Location

4112 Mercier St.
Kansas City, MO 64111

Solution Type

Net Zero Energy Design

Mercier St. Green Rehab Project

The Challenge

We found this home on Mercier in need of some serious TLC! It needed a complete overhaul. We want to show that you can take an old, run-down house and end up with a super-efficient, beautiful, and comfortable home without spending more than the house is worth.

The Solution

We’ve stripped the house down to its bones. All the studs were fully exposed. All the old knob & tube wiring has been removed and all the plumbing as well. The house has received an electrical service upgrade to a 200A main panel. All the old wiring has been removed from the entire property. All new wiring has been installed throughout the entire house and garage.

Motion and photocell activated security lights have been installed in the garage and around the eaves of the house.

All new plumbing and internet data wiring have been installed throughout the entire house.

Spray foam has been installed in all exterior walls and along the attic roofline. The spray foam insulation will reduce the heating and cooling costs by as much as 50%. The foam also makes the house very thermally stable, which means you will not have fast temperature swings as storms blow in and temperatures drop quickly. The foam makes the house very quiet as it is an excellent acoustic barrier.

The attic space had foam installed along the roofline which makes the attic a conditioned space. We installed a new heavy-duty attic ladder in the upstairs hall and a new floor in the attic as well. There is now over 800 sq. feet of storage in a space that will not get too hot or cold where there used to be just a stuffy old attic!

The cozy master bedroom has had a large, roomy walk-in closet added. There is now a nice space to keep all your clothes and personal items! No more time spent trying to cram all your clothes into a small 6-foot wide closet.

A new York high-efficiency air-source heat pump has been installed in the house. This new environmental system primarily runs on electricity to heat and cool the house. It will help keep the electric consumption as low as possible.

New drywall has been installed in the entire house. Several new coats of paint have been applied to all the interior walls and ceiling.

All new white vinyl siding has been installed on the entire house.

New seamless gutters and downspouts have been installed as well.

We have completed the solar power array. A total of 26 solar panels were installed for a total of 6,370 watts of clean solar energy!! The solar array was activated in March. The array has produced more power than the house has used ever since!

All the old wood floors were refurbished. The areas that were beyond repair were replaced with the same type of wood. The old wood floors were 90% recycled and now look beautiful and new!

All new cabinets, countertops, and appliances have been installed in the kitchen. A large central island is a great new feature.

The master bath has a gorgeous new over-sized tub and is enclosed with a full tile surround with an accent.