Net-zero home being built by Crawfordville construction firm

Special to The News

Rock Solid Construction

Crawfordville-based Rock Solid Design & Construction is building a net-zero home in Tallahassee that will have a total of more than 16,000 square feet of living space, but should have a monthly energy bill of $0 – or even a credit.
Construction for this unique custom home for Dr. Jeremy and Martha Cummings is well underway and generating quite a buzz in the Tallahassee area.
The home consists of 3,301 square feet of heated and cooled living space with a 3,500 square foot basement below it, and 883 square feet of bonus space built into the trusses above the main floor.
One of the truly unique features of the home is an underground tunnel connecting the basement to the large garage (which has another 2,269 square foot bonus room above it).
With the covered porches accounted for as well, the total under roof square footage is over 16,000 square feet.   
 The incredibly energy-efficient shell of this home consists of ICF exterior walls (insulated concrete forms), a SIPS panel roof system and low-e windows and doors. The superior insulation of the walls and roof system alone will cut their heating and cooling costs in half. But this project goes even further by utilizing a geothermal ground loop system to heat and cool the home, and solar photovoltaic panels, resulting in a home that will generate more power than it consumes each month.
Other “green” features include LED lighting, rainwater collection and flooring milled from trees that were cut onsite.
What’s even more remarkable about this project is the low cost per square foot compared to other projects with aspirations of achieving that zero-dollar energy bill.
The ICF wall system is also termite-proof, has a wind rating of 200 miles per hour and 4-hour fire rating and will take a huge bite out of their annual insurance premiums.
You can follow the progress of this project online at www.netzerotally.com.