Solar Panels Lessen the Carbon Footprint of Dream Home

Sleek, Modern and Abundantly Fun 

Photo By Alise O’Brien

When Randy and Laura Sinquefield moved from Los Angeles to the Columbia, Missouri area where Randy had spent childhood vacations with his cousins, a few other big changes were also put into motion. “We moved here, we bought a house, Randy started a business, and I got pregnant—all in the same week!” Laura remembers.

Once things calmed down a bit and their family grew, the couple began looking for another house, but never found just the right place. “Either we loved the house, but there wasn’t enough yard, or it was a great yard but we didn’t like the house,” Randy explains. “We finally gave up and decided to build, and I am so glad we did.” After acquiring a perfectly situated lakeside lot, the couple chose R.G. Ross Construction and Mitchell Wall Architecture and Design to bring their ideas to life.

Evoking the spirit of famed landscape architect Jens Jensen, who developed the “delayed view” of a home’s approach, a visitor does not see their home immediately upon turning into the winding drive. But then, just around a bend, the contemporary masterpiece enters the visual field, with boundless water views, and reflected sunlight gleaming from walls of windows.From the front, the home has an extensive, low-slung footprint, with more breadth than height. It isn’t all apparent upon first glance; it “explodes” out the back, as builder Vince Mannino, President of R.G. Ross, describes.

Designed with geothermal technology and more than 200 solar panels, the home’s carbon footprint is significantly lower than its size would suggest, and its orientation on the lake peninsula makes the solar collection very efficient. “As soon as the sun comes up, it’s already hitting the solar panels,” Randy explains. The modern, flat-roofed design accommodates the panels while hiding them from sight. Laura adds that this feature helped determine the home’s exterior style. “We went to a modern styled home because it would support solar panels without having to look at them, and I’m glad that we did, because the house has such clean, elegant lines.”

See more of this dream home in our May/June edition of Sophisticated Living magazine.