A baby-boomer couple just entering retirement wanted to build a new down-scaled home risk-free by selling their existing home of 35 years, buying land and building their dream.  The particular challenge was to create something they have always wanted, including both land and construction costs, for the sale value of their existing home.  The project has been deemed an impossible feat by most, as construction cost has to be under $140/square foot.  Final bids are coming back now, but it seems attainable.

 

This is a home that is affordable, effortless, and sustainable.  The house wraps around the site creating a private exterior courtyard with small pond, and has many sliding doors, blurring the boundary between outdoors and in.  The design of the house considers both immediate and life-cycle costs in its approach to sustainability.  Landscaping consists solely of native planting, with no grass to water or mow.  The walls are made of light-gauge steel studs, which are made of recycled content and create little waste.  There is a solar water heating system installed on the roof, and radiant floors throughout will greatly reduce heating requirements for the home.

 

The couple desired a simplified lifestyle with an extremely maintenance-free house.  Materials, such as the exterior metal cladding and the concrete slab which is simply polished as the finish floor, are contemporary and durable.  The single-story, accessible plan is very open, with areas that convert to avoid doubling up on use.

Rethinking Retirement