How do you build a Texas deco-industrial home that features a professional recording studio and an indoor slide, and also qualifies for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes certification? GreenHaus Builders did it with such aplomb, the house became the only certified LEED-H pilot home in the city of Houston, and went on to join a list of only 21 residential projects to date in the entire country to receive LEED Gold certification.

The project was a collaboration between property owners Ann and David Ronn, designer Kathleen Carrier Reardon, and builders Michael and Tommy Strong of GreenHaus Builders. The Ronns requested the Texas deco-industrial style and had some definite ideas for the green elements they wanted to include in their home.

“This is really the homeowners’ house,” says Reardon, LEED AP and owner of Evergreen Design Studio. “The design follows their fun, whimsical aesthetic taste. From collaboration, you end up with a really rich design project. And by paying attention to details, you make sure the project is really going to sing.”

Besides including the slide for the kids and the recording studio for David Ronn’s rock band, the home has a bathroom with a copper-colored steel ceiling, a bedroom with a triangular window and an elevator shaft via stacked closets. Into this unusual home, Reardon included the most earth-friendly elements possible, and Strong contributed additional recommendations.

For maximum energy efficiency, the design called for insulated concrete form walls. The ICF walls create an equivalent R-value of 40 so the burden of air-conditioning is cut almost in half. But the installation of ICFs presented a unique challenge for the builder.

“We were totally beholden to the contractor to do it right because we had no prior experience with ICFs,” explains Michael Strong, vice president of GreenHaus Builders. “It turned out great though; the contractor did an excellent job.”

Beyond Tradition

“Home building is a traditional practice based on methods that everyone knows, and the trades expect to interact with each other the way they always have,” Reardon adds. “So when you start putting in new things, it’s not going by the tried and true way. It takes time for everyone to stand back and think about what they’re going to do.”