Project Description

This is a near Net Zero Energy, four bedroom, four and one-half bath home with a two bedroom apartment above the garage with a separate entrance.  Located within easy walking distance of the downtown area, this new home offers plenty of space and luxurious finishes for a comfortable lifestyle.

Although a net zero claim takes time to verify, the Home Energy Rating Score (HERS) of -10 indicates that this home might just achieve this significant mark of remarkable energy efficiency.

Project Architect: Trillium Architects

Special Features:

  • Open plan layout on main floor
  • Gourmet kitchen with huge center island
  • Master bedroom with glass-walled reading nook
  • Exciting master bath with egg-shaped tub in glass-walled curved space
  • Finished attic space with expansive windows and great views
  • Finished basement recreation room
  • White oak flooring throughout
  • European tilt and turn windows
  • Large curved bluestone terrace surrounded by fieldstone wall
  • Extensive landscaping

Green Building Approaches:

  • 19.6kw PV system is sized to provide all of the electricity needed to run the house and apartment
  • Evacuated tube solar hot water system provides most of the hot water for the house and the apartment
  • Foundation slab is insulated with 4” of EPS rigid foam board with 2” at edges
  • Foundation walls are insulated with 2” of 2lb SPF (continuous) and 3-1/2” of cellulose
  • Exterior walls are framed with 2×6’s at 24” spacing, insulated with 5-1/2 of dense-pack cellulose
  • Exterior walls are wrapped with 2” of polyisocyanurate foam board insulation to reduce thermal bridging
  • 14” roof trusses are insulated with 3” of 2lb spray foam insulation and 11” of dense-pack cellulose
  • Acrylic sheathing tapes used at all sheathing intersections to achieve exceptional air-tightness
  • Roof overhangs were attached after sheathing tape was applied to the critical wall-to-roof sheathing intersection
  • European thermally protected aluminum windows with triple glazing and u-values of 0.13 (roughly R-8)
  • Fiber cement siding with 30-year warranty installed over vertical 1×4’s to create ¾” drainage plane
  • Ducted air-source heat pump system heats and cool the entire house
  • Energy recovery ventilation for continuous fresh air with minimal heat loss and low operating cost