LAKESIDE 4860 - A CUSTOM ENERTIA HOME "OFF the GRID" in KENTUCKY
Photo Tour
This large custom home with an attached garage will make its own electricity using solar panels and a windmill.
The attached garage is on the West side of the house, and is goes up at the same time as the house.
This home will have beautiful lake views, and the added advantage of sunlight reflecting off the water to provide extra solar heat in the winter.
The first four "courses" of timbers have been set. The door and window frames are in place and braced. These frames are the key to keeping the walls plumb and properly aligned. In the background are retaining walls holding back dirt where the ground was excavated for the home site.
The South elevation (top) shows how the solar side of the home will look on completion. The North side of the home features a porch and the garage entrance. The garage has a second floor storage area, which is well lit by the high windows.
The house has opposing rooflines. This allows more South facing roof on the garage for solar/PV panels.
The house is nearing completion. The roof is on and windows are installed. The approach to the home is from the North (left). On the East side of the house you can see the foundation insulation (which will be covered with stone or siding) on the house and reflected in the lake (above).
The window wall on the South gathers heat for comfort in the winter (when the Sun is low in the sky), and also give the homeowners a terrific view of the natural beauty of the site.
Recently we drove to Kentucky and visited this beautiful home just as the owners were beginning to move in. The home is approached from the North. Right away it is apparent how well this house fits into the landscape.
From the Southeast you can see that the house is set apart from the lake as required by the terrain, but from other angles (below) it appears as if the house is right on the lake.
There are so many interesting architectural angles and views of this home. The opposing rooflines of the house and the attached garage are some of them.
The South window wall of the home will gather plenty of sunshine in Winter to heat this large home. The lake provides the extra bonus of reflected solar rays for additional heat gain.
This home has decks with lake views on both North and South. It is important that the deck on the South be quite narrow so that it does not shade the windows of the lower level.
The main core of the home is very open, with a large, tall Great Room/Kitchen/Dining area. The glass doors (right) lead to the sunspace.
The Sunspace is breathtaking. The floor is concrete stamped to look like brick, and it succeeds. The views are stupendous, and this is sure to be a favorite place to spend time.
These are two of the three bedrooms.
This is a one story home, with stairs leading down to the full (unfinished, in this case) basement.
The homeowners built this home in part to prove that you can live comfortably, with all modern conveniences, and still be green, sustainable, and off-the-grid. Their electric power system is housed in this separate building. There is a windmill and there are photovoltaic panels feeding power into a battery bank and through an inverter.
This home has been designed and built to shelter this family and their descendants for hundreds of years to come. We look forward to visiting again.
