Begun in November 1997, completed in September of 2000. Now has four finished bedrooms, two and a half baths, tv/family room, 700 sf shop area, two car attached garage, sitting/sunroom, deck, office/loft, all located on 5.8 fully wooded acres just 35 miles from I-694 up 35E or 35W. The daily commute to Roseville for me was as short as 35 minutes when I would scoot in before rush hour.
The house has 15″ thick roof/walls with 12″ batt insulation. It is heated with propane in a forced air system, with separate controls (DuoZone) for the lower level and the main & upper level. A single wall AC unit located at the top of the house in the cupola cools the entire house to about 74 or 75 on the hottest days. The house features fresh air exchange, large capacity energy efficient water heater (electric, heats only at off peak times for discount from electric co-op), electronic water filter/softener (never needs salt), and strategically placed reversible ceiling fans to move hot air out the top and cool air in from the bottom in summer; gently move warm air down in the winter.
The entryway is a ramp, and the house was designed to be easily adaptable to support accessible, single-level living if that should ever be needed. The light fixtures are wired with optional dimmers for your exact lighting preferences. The bathrooms all feature full code exhaust fans to move moisture quickly from the space.
The 36? diameter main dome has all the living spaces on three levels. The main level has the entryway (from the exterior or from the garage), a small sun/sitting room, the kitchen, living/dining (open to above), one bedroom and a full bath. The upper level has the office/loft and access to the view cupola, as well as the master suite with half-bath (oversized shower roughed in all that’s needed is the tile). The lower level has the full shop (half the space on that level), the utility area, two bedrooms, one full bath, and a tv/family room. Full light patio door walk out original plan was to build a three-season screen covered patio/porch on that level.
The 29? two-car garage meets the dome between the main and lower levels. A half flight of stairs up gets you to the main level, double doors and a half flight down gets you to the shop in the lower level. The double doors allow for easy moving of material, equipment, or projects in and out of the shop. The garage has a full upper loft which could be finished for more living/recreation space just a half flight up from the main level.
The living room features a gas fireplace set in river rock, and three giant triangle windows looking into the woods. The kitchen features a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer, gas range top, electric wall oven, pantry cabinet, and built-in dishwasher. The cooktop sits in a center island with a raised eating bar and stools. A door to the hexagonal deck between the dining and kitchen areas extends the cooking and dining outdoors.
The master suite features a French balcony overlooking the living area with doors that open for air movement and light or close for privacy. The view cupola has vent windows which serve to pull air through the dome to keep things from 10-15 degrees cooler inside than out.
The property itself is 5.8 acres of woods. The driveway curves up and away from the road; the house is not visible from the street. A large loop circle and center island at the top of the drive make for easy in and out. The property has a creek on the northern edge which means that there is legal access to the small, private lake just upstream from the property. There is a pair of red-tailed hawks that nest annually within sight of the deck, and at any moment you can see wild turkey, deer, red fox, and bunches of species of birds out the big windows. Hummingbirds have found my feeders and will feed even while I sit 4 feet away at the deck table.
The main level and the lower level are each about 1120 sq ft, and the upper half-shelf master suite/office is about 400 sq ft. The view cupola has about 100 sq ft and could be an interesting sitting area or lookout. With the windows all the way around, it’s a neat place in a lightening storm. You can see the Milky Way at night from the deck.