powerhouse designs | TC Legend Homes

Forest Run

by Senna | Sep 27, 2024

Forest Run

Out on a secluded lot in the County, Forest Run home is a peaceful retreat for retirement. The lot entices you to pull up a chair and just listen to the birds, frogs, bugs and furry critters in the surrounding forest. Once inside, you feel a sense of coziness by the warm-toned finishes, but still have a great connection to the idyllic nature surrounding the home through the large and strategically placed windows.

Unfortunately, during excavation the foundation trench became a big muddy pond due to the clay-rich soil. This resulted in many days suited up in waders and rubber boots. During the foundation pour, we made the choice to use less fly ash in the concrete mix than we would normally because of the cold temperatures and soupy ground. For context, we try to use as much fly ash as we can to reduce the foundation’s embodied carbon. But sometimes compromises have to be made in order to create a more robust structure.

Overall, Forest Run was a fun project to do, with some twist and turns along the way. We are so honored to have built our second-time client another home!

Specs

Overview:
- 1234sf SFR & 1152sf unconditioned garage/shop
- 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom + bonus loft
- Net Zero Energy
- Aging-in-place design
- Passive solar heating/cooling design
- Insulation: R-29 walls & R-59 ceiling
- Air Sealing: 0.46ACH
- Certifications: DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certified, ENERGY STAR certified, EPA Indoor airPLUS certified, anticipated Built Green 5-star certified
Mechanical:
- Ventilation: Fantech Hero 250 with built in HEPA filter. Built-in humidity, temperature, and CO2
- Heating/Cooling: Fujitsu 18RL mini-split
- PV: 5.04kW solar array
Selections:
- Cedar siding & soffits
- Lifetime warrantied asphalt roof
- Fir trim & doors
- GREENGUARD Gold certified oak flooring
- Custom maple plywood cabinets
- Quartzite countertops
- LED lighting
- WaterSense plumbing fixtures
- ENERGY STAR appliances
- Balanced range hood
- No/Low-VOC finishes
- Triple pane, Low-E coated, argon-filled vinyl windows

Fox Net Zero House

by Senna | Nov 28, 2023

Fox Net Zero Home

Started in the winter, building the Fox Home was not without its challenges, but the challenges ended up working in our favor in the end and producing this beautiful and unique home. Right off the bat, after we poured the concrete slab, the weather turned and frosted. As we saved the slab from freezing using plastic sheets and hay, the wind kicked up and caused the hay to come into direct contact with the slab as it was curing. The hay interacted with the concrete and caused what turned out to be really cool color undulations which add to the home’s character. Now we are intentionally adding this option for future clients who want some extra pizzaz in their concrete floors!

We always love when clients add their personal touches to a home as well, and in this case that personal touch was in the form of a repurposed trash receptacle laundry chute!

Specs

Overview:
- 1978sf SFR & 876sf garage
- 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath SFR
- Net Zero Energy
- 1st floor aging-in-place
- Passive solar heating/cooling design
- Insulation: R-29 walls & R-59 ceiling
- Air Sealing: 0.18 ACH50
- HERS Index: -2
- Annual Energy Cost Savings: $2,800
- Certifications: DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certified, ENERGY STAR certified, EPA Indoor airPLUS certified, anticipated Built Green 5-star certified
Mechanical:
- Ventiliation: Fantech Hero 250 with built in HEPA filter. Built-in humidity, temperature, and CO2
- Heating/Cooling: Chilltrix CX-34; hydronic radiant floor heating downstairs and fan coil unit
- PV: 9kW solar array with Enphase microinverters and battery ready
Selections:
- Thermatru exterior doors
- Certified Cool Roof metal roofing
- Birch doors and hemlock trim
- Floor Score certified vinyl flooring & zero-VOC, anti-microbial underlayment
- Quartz countertops
- Thrifted plumbing fixtures
- Europly maple cabinets
- LED lighting
- WaterSense plumbing fixtures
- ENERGY STAR appliances
- No/Low-VOC finishes
- Triple pane, Low-E coated, argon-filled vinyl windows

Samish Solar

by Senna | Jul 25, 2023

Samish Solar

Sitting on a stunning 5-acre lot nestled into the woods and surrounded by wildflowers and berries, Samish Solar Home is an oasis for a growing family of mountain bikers and nature enthusiasts.

Along with this home’s solar array making it net-zero, it has an added level of resiliency with its 28,000-gallon rainwater cistern that supplies the house and its fire suppression system with water. The rainwater is filtered through a sediment filter, activated carbon filter, and UV filter to ensure it is fit for domestic use.

Built using TC Legend’s tried-and-true methods, Samish Solar Home exemplifies what our construction strategies can produce. Just look at these stats!

Specs

Overview:
- 2345 sqft heated living space & 234 sqft unheated sunroom
- 1600 sqft barn with 895 sqft loft
- 4 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom
- Net Zero Energy
- 1st floor aging-in-place
- Passive solar heating/cooling design
- Insulation: R-29 walls & R-59 ceiling
- Air Sealing: 0.27ACH
- HERS Index: -20
- Annual Energy Cost Savings: $2432
- Certifications: DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certified, ENERGY STAR certified, EPA Indoor airPLUS certified, anticipated Built Green 5-star certified
- Winner of Housing Innovations Award!
Mechanical:
- Ventiliation: Fantech Hero 250 with built in HEPA filter. Built-in humidity, temperature, and CO₂
- Heating/Cooling: Chilltrix CX-34; hydronic radiant floor heating downstairs and a fan coil unit upstairs
- PV: 10.8kW solar array with Enphase microinverters and battery ready
Selections:
- Timber framed entry
- Locally made cherry cabinets
- Certified metal cool roof
- Greenguard Gold Maple flooring
- No/Low-VOC finishes
- Fir doors and trim
- Triple pane, Low-E coated, argon-filled vinyl windows

Shepard-Nguyen DADU

by Senna | Jul 25, 2023

Shepard-Nguyen DADU

Built to house grandma on a multi-generational property, Shepard-Nguyen DADU is an accessible 484 square foot home with an additional 176 square foot loft. The DADU was designed to be light, airy and open in order to create a welcoming and safe environment for the grandkids to play in and grandma to hide away to when needed. The clients have an excellent eye for interior design, so the home was completed to a sleek and modern finish.

Since the main occupant is grandma, the home was designed for aging-in-place with wide doorways, a curbless shower with handrails, lever style door handles, extra grabs for the pocket doors, and a seat at the entry.

Specs

484 square feet
176 square foot loft
1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Net Zero Energy
4kW solar array with Enphase micro-inverters
HERS Index: -10
DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certified, ENERGY STAR certified, EPA Indoor airPLUS certified
Fujitsu mini-split
HEPA filtration
ENERGY STAR 50-gallon domestic hot water tank

Cascade

by Senna | Nov 15, 2022

Cascade Lane

Cascade was constructed and sold as a spec home, neighboring two other TC Legend Houses from the
earlier days of Ted’s green construction career. The home is nestled in the steep hillside with the driveway and most of the house standing on stilts. The area is notorious for almost inaccessibly steep driveways, so to create a usable flat driveway at street level and eliminate concrete retaining walls, the 24’ wide driveway bridges to the house with the garage located on stilts, on-grade with the main (second) floor. Cascade projects into space with only a small foundation containing the plumbing. This stilt-house configuration substantially reduces the cost to
build from a traditional foundation and leaves the onsite flora largely intact.

From the entry you walk into the open kitchen, living and dining area with views of the green forest all
around. Behind the kitchen is the utility room and first bathroom. On the lower floor are three
bedrooms and a bathroom, with the master able to be re-configured as a Jack-and-Jill. Also on the lower
floor is the laundry which is located under the stairs and a cozy living or work space with a sliding glass
door out to a small deck that can hold your mini vegetable garden. In total, Cascade is 1400 sf with 3
bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a 240 sf garage.

Built and performing just as all our standard homes, Cascade is a Net-Zero home and will receive a Built
Green 5 star certification along EPA Indoor AirPLUS certification, EPA Energy Star certification and
Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home rating.