The Fiddlehead in its original form is quite a departure from the Sunflower, which we recently profiled. Coming in at a modest 1,330 square feet, it includes 2 + 1 bedrooms and 3 baths over two floors.
The ground floor has a nice open plan, while the bedrooms have their own space on the upper floor. This appeals to anyone attached to two-storey living or concerned about the home’s footprint and its size. A two-storey home is typically less costly to build.
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A snapshot of some of our current projects is actually a great way to get a feel for how some homeowners are using EkoBuilt’s energy efficient house plans as well as our design expertise. We thought we’d share this round up for a bit of home design and planning inspiration:
We’re excited to be working on preliminary drawings for an urban rebuild project close to Lansdowne Park and the Rideau Canal. A young, forward thinking family are the clients and we are excited to design their new family home. There is an existing post-war type house on the property that will be recycled, and a new home, designed for the 21st-century, will emerge.
We typically prepare a site plan, and it’s particularly important in this case as we’re working with limited space and need to design to maximize space on the property within the setbacks required by the City of Ottawa. There is a basement involved and we have given a couple of options for feedback from the client.
This design started as a garage with a workshop and kennel area for three dogs. The clients decided to take advantage of the new Coach House Bylaw in Ottawa and put an apartment over the garage for affordable investment income.
The utility area will be the only heated area in the garage section, so we will super insulate the floor and follow passive principles for the second-floor apartment. The Coach House will face due south.
The property of this design is sloped, but not by much, which meant not having a basement, but also that it wouldn’t be slab on grade. A conventional poured concrete foundation is going to be installed, the only difference being R32 insulation beneath the slab instead of R10, as required by current code. With energy costs rapidly rising, it only makes sense to install more insulation, if reasonable to do so.
This design started from our Shooting Star house plan, a 2 bed/2 bath bungalow of just over 1200 square feet. The client took our original plan and customized it to best suit their needs. It is a home designed to be off the grid because the client does not want to depend on the grid. We find this pretty inspiring. Why connect to the grid if you don’t have to?
Building to Passive House standard — the original inspiration behind our 13 energy efficient house plans — it’s easy to take the home off-grid. A generator is required, but we use a generator that burns oil from sun derived energy, including vegetable oil, reclaimed vegetable oil or bio diesel.
You can download the original Shooting Star plans here
If you can’t find a design, not to worry, we can help! The clients of this design came to us with a rough idea and, after a few revisions, we transformed the idea into a computer assisted drawing. It’s a unique situation because this home will sit in a forest but still consume 80% to 90% less energy than its building code equivalent, reinforcing the reality that every house should be passive!
These examples show that we are ultimately a custom design/build firm. If you like our minimalistic, modern and sustainable approach to design, we can help in any capacity. Feel free to reach out to discuss your project!
Heading into the long weekend that marks the end of summer, you may have more than just a bit of a last hurrah on your mind. If you’re staying closer to home, you may find that you’d like to tackle an outdoor job before also indulging in some fun and relaxation.
Ottawa’s weather forecast is looking a little iffy beyond Saturday, so for the remainder of the weekend, a quick project in the garage or your garden shed could be just the thing!
Spring or fall, it doesn’t matter; it may be high time to purge, clean and get organized in your garage. Ignore the plug for the power washer here (though you may need to use one!), and instead notice the principles around a deep clean, and a cool beam system for storage containers.
Here’s to a great long weekend, and an organized start to the fall!
Over the past year we have been asked a number of times if garages/carports are possible with the lower energy homes and the answer is, yes – absolutely, why not?
While a stand alone garage or outbuilding has its advantages, for many of us living in colder climates, there are real benefits to a structure that is attached to the home. What’s important is that the garage or carport is constructed in such a way that it does not compromise the weathertight shell of the home, and this is easily done.
We’ve prepared revised sketches of three of EkoBuilt’s low energy home designs to incorporate a garage or carport.
If there was one limiting factor to incorporating a garage, it would be to not place it on the southern side of the home as this would block the sun. Any other side would be fine.
Introducing a carport or garage actually provides opportunities to add further interest and utility to your home’s exterior, and to create defined outdoor areas for patios, gardens and other features.
The concept below, which shows a double car garage added onto the Trillium model (the EkoModel Home that we’ve been building this year), illustrates how a lovely space would be created on the south-facing wall of the home that would anchor a garden or seating / outdoor dining area. This is actually highly practical, as the door immediately to the left of the garage exits from the home’s living and dining area, just steps from the kitchen.
View all of EkoBuilt’s house plans, including the models showing sample carport and garage placement.
We’re delighted to work with you to discuss optimal design and placement for any of our low energy house plans. Contact us for details.
Don’t forget that you can come out for a walk-through the EkoModel Home this weekend for International Passive House Days.
