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The Flint Residence
Silver Spring, MD
View Project Photo Gallery: Before (3) After (10)

In a modest WWII-era, three-bedroom house, a family of four shared 1½ baths; a tiny kitchen; a narrow, dead-end living room; and a dark, leaky, low-ceilinged basement without access to the exterior. Our design expanded and created more flowing and logical living space by 1) reconfiguring existing living areas; 2) removing a small, deteriorating addition and 3) expanding the house to the rear on three levels.

Work began in February 2004 with the demolition of a small dilapidated addition, a stage of our project that the owners humorously refer to as their "subtraction." To facilitate progress and maintain their own sanity, the owners moved out soon after but were able to reoccupy their substantially completed home just six months later.

(click to enlarge)

Throughout the life of the project, our clients increasingly embraced our commitment to sustainable, environmentally sound design and construction as the many advantages unfolded for them, an important one being reduced energy consumption and lower utility bills! In April 2005, the Flint project was featured in a local news article about green building; when interviewed William Flint claimed to be happy with the addition, adding, "I didn't seek out the green to begin with, but I found the designer and he brought the green along with him and I'm glad he did." Whether or not our clients start out with the intention of building green, their experience with it during the design and building phases is always a positive one. The Flints' willingness to experiment with new approaches allowed us to employ several different green building concepts and materials.

Fig 1: Kitchen. (click to enlarge)

Fig 2: Living room. (click to enlarge)

Fig 3: Master bedroom suite. (click to enlarge)

Most prominent was the passive solar design. The addition is dramatically rotated oblique to the existing house, on axes with the sun to maximize solar exposure. "Free" solar heat radiates through many large south-facing windows on all three levels, slashing winter heating bills. In the summer months, carefully calibrated roof overhangs on the first and second floors provide much-needed shading to help cool the home. Moreover, a dark slate floor set on a thick cementitious bed throughout the main floor living area absorbs solar heat by day and reradiates solar heat by night. These key energy-efficiency measures cut electricity consumption significantly.

The angled addition also extended site lines to the garden, and significantly softened the severe, cubic form of the existing house. In this way we diminished the perceived volume of the addition, which is nearly as large as the existing structure!

On the main level, we created a versatile, airy, open kitchen and dining area (Fig 1) that also serves nicely as a gathering space, and provides easy access to the garden and a new driveway through a new side entry and mudroom.

We transformed a dark, dysfunctional living room into a comfortable home office (Fig 2) with an adjacent, three-quarter bath, an area that doubles as guest quarters as needed. All of the new spaces on the main floor were linked with passageways and borrowed light.

On the upper floor we created three comfortable bedrooms including a master bedroom suite (Fig 3), and added a second bathroom as well as a laundry area which had originally been located in the farthest corner of the dark, low-ceiling basement. We also created space for a studio.

On the lower level one discovers a spacious recreation room and playroom, as well as a full bath. A deep window well and a set of large south-facing windows provide ample day-lighting; a sheltered walk-out stairway to grade allows access to the garden and backyard.

To make up for windows removed to accommodate the new addition, we installed sun tunnels in strategic locations to capture and distribute natural light, cutting down on artificial lighting and providing a larger sense of openness throughout the home.

Fig 4: Parallam™ beam. (click to enlarge)

Fig 5: Icynene insulation. (click to enlarge)

The ceiling of the space is framed using a system of exposed Parallam™ beams[PDF] (Fig 4). These beautiful, extremely strong beams are made from wood fiber harvested from branches and trees too small for use as conventional dimensioned lumber, obviating the need to cut a more valuable, mature tree. Similarly, the underlayment for the second floor is composed of Dow Woodstalk™, which are rigid panels manufactured from wheat straw.

The envelope of the addition is meticulously designed for energy efficiency. The walls and roof are insulated with Icynene™—a foam material sprayed directly into the framing cavities (Fig 5). We chose foam instead of conventional fiberglass batts because Icynene™ fills every tiny void in the framing, preventing infiltration and precluding mold growth, typical problems in conventionally insulated frame structures. We also meticulously flashed and rain-screened external walls to prevent moisture intrusion. Both existing and new attics are completely insulated, adding to the efficiency of the system.

White-colored roofing materials reduce cooling loads and mitigate the urban heat island effect. All of the materials used on the flat roofs are Energy Star™ rated.

All of the new windows meet the U.S. EPA's Energy Star™ efficiency requirements; each is made of fiberglass, which is stronger and more stable than vinyl, and feature beautiful, clear pine interior surfaces. All of the existing windows were replaced with fiberglass windows with low-e, argon filled glazing.

During the course of the project, the entire electrical and plumbing systems were overhauled, with replacement of every cable and pipe, plus installation of a new water service. We used the most sophisticated and efficient heating and air conditioning equipment available. All of the Energy Star™ HVAC equipment[PDF] features multi-stage units controlled by humidistats and thermostats to provide the twin benefits of efficiency and comfort. Just about every appliance in this home, including ceiling fans, is energy-efficient, Energy Star™ rated.

Our clients are still gathering data on their utility bills but so far, despite the doubled living space, they are already reaping the benefits of our collective energy-saving measures that not only puts money in their pockets but greatly enhances the quality of their lives at home!