Sun Dial

Net Zero/Off Grid Home | Boulder, CO

This net zero modern mountaintop retreat is located on a ridge located up at 7000’, featuring amazing mountains views down to Boulder and Denver in the distance.

The home gets both its actual and aesthetic energy from the sun; the design celebrates the winter and summer sunrise solar angles, the noon sun angle and the equinox sunrise. A light shelf helps block the high summer sun while redirecting the daylight deep onto the ceiling in the great room.

The interior features a sunken family room set up for the best views down the mountains, a central kitchen area with operable clerestory windows for enhanced natural ventilation, and a visually stunning Torii Gate hallway sequence that passes through a hallway that narrows in both width and height leading to two bedrooms, and office and a work out room. The cantilevered wrap around deck makes you feel like you are flying through the valley.

The all electric home is powered from a large grid tied solar PV array connected to a battery backup system and, when needed, a propane-powered generator.

  • Local stone

    Smart Thermostats

    Large solar PV array

    Battery back up system

    Tight perimeter detailing

    Correctly colored LED lights

    EV car charing in the garage

    Recycling center in the kitchen

    Smart home system to allow for remote monitoring and control

    Operable Velux skylights for natural ventilation and daylighting

    Sierra Pacific window grid system specified by window orientation

    Operable Sierra Pacific clerestory windows for natural ventilation

    Cement fiberboard siding for durability and fire resistance in the mountains

    Wind block design at the entry door to reduce the wind coming into the home

    T-Stud framing system to provide continuous insulation in a thinner wall system

    Propane powered backup power system to keep the batteries fully charged

    Recycled content glass countertop with minimal seams for a healthy countertop

    Conditioning Energy Recovery Ventilator to bring in fresh air in an efficient manner

    Manually operated insulated window shades to enhance the window’s thermal performance

    High levels of insulation, including the underside of the exposed home where it cantilevers out

    A calculated light shelf that blocks the high summer sun while bouncing daylighting deep into the interior

    All electric systems including Mitsubishi air source heat pumps, heat pump water heater and dryer and an induction cooktop