Sustainable Features
- House plan modifications are available to best fit your building lot and utilize the natural resources present, such as optimizing solar orientation.
- Permanent roof types use Architectural Standing Seam Metal Roofs with no exposed fasteners and designed to withstand high winds.
- Specified solid wood roof decking to last as long as the 100 year roofs.
- House exterior provides low maintenance sidings and trims.
- Specifications of gutter locations to drain all rainwater to underground tank for yard and garden irrigation.
- Integrated Evacuated Tube Solar Thermal panels in every plan to provide domestic hot water, water source heating, and heat source augmenting for desiccant cooling.
- The integration of clerestories or dormers provides natural light in the main living areas, and creates a draft in hot weather to vent hot air through natural convection, lowering cooling costs.
- Exterior walls are specified for R-22+ with very low exterior radiant heat induction with standard 2x4 steel framed walls.
- Roofs and/or ceilings designed for R-36+ provide very low radiant heat induction.
- Modification of plans available for solid construction using time tested systems with R-32+ walls and R-40+ roofs. Design/build expert for Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) construction and Insulated Concrete Form construction (ICF).
- For those interested in superior solid construction systems, professional consultation is available to owners and owners’ builders.
- Concept design for HVAC systems that best utilizes the natural principles of thermal dynamics, including systems that integrate convection earth tubes or geo-thermal.
- Primary living areas have dedicated HVAC zones apart from bedrooms to save conditioning costs.
- Non-bias foam insulation and solar shield foam thermal sheathing on walls and solar shield wrap over roof/ceilings insulation; designed to slow transfer of heat and cold from inside and outside.
- Triple pane thermal windows and doors with aluminum exterior cladding.
- Covered porches not only for outdoor living space but provide cover to entrance doors and windows, protecting them from the elements.
- Covered porches with insulated ceilings and solar shield to reduce solar gain to interior walls and lower cooling costs as well as reduces solar radiance to make these outside living spaces more comfortable.
- Deep roof soffits and eaves to protect sidings, windows and doors and to provide solar shading and reducing cooling loads and shade protects siding and wall openings providing for lower maintenance.
- All reinforced monolithic foundations with embedded bolts to tie the framed structure to the foundation so the structure fares better than standard construction against high winds associated with hurricanes and tornadoes and even against floods and seismic events.
- High thermal mass envelopes as specified in our construction plans optimizes the use of sustainable renewable energy and justifies the high initial costs of such systems as solar voltaic collectors, reducing life time energy costs.
- All plans call for a fully masonry fireplace and chimney for a controlled draft catalytic low emission woodstove insert fully capable of heating the primary living space. Many plans include a masonry fireplace for the outside living space.