Victory Heights Net-Zero Home

Victory Heights Net-Zero Home

by | Apr 12, 2020

This Built Green 5-Star zero-energy home defines the Seattle eco-lifestyle. It features an open floor plan, heated hardwood floors, 9-foot ceilings, and exposed beams.  On the roof, a 9.5kW net-metered solar array provides all the home’s power needs, and an electric car charging station is built into the garage. Triple-pane windows and SIPs construction offer plenty of insulation, and a whole-house filtration system keeps the air pure. Designer touches include Hinkley lighting, custom cabinetry, Carrara marble countertops, stainless steel appliances, an induction cooktop, and a 9-foot kitchen island.

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West Seattle Emerald Star Home

West Seattle Emerald Star Home

by | Nov 6, 2018

This is a Built Green Emerald Star home in West Seattle. It was the first Emerald Star home for TC Legend and the second of its kind built in Seattle! It is also a Department of Energy 2018 Housing Innovation Award Winner and Built Green’s “Green Hammer” Project of the Year! 

This floorplan is flexible into the future, with two extra bedrooms already in the program, fitted with egress windows & minimum floor area to meet code; One will partition behind the utility, the 2nd can partition from the recreation room upstairs. So this 3 bedroom main house can grow to 5 bedrooms in a day!

The energy-shell is a simple rectangle, conforming to and ideal 1:1.6 established ratio for temperate environments. SIPs shell construction is post & beam type of load-bearing construction that means internal walls can be moved easily during the life of the building as they carry no load. The post & beam structure is visible as both architecture and a celebration of the woodcraft of the Pacific Northwest. 

Specs

  • 3,160 Square feet

  • 4 Bedrooms

  • 4 Baths

  • 9.9-kW Solar

  • Triple-pane windows

  • 10,000-gallon rainwater storage

  • Air-to-water heat pump

  • 2 electric car charging stations

  • Low- or no-VOC products sourced throughout. No PVC.

Photos by Yuriy Manchik.

Bellingham Power House

Bellingham Power House

by | Jun 23, 2015

Clifton

Nicknamed the PowerHouse, this house is the first of its kind in Whatcom County. The home sends power to the city’s electrical grid when the sun is out and draws it during the night or on cloudy days. (Contrary to popular belief, the Pacific Northwest is an excellent place for solar). Averaged over the entire year, the panels will produce more power than the house uses, with enough of a surplus to power two electric cars through on-site charging stations.

With its airtight shell, structural insulated panel (SIP) construction, numerous south-facing windows and passive solar design, highly efficient heat pump, solar hot water, and a solar PV array using Bellingham-built ITEK modules, this one-of-a-kind house has no electrical bills (other than the monthly service charge for this grid-tied system) and costs nothing to heat. No oil, natural gas, or other fuels are used.  

 

Specs

  • 2,700 square feet,
  • 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
  • 1st floor aging-in-place
  • Double height living/dining room
  • Powers itself and two electric cars, for net-zero emissions, over the course of a yearUses a 9.9kW photovoltaic system (half power goes to the house, other half powers two cars)
  • Envelope includes structural insulated panels, insulated concrete forms, and 4” foam under slab
  • Heat and hot water provided by a solar hot water collector with an air-to-water heat pump backup
  • Radiant-heat floors
  • South-facing high solar gain triple-pane windows and solar absorbing concrete floors

  • Utilizes the most energy-efficient appliances and lighting available on a budget

  • Collects rainwater for all outdoor water usage and utilizes low-flow fixtures indoors

  • Budget under $150/SF includes all development costs except land (built on an infill lot in the city)

  • Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance is monitoring home for US Department of Energy pilot program

  • Fresh air provided by heat recovery ventilator and earth tube combo system

  • HERS rating is -15

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19 Cascade Lane

19 Cascade Lane

by | Jul 2, 2014

This was TC Legend’s first “green-built” home. Designed by the company’s founder Ted Clifton to avoid wasted space, the home lives larger than its footprint. It was built using advanced framing techniques to remove more than 30 percent of the framing lumber. (Who knew that there was so much waste in standard construction?) The house was fitted with gas appliances throughout, along with the best double-pane windows available. The home became Ted’s personal residence during the early years of the Great Recession, when he shared it with roommates.

“In the winter, I enjoyed the gas fireplace in this gorgeous home,” Ted Clifton says. “Yet even with a 92-percent efficiency gas boiler, the gas bills were $300 to $400 per month. I was a bit let down that my “green” home still cost so much to operate.”

18 Cascade Lane

18 Cascade Lane

by | Jul 2, 2014

This home was built to be durable and functional; following Ted’s original ideas on green building.  The main line of thinking is that if we built homes that people liked, those homes would last a hundred years or more. That was a great place to start to satisfy our duty to the environment.