The home is set on a minimum of 12” of 3/4” crushed rock and over that is a minimum 36” x 12” spread footing. This aids in keeping the home stable in a high clay environment. In the stone we have 4” footing drains, both inside and out, that meet a 6” schedule 40 pvc external drain which drains out to zero to allow positive flow away from the home in the event of unusual rainfall. In the foundation, we have two layers of #5 rebar each way in the 12” foundation walls, once above the basement, the walls are made with a 2” foam system on each side of the wall and a 5” concrete wall with #5 rebar 12” o/c vertically and 16” horizontally. Over the exterior foam we added another 2” of foam for a total foam width of approximately 6”.
For the basement slab we have a minimum of 5” of 4000# concrete over two layers of jumbo wire placed over a minimum of 12” of 3/4” crushed rock. Between the two layers of jumbo wire we placed a hydronic heated floor system, divided into seven different zones, each zone has its own separate controls. Inside of the basement walls we framed a 2x4 wall system with drywall. On the exterior of the basement concrete walls we used a sheet goods product by W.R. Meadows called Mel-Rol for water proofing with a minimum of 12" of gravel to within 12” of grade. Over the Mel-Rol we placed 4” of foam for insulation purposes.
The roof framing system is made with engineered trusses, they are each strapped to the concrete with a strap that is embedded in the concrete wall in a manner consistent with Florida hurricane code. Over the truss system is a 5/8” plywood underlayment with a complete ice and water shield over the entire roof system. The fascia is made from pvc plastic to help in maintaining the longevity of the home and will require little if any maintenance other than cleaning. The final roof system is a metal, high impact, shingle roof with a 50-year warranty on the materials. There is 6” of closed cell, spray foam insulation on the underside of the structural roof system, creating an extremely tight air barrier for the entire home.
The windows are by Serious Windows and are quadruple pane with a comparative R-value of 9.4 (this is stated this way, rather than using the u-values, to gain a perspective of the value of the windows compared to a normal sized wall). The HVAC system is state of the art, top quality, Bosch Geothermal System, CDI Series, Model SM. This unit has a two-stage motor and won the award for the highest rating for efficiency over all other units on the market in 2016. These units have an efficiency rating on low speed of 32 EER (Electrical Efficiency Rating) and on high speed the rating is 22 EER. In most cases these units only need to run on the low speed. These units have a 10 yr labor and materials warranty. There are multiple zones and controls throughout the house, including the in-law apartment, which has its own geothermal system. The hot water heater is an "on demand" propane system, which is supplemented by the geothermal system.
There are 7 hydronic heating zones (In concrete floor, heating system) in the basement and the garages. Four of these zones are in the basement and three are in the garages. These zones are all heated through the geothermal system.
Around the perimeter of the foundation we rolled 3 tons of piping for the geo-thermal heating and cooling system, along with another ton or so down the main sewer line to take advantage of the depth of the pipe, which was 8’-10’ deep. This was in addition to the 20 tons of wells dug for the system and another 3 tons, which were laid behind the retaining wall below the driveway on the north side of the house to run the heating/cooling system for the in-law apartment.
The exterior finishes of the home include Dryvit, stucco type system, installed by Kansas City’s premiere Dryvit contractor, Reynolds Construction (Dryvit is commonly referred to today as EIFS) Along with the Dryvit, we used real travertine tile to create accent panels along with real custom limestone columns, sills, casing, ledges and accents for the remainder of the exterior. All exterior and interior handrails were custom designed by Lisa Jensen and fabricated by Austin Iron Works, with solid metal.
The exterior doors were custom designed by Lisa Jensen Design and milled by Kerr Millwork. These doors are made with Sapele (a wood with unique properties to withstand inclement weather) These doors are 2 3/4” thick. All the glass in the doors has the same rating as the windows and is custom installed, in the wood frame, by Kerr Millwork. The exterior door hardware is custom made by Rocky Mountain Hardware, and 7 of those can be remotely controlled.
The windows are provided by Serious Windows, the same windows used in the Empire State building for energy efficiency. These windows provided one of the highest energy efficiency systems possible at the time of this construction. They are 3 times more energy efficient than all the leading window suppliers in the area. The Serious Window Company is now under new ownership and goes by the name of Alpen Windows.
The lower rear porch is covered with 1 1/8” travertine tile, over a minimum of 4” of concrete with a minimum of 4” of gravel to assist in drainage of water away from the deck and a minimum of 2” of foam to prevent freeze/thaw cycles from heaving the deck. Over the lanai is a cedar-framed system with internal metal connections. The upper porches are made with structural, galvanized steel, galvanized metal deck, #5 rebar, 12” on center, each way and 4” of minimum 4000# air entrained concrete. The upper decks have a lower wood framing system connected to the galvanized metal, primary support system to support the Dryvit ceiling and in-porch gutter systems. The front entry and rear lanai are made with structural concrete, 8” thick and 2 layers of #5 rebar, 12” on center, each way.
The pool, designed by Aquatic Consultants in Florida is a 20’x40’ concrete reinforced wall system installed over 4” of foam which is over a minimum of 8” of 3/4” crushed rock with an under pool drainage system to help with maintaining the stability of the pool. The pool has a complete internal drainage system and is capped off on the top of the pool with a black granite edge leveled to allow for a full perimeter infinity overflow system. The inner plumbing system is state of the art to allow for easy filling, cleaning and drainage of the pool and is set below ground far enough to prevent freezing of the lines which allow the lines to remain filled during the off season. In addition to all of the other features, the pool has a complete glass tile interior finish, installed with epoxy thin-set and is finished off with a black epoxy grout system. The pool water can be changed (filtered) with the pump systems in around 3 hours and is a fully automated salt system with a fully automated chemical monitoring system along with a pool heater that can easily maintain the desired water temperature needed during the cold season. The pool also has a “walkable” cover system along with a custom, "over the water” insulated system to allow the water to be maintained at level during the entire winter with minimal or no heat used during the winter.
The inside of the home is finished to a level 5 drywall finish, all trim, except where large sheets are needed, is installed with poplar wood and painted. There are over 350 cabinet boxes in the house which make up the two full kitchens in the house and a third kitchen in the in-law apartment along with the custom designed vanities with solid surface and undermount sinks in each bathroom. The wood floors are made with 6” long board (6’ and longer), rift and quartered, white oak, supplied by Kerr Millwork. The basement and parts of each floor are finished with carpet tiles and in the bathrooms the tile is either marble or travertine tile with custom glass shower doors and hardware. The interior wood doors are custom, solid core, 1 ¾” solid, poplar, doors with high-end Emtek hardware systems throughout.
Each room has a full bath and closet for a total of 5 full baths in the main house with a potential for a 6th full bath, already plumbed and finished (except the tile and fixtures) The in-law apartment has a full bath as well. Each of the baths in the main house is handicap accessible, with full access to each room or area, including the porches. There is a hydraulic three-stop elevator, by Remi in the home, finished to match the main finishes. The stairs are done with 1” white oak, stained treads with painted risers and solid metal wrought iron rails.
There are extensive low voltage systems throughout the house including low voltage control switching, speaker systems and alarm controls. The HVAC system is state of the art, top quality, Bosch geothermal systems with multiple zones and controls throughout the house, including the in-law apartment, which has its own geothermal system. The hot water heater is an "on demand" propane system, that is supplemented by the geothermal system.
There is a complete Security System with Cameras which cover the front Gate and surround the entire Home and Pool areas. Standard Security System on doors and windows. Vantage Lighting System is installed throughout the house, allowing multiple controls with an attractive single gang light switch. The controls allow for up to 8 different locations in a room.
Home Automation System that controls all Entertainment, heating-air, lighting and security. Panasonic Phone system that allows communication with front gate and ability to talk to any room in home. Complete Network throughout house that includes Access Points for internet WiFi covering house and pool house. There is a Cell Phone repeater that can be adjusted for any carrier throughout house.