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www.sustainablehouseplans.com
I would like to announce that I am starting a sister web site www.sustainablehouseplans.com. It most likely will be a while before I actually get the site online, but I am starting to shift my time from developing plans for this site, to designing plans for the new site. I would not mention it here, but the day after I registered the site name (yesterday), I needed to give out the new link to ASU, and this is what that link will open for the present time. So, if you linked here from there, sorry, but I’m not really here. However, I do have another site, and please visit that (www.thompsonplans.com)… and keep reading. The new link (sustainablehouseplans.com) will start showing up on a new web site related to a plan I donated to The NC State Energy Office and the Appalachian State University Energy Center. It was built by a Habitat affiliate in Hickory,NC and was the first Zero Energy Home (ZEH) built in North Carolina. My new plans will not necessarily be geared for the affordable housing market, but will maintain an Arts and Crafts feel with nice porches and warm detailing.
My interest has long been designing homes that are connected with the environment. Unfortunately, in the early 1980′s that was not what many of my clients were interested in. Despite my living and working out of a passive solar house that I built in Atlanta, very few clients had any interest in investing funds for solar features. I also loved the Arts and Crafts character, and since that is what my clients wanted, that is what I did. This web site grew out of that work.
Today we live in a different world. Everyday more people are becoming aware of the shortsightedness of using fossil fuels. “Green” is now the buzz word in advertising and marketing new homes. But, for the most part, this just implies product selection, and does not necessarily address the energy consumption issues to any great extent. I am starting the new site by reworking many of the existing house plans I have, and incorporate passive and active solar functionality. My intention for these new plans is to incorporate thermal mass storage as a fundamental heat source, along with room designated for photovoltaic systems. Some will incorporate attached solar greenhouses. All plans will have 2×6 wall construction, as well as other environmentally sound construction details.
If you have linked here from another site through the www.sustainablehouseplans.com link, please look around, and if any of the plans work for you, and you are also interested in solar considerations, email me. The new plans will be specifically oriented to work with the sun.
We are fire survivors of the recent So. Cal. wildfires. Lost our home on 13+ acres. Want to rebuild using Craftsman style, green energy, and fire resistance technologies. Biggest problems for those in regions prone to wildfires is embers (up to softball size) propelled by Santa Ana winds (always E. to W.) upwards of 75 mph (micro bursts).
Interested?
Leland
Well, that’s interesting. While thinking a lot about how to make a house sustainable, or at least as much as is practical today, fire resistance has not be on my mind. I guess living in what is (was) considered nearly a rain forest (Smokey Mountains), that has not been a priority. So thanks, that is something very important for a lot of people, and increasing here too. I don’t see any reason why that can’t be handled with detailing, and could still be incorporated into stock plans. So, yeah, I’m interested. If you see a plan that has the layout you like, let me know. It would be good to think this through and figure out away to detail a plan with those needs.
thanks for the comment, and sorry for your loss, that must be so hard to go through.
Rick
Hello Rick,
Hope you still remember me, I was previously at the City of Austin, just wanted to let you know that all of the plans purchased were built out using “Green” methods of construction some actually achieved a three star rating out of a possible five without spending an excessive amount of funding. Some tips for fire resistive construction are as follows: Make the structure as air tight as possible, use 2×6 construction in walls and install a full wall thickness of foil faced insulation, install a full 1″ thick stucco in lieu of 3/4″, use a metal roof or a fire resistive shingle and keep tall landscaping away from the walls and eaves.
Reyes
Setting up to build a Craftsman in Atlanta… 2100 s.f. to 2200 S.f. Present house just went on the market this week. Looking for a plan now!
You use a 2X6 wall… we’ll use 5 1/2″ thick concrete wall and SIPS on the roof.
Let’s chat on this matter