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Passive Solar Hydronic Floor On-demand Hot Water Heater Slate and Hardwood Floors Low-E Glass Wood Windows Staggered Stud Double North Wall No OSBProperty Description
Owner built in 1990 Size 1768 sq.ft. Lot size 85x200 Spacious, open floorplan, passive solar two-story house about 18 miles south of Mammoth Lakes, CA, at an elevation of 7,000 feet, with great views of the Sierra Nevada crest. DESCRIPTION Our home is located in a small cluster of houses in an unincorporated area of Mono county, about 18 miles south of Mammoth Lakes, California, at an elevation of 7000 feet. The area is called Sunny Slopes because it is situated in a rock outcropping that is primarily south facing. We generally do not get the heavy snow accumulations that blanket Mammoth Lakes ñ the term banana beltî comes to mind. We are surrounded by National Forest and BLM land ñ no large condo development in this neighborhood. In fact, Mono County is 97% public land ñ No Trespassingî is not a concept in our neck of the woods. Crowley Lake is 5 miles away and the trailhead to the John Muir wilderness is about 9 miles up Rock Creek Canyon from our front door. It is a quiet neighborhood with about 80 permanent residents and some summer homes. Our area is part of the Mammoth Unified School District and is a regular stop for the school bus. We designed our home to use the sun as its primary source of heat in the winter. To that end we created a very spacious, open floorplan where kitchen, eating and living area flow into one contiguous space thatís easily heated by the sun. This space in turn radiates its heat into the rest of the structure, which can best be described as follows Bedrooms two downstairs - one master suite upstairs Bathrooms one downstairs with slate floor, extra deep cast iron tub with tiled enclosure ñ one upstairs with slate floor and large slate shower with clear glass enclosure Living room spacious open floorplan with hardwood and slate floor Kitchen spacious open flooplan that flows into eating area ñ slate floor Utility room with slate floor and central drain Office large room upstairs used as office Front mudroom entry with slate floor Front and rear entry have tiled outside decks Wood framed construction ñ but no OSBoards used T+G Cedar siding Windows a total of 23 Pozzi wood windows and sliding glass doors with double pane, low-E glass make this house a very bright and sunny house. Doors all interior doors are solid wood doors Heat passive solar ñ hydronic floor ñ woodstove ñ hidden fans to circulate heat Water heater propane-fired on demand type with 165,000 Btu input capacity Our property is a multi-level terraced, deep lot with private upper area deck and beautiful natural rock outcroppings. It is fully landscaped with an emphasis on a low maintenance, natural look. There are lots of perennials and a wildflower meadow on the south and west side of the house. In addition you will find Automatic irrigation ñ a must in the dry, high desert climate of the Eastern Sierra Bearing fruit trees ñ 3 mature cherry trees, 1 apple tree, 2 young cherry trees An herb garden Lots of aspens on south side of property Pinion and Jeffrey pines behind house on north side PASSIVE SOLAR Our house is south facing and constructed to be a passive solar home. The roof overhang is calculated to let the low winter sun into the house and to shield the high summer sun out. Many, large windows and a big 4-panel sliding glass door on the south side of our house not only provide a great view of the Sierra crest, but also allow the winter sun to heat up the dark slate floor. This heats the water in the radiant floor to approximately 80∞F. At night, the heated mass of the stone floor radiates heat and is kept at a constant temperature by means of a small 30-gallon, propane-fired auxiliary water heater and a two-zone pump system. There is a catalytic woodstove in the living room as a backup heat source during prolonged overcast periods and winter storms. However, during 14 years of living in this house we have burned less than two cords of wood. All trees on the south side of our house are deciduous to allow full winter sun to reach the house. Our house has an extra deep north wall constructed from double 2x4 walls with staggered studs to minimize radiant heat loss. An open stairwell allows heat to rise to the top floor. Fans and ducting hidden in the upstairs ceiling and the north wall drive warm air back down into the north bedrooms. Propane is used for cooking and domestic hot water year-round, clothes dryer and hydronic heating system in the winter. Annual propane consumption runs between 500 and 600 gallons for a family of four. Our monthly electric bill ranges from $25 in the summer to $50 in the winter. OTHER FEATURES There is an unattached shed behind the house, built with T+G cedar siding to match the look of the house. There is one parking slot behind the house and 4 spaces in front, right off the county-maintained (read plowedî) road.
Neighborhood Description
40 acres of private land surrounded by National Forest land. There are about 70 homes - some are summer residences only. It\'s a quiet neighborhood with low traffic (no thoroughfare here) and no street lights. Trailhead to John Muir Wilderness is 10 miles up the canyon from front door.Market Area
18 miles south of Mammoth Lakes, a ski resort town of about 8000 permanent residents. 25 miles north of Bishop, a small rural town of about 4000 permanent residents located at the head of the Owens Valley and about 3000 feet lower than our home. Our home is located in an unincorporated area of Mono County. The permanent population of the county is about 15,000. Mono County is about 97% government land. The limiting factor to growth in this area is the lack of water - Los Angeles owns most of it and exports it south. This makes for slow growth and ever increasing property values. The real estate market in the Mammoth area is undergoing an intense boom concurrent with major outside investment in the ski area and condo market.School District
Location of Home or Land
Rural
Elevation of Home
Mountain
Air Quality
| Agriculture in Area | no |
| Industry in Area | no |
| Air Pollution in Area | no |
| Pesticide Free | yes |
| Fragrance Free | yes |
| Cleaned with Green Products | yes |
Interior Environment
| Heating System | Solar - Passive |
| Cooling System | Passive Cooling |
| Ventilation System | Other |
| Whole House Filtration | None |
| Whole House Vacuum | no |
Energy & Water
| Water System | Municipal |
| Wastewater System | Septic System |
Construction Information
| Exterior Finish | Wood |
| Interior Finish | Gypsum Board - Sheet Rock |
| Interior Paint | Low VOC |
| Floor Material | Tile |
| Roof Material | Asphalt Composition Shingle |
| Window Material | Wood Dual Glazed |
| Insulation Material | Fiberglass |
Garage / Car Port
| Garage / Carport | no |
| Garage Type | detached |
| Number of Cars | 1 |
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