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With full floor to ceiling glass, the view is endless and allows passive solar heat gain and natural light to penetrate deep into every room. The front (south) 'hallway' combines with the planterbed to create a very open, airy feeling throughout an HTM. As we will discuss in later detail pages, it is possible to box an HTM in to create smaller rooms, but this can easily be done after the home has been completed since interior partition walls are non-bearing. The main thing to keep in mind is that the sustainable, energy independent nature of your HTM will be effected by cutting the home up into smaller boxed-in rooms. You are in effect turning the HTM into a conventional home. True, it will still function worlds better than any stick framed home, but it may need some supplimental energy to heat these interior rooms that passive solar energy has been prevented from entering directly.
As shown below, the living and kitchen areas are shared by the front entry room. Please note the lack of doorways and windows. This design feature is what makes a standard HTM so adaptable to underground home and fully bermed layouts. You really don't need doors and windows along any but the south wall (in a heating climate). You are, of course, free to design your HTM with doors and windows on all four exterior walls, but by concentrating all of the glass and doors along the south wall, you simplify and speed construction (read: "save money on building costs") while maximizing thermal mass.
Middle rooms are left open for use as living/office areas or boxed-in for bedrooms. Utility, storage areas, and bathrooms are typically arranged along the rear (north) wall with clerestory windows or skylights supplying natural light. As you can see, wall treatments are more varied than just stucco, it is just that stucco is the natural choice with drystack block. Floor treatments are the most varied of all: anything goes in an HTM. Naturally, dark tile absorbs the most solar gain, but the immense amount of thermal mass allows you to choose carpet or hardwood floors with little drop in overall performance. We'll be certain to discuss your options and let you know what effect your choices will have on your home's sustainability.
The master suite is typically an end room for the sake of privacy. Water tubes, glass block walls, drapes, or moveable partitions can be installed for additional privacy and a door can be added to the hallway. These are all personal taste issues that are hashed out during the design stage. We work closely with our clients to custom design floorplans and layouts that agree with their lifestyle and family needs.
Here's a few shots from our DVD:
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$95* initial design consultation
Whether regarding HTMs specifically or passive solar in general, our initial consultation will address your concerns.
After reviewing the material, we encourage you to drop us an email with your questions.
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First, we email an extended outline of tips, tricks, and technical details, many not found on the website.
Then, we ship you a two inch binder jam-packed with the following printed information:
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$9* DVD only
One hour long video on universal DVD format |
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First half hour walks you through the sustainable design, HTM passive solar earthhome featured on our website. While not a How-To video, the second half does include detailed Infiltrator chamber leach field septic system installation and Sun-Mar composting toilet footage. |
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