bluff house
Perched on the edge of a peninsula, Bluff House overlooks the mouth of the LaHave River. This fully off-grid retirement home is carefully designed to capture Passive Solar energy through its ocean facing windows and Active Solar rooftop photovoltaic arrays that provide electricity. The home is tucked into the hillside on arrival to shelter from the harsh north winter winds but reveals expansive, light filled spaces on the waterside that drink in the views of islands, fishing boats and surrounding meadows and saltmarsh. Each space and window captures a unique aspect of this diverse and ever-changing landscape.
Built using Passive House principles and with the help of an innovative Aeroseal technology, this project achieved our best-ever air tightness result of 0.14 Air changes per hour at 50 Pascals. This incredible airtight result will benefit energy efficiency and durability for the life of the home. Combined with high levels of insulation and triple glazed windows, the house remains very comfortable with minimal energy input. A high-performance ventilation system provides filtered fresh air; a wood stove provides primary heat with a propane hydronic heat backup for very cold days or when the client is away for extended periods. This results in a home with all the comforts yet minimal ongoing utility costs.
The home is clad in durable cedar with corrugated metal roofing to match the small off-grid cabin (shed retreat project) that served as a rustic family getaway on site for the last ten years. The cabin will now serve as a guest house for the gathering of friends and family.
The spaces are grounded by warm oak flooring while whitewashed spruce walls and ceilings provide a bright warmth to the tall living space. A local granite fireplace rounds out the natural material palette. A hallway that doubles as a library reading nook, the writers’ loft and a stair that hangs from the ceiling are a few of the ways this design seeks to squeeze the most out of a small footprint home.
