Efficiency & Comfort
Efficient Energy Use: Our designs incorporate climate based strategies, energy-efficient technologies, and renewable energy sources to ensure sustainability.
Solar Heating: Oriented to cardinal directions, River Bend homes harness the sun's warmth in winter. A glazed south wall, optimizes solar gain during winter while offering shade in summer.
Climate-Driven Design: Building Biology principles guide us to strike the right balance between thermal mass and insulation. This balance maximizes comfort and energy efficiency, tailored to Humboldt County's unique climate.
Thermal Mass Advantage: River Bend features thermal mass materials like hemp-crete, clay/straw, and stone. These act as "storage batteries," stabilizing temperatures and enhancing comfort. The optimal mass-insulation balance varies by climate zone. Experience the natural magic of River Bend, a haven of health and sustainability.
Radiant Heat: For added comfort, River Bend incorporates radiant heat, utilizing thermal mass on the interior. This creates a cozy environment, especially effective in temperate climate zones.
Solar Power: Harness the sun's energy and radiant heat sources, reducing your carbon footprint.
Masonry Heater: River Bend features a Tulikivi masonry heater, a central element contributing 5,800 pounds of thermal mass. This heater provides year-round comfort, efficiently utilizing wood for a sustainable heating solution.
Eco-Friendly Fireplace: River Bend recognizes the importance of a hearth's ambiance. Our masonry heater offers the romance of fire while maintaining optimum health and energy efficiency.
700 Years of Wisdom: Inspired by Northern Europeans, River Bend's masonry heaters are rooted in a 700-year-old tradition. These heaters incorporate full combustion, contra flow, thermal mass storage, and increased surface area to achieve maximum efficiency and minimal pollution.
Ideal Heat: From a Building Biology perspective, masonry heaters represent the ideal heat source. They fully combust wood in a contra-flow pattern, storing heat in dense soapstone walls and radiating warmth for hours after the fire is out. This minimizes smoke pollution and carbon emissions, aligning with eco-conscious living.
Indoor Features
Radiant Illumination: Experience an abundance of natural light, harmonious illumination, and soothing colors.
Efficient Spaciousness: Every inch counts at River Bend. Open floor plans, timber frame as a defining element, sliding shoji screens, built-in storage, and seamless extension to outdoor spaces create spacious living in compact footprints.
Sunlit Serenity: Our home welcomes the outside in, strategically placed windows frame beautiful views, offer natural cross-ventilation, and bathe interiors in non-glaring, varied daylight. Enjoy an environment where artificial lighting is rarely needed during the day.
Elegance Underfoot: River Bend boasts exquisite flooring crafted from luxurious slate and soapstone, perfectly complemented by rich, solid madrone hardwood flooring. Experience the epitome of sophistication and luxury.
Outdoor & Exterior
Relaxation & Healing: Immerse yourself in pure bliss with our cedarbuilt hot tub, sauna, and refreshing cold plunge. Experience the ultimate in natural luxury, where the ionizer in the cold plunge and hot tub, along with the ozonator, ensures crystal-clear waters with minimal chemical intervention.
Outdoor Oasis: River Bend invites nature's soothing embrace with accessible, alluring outdoor spaces. Immerse yourself in fresh air, soothing sounds, and vibrant colors to recharge amidst the rhythms of nature.
Bringing Nature Home: River Bend homes extend living spaces outdoors with timber frame structures and deep roof overhangs. These outdoor rooms reduce heated space needs, foster an intimate connection with nature, and dispel seasonal gloom.
Sustainable Materials: We use natural, locally-sourced, renewable, and low embodied energy materials.
Energy Efficiency: Embrace an eco conscious lifestyle with energy-efficient materials and systems.