close-up of green roof
before the renovation
after the renovation
kitchen looking towards front of house
living room looking toward kitchen
A Ranch Goes Green
Converting an Arlington Ranch into a Green English Cottage
This family had a problem with space and with curb appeal. They loved their neighborhood, and loved their yard, but didn’t like how their one-story house looked or functioned. They were going from being a couple to a being three-generation family, and suddenly needed bedrooms. They came to us for help. They were concerned that the work be done in an environmentally responsible manner.
The new configuration provides family living on two floors and a basement. The flat-roofed area to the south has become an in-law apartment — connected to the main house, but private. Instead of adding an entire second floor, we’ve added a steep roof, with rooms tucked into gables and dormers. This transformed the outside of the house from a brick ranch into an English cottage that maintains the scale of its north Arlington neighborhood. On the inside we’ve rearranged the first floor rooms so that a relocated, large, bright kitchen visually connects to the dining room, living room and den. At the second floor, we’ve adding a master bedroom suite, and two additional small bedrooms.
The addition is the first renovation project in Arlington certified by the Arlington Green Home Choice program.”
It won the 2007 NVBIA Monument Award for greenbuilding, and was featured on Bloomberg TV’s Muse Program.
Some of the sustainable features include:
- Use of Deconstruction Services for dismantling and recycling roof framing and shingles, interior wall framing, insulation, cabinetry and trim, cutting the amount of materials that went to landfill by roughly 75%.
- Extra sealing and insulation measures.
- Use of permeable paving materials
- High efficiency heating and cooling equipment
- Energy Star appliances
- Water-saving plumbing fixtures
- Engineered wood framing and sheathing
- Recycled rubber “slate” shingles
- A vegetated (green) roof at all flat roofed areas
- Low VOC paints
This project was completed in 2006. It has been published by Resource Efficient Homes Across America.