Near Merezero
Context
Built in the 1970's the existing house had an unusual & eclectic character that the current owners loved, including a wide variety of recycled doors, windows, interior finishes, & an exposed post & beam barn structure. Despite the perfect south-facing orientation, however, the existing house provided low thermal comfort, & high utility bills. The interior was gloomy & cut off from the surrounding garden & fields of the 10 acre property. The basement was awash with water & silt after every heavy rain. A beautiful private pond was virtually invisible from most living & bedroom spaces. A separate guest house/ studio, built in the 1990's, far from the main house, greatly disrupted natural ground water flows across much of the site.
Response
A deep energy retrofit - to drastically reduce energy needs, with Net Zero as the goal. New windows & dormers - to greatly improve the relationship of the house to the south & the pond. New doors & porches - to open the house to a variety of exterior spaces. Reduce space needs & combine functions - to reduce the overall building footprint. Relocate the existing guest house/studio building & driveway - to improve ground water flows.
Renewable Materials
Existing house & guest/studio structures retained.
Existing materials reused.
FSC certified wood.
Sustainable Landscape
Materials sourced locally.
Native Maine species.
New bio-swale created to filter & control storm water run-off in to the stream.
Natural ground water patterns reinstated.
Energy Efficient
Super insulated exterior shell with minimum R-35 walls, R-50 roof, R-5 windows & doors.
Extremely air tight construction.
Primary space heating provided by low energy heat pumps.
HRV heat recovery air exchangers.
Renewable Power
7kw roof-top PV panels, for primary power supply.
Supplemental heat from a wood fired stove.
Roof-top evacuated solar tubes, for domestic hot water heating.