Hosokawa Residence

Location: Poway, CA

The project was developed for my family residence. I as an architect/owner was involved in the planning and construction. The following requirements were established for the project:
1. To complete the project on a low budget, aiming to be mortgage-free upon completion.
2. To simplify the geometry to minimize challenges for a beginner in carpentry as an owner builder.
3. To effectively utilize passive solar design to reduce running costs, improve insulation efficiency, and achieve energy savings.
4. To lower the land purchase price by selecting a hillside property in a suburb that faces south and is suitable for passive solar design.
5. To have a location that, while being suburban, is about within 20-minute drive to major destinations.
6. To plan a single-family home on a hillside while ensuring a minimum flat yard area.
7. To make the residence a single-story building from a universal design standpoint.
8. To make the landscaping primarily xeriscape to reduce running costs.
9. To place solar panels not on the roof but on a trellis above, simplifying maintenance, and positioning the trellis adjacent to south-facing openings to block direct sunlight in summer while allowing low-angled sunlight in winter, with the exposed concrete slab floor to function as thermal mass.
10. To use all-electric energy source, with a heat pump water heater and ductless mini-split heating and cooling systems, achieving net-zero home.

Though building the project myself was physically challenging for me as a beginner builder, all the above requirements were met and it was a great experience for me as an architect.