SunBird is the latest house design from the HOME ARCHITECTS ®. Senior staff Architect, Rand Soellner, ArCH, NCARB, said: “this is a design with lots of options and lots of flexibility and also offers the option for Photo- Voltaic roof shingles, to allow owners to have their electricity generated for free from the Sun.”
(Click on the SunBird image above to be taken to the Architect’s Project Index, if you’d like to see more examples from this architectural firm.)
(continued below):
SunBird has a Main 1st Floor Level. All other floor levels are optional. For instance, there can be an optional Loft Level. And there can be an optional Basement (Terrace) Level. And there can also be a sub-basement (tongue-in cheek named the “Dungeon” Level). And to get to all of those levels (up to 4) there is an optional elevator. Of course! Naturally, there is a central stairway, providing pedestrian access to the levels.
.
There is an optional Garage in the SunBird house design: 1-2-3-4 cars; your choice. And an optional front Porte-Cochere, which is a fancy mountain-style carport: with an optional drive-through for a circular drive.
The Master Suite bathroom and closet(s) can be provided in several different arrangements. The large, Gourmet Kitchen can be configured to suit your taste. It can accommodate 2 refrigerator-freezers, 4′ wide double ovens with large gas range and stone archway above, huge granite island and 2 sinks and 2 dishwashers. Unless you only want one of each, which is your choice. There is also an in-kitchen corner walk-in Pantry with floor to ceiling shelves to hold all those cookbooks and canned goods and boxes and bottles and dishes, and that could be further expanded in the direction of the Garage, if you wish. And there is a combination Laundry- Pantry 2 with even more shelving.
SunBird has a Front Porch, stretching the full width, from left to right to greet you and arriving guests. The Rear Porch is called the Outdoor Living Room and it has an optional Summer Kitchen, optional outdoor fireplace and a covered and screened Sleeping Porch, for those romantic Spring and Fall nights. That outdoor fireplace is 2-sided, so you can enjoy that all night long, on each side.
Siding and roofing materials are entirely optional on the SunBird, as is the style. Originally conceived as a mountain house, it can become a farm house look or a futuristic or contemporary, or shingle style, or Arts & Crafts or anything in between. That is the beauty of the concept: it can be whatever anyone wants it to become. However, if you choose the PV(Photo-Voltaic) roof shingles, wood roof shingles are probably not the best choice. Metal roofing and asphaltic fiberglass, slate, cement and just about any other roofing should work well. Walls can be stone, wood, Hardie-plank, brick or whatever interests you.
Interior finishes can be painted drywall for economy in the SunBird, or wood feature walls. Wood flooring in recommended, with slate tile or ceramic in bathrooms. Large glass doors all along the rear Big View exposure of the house is suggested.
Multiple tiers of windows (meaning that they go up to 14′ to 20′ tall in some locations) are indicated along the Front and Rear sides for natural light and views. Double-pane insulated glass with Low-E coating is specified. The Architect’s special SupR-walls are detailed for this design, which have an amazing R-27+ value, which is more than double the insulating value of the wall insulation in most homes.
Click here for the Architect’s–> Contact Page
The SunBird house has a main gable with a cathedral volume ceiling running from front to back, which is unusual, and give the house a simple to build roof (using scissors trusses is recommended) allowing the roof structure to be installed within just a few hours. An unprecedented R-49 attic/ceiling roof insulation in specified. This is a very energy efficient design with a great deal of spaciousness. And it’s easy to build. It even can generate a substantial amount of your electricity for free, depending on your solar exposure and view directions.
Give the Architects a call at: 1-828-269-9046. They can create a SunBird version for you, wherever your land is located, all over the USA and even in other countries. Or e-mail: Rand@HomeArchitects.com