmth to the Great Room.
The walls of an Enertia® home are Gluelam timbers right to the top of the gable peaks. Above (left) are the top timbers for each of the gables.
With careful planning, the crane that is used to set the roof timbers, ridge and rafters can also be used to set the SIPS panels that are first layer of roofing.
When all the rafters have been set, the Enertia® kit is completed. The optional trusses are also in place. Next the SIPS roof panels are added. In the image above (left) the North side has had its panels installed. With a crane, this goes quickly.
Meanwhile, the East entryway has been completed.
These Axon renderings show the layout of the main and upper levels of the home.
We set up a time lapse camera at the job site. You can see the construction video as this kit goes up
one timber at a time.
