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

Optimizing Occupant Comfort

Natural materials and ecologically sound building practices define this 1600-sq.-ft. timber-frame home.

By Kiley Jacques Issue 294 - Oct/Nov 2020
Article Image

Like all projects by Vermont-based New Frameworks Natural Design/Build, this two-story, 1600-sq.-ft. timber-frame home features locally sourced nontoxic products such as blown-in cellulose insulation and lime-casein interior paint. The worker-owned company is committed to the use of natural materials and ecologically sound building practices that incorporate passive solar design strategies. Here, that included glass panels integrated into the porch overhang. They were constructed to take advantage of the low angle of the winter sun, allowing it to penetrate the building and heat the tile floors.

Much of the home’s character comes from the many reclaimed and salvaged pieces the homeowners have
collected. Among them is an antique soaking tub; it was key to their vision, so the plumber had to determine how best to deliver water to the massive cast-iron receptacle. The tub ended up dictating the sizing of the hot-water system—a pellet boiler with solar hot water supplement—which subsequently drove the decision to add radiant heating. That heating system would not have been a prudent choice otherwise, given the high-performance home’s minimal heating loads. The bathroom includes another allowance—the one window on the building’s north side.

Designer/builder New Frameworks Natural Design/Build, newframeworks.com

Location Middlesex, Vt.

Photos SB Studio, courtesy of New Frameworks Natural Design/Build

From Fine Homebuilding #294

A more in-depth article about this house can be found here: Home and Barn: A Natural Build

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

×
X
X

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Comments are closed.

Up Next

Featured Story

FHB Podcast 346: Music Studios, Reducing Building Costs, and Indoor-Air Purifiers

Podcast 346: Music Studios, Reducing Building Costs, and Indoor-Air Purifiers

Matt, Kiley, and Patrick hear from listeners about energy-integration experts and ICC lawsuits before taking questions on converting a hog barn into a music studio, reducing costs in a new build, and the effectiveness of indoor-air purifiers.

Featured Video

How to Install Exterior Window Trim

In this episode of Shop Class, learn how to measure, cut, and build window casing made of cellular PVC, solid wood, poly-ash boards, or any common molding material. Plus, get tips for a clean and solid installation.

Related Stories

  • Webinar: Designing Outdoor Spaces

  • XPS Insulation With a Lower Climate Impact

  • Framing for Superinsulation

  • 2nd Annual Wall-Assembly Contest Finals

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
  • Wall assembly student contest

    2nd Annual Wall-Assembly Contest Finals

  • View of home under construction with hip roof

    Widow's Walk: An Inside Look at an Uncommon Roof Feature

  • How to design small, smart homes

    How to Design Small, Smart Homes

  • Texas home built to the WELL Building Standard

    Design Review with Laura Britt

View All

Insulation

View All
  • sheet polyethylene

    Six Rules for Polyethylene

  • Zip and ForceField

    Combining Sheathing with a WRB and Air Barrier

  • WRB

    WRB FAQ (That's Water-Resistive Barrier)

  • DuPont-Tyvek-HomeWrap

    Nine Water-Resistive Barriers Worth Knowing About

View All

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition

    Buy Now
  • Fine Homebuilding Magazine Slipcase

    Buy Now
  • 2020 Fine Homebuilding Archive

    Buy Now
  • Musings of an Energy Nerd

    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 298 - April/May 2021

    • Butt Boards for Smooth Ceilings
    • Help Installing Gutters
    • Safety Bucket
  • 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

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
  • California Privacy Rights

© 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