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Ipe flooring is used throughout the main level of this new home alongside Lake Anna in Spotsylvania County.
The cove and new boathouse that will beckon once warmer weather arrives are seen from the home's screened porch, which uses heavy-duty, pet-resistant screen called PAWZ.
Battlefield Homes custom built this energy-efficient vacation home in Pleasure Island subdivision.
The home's large recreation room on the lower level opens to the backyard and has a wet bar for the entertaining Tim Griffin of ARS heating and air conditioning tells how the energy recovery ventilator trades stale air for fresh. |
BY RICHARD AMRHINE
Builders are discovering these days that new-home buyers are better educated than ever about the energy-saving qualities of the homes they buy. Whether they're interested or not in doing their part to conserve energy or head off climate change, they really like the idea of saving money.
At least that's what Mike Tierney, president of Battlefield Homes, is learning. And it's especially true in Spotsylvania County, where Battlefield Homes is based, and where highly energy-efficient new homes can receive a five-year property tax waiver from the county.
"They want to know what they have to do to get the tax break," he said. "'How much is it going to save me, and how much is it going to cost?'"
And the short answer--thanks to the popularity of Energy Star-accredited products and materials, and the experience builders and subcontractors are gaining with such construction--is not that much.
Tierney and his crews have recently completed a handsome new 4,100-square-foot home overlooking a quiet cove at Lake Anna. It was designed from the ground up to qualify for the tax break.
Tierney puts the cost of the house, not including the lot, at about $600,000. That amount includes upgrades totaling about $8,000 to achieve the efficiency standard needed to qualify for the break. Just one year of the tax break will cut substantially into that $8,000 investment, not to mention the ongoing savings in energy costs.
The energy efficiency is accomplished by many systems working together. Materials are key, including the extra insulation, the low-emissivity dual-pane windows and sealing the framing against the exterior sheathing. This creates an envelope that makes the home extremely tight, so tight that bringing in outside air in a controlled manner is required.
That role becomes part of the heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems that are designed to keep the air inside the envelope uniform and comfortable.
The dual-zone HVAC installation was handled by American Residential Services of Manassas. Tim Griffin of ARS is a big fan of the RenewAire energy recovery ventilator that can work continuously to circulate fresh, heated or cooled air throughout the house.
Griffin said the 90 percent efficiency furnace with attached steam humidifier can be used to complement to the outside heat pump. The heat pump will work well except in the coldest weather, but some people might prefer to use furnace-generated heat all the time.
The idea is to make people comfortable, whether they are upstairs or down.
"You won't find cold or hot spots in this house," said Tierney.
THE COMFORT ZONES
For Tierney, successful home-building is found in the details. After working in construction his whole life and running his own company for the past 18 years, he tries to set himself apart by providing each client with a house that is uniquely theirs. Though two clients may choose the same basic design, he learns from their distinct lifestyles and individuality how to tailor the house to them.
But no matter whose house he is building, the subflooring is glued and screwed to an engineered floor system, and every feature, fixture and appliance ends up precisely where it needs to be, thanks to advance care and planning.
Owners Tim and Stephanie Fitzgerald will make the Lake Anna house their vacation home. It's located in Pleasure Island, a small subdivision within Magnolia Harbour, a short distance off State Route 208.
On the main, ground level are three bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen and breakfast area. The rear walls have rows of windows that overlook the cove and provide plenty of natural light. The master suite features a deep tray ceiling with integrated rope lighting.
The color schemes are similar in each of the home's 4 bathrooms. Light-beige ceramic tile, mottled brown granite vanities and bronze fixtures work very nicely together. Bronze hardware is used throughout, including all door knobs.
The main living space is marked by soaring ceilings, beautiful ipe ("ee-pay," from South America, also called ironwood) hardwood flooring and a stone fireplace. On the rear of the house is a deck and screened porch that use recycled PVC floor boards set diagonally for added visual interest.
The spacious walk-out basement has a row of cove-facing windows mimicking those one story above. There's a wet bar with wine coolers and plenty of room for whatever the Fitzgeralds have in mind, plus a separate media room that will be finished later.
Covered in stone and dark green HardiPlank siding with black shutters, the house fits nicely in its wooded setting. Together with the use of vinyl and vinyl-wrapped trim, the exterior is virtually maintenance-free. That was important to the Fitzgeralds, who like most people want to spend more time enjoying their home and less time maintaining it.
Ready and waiting for warmer days is the boathouse that was recently completed as well. It was built with similar siding and roofing to harmonize with the house.
Richard Amrhine: 540/374-5406
Email: ramrhine@freelancestar.com
DECK, SCREENED PORCH: Deck World Inc., Ashland GRAVEL: Luck Stone, Spotsylvania SLABS, SIDEWALKS: Lands Concrete Inc., Fredericksburg
FRAMING: L&S Construction, Luray TRUSSES: Builders First Source, Culpeper ROOFING: Total Roof Supply, Fredericksburg
SOFFIT, SIDING, ROOFING: ABC Supply, Fredericksburg ROOFING, SOFFIT: Brookman Construction, Fredericksburg ELECTRIC: Wiring Innovators, Fredericksburg
HVAC: American Residential Services, Manassas PLUMBING: Martin Plumbing and Water Treatment, King George INSULATION, FIREPLACE: East Coast Insulators, Nokesville
DRYWALL: Battlefield Drywall Inc., Fredericksburg TRIM: JTL Construction, Fredericksburg
PAINTING: R.W. Hitt Inc., Fredericksburg CABINETS: Reico, Fredericksburg FLOORING: Flooring America, Woodbridge
CERAMIC TILE VENDOR : Mosaic Tile, Woodbridge CERAMIC TILE INSTALLATION: Hunt Country Tile, Brandy Station GARAGE DOOR: Automatic Overhead Door, Fredericksburg TUBS & LIGHT FIXTURES: Noland Co., Fredericksburg SHOWER DOORS, MIRRORS, ETC.: Wilson Glass and Mirror, Fredericksburg
GRANITE: Hamiltonworks Inc., Fredericksburg STUCCO: Olde Towne Stone & Stucco, Fredericksburg
That can be accomplished with a combination of added insulation, a highly efficient HVAC system and other energy-saving techniques. When these houses are completed, they often score better than the 85 needed to qualify, where 100 represents code-built. (The lower the score, the greater the energy savings.) This Battlefield Homes house, for example, scored a 78.
Testing and certification then must be reviewed and approved by the county before the tax break is granted.
Some builders active in the county say every home they build from now on will be built to qualify for the tax break.
--Richard Amrhine
