Houzz Tour: An Architect Designs a Passive Home for His Family
This pro put energy-efficient principles into practice in his weekend home in Long Island, New York
Becky Harris
13 September 2019
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
In exploring Passive House technology, architect Wayne Turett went above and beyond extensively researching it for his clients. After studying the standards and systems for years, Turett decided to design a Passive House for his own family, acting as general contractor and living in the home during construction, so he could learn more to impart to his clients.
His family’s new weekend home in Greenport, on the North Fork of Long Island, New York, nods to local barn architecture with an urban, loft-like interior. Thanks to its thoughtful siting, tight envelope and energy-efficient systems, the home uses 90 percent less energy than existing homes and 75 percent less energy than a new home built to code, he says.
His family’s new weekend home in Greenport, on the North Fork of Long Island, New York, nods to local barn architecture with an urban, loft-like interior. Thanks to its thoughtful siting, tight envelope and energy-efficient systems, the home uses 90 percent less energy than existing homes and 75 percent less energy than a new home built to code, he says.
House at a Glance
Who lives here? Architect Wayne Turett of The Turett Collaborative and his wife
Location Greenport, New York
Property A new-build detached house in the style of a barn
Size Four bedrooms and three bathrooms; 2,300 sq ft (214 sq m)
Photos by Liz Glasgow
The plot the house sits on was subdivided off a larger plot in the village of Greenport and is long and narrow. The plot’s shape, a desire for an open floorplan, and the charming local barns that dot the area inspired the home’s long and simple form. Turett orientated the house to capture the views of Stirling Basin, where the family keeps a sailing boat. This side of the house also has south-eastern exposure, which helps keep the house warm in the winter.
Exterior stairs lead to the second floor, which houses the public living spaces – the living room, dining room and kitchen. Turett turned typical floorplans upside down so these rooms would have the best views of the harbour and enjoy the vaulted ceiling provided by the gabled roofline. A long deck serves as an outdoor extension of these spaces, complete with a lounge and dining area that have water views.
Need help with your own project? Find the right specialist in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Who lives here? Architect Wayne Turett of The Turett Collaborative and his wife
Location Greenport, New York
Property A new-build detached house in the style of a barn
Size Four bedrooms and three bathrooms; 2,300 sq ft (214 sq m)
Photos by Liz Glasgow
The plot the house sits on was subdivided off a larger plot in the village of Greenport and is long and narrow. The plot’s shape, a desire for an open floorplan, and the charming local barns that dot the area inspired the home’s long and simple form. Turett orientated the house to capture the views of Stirling Basin, where the family keeps a sailing boat. This side of the house also has south-eastern exposure, which helps keep the house warm in the winter.
Exterior stairs lead to the second floor, which houses the public living spaces – the living room, dining room and kitchen. Turett turned typical floorplans upside down so these rooms would have the best views of the harbour and enjoy the vaulted ceiling provided by the gabled roofline. A long deck serves as an outdoor extension of these spaces, complete with a lounge and dining area that have water views.
Need help with your own project? Find the right specialist in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
From the driveway, the entry sequence makes the most of the outdoor spaces. One can enter the home on this level through the garage door or the door off the deck, or walk across to the exterior stairs and up to the second storey.
The siding is a mix of grey fibre cement panels and rough grey cedar shiplap siding that suits the modern building, yet fits in with other more traditional structures in the coastal town.
The driveway and landscaping are not yet finished – Turett has a plan to add a permeable driveway surface composed of chipped bluestone. A barn door-like panel slides over to reveal the garage, which has a charging station for electric cars. The site also minimises rain runoff – the water runs into a trough drain that leads to a dry well.
The siding is a mix of grey fibre cement panels and rough grey cedar shiplap siding that suits the modern building, yet fits in with other more traditional structures in the coastal town.
The driveway and landscaping are not yet finished – Turett has a plan to add a permeable driveway surface composed of chipped bluestone. A barn door-like panel slides over to reveal the garage, which has a charging station for electric cars. The site also minimises rain runoff – the water runs into a trough drain that leads to a dry well.
On the first floor deck, modern, steel-cable railings keep the water views open. The overhang shades the interiors from the sun’s heat in the summer, while the wide expanse of sliding glass doors allows coastal cross-breezes to cool the home.
By combining the kitchen, dining and living areas into one large, open space underneath the vaulted ceiling on the first floor, Turett was able to keep the home’s footprint smaller and create the urban, loft-like vibe he was seeking. The light-coloured wood, the abundance of white and the modern furniture give it a relaxed Scandinavian country house feeling.
The wood floors in the house are heart pine with an oil stain that has white pigment in it. “This stain lightened up the floors so they’re not reddish and they have a natural feeling,” he says.
Wood stain, Woca.
What do I need to know about laying a wood floor?
The wood floors in the house are heart pine with an oil stain that has white pigment in it. “This stain lightened up the floors so they’re not reddish and they have a natural feeling,” he says.
Wood stain, Woca.
What do I need to know about laying a wood floor?
The appliances are energy-efficient. “We bought the kitchen right off the floor at Valcucine and reconfigured it a bit,” Turett says. “It has some unique features.”
For instance, this side of the island is faced in pegboard, and the white coverings on the upper cabinets around the window are a stretch fabric that adds lightness and texture. “We can put those in the wash, and we have a few extras just in case,” he says.
The structure of the shelves, the cylindrical stainless-steel extractor and the perforated panels on the island create an industrial look that enhances the urban style in the house. Eames bar stools add a classic midcentury modern element.
For instance, this side of the island is faced in pegboard, and the white coverings on the upper cabinets around the window are a stretch fabric that adds lightness and texture. “We can put those in the wash, and we have a few extras just in case,” he says.
The structure of the shelves, the cylindrical stainless-steel extractor and the perforated panels on the island create an industrial look that enhances the urban style in the house. Eames bar stools add a classic midcentury modern element.
In the dining area, the tilt-turn windows on the right work in concert with the sliding doors across from them to make the most of the coastal breezes. Though the house has air conditioning, Turett says they haven’t had to use it yet. The home’s windows and doors, overhangs and thick walls keep the house cool without it.
The kitchen table has a simple form and adds more light wood to the mix. Turett specified LED lighting throughout the house. The dining area’s light fixture echoes the structural metal tie rods that support the roof. He chose tie rods because they are less bulky than wood framing, maintaining the light and open feeling up here.
A corner window and skylights make the most of the natural light. “The skylights are more valuable in winter, when they let in the morning light, but they’re small enough not to matter in the summer,” Turett says.
Even with all of these openings, the house has an airtight envelope that keeps warm air from escaping during the winter. This is a result of combining high-quality, well-sealed insulation, triple-paned glass and sheathing taped to form the air barrier, all key elements in a Passive House.
The walls are 12 inches thick, and here’s where a Passive House differs the most from a code-built house. Typically a code-built house from inside to out will have plasterboard, stud walls with fibreglass insulation in between the studs, then sheathing and exterior siding.
“My house starts out that way, so, working from the inside out – Sheetrock, fibreglass between studs, Zip sheathing taped at the seams to create an air barrier. Add rigid polyisocyanurate insulation, add 1 x 3in furring strips to the rigid insulation and then add the finished siding,” Turett says.
“When you cut into that, you have to seal around the penetration, so with a window, the window has to be taped to the sheathing. When you have a pipe that goes from inside to out, you have to tape it to the sheathing,” he says. The result is an airtight house – one that maintains temperatures and prevents draughts from entering.
The house is all electric and is heated and cooled with a duct mini-split system, aided by an energy-recovery ventilator. An ERV is important in an airtight building, as it exchanges fresh outdoor air for stale indoor air. The ERV can be boosted in areas that need it more, such as in the kitchen when cooking, or in the bathrooms to maintain healthy air quality.
Even with all of these openings, the house has an airtight envelope that keeps warm air from escaping during the winter. This is a result of combining high-quality, well-sealed insulation, triple-paned glass and sheathing taped to form the air barrier, all key elements in a Passive House.
The walls are 12 inches thick, and here’s where a Passive House differs the most from a code-built house. Typically a code-built house from inside to out will have plasterboard, stud walls with fibreglass insulation in between the studs, then sheathing and exterior siding.
“My house starts out that way, so, working from the inside out – Sheetrock, fibreglass between studs, Zip sheathing taped at the seams to create an air barrier. Add rigid polyisocyanurate insulation, add 1 x 3in furring strips to the rigid insulation and then add the finished siding,” Turett says.
“When you cut into that, you have to seal around the penetration, so with a window, the window has to be taped to the sheathing. When you have a pipe that goes from inside to out, you have to tape it to the sheathing,” he says. The result is an airtight house – one that maintains temperatures and prevents draughts from entering.
The house is all electric and is heated and cooled with a duct mini-split system, aided by an energy-recovery ventilator. An ERV is important in an airtight building, as it exchanges fresh outdoor air for stale indoor air. The ERV can be boosted in areas that need it more, such as in the kitchen when cooking, or in the bathrooms to maintain healthy air quality.
“We call this deck our summer living and dining room,” Turett says. The large doors create easy transitions from indoors to out. Turett concealed storage behind the sofa by covering the doors in matching cedar shiplap and using hidden hardware. The family stashes cushions, a tap and hose, suntan lotion and other outdoor necessities in the cupboard.
Marine-style sconces add a modern nautical touch. There’s more outdoor living space on the decks below, as well as an outdoor shower.
The main level in this upside-down floorplan contains the bedrooms.
Although their grown children enjoy visiting the home, Turett and his wife have the place to themselves some weekends. So he created this floor-to-ceiling door that allows them to open up their master suite when they’re here alone.
“We can see right through to the window at the other end of the house when it’s open. And when it’s closed, it looks like it’s the end of the house,” he says. Opening the oversize door gives them the urban loft feeling they like.
“We can see right through to the window at the other end of the house when it’s open. And when it’s closed, it looks like it’s the end of the house,” he says. Opening the oversize door gives them the urban loft feeling they like.
The couple wanted to continue the open feeling into their master bathroom. The ‘window’ behind the bath provides a view through to the master bathroom’s long mirror from the bedroom. A sliding barn door on the bedroom side can be closed for privacy. The shower is open to the rest of the bathroom.
A line of river stones creates an interesting transition between the shower floor and bath, and it also delineates the flooring change from heart pine to Stonetto, a nonslip, quartz-based composition that looks like stone. A door to the left of the shower opens to a deck. “This door gives the shower an indoor-outdoor feel,” Turett says.
A floating vanity unit and a long mirror with integrated LED lighting maintain a clean, minimalist look.
A floating vanity unit and a long mirror with integrated LED lighting maintain a clean, minimalist look.
The master bedroom also opens to an outdoor deck. Locating the bedrooms on the ground floor allowed for this access.
When the project is completed, Turett will begin the process of Passive House certification that confirms the house uses 90 percent less energy than existing homes and 75 percent less energy than a code-built new home. Because they only use the home on weekends and their systems are so efficient, they have decided against photovoltaic panels for now. But if they choose to add them, Turett estimates the house would reach zero energy, meaning it would generate as much power as it uses over the course of a year.
Tell us…
Would you like to live in a Passive House? Let us know in the Comments section.
When the project is completed, Turett will begin the process of Passive House certification that confirms the house uses 90 percent less energy than existing homes and 75 percent less energy than a code-built new home. Because they only use the home on weekends and their systems are so efficient, they have decided against photovoltaic panels for now. But if they choose to add them, Turett estimates the house would reach zero energy, meaning it would generate as much power as it uses over the course of a year.
Tell us…
Would you like to live in a Passive House? Let us know in the Comments section.
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Solar panels are viable in higher latitudes (ie far north in northern hemisphere or far south in southern hemisphere) as he lack of sunshine in the winter is compensated for by the long daylight hours in the summer. I recently traveled in northern Scotland and was delighted to see many houses with solar panels. This was in latitudes of 55+ deg north! I'm contemplating adding some solar here - at 45deg south we do get looong light days in the summer.
Just so everyone knows, the Passivehouse standard is very different than the "passive solar" houses of the 70s and 80s which have been found to not work very well in most climate zones. Passivehouse involves ensuring not only a low amount of heating energy, but very healthy air and a comfortable house. This is accomplished through thick insulation with minimal thermal bridging, very high R value windows, super tight construction in terms of sealing all the air leaks (but allowing water vapor to permeate through the walls), and an active ventilation system to ensure fresh, filtered air. As homes get more efficient, all these things are need to keep them from having condensation and mold.
The house design makes me feel relaxed just looking at it. Could you share the make of the outdoor dining table that combined wood/teak and mesh. I love the fact that it looks comfy and most importantly- no cushions! TY!