A Tennessee Family Building a Net Zero Ready Modern Farmhouse for the Generations

John and his wife Angela, who have five children (one is an adult with their own family), also wanted to build a new house that would accommodate everyone. "We want them to come home and stay without putting any of our other children out of their rooms," Angela explains. "In the long term, when we're empty-nesters, we still wanted a home that could accommodate our large family, with everything we need on the main level so we can age-in-place."  

The Plunketts read Rise Editor-at-Large, Melissa Rappaport Schifman's book, Building a Sustainable Home: Practical Green Design Choices for Your Health, Wealth, and Soul, and decided not to go the LEED route. "The book helped us a lot," Angela says. "From the book, we figured out we'd rather build a Passive House than a LEED home, and that led us to an architect who knew what we were talking about."

The Plunketts' 4,018-square-foot home, with a 700-square-foot bonus room above the garage (Angela's office for her sustainable and eco-friendly yarn business), is nearly complete. The home is net-zero ready and meets the requirements of a Passive House. "The house is ready for solar, and we have the solar panels, but we want to see the energy draw of the house before we spend the money on the installation," Angela says. 

In Eagleville, Tennessee, the home was designed by architect Ryan Thewes of Nashville and constructed by Hedgewood Builders. "Our builder was on board with energy efficiency—that's why we hired him over the seven we interviewed," says Angela. The builder's subcontractors, however, "had to be educated to think outside the box." Nonetheless, adds John, "We feel like we've accomplished that."

"Because the house we've built has thicker walls than in a traditional home—eight-inch and six-inch thick walls—traditional insulation doesn't fit that profile as well as BIBS," John explains. BIBS insulation is "blown into every cavity of the framing, and held into place with netting," he adds. "The insulation is densely packed in." 

Using the BIBS and ZIP system "were a little more expensive than we initially expect," John adds, "but they provide an efficient way to get a tight envelope around the house. The home's Pella Impervia windows are made from durable, five-layer fiberglass material.