New American Home flips the dream of urban living

This year's New American Home is unlike any other in the almost 40-year history of the national showcase for innovative housing designs, building products and best practices in construction.

The luxurious residences put up by custom builders for the National Association of Home Builders often stand out in private golf communities or gated subdivisions carved into canyon walls, where they have sold for more than $6 million.

In the past, New American Homes have spanned over 10,000 square feet with distinct features: a courtyard with a putting green, a glass-enclosed garage to display collected vehicles or an entry of porcelain tiles forming a walkway through a shallow pool.

But not this year.

The 2021 New American Home is a more modest dwelling with vinyl windows and conveniences for pandemic living in the walkable downtown of Winter Park, Fla., a city of 30,800 with a median family income of $73,700.

The three-story, 5,500-square-foot residence (4,400 square feet of living space) was constructed out of the bones of two small townhouses combined to form one single-family house. The layout has been likened to a treehouse with the gathering space on the third floor.

"I call it an upside-down house," architect Phil Kean said in a video about this year's show home. "The lowest level has a three-car garage, two guest bedrooms, a fantastic luxurious entry sequence, and lots and lots of windows."

The house also has a "dog room" on the ground level that opens to a yard. There are also dog doors on every floor. Residents and pets can take stairs or an elevator to the second floor, which has the master bedroom suite, spalike bath, walk-in closet, a balcony, the main laundry room and an exercise room with a bathroom.

"As you go up to the top level, there's more light, more treetops. That's where the living space is," Kean said. "Tall ceilings for a loftlike feel, not industrial but more elegant. Two balconies: one faces a park and one a treetop canopy. From this point of view, you can see Disney's fireworks on a clear evening."

Winter Park is about 25 minutes from the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, where the 77th International Builders' Show was scheduled to kick off Feb. 9.

That was before the spread of COVID-19 changed the world.

The pandemic was declared shortly after the showcase project began in 2020, leading to some design changes and construction challenges, such as unforeseen shipping delays for building materials and an even tighter labor market.

The trades crews were scheduled to accommodate social distancing yet keep the project moving forward, according to Katie Kovac, construction coordinator for Phil Kean Design Group.

Construction crews were split between floors, she said during a virtual panel discussions Feb. 9 about the house.

"And then we had a rotation system, so we could make sure everyone stayed safe," Kovac added.

To meet design needs for the "new normal," one of the second-floor bedrooms was turned into an office for working from home while other space became a home gym and steam spa.

Another innovative feature of this year's house is the Panasonic Cosmos Healthy Home System, which has sensors that monitor indoor air quality and automatically activate the system to bring fresh air in and pull harmful air out when levels go below normal. The system monitors for volatile organic compounds, fine particulate matter, carbon dioxide and humidity.

For the windows and sliding glass doors, the builders went with a vinyl frame brand called EnergyVue by North Venice, Fla.-based PGT Innovations. Kean's staff had not used vinyl windows on past New American Homes they designed, but Kovac said the firm uses them often for other projects.

"We love the product and its energy-efficiency rating," Kovac said. "It's easy to install and we don't have issues with them."

Another plus is that PGT windows are manufactured in Florida, which reduced fuel use for shipping the products and ensures the windows hold up to hurricane season.

"The energy footprint was lessened by going with a Florida-made product and there are stronger, stiffer code requirements here than most of country. These windows meet Florida building codes. They have a vinyl finish but it's a solid product," Kean added.

During construction, one of the suppliers, Kohler Co., updated the five toilets with either bidet seats (C3-230 model) or its most advanced toilet, the Numi Intelligent Toilet.

Bidets aren't new to the showcase home program, but the number used is.

"This year they're in every bathroom," Kovac said.

The bidet seats, which are made of plastic, feature a stainless steel wand with automatic UV-light self-sanitization. The smart toilets have a touchscreen interface, customizable functions, a deodorizer, dual-flush technology, a heated seat and foot warmer.

The smart toilet's remote control system also has a lithium polymer rechargeable battery for preference presets for up to six people and choice of full or partial flushes.

Bidet sales started increasing in the U.S. in spring 2020 after the pandemic was declared and panic buying led to a national shortage of toilet paper. Although store shelves have toilet paper again, the long period to restock them raised public health awareness about bidets as a paper-free and hands-free bathroom option.

In a related move, Sheboygan Falls, Wis.-based Bemis Manufacturing Co., the world's largest toilet seat maker, recently positioned itself to meet the growing demand. Bemis acquired Bio Bidet-brand maker BBC Innovations Corp. in Crystal Lake, Ill., in December to expand its product line of bidet toilets, smart toilet seats and accessories.

At the New American Home, builders also used Sharkbite's EvoPEX push-to-connect plumbing system and its new StreamLabs Control smart water shut-off valve.

In addition, OmegaFlex's TracPipe CounterStrike flexible gas piping was selected for its AutoSnap fitting and resistance to lightning strikes.

The New American Home was built to achieve "emerald" certification of the National Green Building Standard and meet Energy Star and net-zero status.

The house will incorporate LG solar panels (NeON2 V5 panels with Enphase IQ 7+ Microinverters), which are projected to meet all electric energy needs of the residence.

The house has a light-colored stone veneer exterior to help reflect the harsh Florida sun, and large overhangs shield the dwelling.

Phantom Screens' retractable motorized screens, which have a PVC coating, were used on the terrace and there are solar shades on the windows.

For the exterior walls, the builders used a new product from Fi-Foil Co. Inc. called FlexFoam on the masonry block behind the drywall furring strips, then added a layer of the company's M-Shield for added insulation.

For the frame walls, the builders used Demilec Inc. spray foam insulation topped with Fi-Foil's HY-Fi hybrid insulation system to create a higher R-value.

The Demilec spray foam insulation also was used between the floor systems and attic space to provide a very insulated shell prior to the drywall going up.

The builders said their last step in achieving energy efficiency was Aeroseal LLC's Aerobarrier, a water-soluble organic compound that reduces air leaks.

The home's HERS Index, without the use of a photovoltaic solar system, is 46, which is 54 percent more efficient than the construction of the average new home, according to Drew Smith, chief operating officer of Two Trails Inc., a sustainable building consulting firm.

For the index rating, lower is better. When the 40 solar panels are connected, the HERS Index will drop to a minus-16 score, Smith said.

"That's phenomenal for a house of this size in this area," Smith added during the panel talk. "...This home should create enough energy for no energy bills or low energy bill."

Overall, construction of the 2021 New American Home was "an incredible experience," not only in terms of new products and best practices, but also "current needs of everyday life," according to Kean officials.

The architect's website sums up the project like this: "While the footprint of the New American Home 2021 may be small, the many features and products used throughout unite to create a home full of energy and excitement for the future."