Norwich, Connecticut

Modified Post & Beam Straw Bale Home on 8 wooded acres. Designed using sacred geometry and built with materials from surrounding land.
Green HomeHealthy HomeNatural HomeStraw baleFor Lease
$329,900Asking Price (USD)
$5,000Annual Property Tax
$2,000Annual Utility Cost
2,200Square Feet
3 / Beds / Baths
7.8 acresLot Size
2008Year Built

Mortgage Calculator

Purchase Price ($)Down Payment
%
Loan Amount
$263,920
Annual Interest Rate
%
Loan Term (years)
Monthly Mortgage Payment
$1,899.88

What makes your home a Green or Healthy Home?

The house has several energy saving features. The first of which is its placemement on the site. It faces true south, has two-foot eaves and is buried in the gound about 4 feet-all basic tenant of earth-sheltering and passive solar techniques. Its fiberglass triple pane windows (R-8), combined with the 6" concrete slab floor with radiant heating below offer protection from the heat of the summer sun and permit absorption into the floor from the winter sun. (the 6" concrete slab floor acts as a thermal storage device during the day, and gives off the heat at night). In addition, the eaves shade the windows from the high summer sun, and in Winter, the low sun enters the house unrestricted. Due to the passive solar and energy features of the house, there will be no need for a furnace. All building materials are renewable, not-toxic natural materials. Roof tiles are recycled rubber. Ceiling insulation made from 100% wood fiber, primarily newspaper. All light fixtures are Energy star rated.

Property Description

Unique passive solar earth-sheltered design melds a square building and a round building and features a two-story greenhouse and a magnificent, front foyer with a copper standing-seam barrel roof. Modified Post & Beam straw bale home - The 2200 square foot living-building straw bale house was designed using sacred geometry and built largely with materials from the surrounding land. The synergy of the design makes it feel like the inside is outside, and the outside inside. It has amazing forest, native garden and meadow views from every window. The round house on concrete slab serves as the kitchen and living space while a two-story square house with a basement contains the sleeping quarters and two main bathrooms. These disparate parts are tied together by a rear foyer section which includes a half-bath, office and mud room, and sports a fourteen foot high barrel-shaped copper roof. The round yurt-like part of the home features 8 posts that are tree trunks still with the bark on. This room, which will serve as a kitchen and great room, is surrounded by windows, one of which has an ample window seat built of straw and clay-plaster. The square part of the home features the master bedroom suite on the first floor, with a bathroom that has wall niches carved in the straw and plaster that can serve as a decorative touch or as practical shelves. Upstairs are two bedrooms and a bath. The two-story greenhouse serves as the primary heat source for this building as its interior walls will be lined with masonry stones - much like thermal mass concept in the concrete floor of the round house - utilizing triple-paned fiberglass windows on the south-facing side for maximum heat absorption in the winter. In addition, the upstairs bedrooms contain interior windows that open onto the greenhouse, while the master bedroom has French doors that also open on the greenhouse. Opening these windows and doors fosters air circulation for cooling in summer months and heating in winter ones. Finally, the square house has two-foot wide eaves, solar operated shades and special e-coating on the greenhouse windows for maximum shade and heat protection in the summer. Between these passive solar and energy-efficient features, the 16-inch straw-bale insulated walls, the R-49 blown-in cellulose ceilings and the radiant heat in the round house, so it wont need a furnace. Using these techniques will enable the owners to save thousands of dollars in heating and cooling costs over time. The walls, thanks to the straw and plaster, will have a residential insulation rating, or R-value, of 32, the ceilings will be R-49, the foundation- made of recycled woodchips - is R-19; all of which exceed construction industry standards. This eco-friendly home is built of as many renewable, non-toxic natural materials as possible. The roof tiles, for example, look like slate but are actually made from rubber recycled from old tires by a Canadian company called Authentic Roof, and boast a 60-year warranty. In a similar fashion, all the ceiling insulation is made from 100% recycled wood fiber, primarily newspaper. Inside, most of the ceilings have been finished in rustic clay of varying colors. The bedrooms feature attractive ceiling fans and light fixtures of metal and glass hand-forged at Hubberton Forge in Vermont. The light fixtures are Energy Star rated to achieve the highest energy efficiency possible. In the kitchen and great room, the completed ceiling- which rises to a peak in this round portion of the house- is complete with recessed lighting and a beautiful coat of sky blue zero-VOC all natural clay paint made in the USA by Bioshield. The family's eco-consciousness extends to the basement, as well, where there is a brand new washer and dryer manufactured by Asko. The front loading washer spins at up to 1,600 rpm, meaning the clothes have much of the moisture spun out of them, and dont need to dry for nearly as long. The refrigerator is one of the world's highest energy efficient refrigerators called Sunfrost. Made in America, this refrigerator uses oly 204 kw/yr, and is more than 30% better than its closest cmpetitor as rated in Consumer Reports 2007. The house uses another energy saving device - its propane boiler. The American made Triangle Tube condensing boiler is designed to meet domestic hot water needs and to deliver the radiant heat. Using just three gallons of water at a time, the stainless steel heat exchanger supplies all the hot water, as well as eight separate heating zones for maximum efficiency. Also in keeping with its Earth-intuned nature, leaf motifs adorn the outside of the home, with each one representing the kinds of native wood species used in the home, including oak, maple, sassafras and hichory. A snapping turtle fresco adorns a door to the screened in porch, a Luna moth is above the greenhouse door and a tree-of-life motif towers over the front entrance.

Neighborhood Description

The house stands overlooking 7.9 acres of land. It has amazing forest, native garden and meadow views from every window. The house is very private, although it is located in a neighbourhood with newer homes.

Market Area

Norwich CT is located in Southeastern CT. Not more than 20 miles from the shoreline, and close to the two largest most beautiful casinos in the country - Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods

School District

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Community

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Location of Home or Land

Rural

Elevation of Home

Sea Level

Air Quality

Agriculture in Areayes
Industry in Areayes
Air Pollution in Areano
Pesticide Freeyes
Fragrance Freeyes
Cleaned with Green Productsyes

Interior Environment

Heating System
Forced Air - Gas
Hydronic Floor Heat (radiant)
Solar - Passive
Cooling System
Passive Cooling
Ventilation System
Part of Heating System
Part of Cooling System
Other
Whole House Filtration
Other
Whole House Vacuumno

Energy & Water

Water System
Well
Wastewater System
Septic System

Construction Information

Construction Type
Straw bale
Exterior Finish
Plaster - Other
Shingles - Wood
Interior Finish
Earthen Plaster
Wood - Solid
Interior Paint
No VOC
Plant Based
Floor Material
Concrete
Wood - Solid
Roof Material
Metal
Tile
Other
Window Material
Metal Dual Glazed
Other
Insulation Material
Cotton Batt
Recycled Denim Batt
Recycled Newsprint

Garage / Car Port

Garage / Carportno
Garage Typeattached
Number of Cars1

Contact Seller

Listing ID : 19331