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Houzz Tour: The 100K House Project

In our modern world of houses that are frequently too big, too costly and not so environmentally friendly, Postgreen Homes designs a home that is perfectly little, inexpensive, and energy efficient. Nic Darling, spouse for the Philadelphia firm, has a refreshing look at affordable housing for those who want a sensible house that speaks straight to eco-conscious living. Keep reading to find out about these innovative homes and how they’re revolutionizing how healthy families can grow and live.

Nic Darling

In the outside, 100K Project homes look like little warehouses using minimal ornamentation and layout. Don’t let the exterior fool you: They are full of bright interiors, a welcoming floor plan, along with an eco-conscious living environment — for $100,000 in labor and materials (see Nic’s notice about total cost in the comments section below).

Nic Darling

The interiors are warm and bright. “The spacious floorplan and well-placed windows provide the space a much brighter and larger feel than many row homes of a similar size. In addition, we build 9-foot 6-inch ceilings, which add to the sense of space.”

Nic Darling

Postgreen’s use of non invasive finish materials such as concrete and plywood keeps down costs and reflects their clients’ style. “We attempted to create a minimalist, modern appearance that is well liked but generally inaccessible, particularly in single family housing,” Nic says. “Using a open floorplan and unconventional finish stuff, we captured an appearance that appealed to our demographic while also shaving construction costs.”

Nic Darling

I really like the strong geometric theme that resonates throughout the house, in the exterior shattered windows into the peep holes in the stairs.

Stairs, windows, floors, cabinets, fixtures and appliances and other structural endings can vary from project to project.

Nic Darling

Nic Darling

The 100K home’s open floorplan provides a single heating and cooling zone. A radiant floor floor warms the whole house, and the single air-conditioning unit upstairs keeps it cool. Thick walls and sealing helps maintain temperatures stable. “The windows also get in on the action by giving much needed solar heat gain in winter,” he says.

Nic Darling

“Much of what affects the homes green credentials won’t be immediately observable,” Nic says. “In the highly insulated walls into the paints and finishes being picked with indoor air quality in your mind, they’re functionally simple homes with only a couple systems requiring knowledge from our clients and we provide that knowledge through documentation and training.”

Nic Darling

“Our homes but two are LEED Platinum Accredited or are on their way there,” Nic says. “The other two were constructed to the Passive House standard.” All that energy efficiency includes some real estate tax breaks.

Nic Darling

“We have assembled three distinct facades, and we’re working on our fourth,” Nic says. “The only real consistent requirement for all these facades so far is that they use fiber cement siding. It could be placed vertically and horizontally for distinct aesthetics. We have painted the substance and tattooed it. We like it because it is extremely durable and economical. In addition, we think it looks pretty good.”

Nic Darling

“There are approximately 35 single family homes in pre-development at this time,” Nic says,”and we’ve got our first mixed-use rental units almost ready to go up” See more of the home.

Learn more about Postgreen Homes here and on its own blog.

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