Town & country

THE NEW AMERICAN HOME 2001 WELCOME TO THE FUTURE OF home building. Far from a futuristic science fiction pod, The New American Home 2001 is an in-town infill house that appeals to moveup buyers and empty-nesters alike. The house showcases the latest in smart-home operations and sustainable building, integrated seamlessly behind a charmingly detailed elevation. A harbinger of things to come in the housing industry, TNAH 2001 offers builders a perfectly executed example of how to combine timeless design and high technology within the constraints of building in a closer-in location.

CITY OF THE FUTURE

Atlanta, the fastest growing city in the United States and the No. i housing market, is a noteworthy location to show where housing designs are headed. The market reflects the current trends of population movement to the Sunbelt, concern for finding solutions to urban sprawl, a return to in-town living, and solutions for water and energy conservation.

These trends are fueled by some significant statistics: Greater Atlanta's residents log an average of more than 50 miles per day in their automobiles (the highest average in the country); rapid suburban growth over 20 years has stretched the city to a 100-mile radius; continued decline in air quality and an overtaxed highway system have builders looking for ways to cut commute times, create pedestrian-friendly communities, and revive high-density urban living.

To address these issues, TNAH team and members of the NCHI chose an infill site for the home in the bustling tony village of Buckhead. As Atlanta's fashion-conscious "boutique" community, the area is in high demand by move-up, move-down, and relocation buyers. Buckhead is a vibrant example of how America will live in the years ahead as many buyers return to the city.

"We have a youthful and vibrant population here-a real can-do mentality. And we have great technology companies plus new infrastructure," says TNAH builder Pam Sessions.

"At the same time, home buyers love the traditional homes and surroundings in Atlanta," says Sessions, president of builder Hedgewood Properties. "The home had to be something that would be singular and up to date, and yet meet the needs of traditionalists here."

ENGLISH INSPIRATIONS

English-cottage styles are the basis for the home's design. "People are longing for something that does not feel trendy or that isn't going to fade out of style in two years," Sessions says.

And this preference apparently appeals to a wide segment of buyers. Sessions notes that the home was marketed to buyers of diverse ages and incomes. "There are empty-nesters who don't want to feel like the next purchase is their last home, so the re-sale is important. Then there are moveup buyers who plan to stay in place and raise a family and run a home office. We aim to address both needs. For buyers moving up, the home has bonus areas for older teens who need their own space. And, of course, working at home is very common now, so great office/work spaces are critical, too," says Sessions.

"I continue to see demand in town as home buyers try to cut commute times-- time is an amenity." Session adds, "People are demanding closer-in homes and a sophisticated twist to life in or near an urban center."

Sessions, a former landscape photographer who studied under the venerable American legend Ansel Adams, turned her creative talents to home building 14 years ago and currently builds 300-plus houses a year. Sessions' vision for TNAH 2001 was to create a timeless design in town and to incorporate a keen sensitivity to resource conservation and energy efficiency.

Architect Lew Oliver and his partner Jack Richards -both principals of Roswell, Ga.-based architecture firm Garden Houses of the 1920s-gleaned inspiration for the home's elevation and floor plan from architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, the British residential architect and town designer whose work from 1880 to 1930 was the catalyst for the Arts and Crafts movement.

The movement eventually influenced geniuses like Frank Lloyd Wright and the designers of California's bungalow houses. Among his most famous residences is the British Embassy in Washington.

"At the turn of the century, these kinds of buildings felt indigenous and homey, never pretentious," says Oliver. "That is what today's buyer is asking for in a moveup house or even a bungalow; they want comfort without exaggerations. We are going through a similar revolution, not industrial but technological. So people seek comfort," he adds.

As for the open plans of the last 20 years, they are history, at least in part. Large owner suites and baths remain popular. '"his new home has an open feeling, but it also rambles; it is different from what we would have built in the early '90s. There are spaces for everyone to get away and have some quiet space," says Sessions. "The two-story elevation is deceiving because we carved out an entire floor of living space in the walk-out basement level as well as the third-floor loft. There is room to grow in this house, or if you are an empty-nester or single, lots of room to entertain."

ARTISTIC WILL

Building a home on an infill site is not easy. Land can be expensive; locals can protest so loudly you can't get permitted; and densities can be so tight the market may not like what you offer. But overcoming NIMBYism is possible, says Pat Kurek, vice president of operations for Hedgewood.

"New construction does not have to be the bad guy," Kurek explains. "We are succeeding and gaining local support because we make the new communities blend with the old ones. Doing a design like this brought applause, not protests."

"Prospective buyers are surprised," says Kurek. "People often think they are looking at a historic neighborhood or a restored one. Something that has been here for at least 20 years. They are so surprised when they learn that it's new construction. But then again, that was our aim. It worked," he says.

Oliver notes that people are longing for things that have the benefits of new construction but reflect permanence-a fresh take on home design and construction with solid roots in the past.

In Longleaf, a subdivision of Buckhead, Hedgewood found a gem of a site. Adjacent to the area's most popular shopping, fine dining, and luxury hotel properties, the site is ideal for positioning the house to appeal to a wide range of move-up or move-down buyers demanding an in-town home free from grid-locked highways.

Hedgewood created an infill village of homes patterned after English Arts and Crafts, Colonial Revival, and Tuscan styles. The villas feature three-story living spaces, large owner suites, spacious entertaining areas, gourmet kitchens, bonus basement spaces, and drive-under garages with residential elevators.

The 4,400-square-foot New American Home is the flagship of the community. Located on a corner lot, the home's focal point is its outdoor courtyard in the center of the lot, which separates the main house from a detached garage. The courtyard provides flexible entertaining space and allows for private outdoor access to the family room, home study, kitchen, and bonus suite above the garage.

CLOSE-IN COURTYARD

CLOSE-IN COURTYARD

Courtyards are not just for Florida or California. "A courtyard is a perfect amenity for an infill home like this," says Oliver.

"The home incorporates indoor/outdoor relationships and the use of natural materials, both of which are signatures of the Arts and Crafts style.To accommodate a flexible home plan on a tight site, the house is turned sideways to create an interior courtyard and minimize front yard space.

"The footprint of the house is only 50 feet by ioo feet," notes Oliver, "but turning it sideways and detaching the garage on a courtyard adds more sight lines and space for gardening or outdoor living."

Oliver adds, "Indoor/outdoor relationships for house designs will grow increasingly more important as land prices keep rising. Buyers will get less land for their money, so what they get with their home and how it interacts with the home and with daily life will be critical."

Along with indoor/outdoor relationships, the biggest appeal of the home will be its sense of permanence and timelessness. "People love their e-mail and cell phones," notes Richards. "But when they go home, I think a link to the past is becoming more important to them in the face of frequent change and instant messaging. So a traditional-style home with strong indoor/outdoor circulation is a good way to meet that need of getting back to nature and the outdoors-especially without having to move out to the country if that is not possible," he says.

Oliver, who is also a traditional neighborhood and town designer, says that for years developers have been clamoring for new designs that have a solid historic reference to the past. "Home buyers are asking for modern convenience, but they don't want trendy homes. They want something they can pass on or live in for a long time without feeling dated," he explains.

"We had to speak to that demand, whether it is in an urban setting or not, neotraditional homes will be hot for years to come because of the cultural demand for simpler more honest designs," Oliver says.

For privacy, Oliver designed all bedrooms with their own bathrooms. He addressed outside privacy issues by using high fixed transom windows that allow ample light to enter the house.

The courtyard's eastern wall of Tennessee fieldstone adds privacy while a soothing waterfall creates tranquil natural sounds, blocking out urban noise. The first level focuses on the interactive flow of traffic between the family room and open kitchen, its communication zone, and access to the outdoors for entertaining. Because the house is sited sideways on the lot, most views are to the interior of the lot, which ensures passers-by can't peer in from the pedestrian walkway or street.

GATHER 'ROUND

The heart of the house is the kitchen with the nearby courtyard. "Regardless of price range, people ask for informal gathering spaces," says Sessions. "Every party or family meeting ends up in the kitchen anyway, so why not make it accommodate everyone from the start?" she says.

The kitchen zone is a double-function area with two islands at different heights. One serves as a meal preparation area, with an oversized vegetable sink and room for pull-up seating. The other island is a serving area and gathering station, featuring a wetbar-sized sink, separate ice maker, and wine and beverage cooler.

The kitchen also includes double ovens, a microwave, a refrigerator, dual warming drawers, a separate secondary ice maker, and an oversized pass-through pantry. "Plenty of room exists for activity or just gathering."

Interior designer, Susan Orlie, of Susan Orlie Designs in Arlington, Texas, says the dual appliances and stainless steel finishes on appliances are very popular with moveup buyers. "It seems that the trend is here to stay for awhile. People are entertaining in large but casual ways, theywant the extra spaces and functions. It's not a luxury anymore," she says.

ZONED FOR LIVING

"This is a great escape," says Sessions of the owner's suite on the second floor. "You can finger and have privacy, as well as take in the outdoors from the deck." Orlie agrees. "It's got a resort quality, and the bonus retreat space can serve as a study area, reading room, or even a nursery."

The owner's suite, a spacious retreat, is merchandised as a living room of sorts. It includes a kitchen, complete with wet bar and mini-fridge for that morning cup of coffee before heading downstairs or for an evening beverage before heading to bed.

There is also double access to the deck, from the bedroom or the retreat zone. Soaring volume ceilings are crafted with custom milled beams to add drama.

The suite occupies the southeast side of the house and is flooded with light from windows at both ends of the suite. An upstairs laundry room, with access from the master bath and an extra entry in the hall, facilitates daily washing. "It's difficult to leave this suite; it really is a well-planned zone," says Orlie. "You can imagine yourself really being pampered here."

HOME, SWEET SPA

Everyone longs for relaxation at home. Sales of luxury bath items-bathing accessories, scented soaps, candles, toiletries-- continue to climb, reflecting the growing penchant for spa-style indulgence. It is no surprise, then, that both discriminating boomers and young money-makers demand brand-name products for their upscale bath suites.

"I think when it comes to the move-up or move-down house, you have to remember people won't settle; they may be cutting out square footage, but the finishes, details, and quality brands have to be there," says Sessions.

Orlie concurs. "There are two things that sell homes: the owner's suite and the kitchen zone. The owner's suite bath is where they can take care of themselves. So it has to be special. Not always huge, but always special."

Orlie and the architecture team created a two-zone master bath for added privacy via a galley arrangement with separate tub and shower and an enclosed water closet. The gallery design provides dual sinks in a long vanity counter and ample storage and dressing room for two.

Interior doors on both ends of the bath ensure privacy from the dressing room closet and laundry area at one end and the master suite at the other end. A large dual walk-in closet with customized shelving and storage accommodates the needs of even the biggest clothes horses or pack rats.

PARTY TIME

Lower-level bonus spaces and finished basements have been growing in popularity for several years. TNAH 2001 takes that trend to a whole new level. The finished basement includes a half bath with steam shower and three bonus rooms: a wine cellar, a home theater, and a home gym. The spaces can also be finished off to include more bedrooms, expanding the house plan to seven bedrooms, with four and a half baths.

The bath across from the home gym features a Jacuzzi steam shower for a relaxing steam after a hard workout. After a steam, the homeowner can enjoy a drink with a friend in a climate-controlled wine cellar that holds 3,000 bottles. Or if a movie is the order of the evening, the large-screen, deluxe home movie theater (with surround sound) can accommodate a party of six. "Keeping media spaces away from other entertaining areas gives residents more flexibility for entertaining or daily gathering," notes Oliver.

A BETTER BUTLER

The home's brain, located in the basement, is its automation system: the SmarterHome System by Listman Home Technologies.

SmarterHome is a wireless control system that provides comprehensive indoor and outdoor monitoring of virtually every electrical unit in the house, including live real-time video security, interior and exterior lighting, ceiling fans, HVAC, and more.

SmarterHome also provides instant on/off access to the Internet and runs on Microsoft CE, software most consumers are familiar with and comfortable using. It includes MS Outlook for home e-mail.

Most important, SmarterHome is a snap to use: Using a Web-pad "butler" located in the kitchen and a touch screen password, the owner can access and control the system locally or from any computer or cell phone.

"The owner will be able to turn on the air conditioning or heating from the airport on the way home, so the house will be comfortable when they arrive," says Kurek. "And more simply, turning out the lights when the owner leaves in the evenings can be done by zone or by a push of a button on a screen."

Beyond comfort issues, SmarterHome also interfaces with maintenance operations such as the sprinkler system, automated window blinds, and a high-tech security system, which will be installed after the International Builders' Show.

'A lot of systems work with cumbersome remotes, but with this system, a majority of the functions are only a two-- key press to activate or program," explains Kurek."It's not like a remote control that can sometimes be confusing. It has actual screen images on a touch screen," he adds.

All components in the system talk to each other via a giga-server on a wireless ethernet network card. And a non-interruptible power supply of reserve electrical power prevents power surges or outages to ensure the home's systems are operational at all times.

The benefit for the owner is that it saves time and money, and conserves resources by ensuring the home runs as efficiently as possible, whether the owner is in

Tokyo or the backyard.

HOME OFFICE

Once called granny flats in the Georgia low country, the above-garage bonus suite is now an enviable space to use for an older teenager's pad, a boomerang child's "layover" space, an in-law suite, or a home office.

TNAH team merchandised the room as an interior design studio with built-in bookshelves, conference space, and a full bath. The private entrance off the courtyard allows guests and clients to enter without going through the main house.

CHARGE ME UP

Atlanta's air quality continues to be a major concern for the state, so many locals are choosing to drive electric vehicles. To address this trend, the team designed a detached two-car garage complete with an electric car charger by Georgia Power/ Southern Co.

The inductive charger, Magne Charge, provides up to izo hours of driving time via its ICS-200 system in less than an eighthour charging period. "The [electric] vehicle trend is very big here now, and we expect it to get bigger," says Kurek. "You will see more of these kinds of options around the country soon," he predicts.

INVISIBLE SECRETS

Many of the great features in TNAH 20 are things you don't see. Behind the home's architectural charm hides a plethora of earth-friendly, energy resourceful systems and building technologies that make the home unique. But one that builders can learn from and emulate.

Long before earth-friendly housing, green building, or resource conservation hit the building industry's hot list, Sessions and her team at Hedgewood tried to find ways to build more energy-efficient homes. "I had a conviction that as builders we had to start being more responsible and respectful of our limited resources," Sessions says.

To that end, four years ago, Sessions began a plan to create a local program that builders could follow, with guidelines to improve resource efficiency, energy conservation, and waste reduction in home building and daily home use. The result was the EarthCraft program, which is now run by the local HBA of Greater Atlanta. "I wanted to be a catalyst to make smart building and smart growth the norm," she says. "We as builders want to be the people who are looking for solutions ... not waiting for someone else to tell us."

FROM THE GROUND UP

The EarthCraft program's goals, which were included in the design and construction of TNAH, include six major processes and systems for creating an earth-friendly home: energy efficiency, water conservation, healthy internal air, durability, low maintenance, and homeowner/buyer education.

"Energy usage and consumption were among our biggest concerns with a home this size," says Kurek. "But we were also very concerned with testing the systems to be sure they worked, and training new homeowners as to how these systems can help in their daily lives."

The home includes a 13 SEER HVAC system for high-efficiency cooling and heating. The sealed duct work has a maximum 5 percent duct leakage, and the sealed building envelope allows a maximum of only .35 air changes per hour. This balance of air flow is enhanced by a manual D duct design-a customized duct system that ensures heated or cooled air flows only to zones where it is needed.

COOL LIFE

The HVAC system was sized using manual J calculations-the ASHRAE method for calculating energy loads necessary to heat and cool a house efficiently. "The benefit to the user is amazing," says Kurek. "The entire energy bill for a house this size will only be about $1,978 per year, and it can be tested and verified."

As a healthy house builder, Hedgewood also included an energy recovery ventilator from Honeywell, which prevents cooled or warmed air from escaping outside. An advanced air sealing system in the home reduces the infiltration of pollutants.

The controlled ventilation in this system prevents moisture build-up and reduces mold and dust mites, giving the residents healthier air to breathe. "It is critical in a sealed house, that way the air never gets stale and pollutants are kept to a minimum," Kurek explains. "Ms is important in Atlanta where we have high humidity and now have air quality issues," he adds.

SELF TESTS

To prove that the air quality is good, the builder uses a blower door test in which the house is pressurized, and the amount of air that is lost is measured.

Kurek emphasizes that a builder's own testing is critical if earth-friendly and smart-- house designs are going to work.

"You can bring all the scientists together to tell you what to do in your building practices, but unless you measure it yourself and show it to the buyer, you do not know what you have. We now have third-party testing as well to ensure that our programs are what we say they are," Kurek says.

Session adds, "We [as builders] have to grade our own work. We have to ask ourselves if we are measuring up. Where can we tighten up and get better." She continues, "That is the strong part of this effort, our own accountability through intermediate testing-testing the ducts in duct blast tests and blower door tests to check the air infiltration."

AIRBORN

Along with low energy use, good insulation, and easy internal monitoring of energy use, TNAH also includes carbon monoxide exposure prevention measures. Sealed combustion equipment, with direct vent water heaters and sealed combustion furnaces, keep COa exposure to a minimum.

To control moisture, quiet bath fans and multiple ventilation zones remove moisture from bathrooms, the home gym, and the kitchen.

As for durability and low maintenance, the specifications for the home give the resident lifetime warranties on windows, housewrap, moisture control, gravel/poly drainage on below-grade slabs, the floor system, and the trim on the cornices and windows.

WATER RESERVES

For land-locked Atlanta, water is a major issue as the city rapidly expands. `At current usage, Atlanta has only about a 3o-year supply of water left," says Kurek, citing the latest news on usage from the Georgia Conservancy.

"So conserving water is a huge and focused concern in this region, especially following three years of record warm summers and drought conditions," says Kurek. To that end, TNAH team found the highest quality Energy Star systems and products to ensure that water use in the home was not wasteful.

The home features an Energy Star certified dishwasher by KitchenAid and an Energy Star washing machine by Maytag. The water system includes pressure-reducing valves, water filtration by Aqua Pure International, and erosion controlled planning and engineering for the home's site.

WOOD RESERVES

To be more resource and conservation conscious, the team used wood with a high recycled content. "We used an engineered floor system and 25 percent recycled content in insulation," says Kurek.

An engineered floating floor was installed, which makes walking on wood more comfortable, allows no gaps to show, and "gives" only around the perimeter. Foam mounting underneath the wood floor is installed with forger-jointed studs and trim materials.

The home employs alternative OVE framing techniques. "That means we don't put wood where we do not need it, only where it really is required. This saves material, and yes, it saves trees," says Kurek.

The builder was able to reduce concrete usage by 40 percent for the basement walls by using Superior Walls' pre-poured concrete panels.

HANDS-ON OWNERSHIP

To ensure home buyers are educated on managing their new "intelligent" home, Hedgewood takes on a teaching role with all its buyers. "We do this hands-on, oneon-one with the new owners," Kurek says. "We treat our buyers when demonstrating the home after the sale as enthusiastically as we did when we approached them as prospects. We discuss their needs, daily life, and how this house can work for them."

The meetings ensure higher home performance. They include an energy operations demonstration, a review of local recycling programs, a demonstration of all home electronic and HVAC zone systems, a walk-through of features in the home that are environmentally friendly and conserve energy, as well as instructions on disposal of hazardous household waste.

Kurek, Sessions, and their team also provide an orientation with every buyer at closing. Not only do they teach buyers how to make the most of the house on a daily basis, but they also offer tips on day-to-day energy conservation.

The team also demonstrates how to use air cleaners, offers alternative termite control ideas that are less toxic than most systems, and teaches them how to get the most out of energy-efficient dishwashers and refrigerators.

Sessions notes that buyers will pay a little more for all this smart thinking and green planning but insists that "in the time they spend living in any EarthCraft program house like TNAH 2001, the true cost of new homeownership will actually be considerably less than they think.

Homeowners will save tens of thousands of dollars over only a few short years through reduced energy costs. So the perceived `higher price' for a smart house like this actually pays for itself in the end," she says. "It adds value to the home and ensures a better price at re-sale," Sessions notes.