Name: Joyce
Location: Stow, Massachusetts
"We live in an eco-home that we designed and built on the foundation of a 1959 ranch. It was designed to embrace the beauty of simple natural materials, open spaces, and carefully thought-out systems for health and comfort. Inspired by Sarah Susanka's The Not So Big House, every aspect of the design aims to maximize space, making use of the entire footprint (and the vertical space) to accommodate the way a family lives. The result is environmentally sustainable, aesthetically delightful, and lovingly suited to the needs of a family."
"Consistent with the principles of green building, the house sits on the site of a previous structure. That building, from 1959, was taken apart piece by piece and recycled or reused whenever possible. In some parts of the structure, studs were left standing and became part of the current home; in other parts the old house was removed down to the foundation. The foundation was repaired and extensive drainage was installed. All wiring, plumbing, systems, and materials other than the foundation and some studs are new since 2004.
Careful attention has been paid to the flow of the home and to creating spaces that enhance family interactions. The main room of the house allows for multiple activites — cooking, working, projects, relaxing, music — in spaces that are connected but delineated. The master bedroom suite is a retreat-within-a retreat, placed apart but not isolated, at the top of the spiral stairs, with a sleeping-loft at the very peak of the home. The two addtional bedrooms are on the main floor to allow for a connection with the heart of the house, so childrens' spaces are private but not cut off from family activity. Along with the guest space and study, these bedrooms and a full bath are in a small wing off the main room."
Thanks, Joyce!
You can see more about this home at Green & Natural Home.
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Ive been drooling over this home for over a month....too bad its out of my price range...and I don't think I'd want to live in Stow
view abc123's profile
anyone else getting tired of obsession over the 'eco'ness of things?
view lab director's profile
lab director,
i think the "obsession" you speak of comes from people finally waking up and realizing that we are ruining our planet. And while, yes, some companies are just slapping an undeserving "green" label on everything; others are really trying to make a conscious effort to heal our earth. Totally commendable.
I think one of the problems with the "green" or "eco" label, however, is that it implies that it's an alternative to the norm instead of how it should have always been. Since when was it smart to build anything that's NOT eco-friendly? Since when was it smart to paint with VOCs? Since when was it a smart idea to waste energy and natural resources?
view abc123's profile
abc123- some people might be waking up, i bet most are being trendy. i know people/businesses love taking advantage of this.
i believe that good architecture is, and has always been: intrinsically sustainable, responsive, responsible, harmonious with the environment, adaptive, etc, etc.
i'm not impressed with a lot of the recent 'eco' homes and fancy labels. a lot of it is gimmicks and trendy materials. good architecture is good architecture. this house may be that or not, i really don't care. just when i see the word 'eco' in front of anything, my first inclination is to roll my eyes and not waste too much time on it. thanks
view lab director's profile
"when i see the word 'eco' in front of anything, my first inclination is to roll my eyes and not waste too much time on it. thanks"
that's pretty dismissive. You probably miss out on a lot with those types of prejudgments. *shrugs*
And I already admitted that some companies are just being trendy in my previous comment. But that's the job of big business--they are culture vultures. It's not just with the eco-friendly movement.
view abc123's profile
but what if it is eco? i wouldn't roll my eyes before giving them a moment to look.
i'm loving the big tapestry on the wall with that funny corner sofa. it looks so cozy!
view Shannon Ashley's profile
before everyone has a fit and i'm banned from AT for my environmental insensitivity, i must say i'm exaggerating my annoyance with all things 'eco' a bit. i don't really roll my eyes and shun everything environmental, of course not. we need to all relax.
view lab director's profile
Seems ironic that -- in a photo shoot for an eco-friendly home -- it's daytime and yet every single light in the house is turned on. Just saying...
view tophmck's profile
All truly good architecture is efficient, long lasting, harmonious with its surroundings and low maintenance. Thus good architecture is by its very nature "eco-friendly", whether it choses it label itself as such or not.
A house that flaunts its green credentials is like a beautiful woman who is constantly dropping reminders of her beauty into unrelated conversation. She still looks the same, but she's now an annoying bore and people are more likely to notice the few parts of her that aren't beautiful.
Personally I only had to read "We live in an eco-home..." before I wanted to slap someone.
view Blandwagon's profile
... another house call/tour that's really just a real estate ad?
view fineur's profile
@tophmck: That's photography for you. I love all the windows and natural light; they're enough to live by during the day, but not enough to show details in a picture.
view emaozora's profile
i used to get annoyed with big business getting in on the whole eco-green thing, but then i figured that if even walmart was doing it, that meant the movement has gone mainstream, which, far from being a bad thing, is something that should have happened long ago.
although my natural inclination tends towards cynicism, i am trying to be cautiously optimistic about the mainstreaming of the green movement. let it flow, people, the more the merrier.
and the house is gorgeous. i'll use the tapestry idea because i happen to have one sitting in the garage, breeding dust bunnies.
view the polish chick's profile
I'm going to ignore the eco debate and say how much I love this house. Lots of warm woods and gorgeous textiles and old furniture and shelves full of books. I dream about having a house just like this.
view cedargr0's profile
Gorgeous house, warm and inviting. Love the stove/fireplace! And such a beautiful setting. Good luck with the sale, and congrats to the lucky new owner.
view mirandabee's profile
What a cozy woodland home. I love Massachusetts. Sigh.
view jessroo's profile
Georgeous!
view mei-ling's profile
I agree with fineur--it bugs me when the tours are of homes for sale. Because really, isn't AT all about presenting the WAY people live in a house, not just the shell?
My big problem with the "eco" label is that it has completely devalued the meaning of the word. I worry that people will continue to make choices that are environmentally unhealthy or unsustainable because there's something else they are doing that fits within the "green" label.
When I looked at these pictures the thing I wondered about most was how they maintain a manicured lawn in a "green" way. But otherwise, I do like what they've done.
view sally305's profile
Regardless of the "eco" quality of this home, I think it's so beautiful and peaceful. I think that kitchen is my dream kitchen.
Emily
view Emily Sneds's profile
Eco is the only way.
Anyways, I fell in love with the surroundings, the house viewed from the outside and its master bedroom - or should I say sleeping area. I'd go nuts with no door to close, but everybody isn't as light a sleeper, hehe. Silence and peace is flooding out from the photo of the bed and that's the ideal for me; as little extra as possible around where I sleep!
view luftskibet's profile