Tech students' green home to hit market

Submitted photo, Star Tribune

Green house on Spring Lane.

A Minnetonka house that Hennepin Technical College used to teach eco-friendly construction is finished and waiting to be priced.

By LAURIE BLAKE, Star Tribune

Last update: September 8, 2009 - 6:12 PM

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A "green'' house on a quiet lot overlooking Minnetonka's Purgatory Park will be put up for sale this fall by an unusual owner -- the city.

After deciding not to add the Spring Lane lot to the park, the city made the land available to Hennepin Technical College last August as a place for students to learn green construction.

The one-story, three-bedroom house is now finished and awaiting a price tag.

Minnetonka allowed the college to use the land because "We thought it would be educational for our city residents about how to build new green homes,'' said Julie Wischnack, community development director. "Most people are not familiar with what a high-efficiency furnace and water heater look like.''

When the home is priced and put on the market, city residents will be invited to open houses, she said. Sales materials will include the energy savings the home is expected to deliver.

Students training in carpentry, cabinetmaking, landscaping and architectural drafting -- with direction and supervision by professionals -- designed and built the energy-efficient house.

Features include eight-inch-thick exterior walls with high-performance insulation and windows, a high-efficiency furnace and water heater, and low-flow showers and toilets.

The house was situated to take advantage of passive solar heating and is ready for the addition of solar panels. Outside, it has rain gardens, rain barrels, permeable pavers and drought-resistant landscaping.

The college undertakes student-built houses every year, but this is the first one employing green construction, said carpentry instructor Bill Joos.

The emphasis is now on green construction because the industry is moving toward more energy-efficient houses and upgrading existing homes, Joos said.

This experience will give students an edge in finding jobs in that new market, he said. About 42 students worked on the project.

Joos oversees the job and requires students to fix any mistakes they make.

"It is a well-built house. The building inspectors from Minnetonka said it's one of the best homes they have looked at.''

The students used education funds to buy the materials needed to build the house and that money will be returned to the college when the house is sold, said Sandy Kretsch, architectural drafting instructor.

The experience teaches students the science of green building, Kretsch said. "We have gone above and beyond code requirements to make this house more healthy and more energy efficient.''

Among other things, students learn why extra insulation is used and that mold can grow if a house is sealed too tightly without proper venting.

"When they are done with this house the students understand the science of building green,'' she said. "We wanted to make this a quality, affordable, high-efficiency and healthy home, so we based all of our decisions on that.''

In the future all houses built by the students will be green houses following this format, she said. "If I were going to buy a house, I would want it to be a house that is healthy, first of all, and very comfortable without using a lot of energy.''

Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711