Columbia City

Columbia City

These two 2,250-square-foot, three-story family houses were built adjacent to each other, without garages, on a single lot in Columbia City, Seattle. The design preserved enough space for two spacious gardens.

This perfect urban lot has great southern exposure for passive and active solar gain. The small 25′ by 30′ footprints raised a surprising amount of internal space, but achieving net-zero performance, even with super-insulated SIPs panels, necessitated an enlarged south roof to house the required solar panels. We designed huge, cranked south roofs. This was a first for TC Legend, but they are now standard, architecturally a truly modem aesthetic response to the climate crisis.

The five-bedroom houses are planned to maximize common spaces and contain one un-programmed loft/rec-room space on each floor: space for a drum kit, a wine bar, a sewing room, or another TV room. Additionally the first floor has a big mud room to house bikes and camping gear and function as the storage space that a suburban house would normally have in the garage, which we eliminated in favor of gardens and uncovered off-street parking.

Specifications

  • Department of Energy Net-Zero certified
  • Chilltrix CX30 air-to-water heat pump
  • 100% storm-water infiltrated on site via two infiltration pits
  • 12.4 kW solar panels installed
  • 6.5” R-29 SIPs walls
  • 10.25” R-59 SIPs roof
  • 4” R-20 foam under 4” concrete slab-on-grade for thermal mass
  • 5.5” foam (total) R-23.8 insulated concrete forms (ICF) perimeter stem walls
  • Plygem triple-pane windows (U values between 0.21 and 0.24)

 

Larson

Larson

This 2,020 square-foot two-story, five-bedroom family house was built in rural King County. It has an additional 280 square-foot integrated single-car garage within the SIPs shell. The garage can be re-purposed into a flex space, such as a kids’ TV room, playroom, workshop, etc. The home was built in 2018 in western Washington.

The major challenge with this undeveloped site was to dig the potable water line 1,000 feet through a boulder field. The client miraculously located the well stub within the forest, and the TC Legend team dodged and weaved the waterline through.

Additionally, we carved the driveway 500’ through the second-growth forest, located the house for optimum solar exposure, and laid the power line in the middle of the driveway, with septic adjacent under what will likely become a forest lawn. A truly stunning site with stag deer, bear, cougars, and more.

The wrap-around porch with concrete walkway mediates between the inside and outside, with a front mudroom to contain kids’ messes and offer an airlock to prevent large temperature drops when the front door is opened in winter.

The house was prevented from becoming overly large and expensive by sizing the kids’ bedrooms at kids’ scale: on the small side of things. However, the vaulted SIPs ceiling at the second floor, which is a standard feature of SIPs construction, presents a very spacious overhead feel. Additionally, multiple windows in many bedrooms ensures that the kids rooms don’t feel boxy.

Specifications

  • U.S. Department of Energy Net-Zero certified
  • Fujistu 18RLXFG heat pump with multiple fan coil heads
  • 12.4 kW of solar panels installed
  • 6.5” R-29 SIPs walls
  • 10.25” R49 SIPs roof
  • 4” R-20 foam under 4” concrete slab-on-grade for thermal mass
  • 5.5” foam (total) R-23.8 insulated concrete forms perimeter stem walls
  • Euroline triple-pane windows (U values from 0.14 to 0.18)
  • 1:1.6 aspect ratio floor plan, with long side facing south
  • Minimal east and west glazing

 

Whatcom County Net Positive Home

Whatcom County Net Positive Home

This Built Green Five Star home in Whatcom County was selected as a Department of Energy 2019 Housing Innovation Award Winner!

The house is weighted south, toward the sun. With both asymmetrical roofs; longer to the south for solar build-out and a preponderance of south glazing for wintertime passive harvesting, the windows are appropriately shaded, with regionally appropriate eaves and porches, against summertime overheating.

The gross footprint of the house is rectangular, stretched with the long-axis running east-west to maximize space available for solar harvest on roofs and south wall, with much smaller east and west walls which overheat as they take the full force of the sun in summer. The slab-on-grade floor is finished to be left exposed and imparts a visceral, cooling, underfoot mass.

The slab also houses in-floor hydronic heating and radiates warm comfort during the long winter season, which, like all the seasons, can be felt and seen keenly in this house though the diversity of landscape views.

The home also features an open floor plan, with no wasted hallway space. The living area loft provides a sense of grandeur, but the modest-sized bedrooms and bathrooms require less energy and provide balanced efficiency.

SPECS/FEATURES

  • 2707 Square feet (conditioned)
  • 4 Bedrooms
  • 2.5 Baths
  • SIPs construction
  • 10.066-kW Solar
  • Triple-pane windows
  • Air-to-water heat pump
  • In-floor hydronic heating
  • Heat Recovery Ventilator
  • Electric car-charging
  • Low- or no-VOC products sourced throughout.
  • Wood posts, beams, counters, interior and exterior trim details milled on site from local timber

Photos by Scott Miller, Elevate Pro Photo

Victory Heights Net-Zero Home

Victory Heights Net-Zero Home

This Built Green 5-Star zero-energy home defines the Seattle eco-lifestyle. It features an open floor plan, heated hardwood floors, 9-foot ceilings, and exposed beams.  On the roof, a 9.5kW net-metered solar array provides all the home’s power needs, and an electric car charging station is built into the garage. Triple-pane windows and SIPs construction offer plenty of insulation, and a whole-house filtration system keeps the air pure. Designer touches include Hinkley lighting, custom cabinetry, Carrara marble countertops, stainless steel appliances, an induction cooktop, and a 9-foot kitchen island.

West Seattle Emerald Star Home

West Seattle Emerald Star Home

This is a Built Green Emerald Star home in West Seattle. It was the first Emerald Star home for TC Legend and the second of its kind built in Seattle! It is also a Department of Energy 2018 Housing Innovation Award Winner and Built Green’s “Green Hammer” Project of the Year! 

This floorplan is flexible into the future, with two extra bedrooms already in the program, fitted with egress windows & minimum floor area to meet code; One will partition behind the utility, the 2nd can partition from the recreation room upstairs. So this 3 bedroom main house can grow to 5 bedrooms in a day!

The energy-shell is a simple rectangle, conforming to and ideal 1:1.6 established ratio for temperate environments. SIPs shell construction is post & beam type of load-bearing construction that means internal walls can be moved easily during the life of the building as they carry no load. The post & beam structure is visible as both architecture and a celebration of the woodcraft of the Pacific Northwest. 

Specs

  • 3,160 Square feet

  • 4 Bedrooms

  • 4 Baths

  • 9.9-kW Solar

  • Triple-pane windows

  • 10,000-gallon rainwater storage

  • Air-to-water heat pump

  • 2 electric car charging stations

  • Low- or no-VOC products sourced throughout. No PVC.

Photos by Yuriy Manchik.