The Islander 5 is another variation of our popular Islander house plan that is a simple, one story. It was created for our client with a drive from the north east. The "L" shaped plan in front "captures" you as you approach the house. Other changes included incorporating the client's love of outdoor living with an increase in porches. The wrap around front porch, horizontal lap siding, rustic columns, and metal roof reflects their desire for a farm house look.

The Islander 5 is another variation of our popular Islander house plan that is a simple, one story. It was created for our client with a drive from the north east. The "L" shaped plan in front "captures" you as you approach the house. Other changes included incorporating the client's love of outdoor living with an increase in porches. The wrap around front porch, horizontal lap siding, rustic columns, and metal roof reflects their desire for a farm house look.

First Floor

The large foyer welcomes you with room for an antique desk and you can immediately see all the way through to the south landscape. The foyer opens into the spacious main living area. They wanted the wood stove to be the focus and hearth of the home and we took the opportunity to integrate a daylight cooling chimney that also allows hot air to exit in summer and daylight to brighten the center of the living area year round. The east porch off the master bedroom is wonderful for sunrise viewing while the west one creates a covered area for sunset viewing and shading of the west windows. The middle bedrooms are isolated from the master yet nearby for those with young children or elderly to look after. The stairs have been replaced by an extra large pantry and the nearby laundry and exterior door allow easy access to the west porch. The nearby half bath can become one for dirty outdoor use or can be kept neat and clean for visitors. To accommodate possible wheelchairs, most of the doors and halls have been slightly widened. Many other spaces have also been made wheelchair friendly with large turning radiuses.

Garage

The huge garage is the woodworker' dream. There is ample space for mechanical equipment nearby that includes space for your photovoltaic batteries. It is separated from the main house by the mudroom foyer yet has quick access to the half bath and laundry. The roof slope has been increased to allow standup room in the center for shop storage.

Construction Info

The roof is designed to be constructed with trusses which allows for a very open first floor. The entire kitchen, dining, and great room are designed to be open and vaulted with scissor trusses. The rest of the rooms have 8' ceilings, but they too could be vaulted if you gave up the attic storage above the bedrooms. With the daylight cooling chimney, this house lends itself well to passive cooling. The concrete slab of the house provides plenty of thermal mass to keep the rooms comfortable as this house has more south glass than our earlier Islander homes.

Modification Ideas

Since these ideas may affect energy performance and structural integrity, they should only be undertaken with professional assistance.

- Take off the porches and garage for a very simple home.
- Relocate the hearth and pantry creating room for a small office nook and smaller foyer
- Change the foyer into an airlock entry 'with room for boots & coats
- Screen any of the porches for a summer sleeping or sitting
- Add a shower to the half bath for easy outdoor access to a possible hot tub on the southwest deck

Read more about the drawings available for various Sun Plans.

The color 2-D image shown as a "photo" can be customized through Consulting Services.