The Hooke family was forced to confront the heat pump question when their 20-year-old propane boiler that ran the radiant floor heating conked out, and simultaneously, the old instant propane domestic hot water system, which had been ailing due to early hard water, got worse.
With excess solar PV capacity on site, it was evident that an air-water heat pump with propane backup would be the right long-term choice for the radiant and domestic needs. But the question arose whether to install home cooling, using a chiller unit. An idea arose that a screened-in porch might help cool the house even better than the additional heat pump component. A gap in the TimberHomes schedule, opening up the possiblity of a quick turnaround time, tipped the scales towards a timber framed porch.
A shallow foundation of 15″ of Glavel was laid down. Glavel is a foamed glass product made in Burlington, that has high compressive strength and is insulative, making it a great choice for shallow foundations. It was a particularly helpful choice for this project, because keeping the foundation so shallow allowed us to avoid unknown water and sewer infrastructure nearby. We built a floor system out of white cedar and PT, that was laid directly onto the Glavel. The timber frame was built in our Vershire shop, and the curving cherry braces we’re discovered in a leftovers pile! This frame was raised, decked, and papered in a day, allowing the crew to enjoy the first meal under this lovely frame by day’s end.
