Builder’s Challenge

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Photographer: chandler prude

The 1,505-square-foot home by KRDB and Beck-Reit and Sons is sit… Read More The 1,505-square-foot home by KRDB and Beck-Reit and Sons is sited on a corner lot that offers multiple exposures.

Photographer: chandler prude

The home's plan creates multiple outdoor spaces, including this … Read More The home's plan creates multiple outdoor spaces, including this main courtyard between the living room and master bedroom.

Photographer: chandler prude

The interiors are a mix of concrete and bamboo floors, low VOC p… Read More The interiors are a mix of concrete and bamboo floors, low VOC paints, FSC-certified woods, and Energy Star appliances.

Photographer: chandler prude

The light-filled bathroom features features KCMA certified cabin… Read More The light-filled bathroom features features KCMA certified cabinets.

Photographer: chandler prude

The hallway circulation is outfitted with built-in desk and stor… Read More The hallway circulation is outfitted with built-in desk and storage spaces. As a result, the space doubles as an office.

Photographer: chandler prude

A third outdoor area provides space for an herb garden.

Photographer: chandler prude

An alternate view of the kitchen.

Photographer: chandler prude

A view from the master bedroom to the main courtyard.

Photographer: chandler prude

An alternate view of the hallway/office.

Photographer: chandler prude

The kithcen/dining room.

Brad Deal

Floor plan.

Brad Deal

Site plan.

Austin Power

This Texas home packs a lot of innovation and efficiency in its 1,505 square feet.

Challenge Austin, Texas–based design/build firm KRDB and Austin-based builder Beck-Reit & Sons challenged themselves to develop a neighborhood of small, affordable homes that are more energy efficient than the national average. Working in east Austin, KRDB had been doing such projects on a small scale for years, but it decided to partner with Beck-Reit to go bigger. “We felt like it was a great opportunity to do a prototype project of good, affordable, green homes,” says architect Chris Krager, a principal at the company. “We wanted to do it on a larger scale than we had been doing.”

Solution Instead of working with infill lots, KRDB and Beck-Reit & Sons secured a 5½-acre parcel in the city and rezoned it for smaller lots. The project, SOL Austin, is a community of 40, 1,200- to 1,800-square-foot homes ranging from two bedrooms and a bath to four bedrooms and two baths. This unit measures 1,505 square feet and has three bedrooms and two baths. The courtyard-style plan creates two outdoor areas and the interior hallway/circulation area doubles as office space. Net-zero–energy capable, the house has a 6-kilowatt solar array, a geothermal system, compact fluorescent lighting, a hybrid electric water heater, and an energy monitoring system. Houses in the development are priced from $190,000 with 40 percent designated affordable. This unit sold for about 17 percent more than the average price.

Major Moves KRDB designed the development with a common pocket park, joint-access driveways, and subgrade biofiltration to manage stormwater. It varied the setbacks to create more interesting streetscapes and located 60 percent of parking in the rear. Homes go beyond the code and can be constructed with either 2×6 exterior walls and blow-in foam insulation, structural insulated panels, or concrete blocks filled with foam. Standard features include metal roofs, low-VOC paints, low-flow fixtures, concrete floors, and high-efficiency windows. Says Krager, “When you look at the breakdown and do a quantitative analysis, the incremental cost for doing the houses this way is relatively low.”