Traditionally the word “greenhouse” has been spoken as one word used to define an all-glass building used for growing plants. Today, it is also being spoken as two separate words, “green house,” referring to a home built not just to be energy efficient but comfortable to live in and environmentally friendly.

Despite the advantages, building “green” was not something David and Thuy Smith of Webster Groves had been considering in 2013 when they hired St. Louis architect Jeff Day to design their dream home. “Going green was not on our radar,” David remembers. However, Jeff had been designing green homes for several years with Kim Hibbs, president of Hibbs Luxury Homes, located in both St. Louis and Park City, Utah, and they introduced the Smiths to the concept. The same concept is often used in sustainable building today.
Coincidentally, as the Smith home was in the planning stage, Hibbs was contacted by the International Active House Alliance, a group of worldwide academic institutions, designers, and builders who promote green building guidelines that was established in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2010. The group was interested in having its first “Active House” built in the United States, which would combine sustainable building practices here with Active House Alliance practices in Europe.
“St. Louis was a prime location because of the extreme range of our weather,” Kim says, noting that Missouri homes demand a more comprehensive range of specifications for durability and efficient design and construction.
“We thought about it, and it seemed to make sense, so we agreed to have our home built to incorporate Active Home specifications,” David says.
The building envelope
Crucial to an Active House or any green house is an airtight “building envelope,” which consists of the floor, walls, windows, doors, and roof. Not only does it make a home more energy efficient, but it means its occupants will also live in a quieter and more comfortable indoor environment.

In the Smith home, a high-performance building system known as structural insulated panels was used. Six inches thick and consisting of an exceptionally efficient insulating foam core sandwiched between sheets of a plywood-like material, the panels provide superior insulation and a comfortable living environment.
“The panels were fabricated off-site to blueprint specifications,” David says. “They were assembled like puzzle pieces. Unlike a ‘stick-built’ home erected by a crew of carpenters, the house was under roof in less than five days. It was amazing to watch.”
Another important part of the building envelope is the two-pane windows. Constructed with a high-performance dense gas between the panes, the insulating performance of the windows is increased. In addition, a metallic coating used on the outside of the glass greatly reduces the heat transfer from outside the home to its inside.
Not to be overlooked in the building envelope in all buildings is what is underground. “A green home actually begins with the foundation,” Kim explains. “If what is underground is not properly sealed and the basement is not dry, moisture can wick upward into the living space above, resulting in poor indoor air quality and mold. Basement walls must be sealed with a liquid barrier plus a very thorough caulk and seal package everywhere a wall touches the cement, ceiling, or floor.”
Sustainable heating and cooling
Solar panels on the Smith’s roof provide much of the home’s electrical needs to power the high efficiency HVAC and ventilation systems used inside.
Another set of solar panels provides the heating for hot water, which is piped through the home using flexible PEX piping. The piping reduces the energy needed with traditional copper piping, which requires several elbows in the water line that slows water flow.
Combined with a tight building envelope, the minimal amount of heating and cooling provided through solar panels is delivered at the highest rate of efficiency.
Furthermore, on the roof, solar-reflective Solaris tiles coated with granules of quartz reflect sunlight and heat, allowing the climate inside the home to be more economically controlled.
Other energy-efficient components in the Smith home include LED lighting and high-efficiency appliances.
Comfortable interior
“Our home has proven to be particularly comfortable,” David says, “and for me that is one of the biggest benefits. No matter where you are inside, there are no hot or cold spots.”
In his house design, Jeff included numerous skylights to provide a generous amount of daylight to brighten the interior and provide a pleasant atmosphere, while additionally reducing the need for heating.

“At first we thought the home was too dark at night,” David says. “Then we realized it was because the skylights brought in so much sunlight, we never had to turn on any lights during the day.”
Another benefit of the skylights is that several open remotely, providing a natural draft anytime the weather is acceptable, further reducing the expense of utilities.
Even the chemicals used in materials inside the residence were given careful consideration in order to provide healthy indoor air quality. Nontoxic sealants were applied around windows, doors, and the exterior, while items like paint and flooring were selected based on their having a low chemical content.
No limits
Importantly, building green can be done within any type of architecture. For the Smiths, that was important because their lot was nestled in the middle of a historic neighborhood of Craftsman-era houses erected over a century ago. Jeff designed the home to seamlessly embrace the architecture of the community while incorporating the innovative technologies and techniques of green building. Jeff even included a wraparound front porch that shades first-floor rooms from direct sunlight, assisting in keeping the inside of the home cooler.
The right decision
Although building green can add up to 10% to the cost of a house, for David, part of the proof that they made the right decision has been in their monthly utility bills. “We were living in a 900-square-foot bungalow before we built this 2,500-square-foot three-bedroom home,” he says. “But our utility bills are the same or less than that smaller home and are markedly less than our neighbors. We are glad we did it and will build a similar house again.”
Kim is proud that green home buildings have increased homeowner satisfaction, while also helping the environment.
“I call it ‘high-performance building,’ ” Kim says. “We really feel good about how the Smith’s Active House and the other green homes we build provide a better quality of life for the homeowner, while at the same time having minimal or zero impact on our natural From top, skylights were added to allow more daylight in the Smith home. The home has an open floor plan and two-pane windows for extra insulation. resources. Plus, green homes have a higher resale value.”
MAKE YOUR HOME GREEN
The Environmental Protection Agency provides a list of simple ways to create a more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient home:
- Change to LED lighting
- Insulate pipes and fixtures
- Lower the water temperature
- Increase natural light
- Turn off unused appliances and equipment
- Turn down the thermostat
- Insulate the house
- Install a smart thermostat
- Purchase energy-efficient products and equipment
This article was originally published in the January/February 2025 issue of Missouri Life.
All photos courtesy of Hibbs Luxury Homes.