Custom Home Design

This 4400 square foot custom home design features an open floor plan and one story living for our clients who want to accommodate visiting family and entertain guests throughout the year.

The main areas of the home – the kitchen, dining, and great room, are designed to accommodate our clients’ entertaining goals. Custom features include a gourmet kitchen with Viking and Subzero appliances and a large butler ’s pantry. A banquette, which comfortably seats ten, and a built-in china hutch are housed in a bump-out near the kitchen. A wet bar is conveniently placed near the kitchen and the living areas to aid in entertaining.

The home design also features two offices with abundant windows, creating positive, sunny work areas for this busy couple. The spacious custom master suite is configured for maximum flexibility. The bathroom directly accesses the laundry (which is also accessible from the main living area as well) and the bathroom and bedroom are easily separated for privacy. The closets are designed to have double-stack clothes storage as well as single and a dresser/storage island in the middle. The master bedroom has plenty of room for a cozy sitting area next to the gas fireplace.

The two second floor bedrooms have private baths and access to symmetrical reading balconies overlooking the cathedral great room, providing a breathtaking view of the timber frame.With several outside entertaining spaces, guest will enjoy a covered front porch expanding seventy two feet, an enclosed screen porch with a built-in gas grill, and a patio leading from the walk out basement with an extensive custom media room.

We are busy with several other current projects, including a lakefront cottage, one story house plans, an Energy Star home, and quite a few timber houses. Check them out!

Energy Efficient Windows

What to Look for in Energy Efficient Windows:


In 2005 the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) developed a label to provide consumers with energy performance data on windows, doors, and skylights. This label helps you compare one product to another, listing the manufacturer, a product description, a source for additional information, and ratings on the following energy performance characteristics (windows and doors are rated as whole systems, glazing and frame).


U-Factor: A window’s U-Factor measures how well a unit prevents heat from escaping (the inverse of its R-value). U-Factor ratings are usually between 0.25 and 1.25. The lower the U-value, the greater its ability to resist heat transfer and better insulate the home.


Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC): The Solar Heat Gain Coefficient rating indicates how well a window, door, or skylight blocks solar heat by measuring solar radiation released into the home. The lower the coefficient value, the less solar heat is transmitted into the home. Numbers generally range from 0 and 1, typically ranging from 0.25 to 0.8.


Visible Transmittance (VT): Visible Transmittance measures how much visible light is transmitted through the glazing. The higher the number, the more light is transmitted.


Air Leakage (AL): Air leakage ratings test the equivalent cubic feet of air that passes through one square foot of window area. Heat can be lost and gained through seals in the window frame and assembly. The lower the air leakage number, the less air passes through the unit. Most industry standards require an AL value to be 0.3 cfm/ft2.


Condensation Resistance (CR): The condensation resistance rating measures the units ability to resist condensation forming on the inside of the product. Ratings are expressed in numbers from 0 to 100. The higher the rating, the better the product resists condensation.


Consult with your architect on the best windows for your green home project that will meet your energy efficiency needs, site specific requirements, code requirements and budget. Lawrence Berkley National Laboratories offers a free software program, Resfen (PC-compatible only) which lets you calculate how windows with different glazing systems and frame materials affect your energy bills.

Window Designs

Windows are an important design, energy, and cost consideration for a green home – whether you’re building a timber frame, post and beam, or sustainable home using recycled and/or energy efficient material. We expect windows to enhance the beauty of our home and perform many functions: admit natural light, block summer solar heat gain, resist condensation and capture solar heat in winter (and prevent its loss).

The most common kinds of windows available are wood, clad-wood, vinyl, and aluminum.

Wood windows are traditional (wood on the interior as well as the exterior, however, wood swells and shrinks, so the window must be carefully and properly constructed and installed per the manufacturer’s guidelines. Warping and rotting will occur over time unless the window is protected. You can order wood windows either finished or unfinished. Solid ‘un-clad’ wood windows are not a typical selection.

Clad-wood windows have a wooden frame typically with extruded aluminum or vinyl cladding on the outside. The cladding completely covers the frame – meaning it won’t need maintenance for years. Most claddings have 15 year warranties on the finish and some manufacturers offer as many as 50 color selections to choose from. Clad windows are one of the most common window types.

Vinyl windows, made from rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC), they have hollow spaces inside to help them resist heat loss and condensation. While they cannot be painted, the color permeates the material so scratches do not show. Some windows have a tendency to warp when exposed to extreme heat or cold, which makes them harder to operate and allows air leakage. Vinyl windows are also a common choice and tend to be less expensive than clad windows.

Aluminum windows are thinner, lighter, and easier to handle than wood. A thermal break of extruded vinyl insulates the window, and sometimes includes foam, reducing heat loss and condensation in the window. Aluminum windows are typically more common in commercial construction than residential.

In typical residential or light commercial projects, aluminum clad wood windows are the preferred choice. The wood offers good thermal performance characteristics while the aluminum cladding protects the window from the elements. The finishes on the aluminum are available in a wide choice of colors and the interior wood finish may be left natural, stained or painted. Aluminum clad windows are also available in the typical configurations of awnings, sliders, double & single hung and casements as well, and most manufacturers offer sliding and hinged doors to match and compliment their window selections.