Page 41 - Green Builder Magazine Nov-Dec 2019 Issue

Hidden Hills View Showcase Home

Logical design and green enhancements give this home real eye appeal.

HIS YOUNGER HOME in Jonestown, Texas, was built with sustain-
ability and integrated design in mind to compliment the every-
day lifestyle of a Texas Hill country family. The starting point
for integrated design of this €ve-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath
T home was orientation—working with aspects such as solar ori-
entation, tree locations, wind/breeze directions, slope, view, accessibility
and outdoor living spaces.
Like many homes in the Texas Hill country, the home site has a great
view, paired with a severely sloped topography. Determining orientation,
while designing for the most eˆcient use of building and foundation
materials, was challenging, but cost e‰ective, and was one of the €rst
places integrated design paid o‰ in the home design process.
Architects and engineers worked together to take advantage of the slope
as much as possible by designing the main living space slightly above CREDIT: MADELINE HARPER
grade at the front of the house and a daylight basement to work into the
slope for the lower bedrooms and game room.
Also, a fundamental goal was to size rooms appropriately in order to
avoid wasteful space and unnecessary leftover material. When design- Intelligence indoors. Carefully integrated lighting, airflow control, window
placement and other sustainable features allow owners to run a 4,243-square-
ing for energy eˆciency, a southerly facing home is most ideal for solar foot home on a single HVAC unit, and achieve Energy Star certification.
orientation and collecting prevailing breezes, especially coming up from
the water in the valley. Due to this, as well as the integration of the day- rainwater collection and solar panels. For comfort and health in everyday
light basement and crawl space, large overhangs, eˆcient orientation, living, the design allows for the traˆc –ow and visual –ow of the house
and other sustainable features, this 4,243-square foot home can operate to work well and be pleasing to the eye while keeping private spaces
on one HVAC unit and achieve Energy Star certi€cation. private, public areas open with good sight lines, and re–ecting careful
Other subtle sustainable features include a roof that is simple but ele- consideration of interior and exterior views of the lake and surrounding
gant and will provide an excellent foundation for green features, such as mature hardwood trees. GB

CREDIT: MADELINE HARPER
Natural contours. Builders utilized a sloped topography to
best effect, whether it was for rainwater control or allowing
more sunlight to enter the lower level of the home.

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