Award Winning – Net Zero ICF Homestead – Austin TX / Hill Country
About This Project
My designea was,
I designed this home in 2019. My idea was to show that ICF Homes could be constructed in more complex and interesting layouts. ICF stands for Insulated Concrete Forms. All of the exterior walls in this structure are poured in 8″ thick concrete. The picture below is before we actually poured the walls. My design won First Place, Best of Show, and The Designers Choice Award in 2019 with the Texas Institute of Building Design.
I have always admired folks who have done off grid homesteading. I purchased this property which is just over 7 acres. We terraced the property in 3 levels. I wanted to build a structure that was very efficient and with the capability of eventually developing the whole property into a self sustaining space where we generate our own power to run the whole property. I wanted to make this a luxury homestead.
The main house has 2 Isokern Wood Burning Fireplaces. In addition to the energy efficient walls, we choose Marvin Ultimate Windows (Thermally Broken) with hurricane laminated glass. We used closed cell foam for the roof insulation. I created fire breaks around the home in order to protect the home from wildfires. The soffits, facia, and all exposed areas are brick and standing seam metal.
The septic tank is in the square in the middle of the courtyard and the drain field is gravity fed on the bottom level of the property.
The overall architecture is mid century inspired. I wanted to bring in some Japanese Minimalist modern elements with the interior. The master bathroom has a spa feel. I made a channel around the shower filled with marble pebbles framing in the shower pan. The walls are a honed Thassos Marble. I made a planter box above the soaker tub which will eventually house Bonsai trees. We used Fire Clay Tile ( Hand Painted) for an accent on the back shower wall. I choose acrylic coated plaster on level 5 drywall to finish the walls throughout the home.
I designed and built this Japanese inspired platform bed and used Onyx for the headboard. All of the bedroom cabinets are behind the headboard wall
I designed the living room with 10 foot windows to capitalize on the amazing views. I was watching the TV show Mad Men and was inspired to make this entertainment center out of walnut and grass cloth. The sketch on graph paper below was the basic concept. We needed some different dimensions to break up the space. The open space below to store fire logs is one of my favorite features.
The next 2 pictures are of the foyer. We choose Cle’ Terrazzo tiles for the floor and custom milled walnut for the walls. I used this same material for my favorite “Luxury Steam Shower Bathroom RemodelingProject” last year. I felt that it breaks up the space between the living room and the kitchen like a space ship corridor in 2001.
This picture below shows the transition into the kitchen space. I just finished a whole portfolio post on the kitchen that you can check out if you want more detail.
I made some air conditioned Dog Kennels off of the courtyard. The roof is a standing seam butterfly roof to match the house.
I designed the building below to be the powerhouse for this property. The grey stucco area houses our 10,000 gallon water tank, pumps, and pressure tanks that are coming off of our well. I designed the lower level of the structure to be my shop and to store tools. The upper levels are my office, storage space, and a space that will house the batteries and inverters for our solar array.
I used monopoly framing to create a thermally efficient sub structure. I clad the whole exterior in insulated panels. We also used 2 layers of 2″ poly iso panels in order to create a extremely thermally efficient roof. The roof, fascia, and soffits are all covered in standing seam metal panels.
I have given a great overview of the property at this point. I plan on updating this information as we progress. If you are interested in building an ultra custom home in ICF or monopoly framing, give us a call.