2,000 - 3,000 square feet

Larson

by Senna | Apr 16, 2020

This 2,020 square-foot two-story, five-bedroom family house was built in rural King County. It has an additional 280 square-foot integrated single-car garage within the SIPs shell. The garage can be re-purposed into a flex space, such as a kids' TV room, playroom, workshop, etc. The home was built in 2018 in western Washington.

The major challenge with this undeveloped site was to dig the potable water line 1,000 feet through a boulder field. The client miraculously located the well stub within the forest, and the TC Legend team dodged and weaved the waterline through.

Additionally, we carved the driveway 500’ through the second-growth forest, located the house for optimum solar exposure, and laid the power line in the middle of the driveway, with septic adjacent under what will likely become a forest lawn. A truly stunning site with stag deer, bear, cougars, and more.

The wrap-around porch with concrete walkway mediates between the inside and outside, with a front mudroom to contain kids' messes and offer an airlock to prevent large temperature drops when the front door is opened in winter.

The house was prevented from becoming overly large and expensive by sizing the kids' bedrooms at kids' scale: on the small side of things. However, the vaulted SIPs ceiling at the second floor, which is a standard feature of SIPs construction, presents a very spacious overhead feel. Additionally, multiple windows in many bedrooms ensures that the kids rooms don’t feel boxy.

Specifications

U.S. Department of Energy Net-Zero certified
Fujistu 18RLXFG heat pump with multiple fan coil heads
12.4 kW of solar panels installed
6.5” R-29 SIPs walls
10.25” R49 SIPs roof
4” R-20 foam under 4” concrete slab-on-grade for thermal mass
5.5” foam (total) R-23.8 insulated concrete forms perimeter stem walls
Euroline triple-pane windows (U values from 0.14 to 0.18)
1:1.6 aspect ratio floor plan, with long side facing south
Minimal east and west glazing

Purchase Plans-Set HERE!

Whatcom County Net Positive Home

by Senna | Apr 16, 2020

This Built Green Five Star home in Whatcom County was selected as a Department of Energy 2019 Housing Innovation Award Winner!

The house is weighted south, toward the sun. With both asymmetrical roofs; longer to the south for solar build-out and a preponderance of south glazing for wintertime passive harvesting, the windows are appropriately shaded, with regionally appropriate eaves and porches, against summertime overheating.

The gross footprint of the house is rectangular, stretched with the long-axis running east-west to maximize space available for solar harvest on roofs and south wall, with much smaller east and west walls which overheat as they take the full force of the sun in summer. The slab-on-grade floor is finished to be left exposed and imparts a visceral, cooling, underfoot mass.

The slab also houses in-floor hydronic heating and radiates warm comfort during the long winter season, which, like all the seasons, can be felt and seen keenly in this house though the diversity of landscape views.

The home also features an open floor plan, with no wasted hallway space. The living area loft provides a sense of grandeur, but the modest-sized bedrooms and bathrooms require less energy and provide balanced efficiency.

SPECS/FEATURES

2707 Square feet (conditioned)
4 Bedrooms
2.5 Baths
SIPs construction
10.066-kW Solar
Triple-pane windows
Air-to-water heat pump
In-floor hydronic heating
Heat Recovery Ventilator
Electric car-charging
Low- or no-VOC products sourced throughout.
Wood posts, beams, counters, interior and exterior trim details milled on site from local timber

Photos by Scott Miller, Elevate Pro Photo

Victory Heights Net-Zero Home

by Senna | 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.

Download Case Study

West Seattle Emerald Star Home

by Senna | 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

by Senna | 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