Passive Solar Ranch House

You can build this house facing in whatever direction suits your needs, but if you’re interested in building it as a passive solar home, please read the section below titled Passive Solar Info for specific information on orientation.

A covered front porch flanked by stone and wood columns opens to a coffered foyer that rises to 10′ in the center. There’s a powder room and a coat closet straight ahead, and a hallway on the left that also has a 10′ ceiling. As you walk down the hall, you pass a stairwell to the lower level and a pass–through opening to the dining and kitchen areas. The stairwell features a unique craftsman–style rail and baluster railing with floor to ceiling 6×6 wood posts – a real focal point of the home. Opposite of the stairwell are twin French–style pocket doors that open to a brightly lit office/study.

The hallway opens up to an open great room with a central fireplace hearth flanked with built–in cabinets, and ample room for furnishings and a media center. The great room has a 9′ ceiling, which is typical for the rest of the main level. There are three sets of windows on the wall at the front of the house, and two openings on the opposite wall that lead to the kitchen and the master suite.

Just before entering the kitchen there are narrow twin French style doors on the left that access a walk–in pantry. The U–shaped kitchen features abundant counter space, and a large center island with a raised eating counter. The kitchen is open to a spacious dining area that looks out onto a rear screened porch through double full light doors. The large screened porch provides additional living and entertaining space. The proximity to the dining room/kitchen makes it an ideal location to dine while taking in the outdoor landscape. From the dining area, a small hall leads to a laundry/utility room with a utility closet, and accesses a three–car garage. If you don’t have a need to house three cars, you could also use one bay for additional storage or as a workshop.

From the great room, a vestibule leads to a closet and a master suite. The master bedroom is generous in size, and has two windows that look out to the rear. Double doors open into two separate walk–in closets, and a small vestibule leads to the master bath. The bath features a large soaking tub that sits under a window, a separate shower, a private toilet room, two vanity sinks, and a linen closet.

After coming downstairs, there’s a bedroom suite immediately to the left. It has a walk–in closet, its own private full bath, and a door that opens out to the front yard. At the end of the hall, there’s a full bath, a room that can be used either as an exercise space or an additional bedroom, and a studio space with a door to the side yard that could also be converted to a fourth bedroom. Some or all of these spaces would also make an ideal in–law unit. The ceilings are set at 8′ except in the studio, which has a 9′ ceiling, and the rooms are all well lit with large windows in daylight–framed walls. The rest of the lower level was left unfinished, with plenty of room for storage or future expansion.

Passive Solar Info
To maximize its passive solar design, the front of this house should face South.