What is our vision for a home for today?
Inside Out - Every space is designed from the inside out. For example, every bedroom is designed to contain a queen or king size bed, dressers, night stands, chairs, wardrobe and or closets, desk and book shelf. Spaces relate to each other and the views they command. You can see the layout in our virtual design. All the furniture is represented from the viewpoint of our design staff. The result is a floor plan that is no bigger or smaller than it needs to be.
Open Design, what does that mean? That our living spaces relate to each other as you relate to them. The heart of the house may often be considered the family or living room. In our experience it is often the Kitchen. That is the number one social activity in any family, preparing meals and dining.
Health - Any interior space that a person lives or works in should be healthy. A healthy space is one that is well ventilated and filled with daylight. It is a space that is bright, clean and easy to maintain.
Sustainability - We understand and believe that sustainable buildings result in a healthier planet for us all to live. This doesn't mean we sacrifice plumbing for a crank and a bucket. What we see is that the common by-product of every sustainable building is a healthy and invigorating interior environment. At Tevis.House we design that way because we always have, not for a plaque on the wall. But we offer a Zero Ready Energy Home plaque on the wall just the same.
Environmental Context - Forest Trace is an incredible property for our neighborhood. With mature trees, stellar views and ledge limestone outcroppings, we have the site amenities that are seldom found together. Each home is individually designed to fit within the context of its site. Maintaining those site amenities in every lot makes each home look like it belongs there because it does!
Net Zero - Ok, so maybe the government finally got something right. A net zero home doesn’t mean high cost or high technology. Follow a few guidelines and principles along with a long history of energy efficient design, we have a house that runs for free. That is except for water, and we can even provide rain water harvesting to irrigate your lawn!
Quality - Our homes are more modest in size because that is the way our families want to live. Quality space is not Quantity space. And although most modestly sized homes come with modest or low cost finishes and appurtenances, it doesn't have to be that way. Our homes have real hardwood floors throughout. Quartz counter tops, LED lighting, ductless heating and cooling, energy recovery ventilation, R 6 windows, TPO roof, chef quality kitchen appliances, . . . the list is fairly long and impressive. As a matter or fact, most of the features in our homes are not found in new homes ten times the size and cost.
Efficiency - It is easy to quote the specs in our energy efficient homes. R-60 roof, R-30 walls, R-6 windows, 15 KW solar array, LED lighting, inverter compressor heating and cooling. Well thats the net zero part (and a part that we are particularly proud of). Then there is the efficient utilization of space. A house doesn’t have to be large to feel large. What makes a house appear to be large is the elimination of clutter. That takes organization. Remember what your mom always said "Every thing has its place" well we design your home so that is an easy equation to maintain. From our kitchen design, wall storage, wardrobes, built in book cases and cubbies. We envision the best utilization of each room in the house and give you places to easily store and retrieve those things in your living inventory. In that regard, efficiency is quality.
Maintenance Friendly - We would like to say maintenance free. That means you never have to wash your car! OK, so even the best roof needs to be repaired or replaced in about 30 years (like ours). We consider that pretty friendly. The exterior walls are masonry or EIFS. (EIFS is a synthetic stucco/insulation system, more on that later). Neither of which will ever need painting. The windows are integrally colored fiberglass, and the roof (we already talked about that) is an adhesively attached, commercial thermo-plastic sheet membrane with welded seams. And that leaves the yard which we have maintained with as much natural character as it came with (a lot of character). and left the rest for you to maintain to your hearts content!
Green - Often referenced with its sustainable counterpart. Well our green is green. Forest Trace is rich with undisturbed woodlands, natural rock outcroppings, sunshine and views. Each home has been specifically designed for its site taking advantage of the views and placed to preserve the natural elements. Forest Trace is all about preserving resources with a firm belief that conservation does not mean inconvenience or sacrifice. The "green" we save to conserve each site is the green you will appreciate with every view out the window. The "green" we preserve in our resources with highly energy efficient design is the green you will save in your pocket with virtually no energy bills.
Location - Want a location that is close to the business and features of the city but far enough away to enjoy the neighborhood of a wonderful town? Shawnee is just that place. With great schools, community services, churches shopping and great neighbors. If Shawnee isn't already your home, you will be pretty darn glad when it is.
Cost - Good design means the right things in the right place. Quality is provided in all materials and workmanship. Value is a decision we make when each part is chosen. The one underlying factor in the cost of our homes is that it's fair. So each home we build has good design, good quality and value at a fair price. If one of our new homes under construction isn't exactly right for you, we can design a build one for you that is . . . .your very own personalized home for today.