Private Quarters: Sustainable, modern living in Decatur

Home and Garden

Private Quarters: Sustainable, modern living in Decatur

Inside and outside of this Decatur home, the structural surroundings blend organically with the living environment.

One of the things that drew the homeowners to purchase the 1950 ranch-style bungalow was the number of mature trees on the 1.8-acre lot.

Most exterior features on the bungalow were unchanged during the extensive LEED-certified renovation inside. However, owners Yun Lee and Doug Glasgow added a new pergola at the front, a screened porch and a deck in the back and protected the stucco and masonry home with Tnemec Series 156 Enviro-Crete top coat and sealer.

A tire swing is one family-friendly feature in the 1.8-acre yard in Decatur. Among the sustainable renovations is a 5,000-gallon rainwater harvesting system with mechanical pumps, which allows them to use the collected water for irrigation and landscaping.

Harvested rainwater is used to irrigate the garden of Lee and Glasgow.

The innovative garden system isn't the only green feature. Solar panels on the roof power the family’s evacuated tube solar hot water system. “We have motion-activated hot water recirculating,” Lee said. “Once you go into the bathroom, then you turn on the warm water, you don’t have to wait for the water to turn warm. That’s really nice, and you don’t waste a whole lot of water.”

Lee and Glasgow were careful to consider the environment and their love of outdoor spaces during their 2009 remodel, even as they addressed the 1950 bungalow’s practical necessities. Here, the parking garage seamlessly blends in with their lot.

Inside, the homeowners have filled their house with functional furniture pieces that have clean lines, like the Mission Collection cherry chairs and table by Stickley in the dining room. “We are both architects,” Glasgow said, “and we have both been drawn to that style.”

Large windows in the dining room make the family feel like they are part of the outside. During the renovation, Lee and Glasgow kept window openings in the same locations as the original floor plan for the 1950s ranch home. They replaced all of the windows with Pella Architect Series triple-glazed casement windows, but kept them all the same size as the original layout.

The dining room walls, paint-matched to Valspar’s Mint Frost, are dominated by the large windows, which bathe the space in natural light. At nightfall, Halo LED can lights help illuminate the room.

A built-in bench creates a window seat with an expansive view of the lot.

Custom built-in cherry cabinetry matches the dining table and chairs in the dining room, while a Foscarini cross suspension light fixture complements the room’s contemporary modern design.

To achieve LEED certification, Lee and Glasgow made many green choices in renovating their 1950s bungalow with Hammertime Construction. For example, they used Sherwin-Williams low-VOC Harmony paint throughout their home’s interior, including on this wall, which was paint-matched to Valspar’s Fields of Green.

Custom cherry cabinets and shelves provide storage and warmth in the kitchen, while stainless steel countertops earned the couple points for their environmental LEED certification. Plus, they love the look and functionality of the marine-edged counters. “You don’t have to worry about it,” Glasgow said. “You can put anything hot on it. We fell in love with sort of having the marine edges because you don’t get a lot of drips.”

Bar seats give a place for the family to congregate in the renovated kitchen, which is fitted with Inter Dyne stainless steel countertops, a Bosch dishwasher, Thermador cooktop and KitchenAid microwave and oven. The home also received EarthCraft Premium designation and an Energy Star certification.

The marine edge of the custom Inter Dyne stainless steel counter prevents any water that may splash out of the island's sink from spilling onto the barstools.

A Napoleon direct vent fireplace creates a focal point in the living room, which opens to the kitchen and the dining room. “The open floor plan really helps to keep an eye on the kids while you’re doing your own chores,” Yun says. “The fact that you can see from the kitchen to the living room to the dining room, I think that’s very helpful.”

A leather sofa from Ikea provides ample seating for the family of four, and a Harvey Ellis storage cocktail table from Stickley’s Mission Collection maintains the contemporary modern interior design in the award-winning green home.

The Eames lounge chair is homeowners’ favorite piece of furniture because it is so comfortable and in keeping with the architect couple’s style.

Glasgow and Lee chose to install easy-to-clean hardwood floors throughout their renovated home. To keep the home well-insulated and environmentally friendly, they also opted for energy-efficient triple-glazed casement windows with built-in blinds and screens from Pella’s Architect Series.

Visitors to the home receive a warm welcome through the custom mid-century cherry door with complementary sidelights. The windows at the entrance allow light to flood into the airy foyer.

Translucent recycled resin panels, from the 3form Varia Bamboo Rings collection, form one wall in the light-filled foyer. The home was renovated in 2009 by Hammertime Construction.

Recycled glass and concrete counters (Heirloom Grey from IceStone) contribute to the home’s environmental certification without sacrificing style. Behind the stylish Decolav sink and Hansgrohe fixtures lies another eco-friendly feature—a solar-powered motion-activated recirculating hot water system. Laticrete radiant heat flooring warms the tiles in the main bathroom.

In the master bedroom, Lee and Glasgow added a built-in Ikea Pax closet system and then furnished the room with a Stickley Mission spindle cherry bed and night table.

Low-VOC paint, a large Ikea Pax storage system and easy-to-clean hardwood floors keep the children’s bedrooms clutter- and toxin-free.

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Inside and outside of this Decatur home, the structural surroundings blend organically with the living environment.

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