They are 480 square foot cozy living spaces with a loft bedroom above, designed by Vandervort Architects. The build included work for two student interns, many volunteers, and the homeowner-to-be, and hit a soaring 871 points with 5-Star Net Zero certification.

Built Green Highlights

Site and Water

These homes show a strong emphasis on craftsmanship and local, natural materials. The locally milled cedar ship lap siding and the classic, simple shapes are the first things you notice. The gently sloping site is fully stabilized with straw and chips and will be landscaped with natives and owner-built gardens. There is little or no concrete paving. 15,000 gallon rainwater cisterns are buried below the back lawns to serve gardens and toilet flushing. The gravel driveway sits beside a band of preserved native forest on the north side.

Energy Efficiency

The Salish Way cottages are certified Built Green 5-Star Net Zero, EnergyStar homes, Indoor AirPLUS, and with the Department of Energy Zero Energy Home programs. They are very well insulated from bottom to top, including blown-in cellulose insulation and innovative wall framing with insulated studs. The floor slabs on grade have a double layer of R10 foam insulation. Air sealing was carefully detailed, reaching 1.9 ACH50. The ductless heat pump is one of the most efficient models available and a heat pump water heater works with very low flow fixtures to keep energy use low. The apartment-style refrigerator uses 30% less energy than most fridges and works with butane, a climate-friendly refrigerant.

The Salish Way cottages are a little unusual as net zero homes go—you won’t see solar panels on the roof. That is because each home owns a dedicated share of Orcas Power and Light’s large community solar project on Decatur Island. For an affordable project, this made the cost significantly lower. Solar maintenance is done professionally by the utility. The panels are located offsite, but still owned by the home, so it is net zero!

The builder set out to overcome these obstacles by planning ahead, communicating his plans to the HOA board as far in advance as possible. He also sent notice of his plans, indicating that if he did not hear back from the board by a certain date, he would take it as approval to move forward. This allowed him to keep a timely schedule.

Despite not being able to puncture the exterior walls to make energy-saving improvements, the builder was still able to reduce the unit’s overall energy consumption by over 30% compared to its reference home. A combination of indoor storm windows, a heat recovery ventilator (HRV), a heat pump water heater add-on, heat pump dryer, 100% Energy Star appliances, and 100% LED lighting allow for significant savings! WaterSense certified fixtures, a low-water-use dishwasher and clothes washer, and removing the existing garbage disposal also reduce water consumption, which ultimately save energy on water heating!

In addition to saving energy, the HRV significantly improves the indoor air quality. An HRV supplies outdoor fresh air while tempering cold air as it comes in. With a HEPA filter, this reduces pollutants carried in from outside—so valuable as wildfire events become more frequent in the Seattle area. The builder also selected interior finish products that are no- and low-VOC, Green Guard certified, and FloorScore certified, meeting stricter standards for indoor air quality.

Removing the carpet initially wasn’t allowed, due to sound requirements, so the builder took the time to educate the HOA board where he could. Armed with information, he demonstrated the sound qualities of carpet vs. cork flooring with cork underlayment and was able to convince the board to approve replacing the existing carpet with hard-surface cork flooring.

In addition to living in the prime of the South Lake Union neighborhood, amenities include a rooftop deck complete with gardens and games, a fitness center, storage lockers, bike storage! Conveniently located to many Seattle neighborhoods, Stream Dexios is the perfect jump-off point for any adventure.

During this project, Stream Real Estate Development & Investment offset 1,010 tons of carbon by planting 202 trees in partnership with Forterra’s Evergreen Carbon Capture program, right here in Washington. Of the 131 tons of construction material generated from the project, 126 tons were diverted from the landfill! Virtually all of the roof deck is permeable pavers, planters, or green roof to mitigate stormwater runoff, provide gardening space for tenants, and reduce heat gain.

Shou sugi ban creates not only visual appeal, but also a long-lasting, low-maintenance siding with a low embodied-carbon footprint. Further lowering its carbon footprint is the 16.8kW solar photovoltaic system installed to offset energy consumption.