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Jackson architect Bruce Hawtin designed his own home to maximize energy efficiency; its breathtaking location only increases its amazing appeal
Photography by Mack Mendenhall
From the outside, the home belonging to Carolynn and Bruce Hawtin seems modest in size. However, its unique fan-shaped design features a number of elements that make the house feel even roomier than its generous 3,500 square feet. From its black-steel I-beams and polished-cement floors, to abundant windows and a unique flat-plane window detail, this home sacrifices no luxury while being ultra-environmentally friendly.
The space is fabulous but comfortable, with the couple’s eclectic art collection displayed to maximum effect. With a balance of the 1,100 square feet of glass facing north and south, the entire effect is bright, filled with vistas of open spaces and mountains—bringing the outside in, and the inside out.
“I like to think it’s very in context with this valley,” Bruce Hawtin says. “Technology is improving and we could have made other decisions to enhance the home’s efficiency, but with our program and budget, we are pleased. Our energy consumption is very low.”
Every building he designs starts with a walk on the property, Hawtin notes. His own home, located in the shadow of the Tetons south of the airport, was no exception.
“With a client’s wish list and budget in mind, nothing influences me more than location. Views, the sun, natural contours, existing vegetation or water, access by car—these are all things that influence the final product.”
For his house, that meant maximizing the location’s amazing views, balancing light from south-facing windows, and using energy-efficient systems including solar panels and a ground-source heat pump (see sidebar).
Hawtin, principal of Hawtin Jorgensen Architects in Jackson, says his company is well-known for successfully working with clients, the design team, and builders. His firm has designed more than 300 houses and no two are alike.
“Although we have designed many modern homes, our reputation is based on contemporary homes using traditional forms and materials reflecting truly Western values. We are comfortable doing both, and this modern home was greatly influenced by Carolynn and my staff, and I know this collaboration produced a better final product,” Hawtin says.
For example, the kitchen’s proximity to the living and dining room led to clean, minimalist cabinets designed to create unique storage areas, while at the same time integrating the kitchen into the adjacent shared spaces.
Construction started in fall 2007 and was finished by Christmas 2008; the couple moved into the space in January 2009. They share it with their family of four children and eight grandkids whenever possible.
The place seems to be passing the test of time, even though less than two years doesn’t seem like much of a landmark.
“If we had to do this house over, we wouldn’t change a thing,” Hawtin says.
Super-smart about energy
The Hawtin home was the first custom-built home in Wyoming certified by the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™. All appliances are rated for Energy Star compliance, and the Hawtins finished all surfaces with no-VOCs paints and stains (common sources of outgassing).
Fans, which turn on automatically each hour, are part of an energy recovery ventilation system. Natural air transfer is virtually non-existent because the home was built to such tight standards.
Two solar panels are located to the rear of the garage. One is a flat-plate, photovoltaic type, used to create electricity for the home. Although Jackson is not an ideal location for this kind of installation (because of low electric rates), Hawtin wanted to see its usability and cost-return for himself.
The other solar array is a high-efficiency evacuated-tube solar hot water panel which heats the domestic hot water. That installation has a “reasonable payback” because the initial investment will be recouped within seven or eight years, Hawtin says.
The walls of the home have an R-34 rating; each one is a total of about nine inches thick. Built with 2x6 framing, they have two full inches of high-density fiberglass insulation outside of that (with all joints taped), which is coated with Tyvek, then covered with cedar siding. All windows have a low U-factor; the lower the U-factor, the greater a window’s resistance to heat flow and the better are its insulating properties.
Except for the mechanical room and storage areas in the basement, the home is built over a crawl space to provide full access to all its in-floor plumbing and electrical systems.
The ground-source heat pump, walls full of insulated copper pipe, back-up systems, and two oversized hot-water tanks (for the ground- source heat pump and the solar hot water system) are the main elements in the spacious mechanical room. The heat pump takes well water and transfers its heat to a propylene-glycol solution similar to antifreeze. The propylene-glycol solution then goes through pressure and expansion cycles to raise its temperature to 120 degrees; this heated solution is used for all the home’s in-floor heating (the water is recycled). “The ground-source heat pump has both heating and cooling capabilities, but we have never used the cooling cycle,” Hawtin reports.
The structure’s foundation is made of insulated concrete forms. This cutting-edge method turns on its ear the more traditional notion of a concrete-block foundation which is then insulated.
The home missed earning gold certification from LEED by only four points. They were marked down, Hawtin says, for minor details such as not having flow-restricted shower heads or faucets, and not installing enough drought-resistant landscaping. For budget reasons, they chose to use double-pane (rather than triple-pane) windows, and did not use recycled or reclaimed materials, nor is the framing material from certified forests. However, the Hawtins concentrated their purchases within a 500-mile radius of Jackson, which also reduced their overall carbon footprint.
