Designer: Jake Evans, Legend Homes
Builder: Legend Homes
Interior designer: Nicole Miller, Legend Homes
Photographer: John Trax
Photograph by John Trax
This is a 5-bedroom, 3-bathroom, 2000-square-foot home. And it makes all of its own energy!
Sold earlier this year for $825,000 in the Sunnyland neighborhood of Bellingham, this net zero home was designed and built by Legend Homes of Bellingham, formerly TC Legend Homes. The floor plan was carefully designed to accommodate many ways of living. At first glance, it reads as a traditional family home, but could also function well as a student rental, with large closets and good sound insulation. Alternatively, one of the central bathrooms can be connected to create a primary suite, making family living easy. There is also a full-sized bathroom on the first floor with a large curbless shower to facilitate realistic aging-in-place. Legend Homes even kept the community in mind during the build. A slice was carved off the south side of the lot, dedicated to the city, and made to fit legal pathway standards so that the bus stop on Woburn Street can safely and legally connect to the neighborhood behind.
Photograph by John Trax
In the design world we have come to think of modernism to mean cube-homes with flat roofs. But the pitched roof has made a powerful comeback in cutting-edge modern design because the roof is the only place to put the solar panels, and those panels should point towards the sun.
This Woburn Street home is a true net zero home, which means that it makes all the energy it needs from the rooftop solar. The owners don’t need to pay for heating and cooling! In other words, there are no electric bills and the heat pump can provide air-conditioning in the summer and radiant in-floor heat in the winter.
Photograph by John Trax
Legend Homes incorporated modern construction technology throughout the home; If you look at the ceiling heights you’ll see the second-floor ceilings are fully vaulted because the house was built using structural insulated panels (SIPS). The roof panels are self-supporting and do not require traditional roof trusses, allowing for the taller ceiling heights.
With superior insulation qualities, the SIP panels both insulate the house and create a tight seal, so indoor air quality can be assured. Even during forest fires, a HEPA filter removes pollution as the air enters the home.
Photograph by John Trax
Legend Homes also prioritized bringing natural light into the home. The high windows in the kitchen provide ample daylight while avoiding direct views into the neighboring houses, preserving privacy and supporting good neighbor relations. Careful attention was also given to window shading to block hot summer sun, helping keep the interior cool during summer. Yet the home remains bright, warm, and cozy during the winter months.
During summer, the big west-facing porch adjacent to the kitchen can host dinners on a shaded table under the exposed rafters. As the sun sets to the west and the lumber lights up red and yellow, outdoor living will be enjoyable; there’s a substantial front yard where kids can run, imaginations can wander, and the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest becomes part of home.
Photographs by John Trax
