Designed for First-Floor Living - Fine Homebuilding FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Main Menu
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Main Menu Subscribe
FHB House Logo

The 2017 FHB House is a production-built house in a small development of net-zero-ready houses in Wilder, Vermont, all with a focus on affordability and universal design principles. It’s designed to be quickly built and easily duplicated while meeting stringent air-sealing and performance standards and a strict budget.

Vermont 2017

Design

Designed for First-Floor Living

The owners can take care of all their needs without using the stairs.

By Sean Groom Issue 272 - Dec 2017/Jan 2018
Article Image

Every home in the Southscape development has a master suite on the first floor, and the FHB House is no exception. It’s designed around the premise of first-floor living. There’s a powder room near the entry to enhance the privacy of the master suite. Tucking the laundry room into the kitchen means the owners can take care of all their needs without using the stairs.

The entry foyer is placed outside of the main floor’s traffic pattern and serves both the garage and front door with a coat closet and bench to help manage wet winter gear right at the entry. The great room provides a large, flexible space for entertaining. It’s envisioned as a living area at the south end and a dining area on the north side, though it could be arranged with two separate seating areas or a living area and playroom area depending on the need.

The second-floor bedrooms offer flexibility: If the owners wish to use the second-floor bedroom as the master, there is the option of installing the washer and dryer in the mechanical room so the laundry is on the same level as the bedroom. Alternatively, if the owners are older adults, these bedrooms can serve visiting family, or they can work as children’s rooms for a young family. The extra-large landing at the top of the stairs is sized to accommodate a desk or table for a hobby space or chest of toys and games for a play area.

For photos, floorplans, and drywall details, click the View PDF button below.

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Sign Up

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

×
View PDF
X
X

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

FHB House Logo

Sign up for FHB House eletters and get insider's access to the build, expert insights and special offers.

Sign Up
Vermont 2017 Videos Behind the Build: Rhode Island 2016 Behind the Build: California 2018 Behind the Build: Kentucky 2019 Behind the Build: Connecticut 2020

Navigate the Build

  • Introduction
  • Foundation
  • Framing
  • Windows and Doors
  • Insulation
  • Roof
  • Siding and Trim
  • Mechanicals
  • Interior Finishes
  • Kitchen and Baths
  • Completed Home

View Comments

  1. User avater
    JaneTMendoza | Apr 19, 2018 11:42pm | #1

    fantastic house design

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

More Vermont 2017

View All
  • Boral Siding and Trim: A Deeper Look

  • Electric Radiant Ditra-Heat in the Bathrooms

  • Crown Point Kitchen Cabinets Shine With Frameless Cabinets and Glass Doors

  • Interior Wall Finishing With Trim-Tex Drywall Bead

View All

Fine Homebuilding House - Vermont 2017 Sponsors

  • Putnam County Logo
  • SoftPlan Logo
  • TiteBond Logo
  • Boral TruExterior Logo
  • TrusJoist Logo
  • ZipSystem Logo
  • Schluter Logo
  • MAX Logo
  • M. Teixeira Soapstone Logo
  • AMVIC Building System Logo
  •  Crown Point Cabinetry Logo
  • The Dryerbox Logo
  • AdvanTech Flooring Logo
  • Trim-Tex Drywall Products Logo

Up Next

Featured Story

blower door test

The Blower Door: Why Isn't It Called the Sucker Door? And Other Tough Questions

In this archived webinar, building-science expert Peter Yost shares what he's learned over years of using blower doors, IR cameras, and other diagnostic tools so you can make the most of your test results.

Featured Video

A Modern California Home Wrapped in Rockwool Insulation for Energy Efficiency and Fire Resistance

The designer and builder of the 2018 Fine Homebuilding House detail why they chose mineral-wool batts and high-density boards for all of their insulation needs.

Related Stories

  • Attending in Sweatpants: The Virtual 2021 International Builders' Show

  • High Design at Home in Nature

  • Retrofit of a Timber-Frame Farmhouse

  • Celebrating Efficient Post-and-Beam Construction

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

  • Fine Homebuilding All Access
  • Fine Homebuilding Podcast
  • Tool Tech

    Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

  • "I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

    Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

    Sign Up See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • Texas home built to the WELL Building Standard

    Design Review with Laura Britt

  • Podcast 235: Residential Architecture, Rusty Cars, and Ruined Floor Joists

  • 2020 FHB House Sneak Peek

  • Podcast 195: Replacing Porch Flooring, Creating Comfortable Spaces, and the Right Trim for an Alaskan Ranch

View All

New Construction

View All
  • Foundations for Success

    Foundations for Success

  • Building a Prototype

    Building a Prototype For Net-Zero Neighborhoods

  • Bath on a Bluff

  • Third-Floor Deck Framing

    Third-Floor Deck Framing

View All

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition

    Buy Now
  • 2020 Fine Homebuilding Archive

    Buy Now
  • Fine Homebuilding Magazine Slipcase

    Buy Now
  • Musings of an Energy Nerd

    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 297 - Feb/Mar 2021

    • Foundations for Success
    • Staircase Renovation
    • Ditch the Hose
  • Issue 296 - Dec 2020/Jan 2021

    • Insulating Glass Keeps Getting Better
    • Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb
    • Making Sense of Minisplits
  • Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths

    • Condo Kitchen Reimagined
    • Row-House Remodel
    • Rise of the IAQ Monitor
  • Issue 294 - Oct/Nov 2020

    • Schoolhouse Reimagined
    • Tool Test: Folding Sawhorses
    • A Better Way to Build Tall Walls
  • Issue 293 - Aug/Sept 2020

    • A Practical Guide to Fall Protection
    • Installing Frameless Cabinets
    • Make Any Tablesaw Safer

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Manage Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility

© 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Account

  • Log In
  • Join

    Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

    Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

    All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

    Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

    More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

    Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Follow

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 52%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in