High Performance Homes, LLC, a Maryland and Pennsylvania builder of custom and production zero energy ready homes, has received a U.S. Department of Energy 2018 Housing Innovation Award in the “Custom (for Buyer)” category.
The winning submission, “The Rose Acres Project,” located in Westminster Maryland, was a design highly customized for homeowners Dan and Suzanne Swisher. The couple wanted to “right-size” their larger family home of many years for the two of them with a home close to their grown children, grandchildren, and aging parents. Of paramount importance they wanted to build a home with greater accessibility to better serve Dan, who became physically disabled after a spinal cord injury when he was 41. Though their previous home was semi-customized, after living there for many years they had acquired a wish list for their new HPH home that would further improve accessibility with one-story living for Dan.
As a Realtor, Dan had heard of the innovative, award-winning homes from High Performance Homes and reached out to the builder with the hope that HPH could meet their numerous goals. High Performance Homes came up with a comprehensive approach, combining Zero Energy Ready Home design with universal concepts such as Aging-in-Place design, along with custom features that would surpasses code-built homes in performance and living experience.
HPH Head of Construction Operations, Kiere DeGrandchamp, and his team worked closely with the Swishers to deliver a home design that would meet the Swisher’s needs and desires for improved accessibility and ultra-energy-efficiency. “Winning the HIA Award is an honor every year, but this year I’m particularly proud that we were able to design a home with performance improvements that will meaningfully improve the quality of life for the Swishers,” said DeGrandchamp.
Another feature HPH was able to provide is a well-lit and spacious basement with a walkout, which has potential as a recreation room, a future in-law suite, or a space for live-in domestic help. The Swishers also desired versatile rooms that could accommodate their ability to work from home now, and eventually, their long-term retirement goals of continuing to entertain and host family and friends for holidays and other gatherings.
The resulting 2018 HIA award-winning home is a 2,000 square foot traditional architectural design with a farmhouse influence and graced with an expansive front porch. The open-floor plan includes a master bedroom, second and third bedroom, kitchen, utility/laundry room, great room, dining room and breakfast nook, all on one floor. The breakfast nook and great room overlook a full deck across the back of the house, capitalizing on the Swisher’s three-acre view and vistas beyond. It also has a full basement with a bonus room above that will be finished as a fourth bedroom/office.
Future code compliant, HPH’s state-of-the-art zero energy ready technology package includes an extremely tight building envelope built with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), geothermal heating and cooling, and solar panels so that the Swisher’s have little to no utility bill. As they enter retirement and are restricted to a fixed-income, the energy-savings will help control their cost-of-living expenses.
With a focus on Dan’s good health, a comprehensive air cleaning system minimizes dangerous pollutants and provides continuous fresh filtered air that results in the elimination of 99.7% of harmful airborne contaminants. The Swishers also enjoy smart home features for remote control of HVAC, lighting, thermostats, and security from any smart device.
