Completion

Completion date
12/30/2015

Occupancy

Days per year Building is fully occupied:
365

Scope

Type of Construction New
Number of buildings 1
Floor area of each building 3,597
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 2.0
Stories 2
Conditioned Building Volume 35,222 cu ft
Conditioned Floor Area 3,597 sq ft

Location and Climate Details

single-family residence

Address
76 Weeks Road
Eastford, CT 06242
United States
Location Type Suburaban
Climate Region Zone 5
Lat. / Long. POINT (-72.0901047 41.9048163)
Elevation 650 ft
Site description:

The site was selected because of excellent solar access, yet well protected from the north and the west by the landscape. 

Materials and Design Strategy

Materials:

- Lighting fixtures, electrical plates and kitchen cabinets were painstakingly reclaimed to meet the aesthetic and limit the amount of new material produced for finishes.
- Long-life recyclable metal roof made from partial recycled materials (25% recycled content)
- Hardwood floors assembled from short lengths and  seconds from a local hardwood flooring manufacturer finished with Tung oil and citrus solvent.
- Trim made from on-site wood from the lot clearing.
- Cement and coal ash based trim and siding with factory applied finishes

Special architectural measures:

- Relying on passive design, the home’s orientation maximizes solar gain during cold months while generous overhangs provide summer shading.
- Passive solar design with sunroom that can be isolated from the house.
- Compact square design to minimize wasted space.
- Calculated overhang lengths to naturally shade a large fraction of the glass in the summer while allowing low-summer sun to enter the space.
- Open floor plan designed to maximize natural ventilation as well as air circulation patterns without fans.

Indoor Environment Description:
The owners were particularly attentive to air quality creating a house that is tightly constructed providing controlled fresh air through an air-to-air heat exchanger as well as providing for effective natural ventilation circulation patterns through the house. Many zero-VOC and low-VOC products were selected including insulation, natural paints, and floor materials.