The dominant exterior features of this unique one–story home are the rounded window in the dormer above the vaulted breakfast nook, and the long line of clerestory above the library loft. Like all of Ms. Coleman's designs, Equinox was originally designed for a client who wanted an energy–efficient, passive solar home. 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
As you enter the foyer from the front patio, the living room is to the right, and to the left is first a dining room, followed by the kitchen, and then a sunroom/den. All of these living spaces across the front of the house are vaulted, and have an abundance of windows that provide lots of natural light and views. The clerestory windows higher up, when combined with the vaulted ceilings along the entire front of the house (rising steeply from 8' at the exterior walls to 16' at the bottom of the clerestory), create a wonderful feeling of spaciousness and openness.

The centrally located kitchen has a large center island, a walk–in pantry, and a desk area. The breakfast nook next to it is surrounded by windows. The sunroom next to it would work just as well as a den or a home office. The master suite has a sitting area tucked into a bay window, and a door leading to the rear deck. The master bath has a very large walk–in closet, a dressing area, two separate sinks, and both a tub and a large shower. There's also a door leading to the laundry room. There are two additional bedrooms on this floor, that share a full bath.

There are many outdoor spaces on this level as well. As you face the front of the house, there's a long covered porch on the right, both a covered and a screened porch on the left, and a deck or patio in the rear.

Optional Second Floor
The stairs to the study loft also lead to a balcony space beneath the clerestory that would be perfect for an extensive library. There is an abundance of storage space upstairs too. The loft storage can become a fourth bedroom, playroom, or office, with French doors leading to the private, covered balcony.

Garage
Equinox includes plans for a 2–car garage with a large workshop area. At 35' wide, it could be modified slightly to accommodate 3 vehicles if you don't need a shop space. Pull–down stairs lead to attic storage. The garage can be located on the left side of the house, where its narrower side wall matches up with the screened porch, and its overhead doors can face either the front or rear of the house. Or it can be located in the rear of the house, where its narrower side wall matches up with the rear deck or patio, fitting into the notch in the deck where the illustration of a table with four chairs is shown. Again the garage doors can be on either long side. From the back you could enter through the laundry, and from the side you could enter through the family entry off the screened porch. The garage can either be detached or attached.

Passive Solar Info
Equinox has been on the National Tour of Solar Homes. To maximize its passive solar design, this house should face south. The slab construction is designed to have thermal mass floors for the south side of the house. The concrete mass floors can be covered in stone, tile, brick pavers, or concrete stain for a marble look. The electronically operated windows in the clerestory aid in cooling. 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
A stick–framed roof allows for insulation to be fit between the rafters to create room for the loft and a semi–conditioned walk in attic. The first floor ceilings in the front rooms are vaulted, while the rear spaces have 8' ceilings. The entire second floor is vaulted.

The plans for this house call for 2x6 stud exterior walls. However, they can easily be changed to 2x4 stud walls by your builder, or to SIPs walls by a dealer in your area. If you plan to change the walls, we recommend that you purchase the plans in CAD format.

Foundation Info
This house was originally designed to have a slab foundation. You can of course change it to a full or partial basement, or to a crawlspace, but you will need the help of a local builder or designer, and the new foundation plans should be reviewed by a structural engineer prior to construction.

Modification Ideas
Close off the sunroom entirely by adding a solid wall or French doors between it and the breakfast nook. Add a half bath in place of the pantry, and relocate the pantry to the kitchen desk area. Remove the permanent stairs, and the loft upstairs, to create one large room from the sunroom and breakfast nook (you could install pull–down stairs to the attic storage above). Change to 3' wide doors throughout, and with a few other changes, the Equinox is easily adaptable for wheelchair access. Turn the living room end into the front of the house, making this layout ideal for a narrow lot.

Similar Versions Available
There is a similar version of this plan, called Equinox 3, that is also available on this site.

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.