House Plans For a View Lot & Contemporary House Plans From

The Solstice 3 is a charming sun–inspired home that blends easily into any environment. Its basic roofline is punctuated by different sizes and types of gables and dormers, both front and back, and its numerous windows and glazed doors provide abundant light and views. Shingles, siding and stone combine beautifully on its unique exterior.

Like all of Ms. Coleman's designs, Solstice 3 was originally designed for a client who wanted an energy–efficient, passive solarhome. You can build this house facing in whatever direction suits your needs, but if you're interested in building it as a passive solar home, please read the section below titled Passive Solar Info for specific information on orientation.

First Floor
At the entry, your eyes are drawn up the stairs within the two–story foyer, and on through to the expanse of south–facing windows in the great room that are shaded from summer sun. The southern rooms (master bedroom, great room, dining area, and kitchen) are full of direct sunlight in winter and indirect sun in summer. The living areas are all open to each other, so you have views that span the entire rear of the house. The great room features a vaulted ceiling that rises to 19', a fireplace hearth flanked with bookcases on both sides, and a full height bay window that becomes the focal area of the living area. An upper open shelf in one corner is accessed by the second floor study, and makes an ideal plant shelf. A breakfast bar separates the kitchen from the open dining room.

The family entry located off of the kitchen features a small desk nook, and opens into a large airlock entry/mudroom that has ample space for coats, boots, or pets. A laundry room and a 3/4 bath are located next to the family entry, making them both easily accessible from the shop or yard. The study near the front foyer lends itself to a home office, but it would work equally well as a guest room with the nearby 3/4 bath. The master bedroom is on the private, eastern side to welcome the morning sun. A large window seat on the south is large enough for lounging or for a window full of plants. The room features a large walk–in closet, and the master bath has a private toilet, a Jacuzzi tub that sits under a window box, and a separate shower.

Second Floor
The top of the central open staircase overlooks the foyer. At the top of the stairs there is a small study (or fourth bedroom, if desired). At either end are large bedrooms that share a central bath. The upper floor sits under the slope of the roof. Each bedroom has a south dormer with a window seat to curl up in to soak up the lower winter sun. The dormers also open up the sloped ceilings to an 8' head height. Attic storage is easily accessible from the bedrooms or the walk–in closets. The hallway balcony looks down to the great room below, and has cleverly designed cabinets that fit between the columns and act as a guardrail. To the left of the staircase, there is a mechanical/linen closet that also provides access to eave storage.

Basement Option
The central stairs open into the middle of the unfinished basement. Endless possibilities for the space depend upon the slope of your land and your lifestyle. Currently there is a full bath, a closet space and two cold storage rooms.

Garage Option
The extra–wide optional, detached three–vehicle garage has south windows for a greenhouse space or shop. It can store many toys, yard tools, and recycling bins. The stairs make it possible to easily access the upper space between the attic trusses.

Passive Solar Info
To maximize its passive solar design, the front of the house should face north. The concrete mass of the home that keeps the interior temperatures stable is in ICF walls, and in the floors which can be tiled or polished. The 35 pages of specifications that come with these plans (see Please Note below) will give your builder precise details on all the passive solar issues pertinent to the construction of this house.

Construction Info
The exterior walls and the first floor framing are ICF (insulated concrete forms) while the dormers and roof are stick framed filled with sprayed foam insulation. You can have your builder switch to other exterior wall systems, but we recommend that if you plan to do this that you consider purchasing the plans in CAD format. The first floor has 9' ceilings except for the great room, which along with the upstairs have sloping vaulted ceilings.An exterior of stone, cement board lap siding, and metal roofing make the home both fire–resistant and welcoming.

Foundation Info
This house was originally designed to have a basement foundation. However, if you prefer a crawlspace or a slab foundation, these are fairly simple and inexpensive changes that your builder can often make for you. If the basement design is not displayed in the Floor Plans, it's because it is unfinished.

Other Versions Available
There are two other versions of this plan – Solstice and Solstice 2 – available on this site. For easy access to these other versions, click on the Architects button on the left side of any page in our website, and scroll down until you see Ms. Coleman's name and photo. Red links to each of her plans appear below her bio, in alphabetical order.

Please Note
Ms. Coleman's plans include 35 - 8.5"x11" pages of specifications to help your builder construct this house as it was designed. These technical specifications are organized to follow the CSI (Construction Specifications Institute) format, and apply to the various aspects of the home. They also include detailed information on numerous passive solar and energy–efficient aspects of home construction.