What makes your home a Green or Healthy Home?
Our total gas bill for 2018 was $682 for heating, cooking, hot water and drying clothes. For energy savings (LEED Gold) the house is passive solar with a trombe wall covered in metal panels and filled with BioPCM, a phase change material. When sunlight hits the wall the BIOPCM retains heat with the same thermal properties as a 10-12 inch stone wall. When the temperature in the house falls below 68 degrees it slowly releases energy in the form of heat for 12 hours. A heat recovery ventilator recycles the heat back into the house before exhausting stale air. So even on cloudy days the heat from the trombe wall still circulates in the house. In the basement there is an area 25' long that is un-insulated like an old root cellar that stays a semi constant 50 - 70 - degrees year round (passive geothermal room). All fresh air taken into the house passes through the length of this room before entering the HVAC system thus changing the temperature of the incoming air before it enters the HVAC system. For example, on a day when the temperature outside is zero - that frigid air travels through this room whose temperature is approximately 50 degree. By the time the zero degree outside aie has traveled the 25' to the HVAC the air has changed from zero degrees to approx. 40 degrees. So instead of entering the furnace at zero degrees, it enters at 40 degrees saving 2/3 of the heating cost. It works in the summer for air conditioning as well, lowering the temperature of the outside air before it enters the air conditioner for cooling.
The windows are triple-paned, and the walls insulated to LEED Gold standards.
All materials used in the home are low or no VOC. The oak wood flooring was made from the trees that we had to take down to build the house.
The exterior is very low maintenance with Hardy cement and plant fiber siding that has paint baked into it at the factory so should not need to be painted. Insects do not like the siding nor will it ever rot. All trim is also Hardy made with the same qualities. The windows should never need painting as well.Property Description
This house combines Energy efficiency with accessibility (Universal Design), aging in place, low maintenance and design flexibility. It is designed for one to be able to be born in the home and never have to move.The house is 1800 square feet with an open design plan with 2 very large bedrooms plus an alcove bedroom with a queen sized bed and two very large bathrooms. Above the garage is a screened porch with room for lounging as well as eating a meal.There is a small park across the street that is on Gages Lake. So you have beautiful views of the lake from the living room and screened porch without having to pay lake front taxes. As for accessibility there are no thresholds including the bathroom showers - they are roll-in. All doors are 36" wide and the bathrooms are wide enough for a wheelchair to make a complete turn. The top kitchen cabinets are a few inches lower than average to let shorter people as well as people using a wheelchair access the cabinets. The house has a basement plus 2 floors. Each floor has a large closet stacked upon each other. The floors in these closets are easily removed to reveal a code ready elevator shaft if one is needed. The stairs are all with 6" risers instead of the average 7 1/2". They are much easier to climb, especially as one ages. The top floor has a flexible design that can be a large bedroom with a walk in closet as well as a closed in queen bed in a large alcove. The upstairs is easily converted into a mother in law apartment or an apartment for a caregiver. The garage is a 643 sq. ft., large enough to store a boat in winter .Neighborhood Description
The house faces a park across the street that is on Gages Lake. So there is a gorgeous view from the living room and screened porch of the lake, yet you do not have the lake front maintenance issues or the higher property taxes.You can walk to three beautiful parks with beaches and great playground equipment as well as picnic pavilions for larger groups.Market Area
Grayslake is a suburb north of Chicago. There are 2 Metra trains a mile away that both go into Chicago and one goes to O'Hare. We are located about 45 minutes south of MIlwaukee so both cities are easy to reach. Great America is about 15 minutes away, as well as Gurnee Shopping Mall. Grayslake has a very charming downtown with restaurant and shops that has kept its older buildings in fine shape. We are also 15 minutes from downtown Libertyville with great restaurants and shopping.School District
Elementary and middle school is Woodland and the high school is Warren. They are all very excellent schools.The Prairie Crossing Charter School is 5 minutes away.Community
This part of Grayslake is known as Wildwood and used to be owned by the Sears family of Sears and Roebuck In the twenties they had a summer home on Gages Lake along with several guest cottages. The summer home burnt down in the 30's and the family sold the land to a developer. The developer saved much of the land for several large parks with beaches and family amenities. The community has a country feel with many large ancient oak trees. Gages Lake is also a terrific fishing lake.Location of Home or Land
Suburban
Air Quality
| Agriculture in Area | yes |
| Industry in Area | no |
| Air Pollution in Area | no |
| Pesticide Free | yes |
| Fragrance Free | yes |
| Cleaned with Green Products | yes |
Interior Environment
| Heating System | Fireplace |
| Cooling System | Conventional Forced Air - A/C |
| Ventilation System | Heat Exchanger |
| Whole House Filtration | HEPA filtration |
| Whole House Vacuum | no |
Energy & Water
| Water System | Municipal |
| Wastewater System | Municipal |
Construction Information
| Exterior Finish | Other |
| Interior Finish | Gypsum Board - Sheet Rock |
| Interior Paint | Low VOC |
| Floor Material | Wood - Solid |
| Roof Material | Asphalt Composition Shingle |
| Window Material | Vinyl or Vinyl Clad |
| Insulation Material | Fiberglass |
Garage / Car Port
| Garage / Carport | yes |
| Garage Type | attached |
| Number of Cars | 2 |
| Garage Area | 643 sqft |
