The playfulness of materials continues inside the units. Many new construction projects share similar palettes and modern finishes that make them feel a bit sterile. This project, however, offers warmth and variety with hemlock millwork/trim, Viroc cement wood board stairs, finished concrete slabs, and more. The selection celebrates raw, authentic materials that are not overly finished.

The Haberzetle Homes team made a deliberate effort to promote superior indoor air quality through appliance and material selections. Under certain circumstances, gas appliances can produce combustion pollutants that can degrade the overall indoor air quality, often leading to damage to occupants’ health. By eliminating gas appliances in the units, they decreased potential pollutants in the home. Haberzetle Homes also chose materials with fewer toxins/VOCs to limit off-gassing inside the units—from the paints, caulks, adhesives, and sealants to the pre-finished engineered hardwood, cabinets, hemlock millwork, and omission of carpet.

This all-electric project uses heat pump technology for all its space heating and cooling, as well as most of its domestic hot water needs. From an energy-efficiency standpoint, rather than solely relying on fuel to produce heat, highly efficient air-source heat pump technology transfers heat from outside air to heat inside air. With ductless mini-splits throughout most of the unit, residents have temperature control for both heating and cooling in their living spaces. A hybrid heat pump water heater services domestic hot water demands and heats the finished concrete slab on the first floor, adding warmth to an otherwise relatively cold material at an efficiency of over 300%.