Rambler redux

Like so many of life's decisions, home choices are often a reaction to what's come before.

Years of slapping bugs spur a decision to finally build a screened-in porch. Likewise, toilet training a toddler in an upstairs bathroom pushes a first-floor powder room up the priority list.

For one Twin Cities couple, that kind of backward inspiration came from the chopped up layout, dark wood and drafts in their 1970s-era home. They wanted an open floor plan with a modern European feel. And they were determined to make the most of energy-saving technologies.

Although they toyed with the idea of doing a whole-house remodeling, it made sense to start from scratch, in part because the husband is a builder. So they enlisted the help of Mark Larson of Minneapolis-based Rehkamp Larson Architects to design a house for a sloping, wooded Eden Prairie lot. He created a contemporary, 3,500-square-foot rambler that fits seamlessly into the topography.

Planning for change

Because the couple plan to retire in their new home, Larson tried to anticipate how their needs would change as they aged. The design he came up with keeps all the essentials -- a master suite, two bedrooms, kitchen, living room, office, laundry -- on one floor. Clerestory windows shoot added light through the main space. It's so bright that there's rarely a need to flip a switch on even the cloudiest days.

A windowed stair tower connects the main floor to the basement and the front of the house to the back yard, which the owners landscaped with plants native to Minnesota. To save on costs, Larson covered the back of the fireplace (which is also the wall of the front hall) with painted sheetrock rectangles that beautifully reference the prairie-style lines of the home's exterior.

High energy efficiency

The other budget savings show up mostly in the family's reduced energy bills. The home is heated and cooled by a geothermal system, which covers eight separate zones. A tankless water heater also saves energy, because there's no need to heat a large amount of water around the clock. Triple-paned windows and doors, spread-stud construction and several types of insulation keep the house so warm that on a 20-below-zero day the heating unit doesn't turn on until sundown.

Once it does turn on, the heat it produces is pumped through gorgeous birch floors.

"It's the best way to heat a home," said Larson of the in-floor heating system. "There's no noise or dust blowing. Instead, the heat just floats up your pant leg."

The floors also provide a layer of texture throughout the home, with the blond and gold tones in the flooring creating a striated effect that is similar to bamboo. The light-toned floors also complement the royal blue and red colors used in the decor.

Outside, three rain gardens collect runoff from the flat roof and help prevent erosion on the sloping lot. And there are more green features. The driveway to a second garage is made from pavers covered with grass, which allows water to be absorbed into the soil rather than run off. On the home's southern façade, deep overhangs provide shade in the summer and channel the lower winter light into the living spaces.

The homeowners said they love that they can comfortably entertain 60 people between the living space and the basement. But their most recent visitors never made it past the front door.

"Our trick or treaters told us we have a really neat house," said the husband.

Elizabeth Foy Larsen, a freelance writer, lives in Minneapolis.