Sensible Sustainability—A Farmhouse with a Twist

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Photo Courtesy of The Progressive
Farmer, Rob Lagerstrom

Where the rolling expanse of prairie meets forested bluffs along Mississippi River near Lake City, there sits a beautiful white farmhouse. From afar, it looks like an exceptionally well-cared-for example of the kind of homestead your grandparents might once have called home. But as you approach, “you find there’s a little twist,” says Jean Rehkamp Larson, AIA, principal of Rehkamp Larson Architects. The home is wrapped in classic style, but has a barn-like, even industrial character—take the metal posts along the porch or the interior light fixtures, for example.

This home, in fact, is new—designed by Rehkamp Larson as the Progressive Farmer magazine 2008 Idea House. Her passion for farmhouse architecture—she has authored a book on the subject—made her a natural fit for the project. The home is meant to be a model for sustainability and country living and is undergoing certification by both LEED and Minnesota GreenStar.

Inside, this country farmhouse has all the features that a modern family would want, from an open floor plan to a spacious kitchen to a children’s bedroom with a loft. But evidence of greenness is everywhere, starting with the home’s basic design: Opening cupola windows, a T-shaped footprint that encourages cross-ventilation, and the “corn crib” staircase enable air to flow through the heart of the home, allowing passive cooling. Yet the home will stay toasty warm in the winter, thanks to a T-Mass foundation system and structural insulated panels, or SIPs, in the walls.

Other green goodies include Energy Star appliances, low-VOC stains and paint, low-flow toilets, marmoleum flooring in the laundry room, and a metal roof that collects rainwater. The home also makes use of local materials: its cherry flooring is from Wisconsin, and the cabinetry was made by a local cabinetmaker. Even native plantings outside play a role in creating less maintenance- and water-intensive landscaping.

Rehkamp Larson is pleased with her creation. “I would love to live there,” she says. “The idea was to make it fresh and airy, and that’s how it feels, combined with a timeless sensibility.”

Sensible for a family and sensible for the planet, the home succeeds on both fronts.

6 ISSUES (1 YEAR)

Only $9.95!

63% off newsstand price.
Includes annual HomeBook.

Save Big On:
Everything Home. Everything Local.