case studies
Built for the Future Passive Solar Net-Zero Home Made to Last BY SUSANNA SHETLEY uilder Gus Katsigiannis of Familia Enterprises partnered with recurring clients Mark McCraw and Beth Lassiter to build his first net-zero home in the Falconhurst neighborhood of Asheville. The team first met while Familia was renovating the clients’ 100-year-old house. Their relationship deepened when Familia built a sustainable home for Lassiter’s mother that achieved Green Built Homes’ gold level of certification. The team’s next collaboration was to embark on building this netzero home on spec as a joint in-
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Project Team Builder — Familia Enterprises
Passive Solar Design — Springtime Builders
HVAC Contractor — Asheville Comfort Systems
Solar — Sundance Power Systems
Electrician — Crown Electric Plumbing — Classic Plumbing
HERS Rater — Vandemusser Design
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vestment project. “We owe it to the wonderful world we live in to not to set it on fire,” Lassiter said. “That’s how the future should work — to put houses out there that are beautiful, easy to live in, and make people happy, but that also honor the earth.” A passive solar design was purchased from another local builder and modified to meet the unique needs of this particular project. As with most passive solar designs, the plan would work with the home’s windows and solar energy to extract heat from the sun. The layout of the site was also integral to the design. “The orientation of the lot was perfect for this project,” Katsigiannis said. “It offers ideal southern exposure.” The southern exposure and a unique type of window work in conjunction with a heat sink to absorb solar energy. The team installed an 8-inch thick concrete slab on the first floor and stained it a dark color. When the sun shines during the winter, it hits the dark floor, which captures the heat and energy from the sun then releases it slowly to heat the home. “To work correctly, this type of energy sourcing is a mix of lot lay-
The exterior of the house is a combination of rough-cut pine timbers and poplar bark, all regionally sourced. RYAN THEEDE PHOTOS
www.GREENBUILT.org
