Equinox 3240 In Western NC Development Stage:  Under construction - Kit completed Bed/Baths:  3 / 3 Square Feet:  2200 Location:  Western NC Project Images The Story This Equinox 3240 is being built by the owner, who is in fact, a builder. This all natural home fits in perfectly with the site and will be a partner with nature when it is completed. We visited over Labor Day to take some photos. Earlier construction photos will be posted soon. The Sunspace of this home is full width for the entire length of the home. This area will be a favorite gathering place for many activities. Right now, the builder and designer are discussing the plans. There is a sunspace area in the lower level too, which makes an Enertia basement a light, airy and useful space. Upstairs there will be two bedrooms and a bathroom. The bathroom is in a dormered section in the center of the North wall. Here you see a cross-section of the crane-set roof panels. As with many mountain homes, the driveway approaches the back of the home - in this case, the North. Visit this page again for more "before" and "after pictures to come. In October, 2008, this home was on the state-wide Solar Home Tour. The exterior of the house is nearly completed. There will be a detached garage on the West. At this point, only the foundation and slab are in place. The South shows the work still to be done - installing the sliding glass doors in the lower level, adding the East deck, and installing the solar hot water and photovoltaic panels. Months later, the house and garage are nearing completion. One special feature of this home is that the lumber for the floors, porches. etc. was all cut from the property when the land was cleared for the house. The kitchen is the heart of the home - on the West side of the main level, opening on to the Sunspace. The living room and kitchen are open-plan, fitting perfectly with the lifestyle of this family. The North double wall is an integral part of the "envelope" buffer zone of the home. It is not really noticeable once you are living there. In the upper left image, the owner is looking up from the basement through the double North wall to the photographer who is looking down the double North wall from the Living Room. The master suite is on the East side of the main level, also leading out to the Sunspace. This bright, airy room is flooded with natural light. The Sunspace is almost certain to become everyone's favorite room. It is the engine of the home, and has the best views as well. At the top of the Sunspace is the double roof area where the solar heated air expands and rises and crosses through the attic to the double wall on the North, where it then falls and crosses the lower level to rise up again into the Sunspace through the metal grates in the Sunspace floor. There are two bedrooms upstairs - on the East and on the West. The built-in shelving in the closets (again, using wood from the property) create lots of storage space. The upstairs bedrooms have windows looking out over the Sunspace and gathering light. The ladder is a telescoping pull-down ladder into the attic space. The master bath. The lower level is typical of an Enertia lower level - dry, light and airy. The utility area is in it's own alcove. This home is on the grid, but makes its own hot water and sells electricity back to the power company, reducing his electric bill. The South side is the Glass side on an Enertia home. On this mountain property, the South side is the "back" of the house. The proud owner/builder is thrilled with this home and looking forward to building another.