Clerestory Design | TC Legend Homes

Saint Claire Powerhouse

by Senna | May 3, 2020

This 1,900 square-foot 3 bedroom clerestory home, with an additional 672-square-foot attached garage located outside the SIPs shell, was built in 2016 in western Washington.

Because the master bedroom and bathroom were required to be located on the first floor, the clerestory design allowed us to locate two additional bedrooms and a bath on a minimal second floor, while leaving the glorious and spacious SIPs vaulted ceiling within the main living & kitchen spaces.

The play of light from the second-floor clerestory windows penetrates deeply into the main living spaces, eliminating glare at the large south windows and providing unusually even and dynamic day-lighting within the kitchen and living room. The occupants feel connected to the sweep of the sun, clouds, and weather patterns outside.

This is a near-perfect lot for a solar-panel net-zero home, identified by the clear solar exposure to the south, with no trees or buildings between the building and the sun.

SPECS/FEATURES

Department of Energy Net-Zero certified
Chilltrix CX34 air-to-water heat pump
100% on-site storm water infiltration via 30-foot dispersion trench
10.8 kW of solar panel installed
6.5” R-29 SIPs walls
10.25” R-49 SIPs roof
4” R-20 foam under 4” concrete slab-on-grade for thermal mass
5.5” foam (total) R-23.8 insulated concrete form (ICF) perimeter stem walls
Vinyltek Boreal series triple-pane windows (U values from 0.14 to 0.16)
1:1.6 aspect ratio floor plan, with the long side facing south
Minimal east and west glazing

Trax

by Senna | Apr 16, 2020

This 2,540 square-foot clerestory (one-and-a-half story) family house has an integrated, differently heat-zoned 1,040-square-foot garage and woodshop sitting within the SIPs shell. It was built in 2020 in western Washington.

A rigorous passive-solar window design uses the majority south-facing glazing for wintertime heating, shaded in summer by a shallow south porch and accurate south clerestory overhang. Multi-direction daylight penetrates and reflects deep into the connected main living space and second-floor balcony via the high second-floor clerestory glazing.

Multiple cutting-edge HVAC and home-automation systems integrate to deliver low-cost air-to-water heat pump-based central heating, cooling, and fresh-air delivery, triggered via automatic carbon-dioxide and humidity sensors. Alexa-driven automated lighting and blinds are installed, a home-automation system that will expand in its capabilities as more options become available.

The clients’ requirement for a spacious first-floor master suite led us to design a smaller second floor in relation to the first. The clerestory design accommodates this layout by producing a daylight-rich one-and-a-half-story house.

Specifications

U.S. Department of Energy Net-Zero certified
Chilltrix CX34 air-to-water heat pump
Zehnder 550Q heat recovery ventilator (HRV), with in-line fan coil from Chilltrix
Development dedicated 1 acre of pastureland to a perpetual conservation easement, ensuring growth of native species
12.4 kW of solar panels installed
6.5” R-29 SIPs walls
12.25” R-59 SIPs roof
4” R-20 foam under 4” concrete slab-on-grade for excellent thermal mass
5.5” foam (total) R-23.8 insulated concrete forms (ICF) perimeter stem-walls
Vinylek Boreal series triple-pane windows (U values between 0.14 and 0.16)
1:1.6 aspect ratio floor plan, with long side facing south
Minimal east and west glazing

Purchase Plans-Set HERE!

Massey

by Senna | Apr 16, 2020

This 1,200 square-foot two-bedroom clerestory riverside home was built in 2020 in Ferry County, WA. TC Legend designed and permitted the home, and it was built by a Ferry County contractor.

The greater temperature swings associated with the continental climate led us to do a cost-efficiency study to choose the best SIPs panel thicknesses. Walls were bumped to 8 inches, yet the roof remained 10.25 inches. The exposed concrete stem wall footing stands high above the finished grade to keep the snow away from the panel toe, assisted by generous eaves and covered walks & porches, which also provide necessary shade during the hot summers.

An entry mudroom/utility room airlocks the house to minimize the entry of smoke during the fire season. Fresh, filtered air is delivered throughout the house via heat recovery ventilator (HRV), scavenging the heat from the waste air and imparting that heat into the incoming fresh air.

The circular windows are very easy to cut into SIPs panels; the trim-out is a bit more tricky.