Hillside View

Hillside View

by | Mar 3, 2023

Hillside View

LIVE/Contemporary

Lakeside Living

This spec home is located in the Lake Whatcom watershed which both affected the footprint of the building and the orientation on the site.

Building strategies were aimed towards net-zero and worked to achieve LEED certification. With a steel floating staircase at the center of the house and views directed to the southeast, the home has a nice open feel to it.

Nestled into the hillside, the garage is tucked into the ground floor. The main entry is accessed above, from the street level, under a cantilevered green roof. The entrance opens onto the main living space. With large windows directed towards the expansive views and high ceilings, the space feels much larger than it is. The sleek looking kitchen is complete with all of the modern amenities and opens onto the living space that is complete with a fireplace. Upstairs, three bedrooms with vaulted ceilings finish out the home.

Features:  3 bedrooms + office • 2 car garage • 3 stories • Natural materials • 3,110 sq. ft.

PHOTO ALBUM

Grand Views

Grand Views

by | Sep 30, 2022

Grand Views

LIVE/CONTEMPORARY

Upscale country living

Many who’ve settled in the Pacific Northwest are looking for a home in the country, but with a contemporary style.

Working in the timber industry can have its perks, especially when building a new home. Having access to timber was a major inspiration in the design of this house. Not to mention the views this site has to offer. With features like a dog wash, a gym, and an office the homeowners will never have to leave.

Features: 4 bedroom, 3-1/2 bath • Attached 2-car garage • Vaulted ceilings • Square Footage: 2,800 sq. ft.

PHOTO ALBUM

Construction: Bellingham Bay Builders    Photography: Radley Muller Photography

Natural Light

Natural Light

by | Sep 30, 2022

Natural Light

LIVE/CONTEMPORARY

Water view off bluff

Are you planning a home by the water? Waterfront views are incredible, but permitting them can be a pain. Not to worry, our architects and in-house permitting technician are on your side.

Having waterfront property can be an ideal place to live. It can also provide some challenges in the building process, which was the case for this home. With required setbacks from the Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM), steep slope, property lines, and septic system directly influenced the shape of the home’s footprint. Careful attention was paid to Aging-in-Place and Universal Design to accommodate an aging parent. Another major focus of the design was to allow a lot of natural light to help offset the long gray seasons we experience here in the Northwest. This was done through the use of large windows, skylights, and highly reflective materials.

Features: 4-bed, 4-1/2 bath • Radiant floor heat • Attached 2-car garage • Elevator for aging in place • 3,500 sq. ft.

PHOTO ALBUM

Construction: Moceri Construction    Photography: Greenwoods Photographic Arts

Vertical Living

Vertical Living

by | Sep 29, 2022

Vertical Living

LIVE|CONTEMORARY

Matt and Holly’s JOURNEY

So, you have a small lot in an urban setting and yet you want lots of space. What do you do? Go vertical.

While partnered in a small development company, Sean was part of a team that purchased an old house on a double lot. The spare lot was used to design a new custom residence. Working with a small lot and the client’s desire for privacy and orientation toward views, the home went vertical. The five split levels end with a roof deck and art studio on top. Each bedroom is equipped with it’s own loft. Natural materials are used throughout the interior, with Corten and board form concrete forming the exterior, blending well with the landscape.

Features: 3 bedroom, 2-1/2 baths • Attached 2-car garage • External atrium • Radiant floor heat • Forced air cooling • 3,000 Sq.Ft.

DISCOVERY

The client wanted an edgy, contemporary home with lots of natural light that gave it a feeling of bringing the outdoors in. The home had to allow space for their growing family, an artist room, and a view of Fairhaven.

We originally designed their home around the lot they had, which was fairly small. However, the problem was their small lot was going to limit the lifestyle they wanted.

Luckily, a local development company had a larger lot just two blocks down from theirs. We were the architectural firm for that project as well and had already begun a design for a proposed house on that lot. So the client bought the larger lot and was able to have the home of their dreams.

Contemporary Kitchen and Living room
Contemporary Home
Modern stove and living room
Modern Home
Stairs
Stair treads

DESIGN

To give their home the indoor/outdoor feel they wanted, we included a bamboo atrium in a portion of the house, and massive doors off the dining area leading outside.

The children’s bedrooms were designed with Tansu chests built into the stairways leading up to the lofts.

All bedrooms and a media room are on the second floor with an art room on the rooftop deck above the media room.

The house had a unique, double stairway design. The main stairway was light and airy with a window seat so their daughter could read a book and look over the trees toward Sehome Hill. The second stairway was more private and hidden, allowing access from the garage to the mud room and leading to the kitchen, media room, master suite, and art spaces.

BUDGET

They planned their budget ahead of time to include their whole wish list. Though the budget might have been less of an issue for them, we made sure to stay within it and make their dreams happen.

 

 

 

 

 

Two level open to lower level
Tansu cabinets and stairs
Modern home at night
Modern home detail
Contemporary House
Interior entrance

DOCUMENTS

The construction documents required a lot of detail because of the high-end nature of the design. Floating stairs, railing details, metal beams, unique transitional spaces, the bamboo atrium… all of this and more had to be planned out carefully so the documentation would allow construction to go smoothly.

 

 

 

PERMITTING

The permitting process went exceptionally smooth due to the precise documentation and the expert experience of our in-house permitting technician. It was a hassle free experience for our client.

 

 

 

 

 

Modern Kitchen
Modern living space
Modern Shower
Modern Construction
Contemporary construction

CONSTRUCTION

The construction of the house went smoothly. The only real challenge was, because the house filled most of the lot, the contractor had a challenge figuring out where to stage the construction equipment and supplies. But in the end, all went well.

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTO ALBUM

Construction: HBC Homes    Photography: Point 2 Studio

Zero Energy

Zero Energy

by | Sep 8, 2022

Zero Energy

LIVE | SUSTAINABLE

Steve’s Journey

Is sustainability important to you? How about a home that produces the same amount of energy as it uses each year?

This project began with a strong desire to achieve a high level of energy efficiency in a modest footprint, 3-bedroom home. As a NetZero energy home, the building produces, on-site, the same amount of energy as it uses in one year, resulting in a net annual energy usage of zero. To achieve this goal, space heating demand was reduced through a careful analysis of the program and how it best related to the site, resulting in a compact and efficient floor plan which maximized views of the valley below and capitalized on the solar heating potential of the ample south-facing glazing.

Great care was given to selecting the high-efficiency technology which powers the electric lighting, kitchen appliances, and air circulation equipment. These systems work in tandem to reduce the overall energy consumption of the home through features such as occupancy sensors and an intelligent home automation platform.

Heat loss through the building envelope was greatly reduced through a super-insulated double-wall exterior envelope system with further thermal bridging and heat loss being reduced through advanced framing techniques and exceptional air sealing.

Features: 3 bedroom, 2 bath • Solar panels • Rain water collection • GeoSpring hybrid electric hot water heater • Mini split whole house heat pump and heat recovery system

DISCOVERY

Our client was an engineer and very interested in the science and technology behind making a net zero energy home.

He was involved in selecting the elements used, all the way from how solar power input was monitored, to wall construction, and how we daylighted and shaded the house.

He also wanted to do a lot of farm production, both animals and plant food.

 

 

 

 

Sustainable Kitchen
Zero Energy Home drawing
Stairs
Zero Energy Kitchen
Zero Energy Home
Bring outdoors in

DESIGN

The house and the detached garage provide two different functions. The roof of the house is sloped away from the south to allow full passive solar exposure to the wall. The roof of the garage has the solar panels and therefore slopes towards the south.

Phase change materials are used in the southern wall of the house. When heated by the sun, the substance within the double walls becomes a liquid, but when the wall cools at night, it turns into a solid. This change from liquid to solid releases heat, warming the home at night. There is also a high efficiency wood stove to add additional warmth.

Other elements include a heat recovery ventilator, ductless mini splits, heat pump hot water heater, double wall construction with 2″ void in between, overhangs and canopies to protect from the sun in Summer but allow solar gain in the Winter when the sun is more horizontal.

The house is build at the top of a hill overlooking the terraced gardens and farm land below.

BUDGET

Cost for construction is higher than a standard home, but it is compensated in the long run with energy savings. The objective of a Net Zero Energy building is not only environmental , but economical as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sustainable Livingroom
Zero Energy Kitchen
Zero Energy Shower
Zero Energy Bathroom
Entrance
Open Bifold door to outside

DOCUMENTS

Documentation had to take into account the requirements to produce the net zero energy, including double wall construction and phase change materials.

The other challenge was the steeply sloped property requiring a stepped up level inside.

 

 

 

 

PERMITTING

Our in-house permitting technician was involved throughout the project as an advocate for our client, making sure the unique requirements for this house were approved.

A few of these requirements include:

The driveway had to be relocated and a berm removed for visibility and safety when entering the road.

Unique double wall construction was used on exterior walls for a full thermal break between the outside and inside walls.

And unique Phase Change materials for passive heating were needed.

But, because of our experience and relationship with the Whatcom County agencies, it all went smoothly.

Zero Enery Living room
Zero Energy Livingroom
Livingroom Stairs
Zero Energy construction 1
Zero Energy construction 2
Zero Energy construction 3

CONSTRUCTION

Our architect and design technicians maintained close collaboration with the contractor to assure proper construction of this unique home.

Part way through construction, before drywall was installed, Sustainable Connections gave a public tour so people could view the ventilation, insulation, and other factors unique to zero energy living.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTO ALBUM

Construction: Bellingham Bay Builders    Photography: Jim W. Smith