Nestled just a few blocks from the lake, Craig and Lynn Clark’s new environmentally friendly summer home in Sylvan Lake was opened for a viewing to the public recently.
The Clark’s eco-home was built as a partnership between Avalon Central Alberta, Landmark Group and Red Deer College.
The nearly net-zero home will replace the old log cabin that was once located on their lot as a summer home for the Clarks, who reside most of the year in Calgary.
Purchased for around $400,000, the 1,850-sq.-ft., two-storey home has three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms.
Avalon Central Alberta Operations Manager Trevor Gamelin explained during the open house that it features large triple-paned windows to allow more natural light into the home and uses less electricity during the day. It also features a five-kilowatt solar panel to produce power.
The home also has the potential to add power back into the electrical grid if it is not used which could lead to a bill credit from the power company.
“We wanted to work with the College for a project so we approached Landmark and they were onboard as well,” said Gamelin. “We wanted to build a house at the College and get the students on board with helping to assemble it and see how it was built.”
Gary Halvorson, construction research liaison and carpentry instructor at RDC, was thrilled to have been a part of the project, which was partially assembled by a group of his students.
The partnership between Avalon, Landmark and RDC, known as ‘Evolve’, allowed for the construction of the home on campus and it was later relocated to the Clark’s lot.
“We reversed the process on campus, so we put it all together then took it all apart again and put it on trucks and trailers and hauled it out here,” said Halvorson. “It took us about six or seven hours to dismantle, and it was about eight hours to reassemble. We started at nine in the morning and we were done before supper.”
Mayor of Sylvan Lake Sean McIntyre saw the home for the first time during the open house and was delighted to have a home like this being built in Sylvan Lake.
“Because of the age of our town and the nature in which it was constructed there are a lot of infill opportunities for houses like this,” he said. “To see a house of this caliber and with this footprint is encouraging because there are many opportunities to be able to do this in the town.
“Environmental consciousness is a big part of who we are in Sylvan Lake and houses that are adding power back to the grid, have low water use and are efficient in space go in the same direction that we would like to go as a municipality.”
jswan@reddeerexpress.com
