HRV | TC Legend Homes

Trax

by Senna | Apr 16, 2020

This 2,540 square-foot clerestory (one-and-a-half story) family house has an integrated, differently heat-zoned 1,040-square-foot garage and woodshop sitting within the SIPs shell. It was built in 2020 in western Washington.

A rigorous passive-solar window design uses the majority south-facing glazing for wintertime heating, shaded in summer by a shallow south porch and accurate south clerestory overhang. Multi-direction daylight penetrates and reflects deep into the connected main living space and second-floor balcony via the high second-floor clerestory glazing.

Multiple cutting-edge HVAC and home-automation systems integrate to deliver low-cost air-to-water heat pump-based central heating, cooling, and fresh-air delivery, triggered via automatic carbon-dioxide and humidity sensors. Alexa-driven automated lighting and blinds are installed, a home-automation system that will expand in its capabilities as more options become available.

The clients’ requirement for a spacious first-floor master suite led us to design a smaller second floor in relation to the first. The clerestory design accommodates this layout by producing a daylight-rich one-and-a-half-story house.

Specifications

U.S. Department of Energy Net-Zero certified
Chilltrix CX34 air-to-water heat pump
Zehnder 550Q heat recovery ventilator (HRV), with in-line fan coil from Chilltrix
Development dedicated 1 acre of pastureland to a perpetual conservation easement, ensuring growth of native species
12.4 kW of solar panels installed
6.5” R-29 SIPs walls
12.25” R-59 SIPs roof
4” R-20 foam under 4” concrete slab-on-grade for excellent thermal mass
5.5” foam (total) R-23.8 insulated concrete forms (ICF) perimeter stem-walls
Vinylek Boreal series triple-pane windows (U values between 0.14 and 0.16)
1:1.6 aspect ratio floor plan, with long side facing south
Minimal east and west glazing

Purchase Plans-Set HERE!

Chappell

by Senna | Apr 16, 2020

This 1,950 square-foot, two-story, 3-bedroom family house was completed in Seattle in 2018. It has a two-wall carport adjacent to the back door.

The project presented a challenging permit process for the TC Legend office and a complex dig: The undeveloped lot was located atop a known landslide area, requiring deep pin piles and extensive geotech involvement. A heavily protected 6-foot-diameter seqouia tree stands beside the only site entrance and was successfully cared for during the extensive dig, with drain lines threaded through the roots, dug by hand.

With the main hilltop vista facing west, the challenge was to have the house embrace the view without overheating in the afternoon sun. Retaining the deciduous western tree cover was essential, as was ordering the western windows with low solar-gain coatings.

The storm-water system was not allowed to point-discharge onto the steep slope. The extensive use of permeable pavement ensured the trees and shrubs remain watered, stabilizing the slide-prone slopes.

Specifications

U.S. Department of Energy Net-Zero certified
Chilltrix CX34 air-to-water heat pump
Zehnder 350 HRV
10.8 kW of solar panels installed
6.5” R-29 SIPs walls
10.25” R-49 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
Euroclime triple-pane windows (U values between 0.14 and 0.18)
100% rainwater-permeable driveways and walks

Massey

by Senna | Apr 16, 2020

This 1,200 square-foot two-bedroom clerestory riverside home was built in 2020 in Ferry County, WA. TC Legend designed and permitted the home, and it was built by a Ferry County contractor.

The greater temperature swings associated with the continental climate led us to do a cost-efficiency study to choose the best SIPs panel thicknesses. Walls were bumped to 8 inches, yet the roof remained 10.25 inches. The exposed concrete stem wall footing stands high above the finished grade to keep the snow away from the panel toe, assisted by generous eaves and covered walks & porches, which also provide necessary shade during the hot summers.

An entry mudroom/utility room airlocks the house to minimize the entry of smoke during the fire season. Fresh, filtered air is delivered throughout the house via heat recovery ventilator (HRV), scavenging the heat from the waste air and imparting that heat into the incoming fresh air.

The circular windows are very easy to cut into SIPs panels; the trim-out is a bit more tricky.

Specifications

Fujitsu 9RL heat pump
Zehnder 220 HRV
Ground-mounted solar array for easy snow removal
8.25” R-38 SIPs walls
10.25” R-49 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
Vinylek Boreal series triple-pane windows (U values between 0.14 and 0.16)

Toomes’ Bellingham Affordable Net-Positive Home

by Senna | Nov 6, 2018

Built by the TC Legend Homes/Powerhouse Designs team. We design and build. With a standard palette of materials & details that have been chosen, tested & refined over many houses, there is no confusion for the crew. The draftsman, engineer, and crew are consistent through all our projects, so everyone has done this system before.

Key Features:

Positive Energy – produces enough electricity to also power an electric car.
Energy Star, EPA Indoor airPLUS, and 5-Star Built Green Certified.
Honorable Mention in the Affordable Category of the 2018 US Department of Energy Housing Innovation Awards.
The home is oriented for both passive & active solar performance by facing south, as a rectangle with the long side (26’) running from east to west. The home is outfitted with an 8.1kw photovoltaic system.
Energy envelope includes structural insulated panels (SIPs). The 6.5″ Neopor R29 SIPs panel walls are locally made in Washington. Designed & engineered to reduce cold bridging by minimizing structural lumber & maximizing use of foam splines to connect panels. Shell is air sealed with triple beads of mastic at all joints and panels additionally taped at all joints. RIM joist insulated with R30 spray-foam at floor systems. Perfect rectangle box adds simplicity to construction & reduces corners & thus cost & air leakage.
4″ Extruded Polystyrene (EPS), a low VOC foam (R20), is used under-slab. The concrete slab-on-grade is exposed and is effectively a free finished-floor and a functioning thermal mass.
The heat recovery ventilator (HRV) is a Zehnder Comfo-air 200 which can scavenge 95% of the heat from the outgoing dirty air. Running through a class 4 filter (merv7/8) at between 29 and 118 cubic feet/ minute (cfm), the unit ventilates the whole house, extracting moist air from bathrooms/utility spaces, bringing fresh air into living spaces.
Energy Star appliances including a Geospring 50-gallon heat pump-powered hot water heater.
Stormwater from the roofs is infiltrated on-site using splash blocks below the gutter downspouts.
Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index is negative 25! (A typical new home has a rating of + 62.)

Purchase Plans-Set HERE!

Leavenworth Passive Home

by Senna | Aug 2, 2015

The hallmarks of a Passive House are super-high levels of insulation, a design that takes advantage of passive solar gain, and, as a result, has little need for heating beyond that provided by the sun, warm bodies, and appliances. Passive Houses also come with a list of requirements, like a heat recovery ventilator, a somewhat costly piece of equipment that recoups some of the energy that would normally be lost from circulating fresh air through the house.