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Assembly

Montana Solargon

The variety of styles used in the Solargon 30 seem endless. This vacation home in Glendive, Montana combines the washer /dryer within the kitchen area to conserve space.

Roof support beams have a dramatic impression viewed from the hallway off the kitchen.

Metal roof and Hardy siding make for low maintenance. Ultra efficiency in this northern climate is an intellegent approach to sustainable living.

Contact us for more information about our very green homes and living spaces.

New Sage Homes

                                                                      Backyard Quadra
                                                                       

As Seen on Tinyhouseblog

  New Sage Homes was created in response to the demand for alternative designs of our ultra efficient octagonal buildings. We design and develop high performance backyard spaces and compact model homes. Featured above is the new Backyard Quadra. This small building is big inside for 119 sq. ft. and is manufactured using polyurethane SIPs panels. Like the Solargons they assemble quickly and feature the same cam lock technology and ultra efficient performance. We provide the external envelope or shell of the building and you or your contractor finish the building out. Assembly time for the exterior envelope shell kit is generally under one day. 

 Finishing the inside and out with locally supplied materials saves on shipping and the panel to panel cam lock system reduces your project timeline for additional savings. 

With 12' of overhead space there is plenty of room for a loft. An operable skylight allows good light and ventilation. This model serves as an art studio and occasional guest room for visitors. Body heat plays a role in heating these extremely efficient buildings. 

The owner had a custom hardwood ladder built which also supports the loft. The Backyard Series buildings work well for emergency housing and this very model served to house the owners daughter who was displaced during the Colorado floods of 2013. 

Backyard Diamond

The Backyard Diamond is also 119 sq. ft. The owner of this model finished the building out with a loft, kitchenette, big screen surround sound system and bathroom with a shower. He has saved 12,000 dollars in the past two years over the condo he rented prior to building his Backyard Diamond.

Seasonal window brows were constructed from 2 x 2's and shade cloth to assist in cooling the building in the summer. In the fall the brows are removed for the winter as the building then benefits from passive solar gain. 

The loft ladder hangs out of the way for daytime activities.

Whatever your needs - from an office space to guest room consider New Sage Homes.

 Backyard models are lean on energy consumption and perform well for any off grid application. The models shown are only examples of the endless possibilities and ways our buildings can be finished out.

Visit us at http://newsagehomes.com/  for more information about these exceptional backyard spaces.

Solargon Interiors

 If you are planning to break ground in the spring, now is the time to design the interior and order your  Solargon home. Here are some shots of Solargon 30 interiors Write us for more about the high performance energy saving Solargons. 

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Solargon 20 Featured in Urgent Architecture

From article in Inhabitat:

Bridgette Meinhold's new book features the above Solargon 20 as a better example of future housing.

   "Urgent Architecture is an organized, straightforward, no-nonsense collection of prefabricated, adaptable, affordable and disaster/emergency housing. Ms. Meinhold doesn't wax poetic or use any of the academic industry jargon that you might see in other architecture books. Like its name implies, the book gets right at the heart of the matter – how climate change, wars, dwindling resources, poverty and natural disasters are affecting our world and what we need to do to adapt architecture accordingly in order to survive. In fact, the introduction, which is a mere 7 pages, succinctly outlines the reasons that we need better housing and serves as a crash course for anyone who might not yet be familiar with all of the issues above.

“My goal is not to explain the serious threats we will face in the future due to climate change, increasing natural disasters, and our rapidly rising population,” Meinhold explains. “Instead, I want to show that one of the ways we can protect ourselves and save lives is by building better housing. We have the technology and know-how to build stronger, more durable, energy-efficient, sustainable, and disaster-proof housing; we just need to prepare and be smarter with our planning and construction. The shelters and homes in this book serve as examples of what is possible, what is on the market, and what technologies and designs will be able to help us in the future.”
 Write us for more more about our environmentally engineered ultra green homes.
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Solargon Kitchen and Bath

 

Living in a Solargon 30 defines efficiency as evident by this nicely rendered kitchenette and bath with walk-in shower and jettrd tub. Contact us with any questions about ultra efficient living and Solargon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solargon Mountain Retreat

Here is an update of the Borowski Solargon in Glen Haven, Colorado. (good fishing in the stream)

The owners love their mountain getaway just 30 minutes from their home in the front range. 

The feel is classic "mountain cabin" with this cozy bedroom  and earth tone color choices.

The owner is a talented craftsman. His choice for getting to his loft is this labor intensive oak spiral staircase.     

Drilling the mortise slots for the steps follows laminating and shaping the octagon center post. 

Setting the post.

Installing the steps and balusters.

Bent wood hand railing.

Almost complete. To see more pictures of this Solargon and others go to Picture Albums.

Solargon Living

 

I have to say that this is one of my favorite Solargon projects. I love their choices for inside treatments. Can't wait to visit again to see the bath and flooring completed.

  This Solargon 30 has a five star+ rating with a HERS index of 62 .  Similar to how MPG tells you the fuel efficiency of a vehicle, the HERS Index indicates the energy efficiency of a home. Each 1- point decrease in the HERS Index corresponds to a 1% reduction in energy consumption compared to a typical new home. (i.e. a HERS Reference Home with HERS Index of 100).Thus a home with a HERS Index of 90 is 10% more energy efficient than a typical home and a Solargon 30 with a HERS Index of 62 is 38% more energy efficient. The lower the number, the higher the savings for the home owner which equates to a lower cost of  ownership and higher resale value. See Article

Solargon Living

Master bedroom with loft above. The owners plan to eventually install railings and stairs up to the loft.

The bath is on the north side of the house but receives plenty of light from the 4'x 4' skylight above.

His and her vanity with vaulted ceiling gives this bath a spacious feel. The owners boast that between heat received from the link that attaches the Solargon to the main house and the south facing passive solar windows in the new Solargon, that no additional heating is required. This is remarkable considering that this is January in Colorado. There was a heating system installed for the building but has not been turned on.

Contact us for more about our ultra efficient cabins and homes.