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Happy Spring Equinox - Preview Sun-Inspired Cottages!
As the price of building a new home increases with the recovering economy (there are fewer builders), home owners are opting for smaller, right-sized homes. Building small is the first step in saving construction costs and long-term operating costs like the energy bills! Small footprints minimize both foundation costs and roof costs - both large construction expenses.
Sun Plans architect Debbie Coleman has over 25 years of home design experience and knows how to make a small space feel bigger with proper use of light and windows. (Pictured above is the kitchen and dining of the Sunny Dreams design. The dining area window placement makes the kitchen feel larger.)
The March 2015 Quarterly E-Newsletter features:
- Zebra Cottage - Zero Net Energy Homes
- Eco Soleil Cottage - Historic District Infill
- Citronella Cottage - 3D movie added
- Create-A-SunPlan - Wish List Process Updated
- For Sale - Sun-Inspired Homes
- Under Construction - Sun-inspired Homes
- Cold Climate - Example Modifications
- On the Drawing Board - RISE 2, French Quarter 4
- New Sun-Inspired Designs - three new on www.sunplans.com
Sun Plans is a small, hands-on architectural firm that provides passive solar home design and house plans for the United States and Canada. Architect, Debbie Coleman, is involved all the services: Create-A-SunPlan, Adapt-A-SunPlans and Select-A-SunPlan. She is passionate about the opportunities of the sun for brightening and warming a home. Comments from clients regarding the delight, comfort and low-energy performance of their sun-inspired homes can be found below and throughout the web site. www.sunplans.com Her design philosophies are discussed and illustrated in her 256 page book, The Sun-Inspired House: house designs warmed and brightened by the sun.
I will be glad to send you a FREE copy of either the printed book or E-book with any order from Sun Plans - even the Study Plan orders. Debbie Coleman, Architect
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Zebra Cottage - Zero Net Energy Homes
 The Zebra Cottage is designed to create more energy than it uses. It was the final project of architect Debbie Coleman of Mobile, AL during a recent 10 week intensive Zero Net Energy Homes course. A sun-inspired design that balances windows and building shape for a bright interior and energy-efficient shape is the foundation. The Zebra Cottage uses the free and natural energy of the sun! (Of course, with the correct balance of solar panels and insulation, any Sun Plan could be come Zero Net Energy!)
Very complete job, as we have come to expect! It's been great to have your questions and your terrific find on the web as part of this class. Come on up and see us in New England!
- Marc Rosenbaum, P.E., Course instructor
PV (photovoltaic) panels create electricity from the sun’s energy. When the home is producing more energy than it needs, the electricity goes back into the electric grid. When the home is consuming more energy than it is making, it uses electricity from the grid. On an annual basis, a zero net energy home makes more electricity than it uses.
The home owner is the key in a Zero Net Energy Home. It’s been said that there are no energy efficient homes, just energy efficient people! If you are ready to take the first step towards living a Zero Net Energy lifestyle, Sun Plans would love to help!
The Zebra Cottage should be on the web site later this year. It is one of many designs that can be recommended if after the Create-A-SunPlan wishlist is reviewed it is found to be a match to features that you are looking for in a home. It has a first floor of 1008 s.f. with one bedroom and bath, and a sunny daylight basement of the same size with two bedrooms, a bath and a craft or exercise room as well as plenty of room for mechanical equipment. The front faces east (or west if reversed.)
Sun Plans is a small architectural firm and not a huge house plan company so it has not proven profitable for us to post all of our designs on the web site. I can let you know if one matches what you are looking for when you engage me in the Consulting and Review of your ideas! See below regarding the updated Create-A-SunPlan process.
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Eco Soleil Cottage - Historic District Infill
 The Eco Soleil is a two story home with four bedrooms, three baths in less than 2000 square feet.The front is designed to face south and fit into an historic neighborhood. View a movie of the rotating Eco Soleil.
The Eco Soleil should be on the web site later this year. It is also one of many designs that can be recommended if after the Create-A-SunPlan wishlist is reviewed it is found to be a match to features that you are looking for in a home. It has a first floor of 1068 s.f. with one bedroom and bath, and second floor of 860 s.f. with three bedrooms and two baths. The garage is attached on the back north side through a spacious laundry area. The front of the home is designed to face south.
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Citronella Cottage - Rotating 3D Model
 Kent, our affordable housing client had a 3D movie made of the 1844 s.f. Citronella Cottage designed for affordability in a very small footprint. You might enjoy seeing the rotating view of this compact home.
Buy the Study Plan to look at the design or the Review Set to look at construction details.
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Create-A-SunPlan - Process Updated
 The Create-A-SunPlan process has been updated to be more comprehensive. In the past, the process was only used when the home owners knew they wanted the Sun Plans architect to create a new design for them. Now the extensive questionnaire is also used to help select a design. The Sun Plans architect knows each plan intimately and can often see ways that a design would work with modifications that might not be obvious to the home owners.
For instance, I can easily visualize how the exterior can be changed from craftsman to contemporary, how removing a porch will increase light inside, or how moving the front entry to a new side can make the home more inviting for the home owner's drive approach. Simplifying or size reductions for lowered construction cost are other filters that I often apply.
You may have received an email with a statement such as this if you have contacted Sun Plans recently:
If searching on your own for a house design seems cumbersome, I can help by searching through our plans on and off the web site and see what existing design might accommodate your requirements. First I need a lot of detail about all the things that you are looking for in a home. Fill out the Create-A-SunPlan questionnaire (that I have spent years developing) and send it to me along with any other information that you have about what you would like in a house. After I review your information, I will do a detailed search through all of our designs both on and off the web site - the latter of which is increasing. If I find a close match, I send a complimentary Study Plans or Review Set - the value of which is close to the $495 consulting fee. And if you do still choose to create a new design, often I can use parts of another design to help keep reduce the architectural services required (which lowers the design fee) and I still end up creating a custom design for you!
In addition, when a new design is created, our Create-A-SunPlan process is now more efficient which lowers the fees where they are now competitive with the Adapt-A-SunPlan architectural services. If you received the Create-A-SunPlan questionnaire prior to this week, please contact us for the updated one prior to assembling your information.
Floor plan sketches similar to those below are often the next stage after the Consulting and Review of your information unless I find an existing design to meet your needs.
 The Create-A-SunPlan questionnaire is complimentary to our customers - those who have purchased something from us - even if only our $19 book. It is completely different from the Adapt-A-SunPlan questionnaire as the process is much more involved. In Create, we start with what YOU want in a house. It's a fun process!
(In Adapt, you choose ONE existing design and adapt it. The Adapt-A-SunPlans questionnaire has a few pages of questions related to the design asking what you want changed such as 8' ceilings to 9', roof steepened, master tub added, but not get into detailed questions of lifestyle or furniture of the home owner. For some, the process works quite well when the changes are moderate. Other times it's like trying to fit a size 14 body into a dress designed for a size 8 - or a size 32 waste into a size 40 pants.)
If you can't choose just one design to adapt, then start with Create-A-SunPlan. It's a fun process and hundreds of home owners throughout the U.S. and Canada have entrusted me with the internet-based process to listen to the house requirements. The seed of the design is in your head and your hearts and my job is to help you make that become a reality. We might still end up adapting a design, but at least you will know that you have fully explored all options. A common statement we hear from our clients is:
"We have only one chance to build the home that we plan to live in the rest of our lives and we want to get it right!"
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Sun-Inspired Homes for Sale
 Northern Sun - Amy and her family built a variation of the Northern Sun home in 2004 in Maryland. A three bath, five bedroom home in 2750 s.f. for $270,000. Although today's sun-inspired homes can perform better, its doing well for a 10 year old, conventionally built home. From the Realtor's website:
THIS HOME BOASTS TO BEING 1 OF THE 1ST GREEN BUILT HOMES IN WIC. COUNTY. MR. WES FOSTER WAS SO IMPRESSED HE CONTRIBUTED $500 TO ITS CONSTRUCTION. THE HOME HAS RECEIVED NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR THE ARCHITECT'S INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO MAXIMIZING PASSIVE SOLAR HEAT & COOLING & USE OF SPACE. THE HVAC SYSTEM IS SIMPLY A BACK UP TO THE SUN. THE AVG ELECT BILL FOR THIS 2,749 S.F. HOME IS $15O/MO!
 Southern Cypress - 2300 s.f. living area plus porches, workshop, carport, balcony that total almost 4000 s.f. under roof. The energy bills typically average around $100 per month. Just $349,000. From the Realtor's web site:
A country lover's dream! Nestled on 30+ acres in a home with cypress beams and trim, one might think they are in the smoky mountains!!! The unique southern cypress custom home is set on a 2 acre spring fed pond. The property abuts the Mill Creek Golf Course and Park (with an 80 acre lake) in south Alabama with just 3 stop lights are between the home and Mobile 45 minutes to the south.
If you have a sun-inspired home for sale, let us know!
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Under Construction - Sun-Inspired Homes
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 Herb and Angie in Colorado are building a modified version of the Prince Charming. Herb is using Smartsheet to manage his tasks of the home construction. He has Sun Plans as a team member to get regular updates even though the house design services are complete. Sometimes limited assistance during the construction phase of projects is provided, but with Herb's experienced builder, details can easily be handled without Sun Plans involvement. The builder is Oakley Construction.
The photo above is of a partial scissors truss that is often used for the roof framing. A little vaulted height inside is achieved without much extra volume. On the ends the jacked up trusses allow thick insulation to extend to the house edge.
We are likewise impressed with the plans and design. It's been a fun project for us. We don't often get the luxury of building off a set of good plans. - Kevin, Oakley Construction
 John and Susie in Virginia are building a modified version of the Ben Franklin. Construction has been going up quickly. They occasionally email Sun Plans for opinions during construction and send updated photos.
The photo shows rigid insulation on the exterior of studs - something that is typically recommended when the house has only 2x6 studs. The thickness and R-value of the assembly (stud cavity insulation and exterior insulation) varies for each climate and is part of the Custom Energy Specs prepared with every set of Construction Prints and CAD files. They have a very attentive team with builder, David Wall of Wall Construction, HERS rater / HVAC designer John Semmelhack of Think-Little, and HVAC by Davis Heating and Cooling. The pre-drywall blower door test came in at 1.5ACH50 which is a very tight house!
You can browse all of our house plans that we have put on the web site here on the House Plan List page.
Go to the shopping cart to purchase a Study Plan, Review Set, Construction Prints, or CAD files? |
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Cold Climate - Examples
Any Sun Plan can be adapted for cold climates. The Custom Energy Specs make the recommendations for R-values and wall/roof/foundation options for the climate where the home will be built. Then the builder can incorporate those as field changes during construction, or the changes can be made through the purchase of CAD files. If Sun Plans makes the adaptations - typically along with other changes - the modifications can be incorporated into the final drawings.
 Acorn 2 was a modified for Jorge and family in central Canada who desired a Zero Net Energy home. The walls are extra thick ICF for both the sunny walkout basement and the first floor. The garage was moved from the north to the side to allow for more roof for PV panels. The roof slope was modified to be asymmetrical so that the the south roof is much steeper to capture that low Canadian sun for maximizing PV panel output.
 Aurora Shores was created for central Canada for Kent and Laurie. They are considering the RTM (ready to move) concept popular in Canada of a simple rectangular home where the entire home can be moved onto site. That means simplification as well as size and height requirements yet the companies can build thick walls. Basic parts of the exterior shell of the French Quarter 3 was used, but an entirely new floor plan was created that captured their western lake views.
 Water Music 4 was adapted for Nellie and Brent in Colorado by reducing north glass (yet still keeping enough for views) and increasing insulation values. Two bedrooms were added upstairs for a total of 5 bedrooms in about 2800 s.f. It also underwent some simplifications and the addition of a wood stove and master bath.
 The Katrina Cottage was adapted for extra thick walls for Craig in Maine. He also wanted the front of the home to face east with a full front porch and a large sunroom/foyer/mudroom combined that fit his lifestyle. The plan name will be the Katrina Cottage 3 and it is similar to the new Katrina Cottage 2 seen below.
Look for these designs and more on the web site within the year. Meanwhile know that if during the review of your ideas though our Architectural Consulting Services we find that one of these designs possesses many of the characteristics on your wish list, we will recommend it and send Study Plans or Review Sets for no additional charge.
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On the Drawing Boards - Designs in Progress
 RISE 2 - Adrian and Lee in Wyoming loved the RISE design with the central clerestory, but needed it to be reversed to work on their lot. The bedroom wing was redesigned for their lifestyle, the loft was expanded to include another future bath and bedroom with south dormer, and the exterior is being modified for their desire for simple lines. They sent several photos of other homes that had lines that they liked and some of those elements were incorporated into the adaptations which lean toward modern or contemporary if you had to put a name to the style.
Thanks for all the work. We LOVE the new elevation. - Adrian and Lee
 French Quarter 4 - Jim and Nancy in North Carolina are having the French Quarter 2 (a design not yet on the web site) modified to fit their steep, west facing lot. There were many features that they liked from the Nature's Corner so aspects of that design such as the large breakfast nook are being integrated as well. Their large collection of antique furniture is a major design factor. There are many reasons why south glass in a home is often reduced - structural wind loads, hot climates, etc., - and in this home it is to allow for furniture placement on the south wall. Otherwise, to accommodate the furniture, the square footage of the home would have needed to increase. Designing a home is a balancing act! This was their response after the last floor plan submittal and detailed email sent by Sun Plans:
You're fantastic! We are quite pleased with the revised sketches and appreciate all your suggestions. You present carefully thought-out points that show that you listen well and that helps with our thinking. - Jim and Nancy
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New Sun-Inspired Designs
Each design can be adapted to various climates from warm to cold and to various client priorities such as Energy Star (30% savings minimum compared to new home built to code) down to Passivhaus standards (90% savings typical). Any home can be Zero Net Energy, but the ones with more insulation and tighter construction will require less solar photovoltaic panels on the roof.
Click on the front elevation to see more information.
(The Purchase tab then seen for each plan allows you to order a Review Set to see construction details.)
Katrina Cottage 2
 Craig wanted to move the entry of the Katrina Cottage to the east side, add a sun porch and expand the detached garage to fit his land in Maine. He has been working on some of the interior design elements himself in 3D as he will most likely build many of the cabinets himself.
Wow, that looks great! I like the symmetry of just two windows over the four that I had cut and pasted - better sense of balance and proportion to the house. I'm excited about seeing the rest of it!
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Green View 2
 Steve in Virginia wanted to expand the north-facing Green View first floor and create a large garage with apartment above since he may build that first. The changes to his plans were made in record time to meet his tight time frame.
The guy who looked at them said, "I have never seen plans as nice as these, ever, and I have looked at hundreds". They are outstanding Debbie! Thanks!
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Blueberry Cottage
 The Blueberry Cottage is a variation of a home designed for a Historic District infill lot. With 3 bedroom and 2 baths in less than 1500 s.f. in a simple shape, it is an inexpensive house to construct. The long south side allows light in to the entire open south side to make the main living area feel very large. The French doors on the back really brighten the country kitchen.
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Thank You to our Clients!
We truly appreciate the trust and confidence that you place is us helping you plan what may be one of the biggest investments and undertakings of your life!
(Herb and Angie building in Colorado pictured above.)
I would be delighted to be part of the planning process to assist you with the design of your sun-inspired, low-energy home!
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