Looks beautiful. I had someone actually send me a link to that write up because of the concentration on passive design.

Very nice, congrats!!

It is shameful....

Shameful that they didn't give you a front page and bigger pics.

Looks great!!!

Nice work.

We thank you for the plug! Beautiful home and an interesting write up.

"A continuous row of double T5 florescent fixtures above the crown on the kitchen cabinets sits on an angled ledge to project light out into the space. This indirect lighting setup fills the space, creates zero shadowing and is much more energy efficient than traditional "can" ceiling lights. "

Can you post a photo or sketch of how you did this? I would so love to avoid recessed lights and I have planned to use over cabinet lighting but have not thought about angling them.

Thanks,
Nan

it was simple to do. I simply cut angled blocks and glued them to the top of the cabinet. I then ripped 1/4" plywood and set on the blocking to provide support for the light and attachment points. The ceiling is painted a gloss white, so that helps reflect light and bounce it around. Our kitchen is very bright when all lights are on. My wife likes it brighter in spaces than I do, so most cases if I am in there (I do all of the cooking anyway!!!) then I usually do not even have them on and just use the under cabinet and pendants. Attached is a sketch.

Here is an overall picture of the kitchen with the lights on.

Thanks everyone for the comments. It was a fun experience working with Kolbe and their marketing staff for the photo shoot and the write up.

That explains why the photos seemed familiar when I looked at their site a few days ago. I remember your construction photos from awhile back. Your house looks stunning.

Did you consider their Vistaluxe line?
What siding did you use, it looks like it could be the Hardi Artisan Series?

Wow- check you out! Very cool.

Absolutely beautiful home!
Are you happy with your Kolbe Ultras? We are looking at them for new construction. Their bid is higher than the others we are considering, but I was impressed with the product in the showroom.

Our current house has Kolbes and we almost didn't consider them again because we had 3 windows rot out within the first 10 years. But as I've researched further, we have aluminum clad wood that is not extruded (probably their "Classic" line now). The salesperson at Kolbe told me that the Ultras are a new product since our home was built, and with the extruded aluminum should hold up better.

Trying to decide if it's worth the premium. They look solidly made from what I observed of the samples.

I do not have any complains or issues yet, however it has also only been pushing 2 years since they have been installed. I do not know many rolled form products that do not have issues with rot. Its the same design Pella uses on their aluminum clad.
If you are concerned, an alternative product would be the Marvin Integrity wood Ultrex. I do not think they are as solid as Kolve Ultra, but they are a cheaper price point and offer many of the same basic features. They eliminate your worry of aluminum cladding. However with correct installation, you should not have issues with the Ultras I would think.

very cool lzerarc!

Lzerarc, thank you for posting the sketch. I've saved the idea!
NanJ

(Sorry for the late response. I must not have checked the option for email updates.)

I saw on a post a couple of years back that your Eagle quote and the Ultra quote were about the same. I am seeing quite a difference with the Ultra's being more. Any thoughts on that?

Beautiful home, pretty neat!