HERON HALL BLOG
This blog will be our place to share updates, news, and progress of Heron Hall as it undergoes construction, development, and pursuit of Living Building Certification.
Please check back in soon for progress updates and news.
Moved in!
Its been awhile since the last post- because we’ve been very busy! The McLennan Clan has finally moved into Heron Hall! There are still a bunch of miscellaneous projects to do inside and out - but we are loving the new house very much. We have been giving quite a...
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Gearing Up for the Final Push!
The Smallwood team is working hard to get our occupancy permit and complete a bunch of miscellaneous things as we enter the final push. Last week the beautiful Bainbridge Island wide-board cedar was installed in the stair tower and final room paneling (for the...
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Power and Shit!
Over the last few days a couple more exciting things happened. 1. Our composting toilets arrived - with Glenn from Phoenix who has installed several systems into Living Buildings including the Bullitt Center! We likely won’t get them fully online until later...
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Floors, Counters, and Appliances!
Continued Progress on Heron Hall as the new year begins. Our Flooring crew has finished installing all wood floors on the main level and are now working their way upstairs with our stairs and upstairs flooring. Ryan worked hard over holidays to get all our counters...
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The Age of Solar
As 2016 comes to a close we are so excited to be getting closer to moving into our Living Building House. This week we were thrilled to have our wonderful photovoltaic array installed by Frederickson Electric’s great team. The modules come from the State of Oregon...
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Pre-Christmas Update
Big Changes are happening every day on the project at this point and its exciting times at Heron Hall! Inside the big hall is now revealed and nearly complete! The beautiful interior is on display showcasing rammed earth, local urban salvage wood and beautiful...
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David Trubridge Light – Time Lapse Assembly
We are thrilled that our Trubridge Lights arrived for Heron Hall! This is the only product in the house that I imported! These beautiful lights come flat packed and minimal in shipping. They are beautiful and low impact. David is a visionary product designer and...
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Post Thanksgiving Update
It feels like the light is finally at the end of the tunnel now at Heron Hall - even though there is much to do. Painters are whitewashing interior wood, Ron is finished with all tile work - including beautiful Earth Measure Linear Series Tile in the entry by Cold...
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A Metal Roof to Meet the Sky
A big shout out to Metal Sales, one of our great corporate sponsors, who worked with me to debut the new Standing Seam Metal Roof with the new Valspar Fluropon Pure Coating that is free of PFOA, hexavalent chromium, lead phthalates and bisphenol-A - a DECLARE listed...
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Let There Be Heat!
Last week was another cool milestone for the project - Michael installed our new Daikan Altherma - a highly efficient air to water heat pump that provides all of our domestic hot water needs as well as the heating for our hydronic - radiant heating system in our...
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Flying High!
Heron Hall’s progress continues which our drone shows off nicely! Fall is in full force on Bainbridge Island and the rains are starting to arrive. Outside our siding crew is down to their last two weeks as they put up the burnt wood siding on the second floor. Our...
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Inside + Out!
Lots of work going on at Heron Hall both inside and out these days. Cedar Siding is being installed and progress is being made rapidly out the outside of the home. The crew has even started burning some of the siding for the black burnt wood finish! On the inside -...
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Porches and Shed Update
Heron Hall’s South facing porches were built last week by my good friend Clemente Ramirez and his team at Green Bridge. Eventually the porches will have sustainably harvested juniper boards as the surface, but for now its good to have the structure built. Even more...
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Finish Work Begins!
The last week of August marks another important milestone in the project. Last week the Smallwood crew finished all of the interior plywood and began work on interior wood siding - finish work is now beginning! The first room to get finished is the guest bathroom -...
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Knauf Insulation Process
Knauf Insulation is great! It was our product of choice to insulate Heron Hall and meet our goals of a healthy, toxic free home in accordance with the ambitions set forth in the Living Building Challenge. We're excited to share some photos and descriptions of the...
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Busy days at Heron Hall!
While summer is in full bloom, so is progress on Heron Hall. Knauff insulation is being completed and Smallwood erecting plywood right behind them. The west side screen porch has been framed using beautiful, salvaged headers. The south-side open cistern was built...
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Rain Baby Rain! Cistern Installed!
We are incredibly excited that our beautiful water cistern is now erected at Heron Hall - by RainBank Rainwater Systems. This 15,000 gallon silver beast, a Contain Steel Water Tank, will hold all of our water - and get us through our dry summers in particular. Heron...
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Shout out to Frederickson Electric!
Hans and team have done a great job doing electrical work for Heron Hall and rough electrical is now nearly finished! Thank you guys for getting the house ready for insulation which is coming next!!!
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Knauf Insulation Shout Out!
This week Knauf Insulation worked hard to do an air sealing demonstration at Heron Hall - using its great product - EcoSeal to show how greater energy savings are possible through addressing unwanted infiltration. Rick and team applied the product and taught staff...
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Sirewall Back in Action !!!
Recently Sirewall came back to Bainbridge Island to build two more beautiful rammed earth walls at Heron Hall that make up the framework for an amazing entry car court experience. Joss and Vince were in town and led a great rammed earth workshop. The rammed earth...
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Radiant System and Concrete Floor Built!!
Heron Hall reached another important milestone last week as the radiant heating system was installed in the house and the concrete floor placed inside! We look forward to the winter warmth of this system - and know that our dogs will love lying on those warm...
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Smallwood Construction – Building a Living Building
SMALLWOOD CONSTRUCTION Located here on Bainbridge Island is a wonderful home builder called Smallwood Construction - founded by Rob Smallwood - and now joined by his sons Ryan and Shad together with a great crew of people building our wonderful living building home -...
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Ready for Roofing!
Heron Hall construction continues, as Smallwood puts the finishing framing on the ground level in and begins erecting the beautiful custom trusses inside the space. In the meantime, the project is finally ready for its final roofing assembly materials. The energy...
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Heron Hall Weathered In!!! Shout Out to Prosoco!
Another major milestone reached as finally Heron Hall framing is complete and the house is now generally weathered in! Just in time for the rains to stop! A big shout out to Prosoco! For their incredible Water proof products!!! And the amazing story developed from...
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Roof Framing Well Underway
Its an exciting time at Heron Hall as Smallwood pushes hard to build rafters and get the house weathered in. As soon as rafters are finished plywood is next. The main ‘barn-like’ space is really taking shape and looking great. Equally exciting is the beautiful stair...
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2nd Floor Framing Nears Completion
2nd Floor framing for Heron Hall nears completion and roof framing set to begin this week! The project continues to face lots of rain! But progress continues to be made by...
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Next Stage of Construction – Framing!
The next stage of construction at Heron Hall has been proceeding well in the first month of 2016! Framing is well underway and as each new wall is installed we excitedly are seeing the eventual form of Heron Hall taking shape! All the framing is using FSC Certified...
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Shout out to Associated Engineering for work at Heron Hall!
Heron Hall and McLennan Design would like to do a big shout out of appreciation to our innovative and talented structural engineering team at Associated Engineers in Vancouver, BC. Mark Porter; Jermyn Wong; Keenan Ngo - have worked incredibly hard to help engineer...
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McLennan Design unveils the World’s Smallest Registered Living Building Project
Chicken Hall which will be built this summer as part of Heron Hall, is a newly registered project with the Living Building Challenge and currently the smallest project registered in the world! The coop will be built this summer as Heron Hall itself is completed. ...
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Framing Underway
As 2015 drew to a close framing was well underway at Heron Hall. Smallwood Construction has been busy with beginning framing for kitchen and stair walls with FSC wood and three dimensional shape of the home is now being revealed! All framed walls are double walls,...
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