Medium density and Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood are not terms you typically associate together. However, Mirra Homes’ Magnolia development offers 15 new townhomes in this stanchly single-family neighborhood increasing the site’s density by 400%.

Magnolia is a highly desirable neighborhood. It is close to downtown Seattle but offers a respite from the hustle with access to large outdoor spaces and iconic views of Seattle’s waterfront and the Puget Sound. However, due to the neighborhood being predominantly low density, single-family zoning, many cannot obtain a home in the neighborhood. The Magnolia development transformed what used to be three single-family homes to 15 new townhomes ready for families to make their home.

The homes’ contemporary style and oversized windows let in an abundance of light, but don’t detract from their privacy. Through thoughtful layout and the use of various window sizes, units do not look directly into one-another or prominently display a neighbor’s wall. Roof-top decks provide expansive views of Magnolia, Queen Anne, Phinney Ridge, and beyond. Their open floor and stacked floor plans offer efficient and flexible space for a variety of family needs. Low maintenance, drought-tolerant plantings and pervious hardscape reduce potable water use and stormwater runoff.

With ductless heat pump mini-splits space conditioning throughout most of the unit, residents have zonal temperature control for both heating and cooling in their living spaces. A gas tankless water heater services domestic hot water demands with an Energy Factor of 96%. These systems, combined with the rigid foam roof and blown-in fiberglass wall insulations, Low-E windows, Energy Star appliances, and LED lighting contributed to these homes achieving a modeled performance of 29.2% improvement over 2015 WSEC.

The project also used an abundance of locally produced material, including rigid insulation, framing lumber, sheetrock, cabinets, and windows. Mirra homes promoted superior indoor air quality by choosing materials with fewer toxins/VOCs in them to limit off-gassing inside the units—from the paints, caulks, adhesives, and sealants to the pre-finished laminate flooring, cabinets, and millwork.

Sitting on a stunning 5-acre lot nestled into the woods and surrounded by wildflowers and berries, the Samish Solar Home is a resilient oasis for a growing family of mountain bikers and nature enthusiasts.

This 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath, 2,345 square foot single family residence was built for a young family in Bellingham, Washington. The primary goal of this home was to serve as the owner’s permanent residence, even as their needs change over time, while adding a layer of resiliency towards our changing climate. The home was designed to support a growing family, temporary or permanent aging parents, a home office, and ample storage for outdoor recreation gear in the 1,936 square foot garage. Samish Solar home also features an additional sunroom on the south side of the house to enjoy the sunshine year-round.

The home is built using a post and beam structural system in addition to structural insulated panel (SIP) exterior walls and roof. The double-height, vaulted ceilings in the living room provide excellent daylighting for current use, but a floor system and internal walls could be added in the future to transform this 4-bedroom home into a 5- or 6-bedroom home.

Sustainable Envelope & Mechanical Details

Working in conjunction with the graphite infused SIP walls and roof (R-29 and R-59 respectively), triple pane Vinyltek windows, an R-20 insulated slab-on-grade foundation and R-23.6 ICF foundation walls help complete the envelope of Samish Solar Home. Due to the sandwich design of SIPs, the envelope of the project started out very airtight, however in order to push the tightness even further and achieve an ACH of 0.27, Aerobarrier aerosol sealant was used to complete the air sealing. This project also features the tried-and-true TC Legend Homes HVAC model combining a Chiltrix CX-34, Fantech Hero 250, and rooftop solar. The CX-34 heat pump unit provides both domestic hot water and space heating/cooling through a zoned radiant hydronic system on the first floor and a fan coil unit on the second. These superior insulated materials coupled with our HVAC system and tight envelope create this high efficiency and high-performance home.

Climate Change Resiliency

With significant south facing windows and shading eaves, this home takes advantage of passive solar heating and cooling, which will help regulate the home’s temperature as summer and winter temps become more extreme. The triple pane, argon-filled windows also help to create a better barrier to the extreme outdoor temperatures. Since the roof will take the brunt of the solar heat, Cool Roof certified metal sheeting was installed to further prevent the home from overheating in the summer by increasing the albedo. The Fantech Hero 250 HRV provides the home with a constant flow of fresh air filtered through its built in HEPA filtration. This home maintains healthy indoor air quality even at the height of wildfire season, providing a safe haven for its occupants, friends, and family. The biggest resiliency feature of this home is the 28,000 gallon rainwater catchment system that supplies water for the fire suppression system and domestic water. The rainwater is filtered through a sediment filter, activated carbon filter, and UV filter to ensure it is fit for domestic use. The catchment system, which was required due to site water availability limitations, was significantly upsized in order to add resiliency. With the understanding that significant periods of drought are likely in the future, the larger catchment system will ensure adequate domestic water for the home and provide self-sufficiency in the future. Low-flow and water sense labeled plumbing fixtures also help to reduce water demands. The homeowners also opted to upsize the rooftop solar array to a 10.8kw system with Enphase microinverters. The solar system is battery ready for future resiliency additions and provides the home with more power than it needs, making the project net positive and allowing the owners to power an electric vehicle in the future. There is also plenty of roof area where additional solar could be installed if energy needs of the home change in the future.

Accessibility

In designing this home, it was important to the client that we future proof for aging parents who may need to utilize mobility aids and to ensure they, themselves, can grow old in the home. This meant designing with the essential spaces, such as the laundry room and kitchen, located on the first floor. All of the doorways were also widened to 3’ and the first-floor shower was made curbless to help ensure this home is functional in all phases of the owners’ lives. The unheated breezeway between the house and garage provides a central, stepless entry point and protection from the elements. This space also serves as a shoe removal area with a built-in bench and coat storage. At both the main entry and side entry, a stepless large, covered patio was installed, which can serve as a fantastic gathering area for everyone without any limitations. Lastly, in a less conventional form of accessibility, Powerhouse Designs will be adding Samish Solar Home’s premade plans to their website so others can build this home with a lower upfront design cost.

In addition to living in the prime of the South Lake Union neighborhood, amenities include a rooftop deck complete with gardens and games, a fitness center, storage lockers, bike storage! Conveniently located to many Seattle neighborhoods, Stream Dexios is the perfect jump-off point for any adventure.

During this project, Stream Real Estate Development & Investment offset 1,010 tons of carbon by planting 202 trees in partnership with Forterra’s Evergreen Carbon Capture program, right here in Washington. Of the 131 tons of construction material generated from the project, 126 tons were diverted from the landfill! Virtually all of the roof deck is permeable pavers, planters, or green roof to mitigate stormwater runoff, provide gardening space for tenants, and reduce heat gain.

Shou sugi ban creates not only visual appeal, but also a long-lasting, low-maintenance siding with a low embodied-carbon footprint. Further lowering its carbon footprint is the 16.8kW solar photovoltaic system installed to offset energy consumption.