Our clients often come to us as they attempt to solve a myriad of problems early on in their planning stage. Whether they come to us by way of a Zoning attorney, a befuddled contractor, a designer out of options, or we take on the project like any other, we often have extra work to do. Here is a brief sampling of such projects.
This work is in collaboration with lead design architect Robin A. Johnson (robinaj9988@gmail.com, 231.326-3637) - a local architect to northern Michigan, whom clients approached with the desires of a mid-century feel while being net-zero in climate zone 6. Challenge: Accepted. This house, while being expansive, light and airy, is also slated to be net-zero with the help of the sun and battery storage. Meticulous attention to detail, the thermal envelop and orientation of windows and roof planes combine ample amounts of south-facing roof slopes with Solar PV panels and hot water panels. The entire slab that the house sits on is essentially a radiator in the heating season and a heat sink in the cooling season. No boiler required. Daytime through early night, the slab is warmed by solar hot water panels, with excess storage in thermal tanks fed through a sub-slab thermal retention field where daytime-heated water is stored to offset the first sunless hours of the day. Overnight heating is compensated with an air-to-water heat-pump system, powered off of battery storage from the large array of PV panels. Open mid-century can really meet modern energy efficiencies.
This northwest Chicago home expands the existing 2-bedroom, 1-bath home with dilapidating 1-story rear addition, into a solid 3-bedroom, two-bathroom home with integrated "in-law" suite and addition of a great room for family time while preserving the formal living and dining for entertaining. The overall renovation will exceed current energy codes - ensuring comfort and efficiency into the future.
