BACK

Custom Performance Home w/ Spohn

By Bryan Orr Bill Spohn

In this podcast episode, Bryan talks with Bill Spohn about his most recent project, SpohnHome. SpohnHome explores Bill’s journey in custom home performance.

Projects are complicated because so many trades work together to accomplish a building. However, custom homes are particularly challenging, especially in Bill Spohn’s case. His home is a “personalized performance home,” so he’s prioritizing energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and comfort as well as aesthetics. The home’s design and purpose resemble that of a passive building.

Although much of the construction went smoothly, there was a misunderstanding about the sewer conditions; unbeknownst to the township, a nearby property had a private sewer installed, so Bill could no longer tie the plumbing into the existing sewer system. That development put a monkey wrench in the plans, and Bill’s team had to come up with new ideas for a septic system (and had to follow a bunch of rules). Even though a project may seem to have a perfect plan, setbacks can still occur due to miscommunication or unfortunate events (such as the death of someone integral to the project, as Bill experienced).

Bill also used an air-source heat pump with zones for his HVAC system. He had to experiment with his home’s ventilation to strike the ideal hybrid solution, as IAQ and efficiency were very important to him on this project.

Custom constructions also have plenty of room for the team to do some unconventional things, including making 3D models of the home that gives accurate volume measurements.

Bryan and Bill also discuss: