South Hill Forest Hideaway
South Hill Forest Hideaway is placed on a one-of-a-kind lot in the heart of town yet privately tucked away in the woods with beautiful views. The forgotten lot was purchased by a couple who envisioned an accessible, aging-in-place hideaway to grow old in together, with a big emphasis on accessible. In order to achieve this dream, the home’s design and final finishes had to be carefully considered. The 1525 square foot home is all one level so that every room can remain usable and without worry about falling on stairs. In order to further fall-proof the house, the drywall and countertop corners are rounded, the flooring is made of a softer material, there is a walk-in shower with grab bars to hold on to and the washer and dryer are elevated higher off the ground. The houses most accessible bathroom was also designed to make accessing it with a wheelchair or walker a lot easier as it is 6’ wide and instead of a standard vanity, has a pedestal sink. All of the doors are 3’ wide and have lever handles which are easier to open than knobs.
Due to the lot’s topography, South Hill Forest Hideaway was built on a steep slope and required half of the house to be stilted while the other half has a slab-on-grade foundation. For some contractors, stilt houses can be tricky to build, but TC Legend Homes has plenty of experience and expertise in this kind of build.
When it came time to tackle the tree retention plan, the homeowner joined in and got their hands dirty planting the 22 Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar and Grand Fir saplings with love and care.
This home is a truly special hideaway!
Specs
- Overview:
- 1525 sqft
- 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom
- Half stilted and half slab-on-grade
- Aging-in-place
- Air Sealing: 0.64 ACH
- HERS Index: 35
- Certifications: DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certified, ENERGY STAR certified, EPA Indoor airPLUS certified, anticipated Built Green 4-star certified
- Mechanical:
- Ventilation: Fantech Hero 250H-EC with HEPA filtration. Built-in humidity, temperature, and CO2
- Heating/Cooling: Chiltrix CX34 + comfopost ducted heat & cool + fan-coil heater/chiller
