August 16, 2016

'Zero-energy-ready' house wins award

Photos by Tucker English [enlarge]

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Dwell Development won a 2016 Housing Innovation Award from the Department of Energy for a house at 1749 N.W. 61st St. in Seattle.

The awards go to projects that are zero-energy-ready, meaning they can produce as much or more energy than they consume on an annual basis if solar panels or other renewable energy sources are added.

There were 39 winners. Dwell won in the spec custom homes category. Grand winners in each category will be announced Sept. 27 at the EEBA Excellence in Building Conference in Texas.

Seattle-based Dwell was the developer, builder and interior designer. The structural engineer was Carissa Farkas and landscape design was by Root of Design. Caron Architecture was the architect and Evergreen Certified was the third-party verifier for energy efficiency.

The 2,218-square-foot, three-story house has three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. Dwell said it was completed a year ago and pre-sold for $850,000.

It has high-performance insulation; high-efficiency appliances, plumbing and lighting; systems that exhaust stale air and let in fresh air; a barrier that seals the exterior against moisture intrusion; and solar panels on the roof.

Framing is FSC-certified wood. The exterior is reclaimed Douglas fir and steel roofing panels from a cannery in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

Floors and stairs were built with 100-year-old hardwoods from Montana. Dwell said countertops, cabinets and tile were made locally from recycled content.

The house is adjacent to two Built Green duplexes constructed by Dwell.

Learn more about the house at tiny.cc/76lmdy. All the winners are at tiny.cc/c6omdy.