A new home for two, generating four times more electricity than it uses, including the "fuel" for an electric car. This house makes Net Zero look like child's play. But while the 22kW roof-mounted system is impressive, it's not all about the PV. The design features great energy savings in its careful siting to maximize passive solar considerations such as natural heating and daylighting. Roof overhangs are sized to limit direct sun in the hot summer and to invite the sun during the cold winter months. The construction contributes as well, featuring R40 cellulose-filled double-stud walls, a R50 roof system and triple glazed windows. Heating and cooling are supplied by air source heat pumps. Photos By Ethan Drinker

Photography by Natalie Marotta Bungalows are lovable homes, but how can they be better? Along with many of our clients, we find that older (early 20th c.) homes have a lot of character and a comfortable scale, but are leaky, damp (especially in the basement), have fair to poor air quality, and use unconscionable amounts of fossil fuels to heat. The owners of this bungalow were ready to change that, and wanted to do so with minimal upfront carbon emissions as well. The gut renovation included replacing the basement slab and providing capillary breaks and insulation continuously below grade. The brick structure was treated with a fluid-applied air and water barrier from the interior and insulated entirely with cellulose, a carbon-storing insulation. The roof used HFO-blown spray foam to provide sufficient insulation while allowing headroom for bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry. One great benefit of a full renovation is the possibility of reconfiguring spaces to suit the family’s lifestyle, and to make the best of indoor-outdoor connections. We opened up the main rooms on the first floor, creating a family gathering spot with a view to the back yard, and a spacious kitchen that supports the family’s commitment to cooking for healthy eating. The stair uses a north-facing skylight to bring light from above into the middle of the home, where it was previously dark. As a decarbonization retrofit, the inefficient furnace was replaced with two small ducted heat pump systems, water heating and clothes drying are powered by air-source heat pumps, and cooking uses an induction cooktop plus electric ovens. Energy recovery ventilation provides filtered fresh air continuous exhaust from the kitchen, baths, and laundry, and supplies fresh, highly filtered air to bedrooms and living spaces. The Better Bungalow now makes sense for the 21st century–it now fits the owners’ life-patterns, is super comfortable, has great air quality, and uses a fraction of the energy it did before, greatly lowering the demand on the utility grid. In the near future, when solar PV is installed, it can achieve net zero or near net zero emissions, and with battery backup, can provide great resilience in the event of power outages.

This ranch style home was gutted and insulated with cellulose wall spray insulation in the exterior walls. Framing was examined and strengthened. All the plumbing and electrical was out of date and was replaced for safety reasons. Efficiency upgrades included a 95% EFF Triangle Tube Prestige Solo LP gas boiler with Uponor radiant floor heat throughout for the ultimate in comfort. A high efficiency Rheem AC system keeps the occupants comfortable in the summer months. Completely new kitchen cabinets with LED task lighting help to complete the upgrades.

“I learned to let workers walk around to gape at the ornate details during their first visit before trying to engage them with any business.” This 1904 home was built by partners of the Pantages Theaters. Oak floors with marquetry borders, ornate plaster ceilings, beveled glass windows, molded trim, and carved figureheads create an elegant home. Unfortunately a multiyear leak had ruined a corner of the dining room, so specialists were found to match the original decorative plaster and basket weave inlaid flooring. Workers painstakingly set 10,000 finish nails into the flooring. “We want to retrofit to Passivhaus standards.” We undertook a thorough sealing of the old walls and attic, insulated the basement with polyiso, and blew piles of cellulose in the attic. Windows on the second floor and basement were replaced with triple glazed units, while the elegant first floor windows were refurbished and fitted with interior storms. Barred from removing the interior plaster or exterior stucco, we insulated the first floor walls from above. Analysis of dollars per BTU saved guided our decision to not remove the stucco to outsulate with mineral wool. In the end, we cut heat losses by 84% from an EUI of 121 to just 19, and received Built Green 4-Star certification. “We’d like to view Mt. Rainier from the master bedroom.” The entire second floor was demolished back to the studs, except for the elegant central stair hall. The floor plan was completely rearranged to fit three bedrooms plus a study under the existing roof. New waste plumbing pipes were threaded down through the house in two directions to serve the new family bathroom, split into a bathing chamber and a toilet chamber. “We love to cook and entertain dinner guests.” The old servant kitchen, tucked away in the back with its own separate stair, was replaced by a new mud room and bathroom. The old 3 foot door from dining to kitchen was widened to an 8 foot archway, carefully replicating the door casing so it appears to be original. The new kitchen has views to the back yard garden, soapstone countertops, custom cherry cabinets, a glass tile splash, energy- and water-efficient appliances, and even a filtered water stub out for the espresso maker. “I really want 4 more inches of head room in the basement.” We demolished the old slab, excavated without undermining the shallow footings, installed new gravel, insulation, vapor retarder and concrete slab. The northeast basement corner was thermally isolated to become a root cellar which will store food produced by the entire yard’s conversion to permaculture. The basement now houses the guest bed and bath, family room, laundry, and mechanical room. “We expected lead paint, but I’ve never seen asbestos in plaster before.” The hazmat crew did all necessary plaster demo. Trim and doors were carefully removed, labeled, and stored for reinstallation. Lead RRP and construction IAQ procedures were vigorously followed. When the new HRV and flexible ventilation tubing arrived on site, we set up a clean room where all HVAC materials were stored and cut prior to installation to assure pristine air quality. “We don’t want to draw our fresh air from down near the ground.” The old laundry chute, our only existing vertical chase, had been promised three times over for plumbing, wiring, and ducts. So we routed the new fresh air duct from the basement HRV up through the old furnace chimney to the sky, a symbol of clean green replacing dirty fossil fuel.

This 3,700 SF high performance, net-zero home built by Dwell Development achieved 5-Star Built Green certification. The home includes solar panels and an electric vehicle charging station. It also includes efficient heating and cooling through use of a Heat Recovery Ventilation System, which also provides the highest level of indoor air quality. The exterior walls of the house have a total thickness of 12”, which is then packed with blown-in cellulose insulation for a very efficient envelope, making it consistent and comfortable no matter the season. The floors are solid hardwood and polished concrete, while the tile and countertops throughout the house are made of recycled contents. The paint and grout were specifically chosen for the house to have no VOC’s.

Bungalows are lovable homes, but how can they be better? Along with many of our clients, we find that older (early 20th c.) homes have a lot of character and a comfortable scale, but are leaky, damp (especially in the basement), have fair to poor air quality, and use unconscionable amounts of fossil fuels to heat. The owners of this bungalow were ready to change that, and wanted to do so with minimal upfront carbon emissions as well. The gut renovation included replacing the basement slab and providing capillary breaks and insulation continuously below grade. The brick structure was treated with a fluid-applied air and water barrier from the interior and insulated entirely with cellulose, a carbon-storing insulation. The roof used HFO-blown spray foam to provide sufficient insulation while allowing headroom for bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry. One great benefit of a full renovation is the possibility of reconfiguring spaces to suit the family’s lifestyle, and to make the best of indoor-outdoor connections. We opened up the main rooms on the first floor, creating a family gathering spot with a view to the back yard, and a spacious kitchen that supports the family’s commitment to cooking for healthy eating. The stair uses a north-facing skylight to bring light from above into the middle of the home, where it was previously dark. As a decarbonization retrofit, the inefficient furnace was replaced with two small ducted heat pump systems, water heating and clothes drying are powered by air-source heat pumps, and cooking uses an induction cooktop plus electric ovens. Energy recovery ventilation provides filtered fresh air continuous exhaust from the kitchen, baths, and laundry, and supplies fresh, highly filtered air to bedrooms and living spaces. The Better Bungalow now makes sense for the 21st century–it now fits the owners’ life-patterns, is super comfortable, has great air quality, and uses a fraction of the energy it did before, greatly lowering the demand on the utility grid. In the near future, when solar PV is installed, it can achieve net zero or near net zero emissions, and with battery backup, can provide great resilience in the event of power outages.

The goal set by the owners, a couple with farm family backgrounds, for a vacation and ultimately retirement home on 30 acres in the Mount Washington Valley was a high performance, low maintenance, Greek Revival inspired farmstead. The program included an open plan living/dining/kitchen area, first floor master suite, open and screen porches, mudroom, second floor guest bedrooms, and a barn to house farm equipment, recreational vehicles and a bocce court. The building envelope includes continuously insulated R-32 walls, R-60 roof, R-18 foundation walls, and R-20 under the basement slab. Dense packed cellulose in wall and roof assemblies minimized the use of spray foam. A blower door test of 0.76 ACH50 confirmed a tightly constructed envelope. Traditional details, using non-traditional synthetic and composite products, were developed to clad the exterior and a 23 kW PV array was added to the south facing barn roof. Energy efficient heating and cooling systems, along with balanced ventilation using an energy recovery ventilator (ERV), were integrated with the interiors. The second floor hallway is partitioned off from the stair to reduce heating and cooling loads when the guest rooms aren’t occupied. All LED lighting, including a cove light tucked into custom ceiling moldings, and Energy Star appliances reduced the electrical load. Two 30-yard containers of wood, plastic and cardboard were recycled during construction. The home achieved a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) rating of -30 (negative 30!), an order of magnitude below the 52 HERS average for New Hampshire and climate zone 6A in 2020. The electric meter has been running backward since the project was completed. The result is a home that is healthy, comfortable, durable, and efficient, with electricity produced on site that more than offsets its use of fossil fuels.

A Cold Winter is Coming; Take These Steps to Prepare: http://mainlinehes.com/a-cold-winter-is-coming-take-these-steps-to-prepare/

Garage photo in Chicago

Photography by Natalie Marotta Bungalows are lovable homes, but how can they be better? Along with many of our clients, we find that older (early 20th c.) homes have a lot of character and a comfortable scale, but are leaky, damp (especially in the basement), have fair to poor air quality, and use unconscionable amounts of fossil fuels to heat. The owners of this bungalow were ready to change that, and wanted to do so with minimal upfront carbon emissions as well. The gut renovation included replacing the basement slab and providing capillary breaks and insulation continuously below grade. The brick structure was treated with a fluid-applied air and water barrier from the interior and insulated entirely with cellulose, a carbon-storing insulation. The roof used HFO-blown spray foam to provide sufficient insulation while allowing headroom for bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry. One great benefit of a full renovation is the possibility of reconfiguring spaces to suit the family’s lifestyle, and to make the best of indoor-outdoor connections. We opened up the main rooms on the first floor, creating a family gathering spot with a view to the back yard, and a spacious kitchen that supports the family’s commitment to cooking for healthy eating. The stair uses a north-facing skylight to bring light from above into the middle of the home, where it was previously dark. As a decarbonization retrofit, the inefficient furnace was replaced with two small ducted heat pump systems, water heating and clothes drying are powered by air-source heat pumps, and cooking uses an induction cooktop plus electric ovens. Energy recovery ventilation provides filtered fresh air continuous exhaust from the kitchen, baths, and laundry, and supplies fresh, highly filtered air to bedrooms and living spaces. The Better Bungalow now makes sense for the 21st century–it now fits the owners’ life-patterns, is super comfortable, has great air quality, and uses a fraction of the energy it did before, greatly lowering the demand on the utility grid. In the near future, when solar PV is installed, it can achieve net zero or near net zero emissions, and with battery backup, can provide great resilience in the event of power outages.

A practical luxury, Contoured Suede pairs a soft fibrous surface with an allover embossed pattern that complements the directional nap of the suede. Organic, swirling lines add dimension to the textile wallcovering while controlling how light plays across its elegant surface. Borrowing a technique typically used for automobile upholstery, Contoured Suede’s polyester and cellulose construction makes it a very usable and touchable suede for light-traffic hospitality and residential interiors.

The Yin-Yang House is a net-zero energy single-family home in a quiet Venice, CA neighborhood. The design objective was to create a space for a large and growing family with several children, which would create a calm, relaxed and organized environment that emphasizes public family space. The home also serves as a place to entertain, and a welcoming space for teenagers as they seek social space with friends. The home is organized around a series of courtyards and other outdoor spaces that integrate with the interior of the house. Facing the street the house appears to be solid. However, behind the steel entry door is a courtyard, which reveals the indoor-outdoor nature of the house behind the solid exterior. From the entry courtyard, the entire space to the rear garden wall can be seen; the first clue of the home’s spatial connection between inside and out. These spaces are designed for entertainment, and the 40 foot sliding glass door to the living room enhances the harmonic relationship of the main room, allowing the owners to host many guests without the feeling of being overburdened. The tensions of the house’s exterior are subtly underscored by a 12-inch steel band that hews close to, but sometimes rises above or falls below the floor line of the second floor – a continuous loop moving inside and out like a pen that is never lifted from the page, but reinforces the intent to spatially weave together the indoors with the outside as a single space. Scale manipulation also plays a formal role in the design of the structure. From the rear, the house appears to be a single-story volume. The large master bedroom window and the outdoor steps are scaled to support this illusion. It is only when the steps are animated with people that one realizes the true scale of the house is two stories. The kitchen is the heart of the house, with an open working area that allows the owner, an accomplished chef, to converse with friends while cooking. Bedrooms are intentionally designed to be very small and simple; allowing for larger public spaces, emphasizing the family over individual domains. The breakfast room looks across an outdoor courtyard to the guest room/kids playroom, establishing a visual connection while defining the separation of uses. The children can play outdoors while under adult supervision from the dining area or the office, or do homework in the office while adults occupy the adjacent outdoor or indoor space. Many of the materials used, including the bamboo interior, composite stone and tile countertops and bathroom finishes are recycled, and reinforce the environmental DNA of the house, which also has a green roof. Blown-in cellulose insulation, radiant heating and a host of other sustainable features aids in the performance of the building’s heating and cooling. The active systems in the home include a 12 KW solar photovoltaic panel system, the largest such residential system available on the market. The solar panels also provide shade from the sun, preventing the house from becoming overheated. The owners have been in the home for over nine months and have yet to receive a power bill.

Photography by Natalie Marotta Bungalows are lovable homes, but how can they be better? Along with many of our clients, we find that older (early 20th c.) homes have a lot of character and a comfortable scale, but are leaky, damp (especially in the basement), have fair to poor air quality, and use unconscionable amounts of fossil fuels to heat. The owners of this bungalow were ready to change that, and wanted to do so with minimal upfront carbon emissions as well. The gut renovation included replacing the basement slab and providing capillary breaks and insulation continuously below grade. The brick structure was treated with a fluid-applied air and water barrier from the interior and insulated entirely with cellulose, a carbon-storing insulation. The roof used HFO-blown spray foam to provide sufficient insulation while allowing headroom for bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry. One great benefit of a full renovation is the possibility of reconfiguring spaces to suit the family’s lifestyle, and to make the best of indoor-outdoor connections. We opened up the main rooms on the first floor, creating a family gathering spot with a view to the back yard, and a spacious kitchen that supports the family’s commitment to cooking for healthy eating. The stair uses a north-facing skylight to bring light from above into the middle of the home, where it was previously dark. As a decarbonization retrofit, the inefficient furnace was replaced with two small ducted heat pump systems, water heating and clothes drying are powered by air-source heat pumps, and cooking uses an induction cooktop plus electric ovens. Energy recovery ventilation provides filtered fresh air continuous exhaust from the kitchen, baths, and laundry, and supplies fresh, highly filtered air to bedrooms and living spaces. The Better Bungalow now makes sense for the 21st century–it now fits the owners’ life-patterns, is super comfortable, has great air quality, and uses a fraction of the energy it did before, greatly lowering the demand on the utility grid. In the near future, when solar PV is installed, it can achieve net zero or near net zero emissions, and with battery backup, can provide great resilience in the event of power outages.

Example of an eclectic home design design in Other

Earthshade Safeshade Roller; Happy Screen Privacy: Savannah Snow: Grass, Cellulosic Fiber, Min Poly No Chlorine, Unfinished, Compostable. Euro Cassette: Fabric wraps front face for a designer upholstered aesthetic. The only glue-free top treatment in the industry featuring a fabric spline attachment system. SofTouch Spring Transmission: Counter Balanced spring assist hidden within a recycled tube for durability.

This new home, built for a family of 5 on a hillside in Marlboro, VT features a slab-on-grade with frost walls, a thick double stud wall with integrated service cavity, and truss roof with lots of cellulose. It incorporates an innovative compact heating, cooling, and ventilation unit and had the lowest blower door number this team had ever done. Locally sawn hemlock siding, some handmade tiles (the owners are both ceramicists), and a Vermont-made door give the home local shine.

A new 4,200 Square Foot home constructed (seen from Alton Bay) overlooking the beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee bay area. Such features included a "Rustic Pine" sitting room overlookin the 1st floor deck with an expansive Winnipesaukee view, open concept kitchen, air tub and steam shower, Geo Thermal heating & cooling, dense pack cellulose insulation, and much more!

Earthshade Safeshade Roller; Single Shade; Happy Screen 3: Winter Magic; Outside Mount; Regular Roll; Privacy: 4** Shading: 65% Insulating: r2.15 Light control: 12%*** Grass, Cellulosic Fiber, Min Poly No Chlorine, Unfinished, Compostable Daylighting, Partial Privacy, Heat & Fade reduction, Glare Control EURO Clutch; Right; Color: White (W)

This 2020-2021 custom single family home project features Aiki Homes standards for advanced framing, air and water purification, and the use of non-toxic materials wherever possible. Additional specs include: Radiant floor heating. Blown-in batt wall and R-49 cellulose insulation. Zehnder system for heating and cooling. Pre-wired for solar panels. Custom local cabinets and woodwork.