The passive solar house plans are designed to be affordable in terms of construction costs and energy bills. Some of the plans are converted from other sources, such as Habitat for Humanity and the Northwest North Carolina Housing Development Corporation; the remainder are original designs.
The passive solar features include 6 to 11% of the floor area as south facing glazing, 2-foot overhangs, and slab on grade construction with incorporated thermal mass. In addition, the main living areas are on the south side of the home.
The plans are affordable because they are simple designs that have even exterior dimensions to reduce construction costs and waste. The plans are all between 900 and 1,300 square feet. In general, the design team increased south-facing glazing areas and decreased glazing on the east, west and north to hold down the cost of windows. The homes have simple roof lines that can all be built with trusses.
These plans can be adapted or mirrored to suit your site. Use them as a source for ideas about how to design your own passive solar home. Have fun and be creative!
Floor plans and full working drawings are available on each of the following homes.
The 3D rendering will lead you to a page to view these plans and provide links for downloadable floor plans and elevations in pdf as well as working drawings in pdf and AutoCAD 2000.
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The Sun Ray
(3 BR, 2 BA, 1188 sq. ft.)
| The Mountain Laurel
(3 BR, 2 BA, 1150 sq. ft.)
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The Orion
(3 BR, 2 BA, 1176 sq. ft.)
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The Baby Cape
(3 BR, 2 BA, 1286 sq. ft.) |
The Cardinal
(3 BR, 2 BA, 1200 sq. ft.) | The Catawba Valley
(3 BR, 2 BA, 1132 sq. ft.)
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| The Garden Window
(3 BR, 2 BA, 1140 sq. ft.) | The Bay Breeze
(3 BR, 2 BA, 1166 sq. ft.)
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The Hide-Away
(2 BR, 1 BA, 960 sq. ft.) |
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The Dogwood
(3 BR, 2 BA, 916 sq. ft.)
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The Blue Ridge
(4 BR, 2 BA, 1208 sq. ft.)
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The Cottage
(3 BR, 2 BA, 1186 sq. ft.)
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