The Thermal Envelope Home

(Page 6 of 6)

March/April 1979
By the Mother Earth News editors 
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On the bright side, though, it can't be denied that the system is cost-effective . . . from the standpoint not only of initial investment but also of maintenance. And—once the house is built—heating is for the most part a " free ride ".

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Almost as important as the economy of the house is its overall flexibility of design. As long as there is an expanse of glass on the south-facing wall and a passageway around the inner shell for air to circulate, the layout of the rooms inside can be modified to suit personal tastes. The same adaptability applies to other features of the house, too. The entrance can be incorporated into the greenhouse (along with the stairway, if desired), the floor of the greenhouse can be covered with any of a variety of materials (as long as floor vents are used), and storage space can be added (with the construction of a peaked roof) above the air passageway.

Now that Tom has been "living in an envelope" for a while, he's had time to evaluate his ideas on the basis of experience rather than theory . . . and Smith is more than pleased with the results. He does plan to add a work loft in the upper portion of the greenhouse and—if finances permit—a hot tub (warmed by the exhaust from the wood stove) set into the greenhouse floor. But, even without these "luxuries", the Smith "thermal envelope" house is a mighty pleasing package!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tom Smith and Lee Butler have compiled a handbook (complete with floor plans and construction drawings) which describes the house and its operation in detail. The book is available for $18.95 from Tom Smith, P.O. Box 2356, Olympic Valley, California 95730.

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