Can we build an efficient, architect-designed home in the middle of nowhere on a reasonable budget? Such was this young family’s hope when they purchased land in 2019. With the pandemic, the project accelerated. The challenge was to take advantage of the view of the Green mountains to the west, maximize winter thermal gains to the south, minimize deforestation on the land, minimize the building's footprint in the landscape, all with the lowest cost and... as quickly as possible !
Compact and pared-down, the interior volume is located near the road and oriented towards the view to the west. A long shed extends the roof over the entrance, protecting its inhabitants from unwanted glances and their car from bad weather. From the road, the house is totally unremarkable. Stepping inside, one is enveloped by the woodland on one side and the horizon on the other. The tall mature ash and maple trees to the south protect the windows from overheating in summer.
The ground-floor master bedroom enjoys a stunning view of the setting sun, while the three compact garden level bedrooms take advantage of the sloping land. Prefabrication of the highly airtight wood-frame walls made it possible to quickly build an almost passive house with a low energy consumption of just 114 kWh/m²/year. Despite post-pandemic inflation, the challenge was met. Welcome to the charming Schoolcraft solar house!
