The Construction Source

“We are proud to help lead the way to a more sustainable en- vironment and future,” Shawn says. Leading the way in sustainabil- ity does not mean sacrificing luxury, however. With Avant Garde – Canada’s first certified luxury net zero home – Claxton + Marsh has shown clients that they can have both. Avant Garde is 4,500 square feet, and located in Guelph’s prestigious Heritage Lake Es- tates Community. It features 9,200 square feet of living space on an exclusive one-acre lot. It includes ceilings ranging from 12 to 20 feet, heated pa- tios, walkways, and driveway, and smoked glass custom stair railings. The main floor features four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a diva-inspired kitchen and pantry. There’s also a tempera- ture-controlled wine room with a black pearl racking system, a four-season room with a floor- to-ceiling hand-carved lime- stone fireplace and wall-to-wall windows, and a “stunning great room.” Eve describes that home as hav- ing an “ambience of pure luxury throughout,” and a “permeating air of glamour.” That kind of “luxury feeling” is rarely present in environmen- tally-friendly homes, but Clax- ton + Marsh is changing the game. The company designed and engineered the home to reduce energy needs, they in- cluded on-site renewable en- ergy systems – including a Tes- la Powerwall – and they made sure the home produces as least as much energy as it con- sumes on a yearly basis. At the same time, they also designed the home maximum curb and aesthetic appeal. There are solar panels, but the roof was designed to keep them out of sight. Eve says the home looks “truly magnificent” from the road. “The last thingwewantedwas to have people drive by the home and say ‘Look at that lovely en- vironmentally-friendly home,’” Eve says. “The goal was to build a big home with basically every luxury feature, everything a cli- THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA