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SHP Grad Goes Small with ADU

Kol Peterson's Accessory Dwelling Unit. Located in Portland, OR.

Kol Peterson, an Earth Advantage Sustainable Home Professional (SHP) alumni, has just finished building an high efficiency Accessory Dwelling Unit in NE Portland. His professional background in environmental planning and his personal interest in high performance buildings led him to want to build and live in an smaller urban space. In the process of building an ADU, Kol became enamored with ADUs as a re-emerging, urban residential model for sustainable, high-efficiency living option.

Kol's 800 sq. ft. ADU that was featured in Portland's Build it Green tour on September 24th.  He used information from EAI's SHP class lessons to refine the design with his architect and builder.  He worked with EAI's Building Outreach Specialists to determine which green certification programs to use.  

His ADU qualified for Northwest Energy Star certification and received Energy Performance Score (EPS) of 35.   EAI helped to make this ADU the first one to get Energy Trust of Oregon new home construction rebates, which will amount to over $1,500 cash back. In order to receive the rebates, the ADU needed to be the primary residence for the homeowners, have a separate address, and be separately metered.

Having finished his ADU, Kol is offering a one-day class on Saturday, November 6, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for other local homeowners who are considering building an ADU in Portland. The material from this class will draw from the SHP class, walking homeowners through a condensed lesson in building science. The class will also cover:

• The ADU design, permitting, and building process
• Relevant green building approaches and certifications
• Financing, rebates, incentives, cost-saving design/build measures
• Resources, references and contacts to help you design and build your ADU

This class is intended for homeowners interested in building an ADU on their property. The goal for this class homeowners build an ADU that will augment their property, maximize their space, and lower their short/long term costs. This class will help homeowners understand the essential elements of the ADU process from start to finish, which will result in a more beautiful space, and will save them time and money. 

About the Author

Chris Mayou

Chris is the course manager for the Sustainable Homes Professional and Certified Residential Green Appraiser courses. She has over ten years’ experience as a residential custom home designer and co-owner of a small residential construction firm. She is a certified Sustainable Homes Professional and has designed more than twenty Earth Advantage and Energy Star certified homes. She was the safety coordinator and co-owner of a commercial roofing business for 15 years. Chris has a B.S. in Health Education from the University of Wisconsin--La Crosse.