Solar, Sustainable, and “Green” residential home design
Owner Barry McMonagle, has designed all the items mentioned above in the page header in residential homes. Currently (2013-2014), an “active” solar home complete with a Rammed Earth thermal mass is being constructed. This home was designed and built by us with locally sourced and milled framing lumber and siding. Rastra blocks are used for a highly insulated foundation and garden level living.
We concentrate on “green” construction both in regards to material choice and energy consumption. We can truly source “local” lumber and Western Red Cedar siding at least in Whatcom and Skagit counties. We also focus on materials with low embodied energy.
Barry’s design experience comes from practiced field experience and years in the construction background. Our niche is Solar, Sustainable, and “Green” residential home design with a focus on the simple and practical. We do not design “McMansions”. That being said, form and function are both important to us and we design appealing structures that suit your particular landscape. The home’s connection to the land and the transference of that feeling to the owner is our most important design consideration.
Our designs are unique but often are much more economical to build than designs drawn by architects. This is because simplified building techniques are used that have been proof tested on the ground by the owner. Simplification for the building trades during construction is most often overlooked by standard architects and engineers alike. We design to be unique and to last, with quality and ease of construction in mind.