I love following blogs that document the remodel of a home or where the owner plays a large role in the construction. One such project is the home of Brano and Jana in Wheat Ridge Colorado. I think they have done a fantastic job and think the home speaks for itself. The rest of this post will be in Brano’s words. Click “read more” to see this killer home and get the link to their blog.

We came to the US from Europe - Slovakia 5 years ago. It wasn’t our goal to built the house here but it happened and here is our short story. We became land owners sometimes in February 2009. It is unbelievable but we couldn’t find anything for sale that we liked and could afford at the same time. Maybe because we are from Europe and we have different needs and opinions on living or maybe because we are architects and we were thinking we can do better ourselves. We had been planning our home for a while and we found vacant land with south - north orientation for sale in Wheat Ridge, CO where our design would fit perfectly. Briefly, the house is around 1500sf plus detached double car garage. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, single story, slab on grade, open floor plan, staggered double studs walls - spray foam insulated, full height windows, radiant heating, HR fan ventilation system, mini split AC (future), exterior rain screen system, large patio and breeze way between garrage and house. In general we were aiming for a low energy home.

last vacant infill lot in established neighborhood with beautiful  globe willow tree. We liked the orientation and the amount of trees added some nice privacy.



All full height windows were placed on the south facade, they help to let the sun warm up concrete floors during the day then the heat is radiated back to the living space during the night.



Looking from south west corner, all the rocks around tree were handpicked from our lot. Also note globe willow in the background.











long slot windows in the kitchen provide light and additional cross ventilation. Skylights in the hallway are a source of free light. We kept polished sealed concrete as our finish floor surface with in floor radiant heating, it is the most effective solution as concrete is a great heat conductor and helps to best transfer heat from the radiant tubing to the living space.



The entry element is accented by a shifting garage mass to the side, making the entry visible from the street, but still keeping it somewhat private.





A large beam in front of the living rooms south facade provide shading in the hot summer sun which is high above horizon. In the winter when the sun is lower, it lets the sun warm up the living rooms interior. The offset of the beam is based on the path of the sun across the sky during the year, this way we don’t need any ac and our heat expenses during the heating season are under average. Also notice shade from large deciduous trees to the south of the house, they also provide additional shading in the summer when they bear leaves, but let the sun shine inside the house in the winter when all the leaves are gone.



South facing patio provides exterior extension to our living space.

Thanks Brano and Jana for showing us around your amazing home!

Check out the rest of their home and on going projects here.
http://aurhaus.blogspot.com/

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