Wisconsin couple's home is a green-friendly jewel

In my blog, I've had the pleasure of sharing ideas and solutions with many people who have built a home similar to ours or are interested in doing so.

I've been regularly corresponding with Matt and Laura Tills, who had recently added to their family and outgrown their home. Matt is an architect, and they began making plans to design and build their own modern, green-friendly home. Like us, the Tillses were in search of resources to help them in the design and selection of the many materials they would ultimately use.

For almost two years, we've e-mailed back and forth to ask questions, offer solutions and occasionally to commiserate on the impact that such a project can have on your life. Our connections have become much more random over the past six months as our projects have been completed and our families have settled in. I recently asked Matt and Laura for some photos of their home so I could share them with readers of my blog.

Matt and Laura's land is in Madison, Wis., and is part of the University of Wisconsin's Arboretum. That section of land did not have city sewer service and they had to get the property rezoned to reduce the rear lot line and position the house to preserve large evergreens in the front yard. The remnants of an old tennis court became the site of their new home.

The home's exterior, constructed of structural insulated panels (SIPs) and clad in steel and stone, seems a perfect match with the surrounding trees.

The interior, with its carefully placed clerestory and large sections of windows, brings in sunlight, creating a beautiful glow and blurring the lines between interior and exterior spaces. The rich colors of the stained concrete floors are complemented by the beauty of the blond woodwork and exposed beams of the roof and ceiling. The simple and elegant modern fixtures in the bathrooms and the lighting seem to perfectly complement the lines and form of the home's design.

Matt and Laura's home is truly an inviting and modern jewel.

To learn more about Jason Hammond's new house and to see photos and previous blog posts, go to www.startribune.com/newhouse. Or e-mail him at hammond@mojosolo.com.