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Upcoming Project
The Springtime Cottage 3BR 2BA 1432sqft: Small, Affordable Passive Solar
The most desirable and in-demand home is an affordable 3 Bedroom 2 Bath.
The average size of the american home is beginning to shrink to more sustainable sizes.
On our quest for appropriately sized, well designed, passive solar home plans, we realized that few options exist. This is what led us to create the Springtime Cottage. We believe that this design is one of the most efficient and functional 3BR 2BA plans ever created. For floorplans and a more detailed account of this home's design features see The Springtime Cottage at the bottom of the Design Science page. We are working on different floor plans and elevations that will be on this page very soon.
This home is under construction and For Sale in West Asheville for 289K. Call Brian at 828-329-2146 for a tour.
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Not only are Slabs the most economical foundations, This is an affordable alternative to ICFs, The first panel is erected. It is a Polyurethane SIP product from
they regulate temperature swings at the most lived in Insulating the most important part of the slab Eco-Panels. R25, but more importantly, designed with less
area of the homes with thick, Thermal Mass. (edge) while providing no foam entry for termites. Thermal bridging than any other panel out there.
Stained Concrete is becoming one of the most popular flooring options. Benefits An exciting day as the crane sets the R40 roof panels. The
include: easy maintenance, Low VOCs, High Thermal Mass performance, appearance panels are supported by the rafters which brings the structrural
speedy installation and low cost. Living/Kitchen on left, Bath on right. framing completely out of the envelope for ultimate performance.
The Springtime Cottage at 20 Crestmont
High Performance, Healthy Indoor Air, Super Nice Finishes
On the downtown side of West Asheville, an infill city lot escaped development despite its flat lot, winter views and brilliant location. Although the initial, purchase price may be higher than some of the competition, the actual cost to live here could be much lower. This new home will offer the buyer an opportunity to save 50-100% of their energy bills and resulting environmental foot-print.
· Highly Passive Solar Design. Combined with our building envelope, this home will supply around 75% of its own heat for free, while providing abundant natural lighting and a better connection to nature all year long.
· Energy Recovery Ventilator ERV. This ensures the home has complete control over the Healthiest Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). HEPA filtered with a wall mounted control next to the thermostat. IAQ experts and Building Scientists agree that this is the best method for achieving the healthiest IAQ.
· SIP walls and roof with Thermal-Bridge-Free details. This is the most affordable and effective way to achieve energy independence and mold resistance.
· Solar Hot Water. System should supply around 80% of the energy needed for the 2nd biggest energy user in the home.
· Super performance windows. Triple pane windows except on South, which feature the newest, high-performance glass technology for passive solar windows. All Fiberglass frames, the highest performing window frames and spacers available. All operable windows are Casements.
· Designed with a compact plumbing footprint saving water and the energy needed to heat it.
· ADA friendly
· Rain water catchment
· Cutting edge design
This home has broken the record for Blower Door Test results in our region. This test is an efficient home’s most important diagnostic tool. It ensures an airtight shell and complete control of healthy indoor air quality.
Make this a Net-Zero-Energy Home by adding a PV system. The high performance building envelope will already be in place, making it easy to up-grade to Net-Zero-Energy in the future. The upgrade will be small and affordable thanks to the completion of the most difficult aspect of achieving Net-zero-energy use: The building envelope
Springtime Cottage Interior
· Modern Custom Cabinetry. Hickory upper cabinets and Built-In Pantry. Soft-close drawers and the highest quality hardware. Professionally designed for maximum use of space.
· Granite Countertops. Honed finish. The most resistant material to stains, scratches and burns. Granite composite kitchen sink with modern, brushed - nickel pull down spray fixture.
· Induction cooktop. Stainless with black appliances featuring the Induction which is becoming more popular with top chefs than gas for many reasons: more precise temperature control than gas, faster, safer and the easiest to clean surface because the pot is being heated instead of the top. It also uses a fraction of the energy and introduces less heat to the kitchen.
· Professionally Designed Kitchen lighting plan with under-cabinet LEDs, Task and Ambient lighting on CFL dimmers. Oil rubbed bronze trim. Living room recesses, Master fan and light on dimmers. Power outlet and cable for flat screen wall mount in Living and Master Bedroom. ORB ceiling fans in upper bedrooms. Gray plate covers give a very clean look.
· Clear-sealed wood trim. Exposed Douglas-Fir beams. Local species include Southern Yellow Pine, Red oak, Walnut, Hickory, and Bird’s Eye Maple. Stain-grade knotty pine doors. Louvered doors to all closets and storage areas assist air-flow and ventilation.
· One of a kind Acid-stained concrete floor. This is the main source of the home’s Thermal Mass and is beautiful, healthy and easy to maintain. All stair parts, upper bedrooms and hallway are site-finished Red Oak. This gives a better look and is easier to clean than factory-finished flooring typical of most new, wood floors. Tile in laundry and Upper Bath.
· Oil-rubbed bronze door and window hardware including most light fixtures.
· Vaulted ceilings with Exposed beams over entire upper level. Main floor has a unique detail allowing the big Southern windows to go all the way up to the ceiling. This gives an open, modern effect letting light further into the home increasing the performance and aesthetics.
· Travertine Shower with tumbled river-glass accents and a no step/ barrier threshold. Frameless Shower doors. Cantilevered bench and sink assist an ADA friendly bath. Modern, brushed-nickel fixtures. Rain shower head, bottle P-trap. Eco-resin “thatch glass”.
· Built-Ins include reclaimed wood for the upper bedroom desk. The contoured, cantilevered bench in the mudroom area functions better than a closet by offering a place to sit while accepting shoes underneath and a coat rack above.
Springtime Cottage Exterior
Our exteriors use a more traditional, Craftsman design style but still feature some Contemporary Nature elements. One of our main objectives for exterior finishes is to make selections that reduce the maintenance tasks of the Home Owner.
· Poplar Bark Siding and Timber Frame accents.
· Boulder Walls
· Acoustical Water Garden Feature. Water Gardens can be high-maintenance, but from our experience so far, they are worth it. A small pond at the entry greets one with sounds of water, diverse aquatic life and dancing light.
· No- step Entry. Why have to step up to enter your home? ADA friendly entrance eliminates steps and threshold.
· Rain Water Cistern. Equivalent to 5 rain barrels and capable of gravity feeding the entire lot’s landscaping and garden.
· The Covered Patio has a low-maintenance concrete floor, clear-sealed pine T&G ceiling.
· High Performance Low Maintenance Metal Roof. One of the highest reflection rates available which helps to reduce cooling costs.
· Magnificent Winter Views. Pisgah, Cold Mountain and the Balsam range can all be seen in the winter. Great sunsets in the winter and shade from the western Sun in the summer.
· Walk to West Asheville, the river walk and dog park. Bike to Downtown. The location is extremely convenient.
Nowhere else will you find such an affordable, super-performance home in such a great location. The high-end finishes also set it apart. If you do not like the location, let’s get together to find you one and we can build a similar Springtime Cottage there. Please visit our website for our philosophies, photographs and fundamentals for an environmentally and fiscally responsible approach to building.
Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)
The exterior Walls and Roof are the most important features of an efficient home. They are also the most PERMENANT.
Passive Solar, Mechanical systems and Solar panels are almost irrelevant compared to the building envelope. SIPs are a proven material and outperform conventional framing in many ways. Here are the top three advantages:
Airtight
Homes need to breathe, but we need to control where, when and how. Everywhere there is an unintended air leak there is an opportunity for mold. In our humid climate, moist air condenses on cold surfaces inside a wall in both the summer and winter seasons. Eliminating air infiltration is also the most affordable and effective way to reduce one’s Energy Bills and Environmental Footprint. SIPs are so air tight that they are exempt from Energy Star’s required Blower Door Test: the most important diagnostic test for a home. Our homes have the best Blower Door Test results ever recorded in our region.
Continuous Insulation (Minimal thermal bridging)
Insulation can only perform where it exists. Typical framing has so many gaps in the insulation that the structure is only about 75% insulated. This SIP system is estimated to be 97% insulated. Minimizing thermal bridging has a huge impact on the efficiency and mold resistance of a home.
Strength
SIPs are far superior to conventional framing in structural stability. Most of the important strength of typical framed walls is from the plywood/OSB sheathing on the outside of the studs. SIPs are sheathed on both sides which improves resistance to racking. There are numerous examples of neighborhoods hit by tornadoes, earthquakes and hurricanes where the SIP home is among the few houses on the street left with no structural damage.
Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV)
This device provides the home with the healthiest Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).
Outdoor air is always healthier than Indoor air.
This is simply a fan with a heat exchanger. It is bringing in outdoor air and exhausting indoor air. The indoor air’s energy (hot or cold) is being given to the incoming outdoor air.
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