Today’s news is full of stories about the cost of energy, climate change, rising
gas prices and the finite availability of fossil fuels.

One way to deal with today’s crises is by building a sustainable home, or
remodeling to make the home more efficient.

Design, construction techniques, windows and insulation, heat source, water
usage, appliances, landscaping – these are the key concepts to consider.

An example is the building of the Baty Road Sustainable Home by Cherryville
Construction Inc. It was designed by Jim and Barb Gunesch – owners of
Cherryville Construction – and Michel Durelle.

The project kicked off by adopting a design to be passive solar. By orienting
the house and its large windows toward the south, the home will collect the
sun’s natural heat and light – the simplest way to reduce heating and lighting
costs.

The floors are concrete slab which acts as a thermal mass holding in the heat
and retaining the cool temperature in the summer.

The home was designed with longer overhangs which allow the winter sunlight
in, but provides shade in summer. The roof is the optimal pitch for solar
panels and has enough room for the panels to face south. The solar panels will
supply the home with electricity and make the home net-zero.

Once the design was complete, the project started off with the deconstruction
of the existing home on the site. The material from the original house that
was still usable was saved to use in the new home. Other materials were
recycled.

Construction focuses on localization. Craftsmen working on the home are
local. The majority of products are from the northwest – including larch
(tamarack) siding and reclaimed beams from the port in Portland.