Heralding a new era in Canadian architecture and building, the “Sun (Solar) House”, being built in Picton, indicates now, that the home of tomorrow is here to-day.

The Solar House is being erected on Queen Street by. M. B. Brown and finishing touches are now being made. One half of the walls of this new style of home is of glass.

By using much more glass, insulated, than usual, it is possible to utilize rays of the winter sun for heating. The interior is protected from the hot summer sun by the overhanging roof. The windows on the south side of the house are built up of two panes of glass insulated by a half inch. of air space between, permanently sealed. The windows on the north and west sides are built up of three layers, giving added protection. Because of this captive air principle, which is the foundation of all insulation, the inner pane never becomes colder than an ordinary wall, and of course cannot frost or mist. There are no windows on the east side of the house other than a small outlet for the placing of milk bottles.

While there is a modern hot water furnace in the basement, each room being fitted with modern hot water radiators under windows, rather than the old style, cumbersome iron rads, it requires very little to heat the house, due to insulation and the position of the house to the sun. The house is built directly north and south. The cold day last week that The Gazette inspected the house, found little fire in the furnace and the house itself very comfortable. Scientific tests have shown that by captivating the sun’s heat, the saving in fuel should amount to at least a third. Even on hazy days the rays from the sun still impart a great deal of warmth.

In this type of home at no time in the summer will the sun shine directly in the house, but about October the rays will start penetrating and all through the winter sun will shine in the rooms.

The house, measuring 22 by 46 feet, is placed at an angle to the road, north and south, in spacious grounds, permitting of future landscaping that will not only lend character to the house but will also be an asset to the town. The house’s overall height is ten feet with room height of 8 feet 3 inches.

A front and rear view of the house are shown above.

Entering the door on the north east corner (lower picture) one enters the Utility room, as well as the entrance to the basement. The Utility room is equipped for storage and laundry at present. Immediately next to it along the north side (the side facing Queen Street) is the modernly equipped, tile-finished bathroom, then the kitchen and finally at the north west corner the front entrance, with built-in clothes room.

A hall divides the house, from the sweeping el end of the living-dining room to the Utility room, in two sections. The front section is shown in the top photo. At the west end is the combination living and dining room, then a bedroom, and a den, or second bedroom.

Built in Furniture

An interesting feature of this modern home is the use of built in furniture dressers, dressing table, clothes closets, cupboards and even the dining-room table. In the dining end of the living room, between two built-in corner cabinets is a large plate glass mirror, which released from the wall, proves to be only the bottom of the dining table.

The kitchen, Mrs. Brown’s pride, and the envy of any woman, is the very latest—built-in electric stove, refrigerator, sinks, garbage chute to the basement, cupboards and even the breakfast nook, wired for electrical appliances. All space not taken up by cupboards and fixtures is of black and white Barclay tile, with asphalt tile floor. The large window, complete with cross ventilators will make an ideal place to work.

The flooring throughout will eventually be of asphalt tile. The walls of pressed board and Donnaconna board, some plain, some pannelled with ceilings plain or in squares. The living room is finished in plaster.

Since the windows are permanently sealed, it necessary to have louvres or vents below the windows on the south side and above the windows on the north side, giving a figure eight cross ventilation.

Unusual Roof

The house has an inverted cottage-type roof, built with an overflow pipe six inches high in the centre of the roof, so that it will maintain at all times six inches of water. This will act as insulation in the winter and in the summer will not permit the hot sun to strike the roof. The roof itself is built up of five layers, pitch and felt paper, and gravel for finishing.

Nearly two tons of pitch, gravel and felt paper comprise the roof.

Besides all this insulation, four inches of Rock Wool was used in the ceiling and two inches in the walls.

The spacious concrete, waterproofed basement is the full size of the house, with plenty of headroom.

It is difficult to describe the many details of labor saving and storage devices used throughout, however, every bit of space has been utilized cleverly.

The house was designed by the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Mac Brown, with blue prints made by an architect. Mr. Brown has done much of the work himself, aided by John Jackson, Max and Morley Stafford, and his father-in-law, Clare Pearsall.

Mr. Brown hopes to move in within the month, although he still has a great deal of finishing to do. The exterior of the house has yet to receive its coat of cream stucco.

As much as possible all material has been purchased locally, hardware, heating and plumbing included. As Mr. Brown has done so much of the work himself, the Solar House will not cost a great deal more than an ordinary house.

The builders are to be congratulated on pioneering this type of home in Prince Edward County.