Easy Living
Homeowner Karen Stubbs redefined ease of living with her new home in Ferriday, La. She built a 3,500-square-foot, two-story, four-bedroom house and was involved in every construction detail.
Requirement
Stubbs wanted to design a home that was easy to live in, fun and sustainable. She noted: “I’ve lived in older homes that needed renovating, and they were fine and comfortable. But I wanted to make a home that was totally easy to live in. I also wanted to make it as green as possible with the resources available in my area.”
Solution
Stubbs let her mouse and keyboard do the walking when researching building materials. She was familiar with metal roofing because it is common in the South, but she wanted to incorporate photovoltaics, if possible. She stumbled upon the website for Fabral: the Lancaster, Pa. based metal roofing company where she discovered Solar SSR: a new building-integrated photovoltaic product.
Solar SSR can be paired with many Fabral roofing profiles, and this home is roofed in 45 squares of 1 1/2” SSR, a classic standing-seam design. The color Hickory Moss was selected, which is an Energy Star color. The laminates, from Uni-Solar: Auburn Hills, Mi., were installed in the field by Garcia Roofing: Baton Rouge, La. Stubbs’ son, Nathan Stubbs, served as the general contractor for the project. Myers Electric: Ferriday, was the electrical contractor.
“We are thrilled that Karen found us and that Fabral could be part of her home,” said Adam Duckworth, manager of Environmental & Sustainable Systems. “Fabral has always been committed to sustainability, but we have taken that to the next level with Solar SSR. We look forward to working with more homeowners like Karen and building owners who are trying to do their part to conserve energy."
Details
The first floor of the house includes the kitchen, dining area and family room, as well as a guest room. This space was designed to be a mother-in-law suite and is set off from the rest of the house. The second floor has the master suite and two guest rooms. The home has three and a half bathrooms. Stubbs noted that the bedrooms in her house are for sleeping, not living. So the guest rooms are smaller and suitable for her grown children and her grandchildren to visit; one is equipped with bunk beds and peep holes to the first floor dining area. The house has three screened porches and a breezeway, or dog trot, a porch that goes through the middle of the house, giving views of the lake form the front entrance.
“In my other houses, I had a library, a sitting room, and a double parlor. There were lots of rooms to sit in,” Stubbs explained. “But this house is totally livable and beautiful. There is view of the lake from every room—and lots of porches—so you feel like you are outside in every room. We wake up every day and pinch ourselves!”
Sustainability
Part of Stubbs’ definition of “ease of living” includes low maintenance. So she selected materials that were easy to care for and that wouldn’t rot. For instance, she has concrete floors throughout the first floor with radiant floor heating (installed by Southern Plumbing: Concordia Parish, La.). The doors and windows are fiberglass with good thermal performance. The windows also have Low-E glass. LED lighting was used where possible, and the home has Energy Star appliances. The well-insulated home has two air conditioning units with high SEER ratings and an energy-efficient, on-demand water heater.
Fabral's Solar SSR system includes the highest quality, UL approved components. The flexibility and durability of these laminates make them ideal for metal roofs; where expansion, contraction and curving are considerations. Unlike polycrystalline photocells that are heavy and fragile, no roof penetrations and no additional structural support are required. The panel/laminate bond that's created has been tested and proven to withstand winds up to 160 mph.
“We feel strongly about being good stewards of this beautiful place where we are blessed to live,” Stubbs noted. “We tried to build a home that honors its surroundings.”
To learn more, visit us at Fabral.
