Great Article in the Recorder – Net Zero Retrofit of 18th c. Farmhouse

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“Contractor Kent Hicks of West Chesterfield recently completed the retrofit of an 18th-century farmhouse in Deerfield — using the latest green technology to make it one of the oldest net zero homes in the country.

For the project completed this fall, his builders used mostly repurposed materials, carefully blending them with the historic character of the home. Throughout the building, they meticulously worked around the bits and pieces of history, like the latches and handles that are easily 250 years old and were found on hand-built cabinets in the bedrooms. The builders cut away drywall to reveal old-growth pine beams stretching across the bedroom ceilings and they salvaged timber from a rotted old barn on the property, cleaning away the dirt to reveal the wood’s rich patina. This wood was then used to create the pine trim in the kitchen. ‘The timber is from an old-growth forest that just doesn’t exist anymore,’ Hicks said. ‘It would be a shame if is ended up in a landfill.'”

Saturday, February 17, 2018

http://www.recorder.com/historic-house-gets-green-technology-15613920.aspx