Connecticut builder Bill Freeman strikes an effective balance between environmental and market sensibilities with a high-performance house.
As a move-up spec builder, Bill Freeman knows the importance of building homes that are marketable and profitable. But he also respects the need to reduce the environmental impact of what he builds— which can be a challenge to accomplish without sacrificing those other objectives.
For his most recent project, a 3,000-square-foot house in Essex, Conn., Freeman met that challenge head-on. Inspired by a contest sponsored by his local utility to achieve net-zero energy use for new homes built by the end of this year, he purchased a stock house plan in a regionally familiar neo-Cape style and set course to boost its performance as much as possible.
