Net Zero Post-Frame Residence

by Marcy Marro | September 1, 2020 12:00 am

Borkholder, who is a sales representative for Borkholder Buildings & Supply[1], a custom builder whose corporate offices, engineering center, lumberyard and truss manufacturing plant are located in Nappanee. “I wanted an energy-efficient home with minimal maintenance,” he says. “It’s a post-frame home on a slab. I was the general contractor with multiple subs. This was a great way for me to learn more about the low-energy homes we offer. It’s a product I now live in and I believe in and it’s helped me with my presentation to customers.”

For the roof, Borkholder chose McElroy Metal[2] coil to produce 1 3/4-inch snap-lock standing seam panels to host the solar laminate panels from Santa Clara, Calif.-based MiaSolé[3]. Premier Roofing & Construction[4], Nappannee, formed the striated, 16-inch-wide panels on-site. Minneapolis-based Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings[5] supplied its Fluropon PVDF in Charcoal for the metal panels that cover the majority of the home, while the panels on the porch are covered in Fluropon PVDF in Silver Metallic.

To achieve the desired 6kW solar panel system for the net zero rating for a home this size, Borkholder went with MiaSolé’s 19-foot laminate solar panels on the south side of the home. To install the laminate panels on the metal roofing, the 3,130-square-foot roof had to have a 12:12 slope.

For the post-frame residence, Borkholder Buildings manufactured the custom trusses. To install the MiaSolé laminate panels straight and ensure they were completely adhered, they were attached to the metal roofing panels on the ground and then installed on the residence’s roof. This also helped ensure the metal roof panels were cleaner before the solar laminate panels were installed. With the 30% tax credit, Borkholder says he is expecting to make the return on the solar investment within eight to 10 years.

To achieve net zero status, Borkholder also used LP Smart Siding[6], various insulations and in-floor electric heating from Danfoss Power Solutions[7].

The residence, which was completed in September 2019, received the 2019 Residential Building of the Year award from the National Frame Building Association[8] (NFBA). In the first six months since its completion, Borkholder has shown his home to dozens of customers as a way to showcase what the builder can do.

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/net-zero-post-frame-residence/

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