Arcadia 3248 + 4 Development Stage:  Completed Bed/Baths:  2 / 3 Square Feet:  1536 Location:  Southeast Colorado Project Images The Story It would be hard to imagine a more beautiful setting, and a better place for a solar home. Don't be fooled by those clouds. Colorado gets a lot of Sun, and cold is not a problem for an Enertia® home if there is plenty of Sun. This is the Arcadia 3248 kit with extra courses for height. You're looking at the North and West sides of the house. This insulated foundation system is being pumped full of concrete. The subfloor begins with the outer band and girders atop the poured foundation. Then the joists are added and covered with plywood. The kit has arrived, and timbers for the first rows (courses) of the wall are laid out on the subfloor. In the lower right photo the South lower level, which is partially built with timbers, can barely be seen on the South side facing the mountains. Everyone has a job to do. Door and Window Frames, and first rows of timbers. Left - Braced door frame in the sunspace wall Right - Here the outer North timber is not yet set, so you can see both inner and outer North timber walls. The walls get taller and the Sunspace takes shape on the South. The peaks of the Arcadia and the Colorado mountains. Once the roof is on and the windows are set, the house warms up on the inside, and it is a great place to work. Snow cover is a GOOD thing for an Enertia® home. Sun rays that would not ordinarily enter the house bounce off the snow and into the sunspace. This reflection off the snow is called the "albedo" effect. Once the house is "dried-in" it begins to work, although the full Enertia® effect does not take effect until the air loop is defined by installation of doors, windows, stairwell and ceiling. On the left, looking West, is the main level bathroom framing. On the right, looking East, is the livingroom framing. The home is completed, and the owners have sent us a quick photo tour. The approach to this Arcadia is on the East side where there is an entry porch. The optional garage is built on the North side of the home. The East porch entrance leads into the kitchen, which is open to the dining area and livingroom. The sunspace in every Enertia® home is a favorite room, and this house is no different. A paddle fan at the peak assists or jumpstarts the airflow loop that is an integral part of the Enertia® building system. The sunspace is a beautiful room, perfect for looking at the scenery, wildlife, and the stars. The porch is a great place to sit and look at nature, which in this case is spectacular. With the Enertia® home, solar hot water panels, and photovoltaic panels to produce electricity, life is good.