With rising energy costs weighing heavily on homeowners’ minds, builder Matt Shanley decided to test the waters with his new Craftsman-style Sun Home at 1734 Underwood Road, Sykesville.
Priced at $1.1 million, the four-level house combines geothermal heating and cooling, solar energy and on-demand hot water. It won Howard County’s first Green Home Salute award, recognizing energy-saving new construction.
“I wanted to build the most energy-efficient house I could,” said Shanley, owner of JBL Constructions, Ellicott City. “My goal was to cut [Baltimore Gas and Electric] bills 60 percent.”
He’s well on his way. In July, the home’s energy bill was just $54, versus the $150 typical of a similar but conventionally heated and cooled home.
Using the earth’s constant 50-degree temperature and drawing from 350-foot wells, the geothermal installation cost $16,000.
South-facing solar panels atop a one-car garage, attached to the house via a breezeway, provide 3.8 kilowatts of energy. Hot water is via a tankless on-demand system.
Windows are Andersen Low-E, some with transoms in typical Craftsman style.
“This house is private and rural but still close to major routes,” said Long & Foster listing agent Steve Beall.
Inside, the first and second floors have heart pine floors. Ceilings are 10 feet tall on the first floor, eight on the second and third floors, and nine in the basement.
In the kitchen, Shanley used KitchenAid stainless appliances; the only exception is a five-burner Viking cooktop/hood combination. Countertops are granite, save for the butcher block island — 6 inches higher than usual for easier use. Drawers have automatic returns.
Cabinets in the kitchen and two pantries are 42-inch KraftMaid.
A spacious master bedroom has its own sitting room and veranda overlooking the wooded backyard. Three other bedrooms are also on this level, two connected via a full bath.
The 600-square-foot top floor, with its own bath, could be another bedroom, office or in-law suite.
The lower level has a media room wired for surround sound, a fifth bedroom, a full bath and a large rec room with granite-topped bar.
Joe Opdyke, who owns Watervale Geothermal and Radiant Heat, Fallston, installed Shanley’s system. About 75 percent of Opdyke’s business is now residential geothermal.
“This system works like a heat pump, but instead of pulling variable-temperature air from outside, you pull it from the ground at a consistent temperature,” he said. “It’s much more energy-efficient.”
At a glance
Property: 1734 Underwood Road, Sykesville (Howard County)
Description: This five-bedroom, 4.5-bath new home sits on more than three acres. Built with energy efficiency in mind, it has a geothermal and solar heating/cooling system, hardwood floors and a gourmet kitchen with granite and butcher block countertops.
List price: $1.1 million
Contact: Steve Beall, Creig Northrop Team, Long & Foster Real Estate, 12345 Wake Forest Road, Suite F, Clarksville MD 21029. Phones: 410-884-2728 (office), 443-803-9642 (cell). E-mail: [email protected]. Web site: stevebeall.com
