Features of a "Home Come True"

Think about your fondest hobby- the thing you are most passionate about. Perhaps it is gardening, and you'd love to use a piece of property to feed the masses. Perhaps it is acting and you want to be on Broadway. Perhaps it is painting, and you want to create a master piece.

Chris Calwell's passion is energy efficiency. He has taken all his experience and knowledge and built a home that will produce as much energy as it uses (net zero!). The home includes no combustion appliances that could leak carbon monoxide or other toxic gases (unlike our neighbors from long ago, the Ancestral Puebloans, there is no "fire in the  hole"). This home is his special project, where he and his wife Vicki were able to invest their time and resources for the last year and create a "master piece".

Solar tracking stand and passive solar construction

Steve Kawell from Durango Solar Homes designed and built the home incorporating Calwell’s ideas and input. Passive solar concepts are used with thermal mass to take advantage of the sun's heat. They also incorporated active solar, using a tracking stand by Living Solar and bi-facial solar awnings to shade the porch areas and windows.

Finishes

VOC-free paint

The home features finishes from Light and Tile Art of Durango and paints from Hand Crafted House. The paints contains no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to ensure high indoor air quality.

Foam Insulation

Phase changing material

Insulation consists of cellulose fiber and Icynene foam from Foam Insulation Specialists. Additionally, phase changing material was used in the wall of the sun room and master bath ceiling, to absorb heat during the day and slowly release it during cooler hours.



Phoenix Recyling recycled as much scrap material from the building process as possible, and supplied the wood chips for the garden, which fills almost an acre.

Finally, Zehnder supplied a heat recovery ventilator with a ground tempering loop to help provide fresh air at a consistent temperature throughout the home, without using much energy to heat it up or cool it off.

YOU can get a "behind-the-scenes" peek at this home this Saturday, April 13th from 2 to 6:30 PM. Find more information, and RSVP here.