The Wall Assembly

The New Norris House wall assembly utilizes advanced framing techniques and a rainscreen wall construction. Constructed of Atlantic White Cedar (AWC), the cladding of the house uses natural materials much like those found on the original Norris cottages of the 1930‘s. Atlantic White Cedar has a natural weather resistance and is a native material to this region.

In conventional wall design, a single barrier building skin acts as a “all-in-one” layer to keep out rain, retain conditioned air, and to resist the forces of wind & air pressure. The pressure differential created by a conventional wall design is a major cause of moisture infiltration. A rainscreen, or pressure equalized system, uses 3 layers, a vented exterior cladding, an air space and a moisture barrier. Initially, water is deflected from the wall construction by the cladding. All moisture remaining is drained vertically and/or evaporated by the movement of air within the air space.

Specifically in The New Norris House, the batons that create the air space were canted to increase water drainage from behind the AWC cladding. Also, a bug screen that will prevent the regional dirt dobber from nesting and damaging the wall construction adds a layer of moisture protection during times of precipitation. The AWC was finished with Cabot’s Bleaching Oil.


The structural framing of the New Norris House wall assembly was built using 2x6 wood framed walls rather than conventional 2x4 framing methods. Using 2x6 studs at 24” on-center, this construction method resulted in a 17% reduction in lumber thus a 17% increase in insulation. Rigid insulation was also added to the exterior of the wood framing, behind the weather barrier, to reduce the effects of thermal bridging.

If you are interested in learning more about rainscreens in residential construction here are a few links to get you started.

an article on rainscreens:
http://www.residentialarchitect.com/products/screen-shot1.aspx

and a more detailed report from DOE’s Building America specifically for houses in Mixed Humid Climates:
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy05osti/38448.pdf

We won a Residential Architect Design Award!

It is our pleasure to announce that the New Norris House project has been selected for a Residential Architect Design Award!

We have been awarded a Merit Award in the Single Family Housing category. Of over 800 applicants, only 36 were chosen as winners. This is a tremendous honor which we are extremely thankful for. Many thanks especially to the town of Norris, our many project partners, and all those involved with the project.

Though the announcement has been officially made, it has not yet been posted to the RA website. Check back in the coming days/week, and look for the awards in the May/June issue of Residential Architect.

photo by Ken McCown

Springtime in Norris

One day after the first day of spring, flowering plants are already in bloom, grasses are growing, and insects are buzzing. It’s a beautiful time of year in this part of the country! The winter was the fourth warmest on record, and plants are coming out of dormancy sooner than usual. Most of the country had a mild winter and is seeing warm temperatures already (see this map showing land surface temperature anomalies in North America).

buds on the dogwood tree in the front yard

Temperatures in the past week have reached the high 70s and even into the 80s. The average temperature for March is in the low 50s, so the heat is rather early this year; 80 degree temps don’t usually hit until May.

buds on the plants on the side of the driveway

Along with the blooms and warmer air come allergies, the sound of lawn mowers, and longer daylight hours. The bees and wasps are out and often hit the windows as they fly around, looking for a place to make a nest. Crickets are already chirping at night.

wasp on the kitchen window

Although it’s been warm during the day, the house is comfortable inside. Windows and ceiling fans keep the air circulating. Nighttime temperatures are still in the 50s, helping the house stay cooler during the daytime.

many redbuds are in bloom throughout norris

The leaves on the trees we see out the kitchen window haven’t quite filled in yet, so we’ll have a view of the sunrise for a little while longer. Next week the forecast calls for rain and temperatures in the 70s--hopefully bringing a reprieve from the heat for a while longer yet.

sunrise through the trees

Phase IV Landscape

In East Tennessee, the last expected freeze date is April 15, but it already feels like spring! With the warmer weather approaching it's time to start making preparations for the installation of the Phase IV landscape - the native grass meadows. Be sure to look for an upcoming post outlining the process we will use to establish the meadow (item number 6 on the site design plan below). For now, let's take a look at where we've been and where we are going with the New Norris House Landscape. 

BEFORE: Existing Site Conditions

While the existing house sat on an original Norris Cottage foundation, several remodels and years of vacancy left the house in poor condition. Original to the 1930’s town plan, two drainage swales, one stonelined (01) and one vegetated (14), flank the site. Our goal of treating stormwater onsite involves capturing and infiltrating water before it enters the swales.

AFTER: Site Design Plan

The site design responds to the linear site with a series of parallel interventions reflected in the plantings, community path, and raised vegetable beds. The steep slope is addressed with five terraced bioretention beds that treat greywater and rainwater. Native grass meadows and spreading shrubs are planted for erosion control and provide stormwater infiltration zones. The retaining wall delineates the previous homes footprint, and provides a pre-compacted area for the gravel parking court.

Site Design Section

The site section reveals the various ecological functions of the design such as infiltrating stormwater, treating greywater and rainwater, and restoring native habitat. The section also communicates the visible and physical connections between inside and outside. The program includes raised vegetable beds for producing fresh vegetables, level lawn area for recreation, and the forest edge plinth and fire pit, a retreat.

View of vegetable beds and gravel plinth from community path. Photo credit: Ken McCown