November 2024
Featured Magazine in WMAIA +
Greetings to you all, and Happy Fall! We’re deep in shoulder season, when the weather is in transition. We’re waking up to frost on the ground and then wandering around the yard in t-shirts by mid-afternoon. A thermal roller coaster!
We’ve been busy this Fall, as you may have noticed in our Instagram, with our growing team, new projects in the ground, and a host of activities all over.
Additionally, we are featured in the WMAIA Fall 2024 Newsletter! This is our 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 project located in Northfield.
𝙔𝙀𝘼𝙍: 2019 to 2023
𝙇𝙊𝘾𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉: Northfield, MA
𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙅𝙀𝘾𝙏 𝙏𝙔𝙋𝙀: New Build - Single Family Home
𝘽𝙀𝘿𝙍𝙊𝙊𝙈𝙎:: 3BDRM
𝘽𝙐𝙄𝙇𝘿𝙀𝙍: Mathes Hulme Builders
𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙉𝙀𝙍𝙎: PowerHouse Energy Consulting, PV Squared
𝙎𝙔𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙈𝙎 & 𝙁𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙀𝙎: Triple Glazed Windows, All-in-One ERV/HP Pentacare, Heat pump hot water
𝙀𝙉𝙀𝙍𝙂𝙔 𝙍𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂: Passive House Design-Certified
The Wonders of Mudrooms
MUDROOMS 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙜𝙚𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣: ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴜᴅʀᴏᴏᴍ! At Graphite Studio, we believe this transitional space is more than just a place to kick off your shoes. It’s a sanctuary that bridges the outside world with your cozy interior, allowing you to decompress as you enter your safe haven.
Did you know? The term “mudroom” first appeared in the mid-1950s, coinciding with the rise of suburban tract housing. These spaces evolved from practical necessity to become a sought-after feature in modern homes.
A well-designed mudroom serves multiple purposes:
• Acts as a buffer zone, keeping dirt and clutter at bay
• Provides organized storage for coats, shoes, and outdoor gear
• Offers a perfect spot for pet supplies and cleanup
• Welcomes you home.
It’s the place where you can let your shoulders down and shake off the cares of the outside world.
Questions for Andrew
Questions with Andrew
Welcome to the series where we ask Andrew frequently asked questions. Get to know us, get to know the process!
WATCH HERE: We’ll talk about all kinds of things: From “What’s a Deep Energy Retrofit?” “Why Passive House?” to “When do we get to pick a fridge?” and “How can we find a great builder?” If you’ve got your own questions you’d like answered, feel free to send them in!
Project Highlight: Abisalih
We’re just back from a site visit in Bartlett, NH, where Garland Mill is nearing completion on a Deep Energy Retrofit we did together. For this job, we’re doing diagonal furring strips for our vertical siding, over the shiny face of exterior foam board.
Why Diagonal Furring Strips?
With horizontal siding, strapping is easy. Vertical straps provide a back-side venting cavity for the siding to dry, AND a clear space for any rain to drip down the face of the weather resistant barrier.
With vertical siding, it gets complicated! Vertical siding wants horizontal strapping. Horizontal strapping, however, makes little shelves for draining water to collect on - defeating our attempts to drain it out. Diagonal straps promise the best of both worlds - great draining, a good drying channel, AND regular fastening for vertical siding.
We’re always on the lookout for sound, affordable, time-saving strategies for good building science. Congrats to the Garland Mill team for great work on this sweet little retrofit.
𝙔𝙀𝘼𝙍: 2023 to 2024
𝙇𝙊𝘾𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉: Bartlett, NH
𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙅𝙀𝘾𝙏 𝙏𝙔𝙋𝙀: Retrofit - Single Family
𝘽𝙀𝘿𝙍𝙊𝙊𝙈𝙎:: 4BDRM
𝘽𝙐𝙄𝙇𝘿𝙀𝙍: Garland Mill
𝙎𝙔𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙈𝙎 & 𝙁𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙀𝙎: Triple Glazed Windows, ERV, Heat Pumps
𝙀𝙉𝙀𝙍𝙂𝙔 𝙍𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂: All-Electric
Graphite On The Road: Powerhouse EC & 475 Supply
Graphite On the Road: Lunch and Learn
We recently had the pleasure of attending an engaging Lunch and Learn hosted by Rare Forms in Easthampton, featuring John Dean from 475 High Performance Building Supply. John shared invaluable insights into creating high-performance buildings, particularly focusing on critical window installation techniques.
One standout takeaway was the importance of proper window flashing for optimal air and vapor barriers.
Graphite On The Road: Rareforms SEED Panels
Reflecting on our recent visit to RareForms, we're still in awe of the innovative SEED Program launched by @rareforms.design and @newframeworks. The grand opening showcased their groundbreaking SEED Panels, which are revolutionizing sustainable construction. These locally-sourced, high-performance building components, crafted from lumber and straw bales, offer exceptional thermal efficiency while sequestering an impressive 5kg of CO2 per square foot. We were particularly struck by the panels' composition of 98% locally sourced plant-based materials, demonstrating a strong commitment to reducing carbon footprints in the construction industry. The factory-crafted panels not only capture more carbon than they produce but also significantly reduce on-site assembly time compared to traditional methods. Congratulations to the RareForms team on this remarkable achievement – their dedication to creating climate-positive, efficient homes is truly inspiring, and we're excited to see how these innovative panels will shape the future of sustainable architecture.