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Custom Residence, AK
Sundance Home
Colorado
Project Type Residential | Single Family < 3000 sf
Year Completed 224
Project Size 3274 sq ft
SIPS Used 6" EPS Walls - House / 4" EPS Wall Garage - 12" EPS Roof House - 10" EPS Roof Garage
Sustainable Features Premier SIPs, converted old airplane hangar into barn, deconstructed original structure and reused or recycled materials
Environmental Certifications Energy Star Certified
Awards Entered in the BEA's 2025 - Winners to be determined
Architect SD-6 Architecture + Desgin
Contractor PG Arnold Construction
Project Overview
Sundance Home
Colorado
End Use:
The owners of Sundance Farms lived for 30+ years in a converted airplane hangar while running the 15 acre farm. Now they live in a high performance net
zero energy, all-electric farmstead. The passive solar residence has all the modern conveniences one would expect in a new home and amenities for
wool dying and a wool spinning loft. The farm residence has a conditioned living area of 3274 SF. The attached garage adds another 1166 SF.
zero energy, all-electric farmstead. The passive solar residence has all the modern conveniences one would expect in a new home and amenities for
wool dying and a wool spinning loft. The farm residence has a conditioned living area of 3274 SF. The attached garage adds another 1166 SF.
Why SIPs:
One of the owners overarching goals was to have a low maintenance, all electric home that has a 100+ year life span. Ideally the heat source would be
electric or come from non-carbon sources and power needs would be largely offset by active and passive solar. We entertained everything from straw bale
construction, straw and clay construction, earth blocks, double wall framing, etc….weighing out the embodied energy, maintenance schedules, costs and
longevity of each option. Ultimately SIP construction became the obvious choice.
electric or come from non-carbon sources and power needs would be largely offset by active and passive solar. We entertained everything from straw bale
construction, straw and clay construction, earth blocks, double wall framing, etc….weighing out the embodied energy, maintenance schedules, costs and
longevity of each option. Ultimately SIP construction became the obvious choice.
Benefit of SIPs:
SIP construction allowed us to use a very experienced and thoughtful framing crew to build the structure. With some additional training onsite to review
detailing for airtight envelopes we were able to meet the exacting specifications of high performance insulation and airtightness levels necessary to
achieve a HERS -26.
detailing for airtight envelopes we were able to meet the exacting specifications of high performance insulation and airtightness levels necessary to
achieve a HERS -26.
Innovative Design Elements:
he design of the house is intended to be a 100+ year structure. One of our strategies to accomplish this was to protect the SIPs from the elements with large
overhangs, a ventilated rainscreen wall assembly and cap it off with a ventilated cold roof – which helps to keep it warm and dry. The goal was to
minimize drying time for the water and vapor that makes its way into the wall and roof assemblies over the life of the structure.
The roof eaves were extended to control bulk water and optimize passive solar gain on the south elevation. The rainscreen siding assembly and a cold roof
were designed to allow the cementitious siding to dry inwards and outwards by providing a ventilation gap between the cladding and the SIP skins so moisture wouldn’t become trapped. The airspace allows for convective drying of any moisture so that neither the siding or SIP skins are damaged over time. On the roof we allowed for a 1.5” airspace for convective drying and cooling during the hottest months.
overhangs, a ventilated rainscreen wall assembly and cap it off with a ventilated cold roof – which helps to keep it warm and dry. The goal was to
minimize drying time for the water and vapor that makes its way into the wall and roof assemblies over the life of the structure.
The roof eaves were extended to control bulk water and optimize passive solar gain on the south elevation. The rainscreen siding assembly and a cold roof
were designed to allow the cementitious siding to dry inwards and outwards by providing a ventilation gap between the cladding and the SIP skins so moisture wouldn’t become trapped. The airspace allows for convective drying of any moisture so that neither the siding or SIP skins are damaged over time. On the roof we allowed for a 1.5” airspace for convective drying and cooling during the hottest months.
Certifications:
The house exceeds the standards for the Department of Energy, Zero Energy Ready Home, Energy Smart.
HERS: -26
Blower Door:
1.64 ACH50. While a good ACH rating is critical for overall efficiency of the building we also recognize that a tight envelop is very important in controlling
wildfire smoke and particulate matter (PM2.5).
wildfire smoke and particulate matter (PM2.5).
Energy Use Intensity: -7.3 kBtu/ft2
HVAC:
he house has a relatively simple HVAC system. The primary heating and cooling comes from a Mitsubishi Heat Pump system with 4 heads strategically located in the house. A Panasonic Intelli-Balance ERV supplies fresh air to all bedrooms and the main living spaces while functioning as the exhaust (with booster switches) for the bathrooms and laundry room. The ERV can be outfitted with HEPA filters to better control smoke particulates and allergens and exceeds ASHRAE 62.2 requirements. Additional air circulation comes from a high velocity low speed (HVLS) ceiling fan with an 8’ diameter in the great room. For back-up heating and during long and extremely cold periods of time there are four infrared cove heaters in the primary living spaces and bedrooms.
Energy-Saving Materials:
The overall performance of the house relies on the airtight construction and detailing of the envelope built from SIP walls and roof panels. Detailing at the
panel seams as well as windows and doors was critical for success. The windows were tuned for their aspect, with the south facing window
performance values being U-.14 and SHGC .46. On all other aspects the windows were in the range of U- .14 with a SHGC of .17. The high SHGC allows a
tremendous amount of solar radiation to be captured by the specially designed thermal mass concrete floor. The concrete thickness was optimized for thickness and poured with minimal air entrainment to allow the sun’s rays to penetrate deeply in a timely manner. Imbedded in the slab is a closed loop radiant tubing system designed to distribute heat gained from the warmer parts of the slab to areas that don’t receive direct solar gain. The roof metal selected has a very high solar reflectance, designed to reflect solar heat rather than absorb it where the heat would be conducted into the envelope of the building.
panel seams as well as windows and doors was critical for success. The windows were tuned for their aspect, with the south facing window
performance values being U-.14 and SHGC .46. On all other aspects the windows were in the range of U- .14 with a SHGC of .17. The high SHGC allows a
tremendous amount of solar radiation to be captured by the specially designed thermal mass concrete floor. The concrete thickness was optimized for thickness and poured with minimal air entrainment to allow the sun’s rays to penetrate deeply in a timely manner. Imbedded in the slab is a closed loop radiant tubing system designed to distribute heat gained from the warmer parts of the slab to areas that don’t receive direct solar gain. The roof metal selected has a very high solar reflectance, designed to reflect solar heat rather than absorb it where the heat would be conducted into the envelope of the building.
Energy-Efficient Products or Design Features:
All of the appliances are Energy Star rated and 100% of the lighting in the house is LED.
Solar Panels:
he farmstead is an all-electric property (aside from the tractors). There is an 18.8 kW solar array is installed on the barn roof that more than offsets the total power needed for the house. By design the extra power goes to offset more than half of the overall power needs for the farm including power for tools and machinery in the barn and water pumps for field irrigation.
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As the oldest SIP manufacturer, Premier SIPS offers a superior building envelope framing system for commercial and residential structures. Contact an expert in your region to discuss your next project or to explore the benefits and cost savings when designing and building with SIPs.
