'LOW-MAINTENANCE, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY'

Solar panels power 80% of the home’s energy, and large windows make you “feel like you’re outside.”

After moving around the country for several years, Kevin and Nadia Young were living in Hawaii and were ready to find a home where they could settle down with their son, Huxley.

Alums of West Chester University and Villanova University, respectively, and with family nearby, they decided to plant roots in Pennsylvania. When they couldn’t find the right house, their solution was to build their own.

“We wanted low-maintenance, and an environmentally friendly home,” said Kevin, who owns an online e-commerce company with Nadia.

The pair shared their vision with Matthew Moger, principal at MaMo Architects, who helped them design a 3,500-square-foot sustainable house, with three bedrooms, a loft, and full basement, on 13 acres of rolling hills in West Chester. They moved into the home in 2019.

Along with solar panels that power 80% of their energy use, they installed geothermal heating, energy-efficient appliances, and LED lighting, and designed the placement of the windows for the highest efficiency.

They planted 200 trees, including 15 fruit trees, a large ornamental native plant bed, and a garden where they grow vegetables and herbs.

The home is built with an insulated concrete formwork construction, but finding a local contractor to do the job was a challenge.

“Our investigation led to a young contractor, Mike Thompson of Thompson & Foster Construction whose business focused on pouring parking garages,” said Moger. “His working knowledge helped to better inform the building design, essentially creating a concrete parking garage in the shape of a barn.”

Moger named the house Charred Barn, as a nod to the charred-wood siding. Wood is featured throughout the house, including locally sourced barnwood on one wall; reclaimed white oak on the kitchen ceiling recess, cabinets, and the loft floor; cypress stairway beams; and black walnut furniture.

The home’s first floor features 10-foot ceilings with large windows throughout, allowing natural light to fill the open living space. Moger was very thoughtful in deciding the placement of the windows.

“Our 3D-modeling software allows us to study the seasonal movement of the sun,” said Moger. “This information is then used to inform our design to ensure that the interior spaces are bathed with natural light in the winter and shoulder seasons but do not overheat in the summertime.”

That’s one of the nicest features in the house for Nadia: “You almost feel like you’re outside,” she said.

• The couple enjoy entertaining, often in the kitchen, where the wooden table that seats 14 and seating at the large stone island can accommodate lots of guests.

• The second floor includes three bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom and custom built-in cabinets. The primary bedroom has a lofted, 35-foot shiplap ceiling. The basement playroom is 10-year-old Huxley’s domain.

• Kevin enjoys building furniture, including the entryway table he created from an old barn beam. Taking a cue from the staircase, he fashioned the table’s detail and frame from waxed steel brackets attached to the rustic wood beam. He made two benches for the mudroom in a similar style with black walnut seats.

Kevin has a desk in the loft, though he needs to climb a ladder to reach it. His to-do list includes building a library ladder to get there more easily.

“It’s a cool space that feels quiet and secluded,” he said.

The family enjoys spending time outside, either on the patio or roaming through the expansive grounds. Kevin took Moger’s unique patio furniture design and had black powder-coated aluminum welded for the frame and custom cushions made of Sunbrella fabric. Carpenter Shawn Hollenshead, who created the cabinetry, primary bed, and several pieces of furniture, built the wooden seats.

Among the more traditional foods the pair grow in their garden, garlic and peppers are plentiful — necessary for Kevin’s homemade hot sauce. He makes about 30 bottles each year for friends and family.

Huxley enjoys playing hoops on his basketball net outside or hanging out in the backyard tree fort. Nadia appreciates the nature that surrounds them.

“When his friends come over, they explore in the woods,” she said. “You don’t have to go to a park for a good walk, and you see herds of deer all the time.”

After a nomadic lifestyle, the family is happy to be planting roots.

“We built this house as a home base, a place to settle down,” Kevin said. “We are only eight minutes from downtown West Chester, where you can eat out and walk around. But on our property we are out in nature.”

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