Once a solid foundation has been poured and the frame of the home installed, the next phase involves intricate work inside the home. We like to call this part the “guts,” and with a home as large and unique as the Hartford Residence, the guts are complex. To help manage it, a home automation system was installed to monitor and control home features such as lighting, climate, entertainment, and most appliances. This is typically referred to as a Smart Home and can include any number of systems, including electric, HVAC, irrigation, pool, and spa.

Plumbing

The Hartford Residence features a myriad of bathrooms, including 6 full and one ½ bath. To provide continual hot water a tankless Navien cascading water heater system was installed. This system is very popular in new homes and actually helps to save water. There’s no need to turn on a hot faucet and walk away for a few minutes while it heats. These dual water heaters work by pumping water in a circulating loop system, meaning water is constantly flowing through pipes around the home. When one heater is low the other kicks in to supply instant hot water from any faucet. The benefit of this system is hot water never runs out and more than one person can pull hot water at the same time, without a fear of it running out. For this system, the tankless heaters were placed in the garage, to protect the units from the harsh and sometimes unpredictable, Texas weather.

The home also features a fire sprinkler system with concealed sprinkler heads installed throughout all conditioned living spaces.

Finally, a modern irrigation system ensures the grass gets watered as needed.

Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning

The main HVAC of the Hartford Residence includes a dehumidifier control for the entire home, which you don’t typically see in your average house. The system is run by a zone-controlled Nest thermostat, to oversee multiple zones. The home can be climate controlled, both AC and humidity, from virtually anywhere.

Heating

We look to be as efficient as possible when outfitting a home, and that includes heating. At the Hartford Residence, we installed two stage-condensing, 96% efficient, variable-speed natural gas furnaces. These are high-efficiency units and will help keep the home warm, should Texas experience any more sudden temperature drops in the future.

From a design perspective, the air vents in the home are mud-in air vents for a clean, sleek look around the ceilings. In the kitchen, we went with a damper-controlled makeup air system for stove range hood.

Insulation

There is a combination of open and closed-cell spray-foam throughout the home. The master bedroom is the only room with double insulation, a combination of spray foam and rock wool for sound deadening control.

Electrical

We installed LED lighting throughout the home for optimal energy efficiency. Each room also features ambiance dimmers, in addition to a modern sound system, which are all part of the SMART system. 

Pool

The private backyard pool lights and spa temperature can both be controlled by the SMART system. The pool also works on an autofill system, which keeps the water level in check at all times. If it rains, the system will auto-filter the water, so it doesn’t overflow. If the water levels decrease, the system will also auto-fill it back to an optimal level. The pool system includes specialized booster pumps for the spa, a heater and UV Ozone sanitizer.

Continue reading Part 4: The Exterior