Fox Net Zero House

Fox Net Zero House

Fox Net Zero Home

Started in the winter, building the Fox Home was not without its challenges, but the challenges ended up working in our favor in the end and producing this beautiful and unique home. Right off the bat, after we poured the concrete slab, the weather turned and frosted. As we saved the slab from freezing using plastic sheets and hay, the wind kicked up and caused the hay to come into direct contact with the slab as it was curing. The hay interacted with the concrete and caused what turned out to be really cool color undulations which add to the home’s character. Now we are intentionally adding this option for future clients who want some extra pizzaz in their concrete floors!

We always love when clients add their personal touches to a home as well, and in this case that personal touch was in the form of a repurposed trash receptacle laundry chute!

 

Specs

  • Overview:

    • 1978sf SFR &  876sf garage
    • 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath SFR
    • Net Zero Energy
    • 1st floor aging-in-place
    • Passive solar heating/cooling design
    • Insulation: R-29 walls & R-59 ceiling
    • Air Sealing: 0.18 ACH50
    • HERS Index: -2
    • Annual Energy Cost Savings: $2,800
    • Certifications: DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certified, ENERGY STAR certified, EPA Indoor airPLUS certified, anticipated Built Green 5-star certified

     
    Mechanical:

    • Ventiliation: Fantech Hero 250 with built in HEPA filter. Built-in humidity, temperature, and CO2
    • Heating/Cooling: Chilltrix CX-34; hydronic radiant floor heating downstairs and fan coil unit
    • PV: 9kW solar array with Enphase microinverters and battery ready

    Selections:

    • Thermatru exterior doors
    • Certified Cool Roof metal roofing
    • Birch doors and hemlock trim
    • Floor Score certified vinyl flooring & zero-VOC, anti-microbial underlayment
    • Quartz countertops
    • Thrifted plumbing fixtures
    • Europly maple cabinets
    • LED lighting
    • WaterSense plumbing fixtures
    • ENERGY STAR appliances
    • No/Low-VOC finishes
    • Triple pane, Low-E coated, argon-filled vinyl windows
          Samish Solar

          Samish Solar

          Samish Solar

          Sitting on a stunning 5-acre lot nestled into the woods and surrounded by wildflowers and berries, Samish Solar Home is an oasis for a growing family of mountain bikers and nature enthusiasts.

          Along with this home’s solar array making it net-zero, it has an added level of resiliency with its 28,000-gallon rainwater cistern that supplies the house and its fire suppression system with water. The rainwater is filtered through a sediment filter, activated carbon filter, and UV filter to ensure it is fit for domestic use.

          Built using TC Legend’s tried-and-true methods, Samish Solar Home exemplifies what our construction strategies can produce. Just look at these stats!

          Specs

          • Overview:
            • 2345 sqft heated living space & 234 sqft unheated sunroom
            • 1600 sqft barn with 895 sqft loft
            • 4 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom
            • Net Zero Energy
            • 1st floor aging-in-place
            • Passive solar heating/cooling design
            • Insulation: R-29 walls & R-59 ceiling
            • Air Sealing: 0.27ACH
            • HERS Index: -20
            • Annual Energy Cost Savings: $2432
            • Certifications: DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certified, ENERGY STAR certified, EPA Indoor airPLUS certified, anticipated Built Green 5-star certified
            • Winner of Housing Innovations Award!
          • Mechanical:
            • Ventiliation: Fantech Hero 250 with built in HEPA filter. Built-in humidity, temperature, and CO2
            • Heating/Cooling: Chilltrix CX-34; hydronic radiant floor heating downstairs and a fan coil unit upstairs
            • PV: 10.8kW solar array with Enphase microinverters and battery ready
          • Selections:
            • Timber framed entry
            • Locally made cherry cabinets
            • Certified metal cool roof
            • Greenguard Gold Maple flooring
            • No/Low-VOC finishes
            • Fir doors and trim
            • Triple pane, Low-E coated, argon-filled vinyl windows
          Shepard-Nguyen DADU

          Shepard-Nguyen DADU

          Shepard-Nguyen DADU

          Built to house grandma on a multi-generational property, Shepard-Nguyen DADU is an accessible 484 square foot home with an additional 176 square foot loft. The DADU was designed to be light, airy and open in order to create a welcoming and safe environment for the grandkids to play in and grandma to hide away to when needed. The clients have an excellent eye for interior design, so the home was completed to a sleek and modern finish.

          Since the main occupant is grandma, the home was designed for aging-in-place with wide doorways, a curbless shower with handrails, lever style door handles, extra grabs for the pocket doors, and a seat at the entry.

          Specs

          • 484 square feet
          • 176 square foot loft
          • 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
          • Net Zero Energy
          • 4kW solar array with Enphase micro-inverters
          • HERS Index: -10
          • DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certified, ENERGY STAR certified, EPA Indoor airPLUS certified
          • Fujitsu mini-split
          • HEPA filtration
          • ENERGY STAR 50-gallon domestic hot water tank
          Cascade

          Cascade

          Cascade Lane

          Cascade was constructed and sold as a spec home, neighboring two other TC Legend Houses from the
          earlier days of Ted’s green construction career. The home is nestled in the steep hillside with the driveway and most of the house standing on stilts. The area is notorious for almost inaccessibly steep driveways, so to create a usable flat driveway at street level and eliminate concrete retaining walls, the 24’ wide driveway bridges to the house with the garage located on stilts, on-grade with the main (second) floor. Cascade projects into space with only a small foundation containing the plumbing. This stilt-house configuration substantially reduces the cost to
          build from a traditional foundation and leaves the onsite flora largely intact.

          From the entry you walk into the open kitchen, living and dining area with views of the green forest all
          around. Behind the kitchen is the utility room and first bathroom. On the lower floor are three
          bedrooms and a bathroom, with the master able to be re-configured as a Jack-and-Jill. Also on the lower
          floor is the laundry which is located under the stairs and a cozy living or work space with a sliding glass
          door out to a small deck that can hold your mini vegetable garden. In total, Cascade is 1400 sf with 3
          bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a 240 sf garage.

          Built and performing just as all our standard homes, Cascade is a Net-Zero home and will receive a Built
          Green 5 star certification along EPA Indoor AirPLUS certification, EPA Energy Star certification and
          Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home rating.

          Specs

          • 1400 square feet
          • 3 bedrooms, 2 bathroom
          • 240 sf garage
          • Cook’s kitchen
          • Kitchen bar

          Fullenwider Home

          Fullenwider Home

          Fullenwider Home was built in spring of 2022 and was constructed on an infill lot in the heart of Bellingham. The home features a 562 sf certified Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) above the 531 sf garage and 1,280 sf of main living space. 

          In juxtaposition with the colorful exterior, the interior of the home remains simplified, highlighting the white paint and natural wood tones. Throughout the home, the extensive daylight lights the warm wooden floor, trim and exposed beams, inviting its guests to stay and relax. 

          The first floor of Fullenwider Home is designed for aging-in-place with the main living space, a bedroom, zero-threshold shower, washer and dryer, accessible entries and more. The second floor currently holds the ADU and a bedroom, bathroom plus a spacious recreation room in the main living residence. However, the second floor was designed for future renovation where the recreation room can be walled off to create a second bedroom and a third bedroom can be added where the current cut out to the first floor is. In the spacious ADU, the main living room was built to have lots of wall space to maximize usability of the room. It also features a compact chef’s kitchen with full dishwasher, fridge and range.

           In addition to all this home already has to offer, the garage should not be overlooked. It was built inside the heated envelope of the house, which means it offers more than just a spot to park a car. It can double as a flex space, which are becoming increasingly popular for running a small business, using as a shop or art studio, or even a home gym. Likewise, the covered patio area just outside the kitchen and living room adds valuable living space for a low cost and helps connect the homeowner’s to their community while maintaining some privacy.

          As with all our homes, Fullenwider Home was designed and built using the TC standard envelope and mechanical systems creating a Net-Zero home. On the Southern roof is an 8.6kW photovoltaic array, powering the house and an electric vehicle. Harvesting passive solar, the majority of the glazing is installed on the southern exposure of the home. The driveway was also poured with permeable concrete allowing the stormwater to infiltrate back onto the lot.

          As Bellingham continues to grow, infill lots and lot efficiency are becoming increasingly important for affordability, availability and to decrease urban sprawl. Fullenwider Home manages to do just this. ADU’s create additional dwellings within the city for those who choose to rent or cannot purchase a home. They also help homeowner’s offset their own mortgages, making owning a home more realistic for some.