Robert Hartford – Home Designer
Robert Hartford is a University of North Carolina graduate, class of 1978. For the next twenty years Robert worked in the construction industry, first in labor positions, followed by management positions, resulting in the formation of building and development companies of which he was and still is the primary owner. Robert currently holds an unlimited commercial / residential contracting license in North Carolina, is a member of the HBA Green Building Council, is a LEED certified designer, is a member of the National Green Building Council, and has an NC Real Estate brokers license.
From the beginning of his career in construction, education and discipline in building design has been the foundation and starting point for every project. When the first “energy crisis” of the 1980’s occurred, Robert associated his company with the North Carolina Solar Center, one of the first state funded commissions to promote efficiency in building design. To date, the NC Solar Center is a forerunner in the field of clean energy production and green building methods.
On a custom design basis, the process of integrating solar concepts, energy efficiency, physical site location, and the needs of the individual client has been an unending puzzle to solve. Since 1982 Robert has designed over 100 additions and residences with the goal being to find the best blend of these criteria in each instance.
Throughout the 1990’s Robert added residential land development and subdivision as one of his primary activities, and focused his design efforts on creating homes for his projects. In 2002, a new level of efficiency design began to emerge based on great improvements in building technology. Robert’s design effort became focused solely on methods for designing super efficient housing without asking his clients to sacrifice lifestyle or comfort in their daily lives.
Advances in insulation technique, HVAC systems, window and door design, appliance design, photovoltaic production systems, solar hot water systems, heat recovery systems, building envelope testing technology, and development of safer “green” building materials have made this possible. Robert’s residential designs are intended to use less than half the energy of a “standard” new home built to National Code Standards.
