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floorplan first floor
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The design of this house started with a simple rectangle. FreeGreen carved out several spaces from the rectangle to articulate an entrance and create indentations that feature bi-folding glass doors which connect to outdoor deck spaces. This house was designed in such a way that a wall of cabinetry can serve as an organizational catalyst in the otherwise open space. A side door would work well with or without a garage to provide an everyday entrance into a mudroom and laundry space. The optimal orientation for this plan is with the bi-folding doors facing south.
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floorplan second floor
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The second floor features a mezzanine area that is great for either a lounge off the bedroom or an office or study space. A private roof deck is a great way to experience a private outdoor setting in even in dense urban environments. Pocket doors allow for a continuous open flow of spaces. FreeGreen provided two different entry sequences to the bedroom that dramatically change the functionality.
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Front of House
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This home’s simple form, reflected in the fiber cement siding, is both complemented and contrasted with FSC certified tigerwood accents. The living room is filled with abundant natural daylight thanks to the high windows along the wall. Indoor comfort is maximized due to the overhangs that minimize direct sunlight from the summer sun, yet permit it in the winter when it is lower in the sky.
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Living Room
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The open floorplan with loft-like double-height ceilings and slate floors create a sophisticated, modern space. The electrical outlets in the glass wall cabinets are the perfect place to charge your ipod or cell phone and hide your stereo and dvd player. By day, the mezzanine on the upper level is a great place for a home office. By night, the high-end stainless steel lighting fixture provides ultimate mood lighting with its dimmable controls.
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Wine bottles pendant lights are a novel reclamation of a common kitchen staple and will consistently be a conversation piece at each dinner party. The quartz counter and table material tie the two surfaces together and allow the dining table to double as a kitchen island. The kitchen appliance suite features in-wall oven and microwave, a gas range, and overhead vent.
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Kitchen Deck
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The accordion style doors create a dramatic opening between the dining room and the patio, instantly transforms your dining room into a charming Parisian café, all in the privacy of your own home.
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This second bedroom can also serve as a hobby room or private study and is generous in area to accommodate a desk, shelving, and sizable closets. The windows on either side of the room admit ample natural light minimizing the need for artificial lighting during the day.
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Bedroom Deck
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The bedroom on the first floor also features a folding door that extends the room’s area onto the patio during nice summer days. Strategically placed landscaping such as bamboo can create a natural barrier between adjoining properties and improve the aesthetic view.
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Office\Media\Library
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The open mezzanine level features space for a home office and a great reading corner. The modular shelving unit can expand or contract in size and accommodate a range of storage media according to your storage needs.
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Walk In Closet
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16 feet of closet s space provides plenty of storage for your clothing and personal belongings. The window nook at the end of the closet block is the perfect retreat at the end of a long day.
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Master Bedroom
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The creative design of the bed frame provides for additional storage for books and other evening reading material. For those interested in an inexpensive DIY design element, consider painting a panel from a hollow core door. When paired with the multiple picture rails and headboard, the room begins taking on clean, subtle identity.
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Master Bathroom
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The luxurious bathroom features generous space for tub, shower stall, and toilet. The window lets in plenty of natural light without sacrificing privacy. An Energy Star bathroom fan maintains indoor air quality by removing moisture and mitigating against mold growth.
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Roof Deck
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This roofdeck is a great place for private sunbathing during sunny summer days. The wall slats can be configured to block the line of sight from the street. The roof environment can be enhanced with planters that not only provide a calming ambiance but also shade the roof from direct sunlight.
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Energy Features
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Optimal Orientation:
The front door should face west so that the majority of the homes windows face south. Southern-facing windows are ideal for passive solar heating. Nevertheless, this design will still be very efficient if built in a different direction. FreeGreen can customize plans for your specific building site.
Flat Roof Profiles:
By installing solar panels, you essentially buy your energy instead of renting it from a utility company. FreeGreen provides a roof profile options so that you can install up to 5 kW of solar panels on your roof in a variety of orientations.
Building Envelope:
The building envelope is the barrier between the indoor and outdoor environment. The quality of a home's building envelope is the difference between an energy efficient, healthy home and a leaky, unhealthy home. This FreeGreen design features an efficient wall construction detail and specifies high performance windows and doors to provide you with a safe and comfortable home.
Reliable and Efficient Heating and Cooling Systems:
Heating and cooling represent the largest energy loads in a home. High efficiency and properly sized furnaces and air conditioning units greatly reduce energy consumption. The Suburban Loft utilizes a high efficiency forced air system to provide heating and cooling. All of the equipment and ductwork are located within the building envelope, which further contributes to the high efficiency. The system is coupled with a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) which provides energy efficient ventilation to maintain excellent indoor air quality. Hot water is generated with a whole-house tankless water heater. The tankless water heater provides unlimited hot water at extremely high levels of efficiency.
Cost Effective Innovative Technologies:
FreeGreen has selected innovative building technologies that provide exceptional performance relative their cost.
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Energy Performance
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FreeGreen selects materials and design details based on an iterative process using advanced energy modeling techniques. Our goal is not simply to maximize performance but rather maximize value through a careful consideration of cost vs. efficiency.
Free Green uses advanced energy simulation software to verify that the products and materials recommended are going to save you money. This image is a summary of that comparison, for this design, in a particular location. Since climate affects building and technology (e.g. solar) performance make sure you choose the city and state combinations closest to your building location when downloading our home plans. This way you will receive accurage energy performance data for your climate.
If you are interested in living in a zero energy house we recommend that you consult with our staff of engineers and architects. The best way to do this is to go through our Customization Process. Going Zero energy is a great idea but one that requires careful calculations in order to keep costs as low as possible.
The Optimized Package for this design has 2.4Kw of solar
