Raised Wood Floors
APA, the Southern Pine Council and building partners throughout the Gulf Coast are showcasing the benefits of raised floor construction using sustainable engineered wood and other products in a variety of home styles and special projects. Use the menu in the left-column to navigate the Raised Floor Living pages. Additional information for building professionals and homeowners is available at www.raisedfloorliving.com.
Raised Floor News
New Life Cycle Study Finds that Raised Wood Floors Are Less Fossil Fuel Dependent Than Slab-on-Grade
July 2010
A life cycle assessment of two alternative floor systems – one wood, the other concrete slab-on-grade – confirms that wood is considerably less fossil fuel dependant and contributes far less to global warming than concrete. The findings are summarized in Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Floor Systems, Form L400, a free report now available for download from the APA Publications Library.
Based on data provided by the Athena Institute, the U.S. Life Cycle Inventory Data Base, and Ecoinvent, the study compared the fossil fuel consumption requirements and greenhouse gas emission levels of the two systems, both based on a 2,500-square-foot single-story residential dwelling located in Atlanta, Georgia. Both cradle-to-gate and cradle-to-grave comparisons were analyzed. In the cradle-to-grave comparison, the wood floor system measured negative global warming carbon emissions compared to the concrete, with a difference of 18,822 kg of CO2 (the equivalent to annual emissions from 3.7 passenger vehicles), or nearly 180 percent, and significantly less consumption of both total energy and fossil fuel energy. Learn more.
Third President’s Project Open House Draws a Crowd of 78
June 2010
The sweltering heat didn’t stop a crowd of 78 building professionals from attending the third President’s Project open house to learn about energy-efficient design in residential construction. Temperatures climbed to 99 degrees during the June 16 event in Jacksonville, Florida, but the discussion remained lively amongst the crowd of designers, builders, inspectors and others in the trade who came for a closer look at the energy saving features of the winning design from last year's Raise the Floor Design Challenge.
Read the full story on the NEFBA 2010 President's Project Updates page.
Design Your Dream Home Winning Homeowners Announced
June 2010
Raised Floor Living has announced winners in the Design Your Dream Home promotion. Each winner will work with a winning designer from Raised Floor Living's 2010 Design Challenge. In North Carolina, winning homeowner Sarah Morrison will work with award-winning designer Heather Wojick of Creative Design Solutions in Charlotte, North Carolina to design the raised floor home she’s been dreaming about. Morrison and Wojick appeared on WBTV News in Charlotte on June 10, 2010. In Texas, homeowner Yolanda Camacho has won the services of award-winning designers Kathleen Reardon and John Dazey of RD Architecture, LLC. Camacho and Dazey appeared together on the television program Great Day Houston on May 31, 2010. View more Raised Wood Floor videos.
2010 Raised Floor Living Design Challenge Winners Announced
May 2010
Raised wood floor home designs from Houston, Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina have won the 2010 Design Challenge presented by Raised Floor Living. Kathleen Reardon and John Dazey of RD Architecture, LLC submitted the winning design in Houston and Heather Wojick provided the winner in Charlotte.
Winners received $5,000 towards the design of working drawings for the winners of Raised Floor Living’s concurrent Design your Dream Home promotion in both Houston and Charlotte markets.
Raised Floor Living on TV
May 2010
APA and the Southern Pine Council are taking Raised Floor Living to the airwaves with a series of in-depth television features appearing in several key markets throughout the Southeast, including newscasts and talk shows in Houston, Charlotte and Jacksonville. Tune in to our new Raised Floor Living Video page to view the videos.
Construction Begins on NEFBA 2010 President's Project
April 2010
Groundbreaking on the NEFBA (Northeast Florida Builders Association) 2010 President’s Project, the winning home design in the Raise the Floor Design Challenge, took place on April 1, 2010 in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. The house will serve as a raised wood floor demonstration home for NEFBA members and will feature green building techniques and new building products and systems. Several builder education events, highlighting raised floor construction, advanced framing techniques and other building systems, are being scheduled in coordination with construction.
The President’s Project developed as a result of the Raise the Floor Design Challenge, a three-part competition with a winning builder, a winning designer and a winning homeowner. The Design Challenge is sponsored by Raised Floor Living, APA, NEFBA and the Florida Wood Council.
Additional updates regarding the President’s Project and the Raise the Floor Design Challenge will be posted on the Raise the Floor 2010 President’s Project page.
Closed Crawlspace Featured in Residential Green Design Seminar
March 2010
LaVerne Williams, AIA, LEED® AP, a pioneer in green building concepts, joined APA experts to showcase residential green design in a seminar and open house tour in Houston, Texas on Wednesday, March 24, 2010. Approximately 35 local building and design professionals attended the seminar and toured a home designed by Williams. The raised wood floor home features a closed crawlspace – the first in a Houston floodplain area – and many other innovative building systems and techniques -- such as breeze redirection, natural lighting and use of solar energy -- designed to improve energy efficiency. During the seminar, Williams spoke about green and sustainable living, while APA’s Bob Clark discussed energy efficient walls.
The house is featured in the APA publication, Raised Wood Floors: Case Studies in Progressive Home Construction.
Raised Wood Floor Case Studies Featured in New APA Brochure
February 2010
A variety of residential raised wood floor construction methods are showcased in the new publication, Raised Wood Floors: Case Studies in Progressive Home Construction, Form K110. The brochure is published by APA, in cooperation with the Southern Pine Council, as part of a Raised Floor Living campaign to promote the advantages of raised floor construction using sustainable wood products in the Southeastern U.S.
Eight case studies are featured in the brochure, a "diverse compilation that shows how builders and designers are experiencing success with raised wood floors,” said Bob Clark, APA Raised Floor Project Manager. Key builder benefits of designing and building raised wood floor systems are also detailed. Download a free PDF of the brochure or view the case studies online. For more information, read the related news release.
Raised the Floor Challenge Winning Designer Announced
November 2009
Bob Esposito of true design studios in Florida was announced as the winning designer in the Raise the Floor 2009 Design Challenge presented by Raised Floor Living. Learn more.
Raised Wood Floor Construction Featured in Tour of Houston Homes
October 2009
Sixty Houston builders toured progressively-built homes in a progressive dinner event presented by APA and the Southern Pine Council on October 20, 2009. Learn more.
Home Builders and Designers Compete to Raise the Floor
July 2009
Over 200 home builders and architects gathered in Jacksonville to kick-off the Raise the Floor 2009 Design Challenge -- a competition for the opportunity to design and build an award-winning raised wood floor home -- presented by APA and the Southern Pine Council. The July 23, 2009 event featured a full-size raised wood demonstration floor and exhibits by 14 manufacturers and local building material vendors. Read more.
Alabama News Segment Features Raised Floor Systems
March 2009
During March, WKRG News ran the third segment in the Mobile Habitat series, Cost Effectiveness and Wind Resistance. In this segment, APA's Bob Clark discussed why wood and the raised floor system saves the home owner money while providing protection from high winds. View the 2-minute segment.
APA Energy Efficiency Seminar Draws Crowd
February 2009
Green building and wood construction were the topics of a recent APA seminar, Energy-Saving Techniques in Wood-Framed Housing, on February 4, 2009, in Houston, Texas. The free seminar was attended by more than 50 builders, designers and engineers. The seminar also addressed raised floor construction and other disaster-resistant building techniques that meet the building demands of the Gulf Coast. Read more.
Mel's House on TV
December 2008
Construction of Mel’s House, an APA and SFPA E3 demonstration home in Houston, Texas, is being chronicled in a series of televesion stories on KHOU-TV’s Great Day Houston. In a segment that aired on December 19, 2008, APA’s Bob Clark discussed methods of improving energy efficiency in new home construction. A segment that aried last month featured APA’s Bryan Readling discussing wind resistant construction. Other segments have addressed other issues related to green building and disaster-resistant construction with wood, including raised wood floor systems, home durability, resisting floods and green finish materials. Learrn more.
Moisture Control & Closed Crawlspaces Take Center Stage
December 2008
APA held its third open house at the E3 demonstration home in Houston on December 10, 2008. Held in conjunction with a seminar on moisture control and closed crawl spaces, the half-day event attracted an audience of more than 40 architects, builders, engineers, energy raters, building scientists and city code officials. “We had great diversity in the turnout to showcase what we’re doing in that home,” said Michael Strong, builder of the demonstration home and principle with Greenhaus builders. Read more.
City Of Houston Approves First Residential Closed Crawl Space
November 2008
GreenHaus Builders became the first Houston builder to gain approval for a sealed, conditioned crawl space in a residential structure in the nation’s fourth largest city. Closed crawl space systems, with no vents to the outside, can provide greatly improved moisture control and significant energy savings. Read more.
Mel's Open House Turns Into Classroom
October 2008
Mel’s second open house took place in Houston on October 28, 2008. Held in conjunction with a two-hour APA training seminar nearby, the format proved to be effective as more than 30 designers, builders and code officials gathered for a lunchtime tour of the two-story structure. Read more.
APA Wind and Flood Seminar/B.C. Daniels Open House Draws Crowd
October 2008
APA’s seminar in Mobile, Alabama drew 70 builders, designers, engineers, code officials and product suppliers. High winds are an obvious issue in Mobile, Alabama, situated near the head of Mobile Bay, 15 miles from the Gulf Coast. APA presented information on wind resistant design including details of combined shear & uplift and construction strategies contained within the Wood Frame Construction Manual, an AF&PA publication. The attendees indicated that the information was right on target as many in the audience were not familiar with these wood frame building techniques. In addition, the seminar covered aspects of raised wood floor construction another vital topic in this flood prone region. Read more.
Open House Featuring Raised Wood Floors Nets Local Interest
September 2008
Raised wood floors were top of mind for a group of local builders and designers gathered for a recent open house staged by APA and Champion Builders in Port Allen, LA. Read more.
Construction Underway on GreenHaus Builders’ Next Green Home
June 2008
The ground has broken on Houston’s next certified green residence, a 3,000 square foot, traditional style, two-story home that will meet national and local green certification standards for design and construction. The home will also serve as a demonstration for professionals interested in engineered wood products and applications and how green building translates from the drawing board into a certified home. Michael Strong, a principal with GreenHaus Builders has tentatively scheduled the first open house for July 14 to showcase the raised wood floor system. Partnering with Strong are APA, The Southern Pine Council (SPC) and a number of engineered wood manufacturers. Read more.
APA Raises Floors and Hopes for Habitat Homeowners
May 2008
Despite torrential rain, thunder and lightning during the final two days, the week-long Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project ended on a high note – raised wood floor systems for 30 new Habitat for Humanity homeowners. APA, the Southern Pine Council (SPC) and their many manufacturing and industry partners are delivering construction strategies, product support and educational outreach to help rebuild flood- and wind-ravaged Gulf Coast communities. Read more.
Contacts:
APA
Bob Clark
734-823-5412
Southern Pine Council
Cathy Kaake
504-443-4464, ext. 213
Raised Wood Floor Case Studies
Raised Wood Floors: Case Studies in Progressive Home Construction
More and more builders are benefiting from the competitive advantages of a raised wood floor system. Download this free PDF from the APA Publications Library to learn how.