Affordability meets Sustainability in this Colorado Home

Upside Down Living 

The Hoskins’ lot doesn’t have any trees, which allows for “enormous passive solar [potential],” she says, especially on the second level. To maximize cozy mountain living in the winter, the living, dining, and kitchen areas are on the second level. “The bedrooms are on the first level, so we’re living upside down,” she says.

The home’s interior will include bamboo floors and whole-wood cabinetry and built-ins free of toxic glues, formaldehyde, and various volatile organic compounds. VOC-free paint, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and LED lighting will be installed throughout the home. 

The couple has also been scouting and collecting castoffs from large vacation homes built in the area: a kitchen sink, beautiful tile, and skirting for the home’s exterior that would have otherwise gone into dumpsters.

All of their appliances will be high energy star rated. Heat and hot water will be produced using an on-demand water heating system. “We won’t be constantly heating any water or glycol for in-floor heat when it is not in use, which is an amazing adaption in energy efficiency,” she says.

Until they install solar, the Hoskins are buying wind power from third-party partners. “We still have some calculations to do to determine how much solar we need, as we have a north-south facing lot,” she explains. “But because we’ll be installing solar on the west-facing roof, we’ll be able to generate plenty of electricity.”

Life in Balance 

“I’m working hard to balance building an affordable house with sustainability, which has been the biggest challenge of all,” she says. Managing the home’s mountain-modern farmhouse design and construction “has the potential to be the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she adds.

“But it’s also an opportunity that may not come to us again. We own three businesses, employ 30 people, and have never owned a house here because we couldn’t afford it. It’s now or never if we want to stay in our community. Plus, we’ve always wanted to live in town. My zero-waste model is to ride a bike as much as possible. I’ve cut my vehicle miles in the last five years by 75 percent.”

Living in a more sustainable home will mean “We’re walking the walk,” she adds. “I feel strongly about mindfully incorporating social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and sustainability in everything I do. I don’t want to be telling some crazy story about how cool it would be IF we do this or that. I want to model that behavior for others.”