Earth-Friendly Home Lets Mother Nature Do the Work.

Aiken Standard Newspaper, Friday August 2 1996, Aiken, SC.

Article by LIZ KASNER Photos by SCOTT WEBSTER

These two views of Gurr Solar home show respectively an exterior view of the big solar window and an interior view down the cypress steps.

We get to live in an outdoor environment, and be a part of nature. - Dr. Gurr

...There are many reasons why Dr. Henry Gurr and his wife, Suzanne decided to build a passive solar home. Some of the most important reasons involve the couple's environmental concerns.
..."People are so unaware of what humanity is doing to this earth. We are over-consuming all of our earth's natural resources at such a high rate," Dr. Gurr explained. The couple said they feel as though they have to do their part to recycle and reuse.
..."We have got to do something as a people, as citizens of the world." Dr. Gurr also said that he is amazed that solar housing has raised such little interest. Another amazing element of solar living includes an average monthly power bill of about $40.
...In 1980, the Gurr's began to construct the home with the help of their son, and several various workmen. For the most part, the construction of the house was a family effort led by Dr. Gurr. The design was Dr. Gurr's original creation. By 1981, the family moved into the house, which was still in the beginning stages of construction.
...Guests approach the home from the south, perhaps the most beautiful view. Three stories tall (about 22 feet tall) and 40 feet wide, the southward facade contains about 880 square feet of quarter inch glass cased in cypress wood..
...The Gurr’s chose cypress due to its strength, although it is fairly lightweight. Cypress .rarely bends [distorts when drying out], making it a reliable support, and it is also not bug-friendly. The house resembles something from a picture book by Frank Lloyd Wright.
...In the winter time, the sun hits the window and shines through to the back of the two story home, heating the entire house. The Gurr’s chose the 11-acre heavily wooded lot for the extra protection the trees would give the home. A pathway is cut through the tree tops on the southern side of the house to allow the direct [low angle winter] sunlight to enter into the home.
...On rainy winter days, the wood burning stove compensates for the loss of heat from the sun. Firewood, Dr. Gurr adds, is a renewable resource. .
...The northern, or back side, of the home is buried in a hillside. Mother Earth protects the home by keeping it warm in the winter and cool in the summer, both at about 63 degrees. The north [also east & west] side is constructed of concrete
...The east and west sides of the home are identical. They are supported by concrete walls which are about eight inches thick [for the bottom floor.]. The sides also have quite a bit of glass in them. On the east side of the home, the main entrance is actually the front glass door from the old Georgia Railroad Bank Building on Broad Street in Augusta.
...Over .100 tons of concrete were used on the [two floors] east, west, south and top of the home. The roof juts out dramatically, leaving a 10 foot overhang shooting out of the south side. Although it adds to the "adobe" look, the overhang serves a practical purpose as well: It protects the glass window from the high summer sun, not letting any direct sunlight into the home.
...In between a sheet metal roof (which reflects the sunlight) and the concrete ceiling is a 10 to 14 inch gap which allows [outdoor] air to circulate and flushes out the heat in the summer.
...Inside the home, the view out of the window is breath-taking. "We get to live in an outdoor environment, and be part of nature," Dr. Gurr said. The family uses lighting fixtures only at night; during the day, the natural light illuminates the home.
There is no central heat or air conditioning in the house. A small portable air conditioning unit the couple purchased is used only [in summer] at night as a dehumidifier. It brings fresh air in, dehumidifies it, and adds it to the home.
... The house is decorated with natural objects such as hand-carved bookshelves – also by Dr. Gurr --- seashells and a variety of plants. The free standing staircase is made from the same cypress as the framing of the front window.
...The floors are covered with tile; which adds to the energy efficiency and also add structure's adobe look.
...The Gurr's look back now, still with unfinished projects around the home, and realize some things they might change if they had to do over again. "We would not have moved into the house before it was complete with three children," Mrs. Gurr said. The couple also said they would have opted for thermal pane windows instead of [single pane glass] quarter inch windows.
...“It was also very difficult for me to build home and have a full-time job,"
...Dr. Gurr is a. Professor of Physics at USC Aiken.

This article posted on this website with the permission and compliments of The Aiken Standard Newspaper, Aiken, SC.
Editing changes subsequent to newspaper publication are in [brackets]. HSG