Anyone have experience with Airtight homes?

[Humpy]

I'm not going to read all the comments, but you don't want a perfectly airtight house.

If you are using an ERV you do.

 

[vi edit]

Sorry, concrete walls, metal cabinets, no wood trim, ceiling tiles, ect. It sounds like you are a making a commercial kitchen, not a home.

I'm not saying don't follow your ideas, just realize that it's a very...unique taste.

 

[Kaido]

If you are using an ERV you do.

Maintenance doesn't look horrible on an ERV/HRV system:

http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/gemare/gemare_004.cfm

Or maybe even have two smaller ones for redundancy would be good...

 

[Kaido]

Sorry, concrete walls, metal cabinets, no wood trim, ceiling tiles, ect. It sounds like you are a making a commercial kitchen, not a home.

I'm not saying don't follow your ideas, just realize that it's a very...unique taste.

The metal cabinets have optional wood veneer - inside is metal, outside can be wood (or brushed metal, or whatever you'd like - just more durable construction for the mechanisms & inner cabinet). Interior walls are still drywall, so it doesn't look any different than a stick-built house. Ceiling can be flat, popcorned, tiles, drop ceiling, anything.

The unique taste aspect is really only in the building materials, which are hidden from the final product. The main noticeable difference in most ICF construction is that you have thicker sill on the windows, which most people turn into either shelves or a sitting area if it's recessed towards the exterior, depending on how thick of an insulation you choose to go with on the ICF blocks. This is heavy on exterior brick, but here is an example of a finished concrete home:

http://www.williamsburgbuilder.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/ICF-Home-Completed.jpg

Looks the same as anything else. They have curves and angles and different parts if you want to get more creative with the design as well.

 

[soundforbjt]

I remember reading a story of a guy a few years ago that made his house so airtight that he died of suffication.

 

[Kaido]

I remember reading a story of a guy a few years ago that made his house so airtight that he died of suffication.

 

[Kaido]

Ah, found something here:

http://www.passivent.com/passive_stack_ventilation.html

Intelligent Passive stack ventilation (iPSV)

Passivent iPSV™ provides a natural no energy alternative to mechanical ventilation systems.

Driven primarily by the natural stack effect by which warm air rises, moisture laden air is removed directly from 'wet' rooms (kitchens and bathrooms). Air inlets located in habitable rooms (living rooms, bedrooms etc) provide a flow of replacement air to the building.

You still need ducts (inlets to rooms, outlets from wet rooms), but you don't have to have something mechanical running. Although if you're going to go through that much work, you might as well just stick a fan on it, haha.