Mother's Low-Cost Home-Building Contest: The Winners

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The Kennedys' home is also the only winner that employs any earth berming. The three-story dwelling is built into a south-facing hillside, with all of the first floor below grade and the north wall of the second partially bermed. All of the foundation is poured concrete covered with Bituthene waterproofing membrane and insulated with 4 inches of extruded polystyrene foam on the outside. The perimeter of the foundation is wrapped with drainage tile to prevent water from collecting against the walls.

All of our judges agreed that the Kenne dys' home was very well designed from an engery standpoint. Besides tile earth perming, the north wall has doubled 2 X 4 walls with 9 inches of fiberglass, 2 inches of extruded polystyrene foam, and an air space (for about R-45)—and no windows; the east and west walls both have 6" fiberglass and 2" extruded polystyrene (for about R-35); the south wall is fitted with 6" glass and 1 " extruded polystyrene (for about R29); and the ceiling and roof have 12" fiberglass (for about R-40).

For passive solar gain, the second floor solarium is covered with Vermont slate as a passive solar absorber, and the room is separated from the rest of the house by an insulated wall and a sliding glass door. The door and windows are opened when the solarium has heat available for warming other rooms.

Rackup heat comes from woodstoves on the first and second floors. There are three 8" X 12" flues in the central chimney, and a dumbwaiter allows wood to be hauled up from the first floor to the second with ease. In the same assembly, a laundry chute runs all the way from the third floor to the first.

The Kennedys paid out almost $23,000 for local skilled labor, but beyond the basic construction, they also got 40 feet of handmade butcher block countertop in the kitchen, custom cabinets built on-site, handmade doors (those that go to the outside are insulated), and some beautiful finish work.

Though we were unable to achieve a consensus among our six judges, the Kennedys' home would have been the winner if we'd used a point-based ranking system. No judge rated it lower than second. Architect Angus Macdonald's comments are typical:

Truly a fine plan, well presented and beautifully executed. The general section has a good thermal concept, using the high thermal inertia of the basement and solarium floor. The central chimney mass helps make backup wood heating efficient.

This is the most refined floor plan among the entrants, though two upstairs rooms are very small. The cost is higher than some and owner participation isn't as great, but the result shows a professional finish inside and out. The exterior elevations are beautiful, and the profile acts aesthetically with the lay of the land.

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