Energy Saver

photos by Lisa Buie, Pixel Perfect Productions and Joe Scalfaro

Commercial architect Melinda Scalfaro always dreamed of designing a home of her own as a model of eco-friendliness.

“My passion is sustainability,” explains the partner at SoL Harris/Day Architecture in North Canton.

That dream became a reality when Melinda and her husband, Joe, purchased a wooded property in Lake Township near Hartville in 2017 so their daughters could attend Lake Local Schools. Melinda initially drew up plans for a three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath contemporary residence with a butterfly roof and decks on the first and second floors and completed the house in February 2020. Sustainable features include a five-zone underground geothermal system that uses Earth’s constant temperature to reduce the amount of electricity needed for heating and cooling. Other eco-conscious features contribute to visual appeal — ribbon windows near the ceiling provide warm-weather ventilation by allowing rising heat to escape and large windows framing verdant views flood rooms with natural light, eliminating the need to flip a switch during the day. “The roof overhangs were designed to shade the windows in the summer but allow the sun in in the winter,” she says.

Akron-based Shultz Design & Construction built the home, and president Darren Shultz says the company stayed within budget without sacrificing sustainability. He used an insulated concrete form foundation in which hollow foam bricks similar to Legos are stacked, braced off to plumb, reinforced with rebar and filled with concrete. And when Melinda found out she was pregnant with a third child during construction, she added a fourth bedroom without increasing the square footage of the inviting home.

“We really focused on the family area, making this open plan where we could gather as a family, where I could cook and still interact with the kids as they’re playing in the living room,” she says.

There were splurges. Melinda brought the cultured stone used to accent the angular gray-sided-and-paneled exterior in the front entry, where one wall was painted a golden yellow — an eye-opening welcome to a predominantly white interior. “So many homes shy away from color,” she says. Full of finishes and textures that add interest without clutter, the sleek kitchen has white-and-blue-acrylic and walnut-veneer cabinetry to accommodate her canning supplies as well as the usual pots and pans. A main sink installed in a bank of cabinets along a far wall, complete with a glass-tile herringbone backsplash that extends from quartz countertop to ceiling, keeps dirty dishes out of the island sink.

The first-floor owner’s suite boasts his-and-hers closets with built-in dressers and a bath with a zero-entry walk-in shower, a feature that will allow the couple to age in place. Glazes layered on the ceramic tile create rectilinear patterns that change with the light. “It reminded me of looking at a city blueprint,” Melinda says.

The Scalfaros furnished the home with midcentury modern pieces. Six walnut-stained chairs with cutout backs surround an Article walnut dining table

with two leaves that seats 10.

“We bring the bench from the entryway over when we have big groups — it can seat one whole side,” she says. The living area has a gray velour sofa and blue armchair the Scalfaros brought from their Akron home, a gray sectional from Joybird and a coffee table from AllModern. A painted-wood artwork from Thirty-Two 8 Inspired & Co. in Hartville — “It looked like the sun to me,” Melinda says — hangs over a TV and white acrylic console. A colorful geometric vinyl graphic she ordered from Etsy and applied to a large half-wall serves as a focal point.

“It emulates a honeycomb pattern — a nod to nature — and then also brings in the different colors that I used in the space,” she says. “But it’s a little abstract too.”

The couple has continued to work on the home. They finished the 1,625-square-foot walkout lower level with two bedrooms, a full bath and a kitchenette so they can accommodate aging parents. They are tied to the grid but use 44 solar panels installed on the garage roof.

“Now we are making as much energy as we’re using throughout the year,” Melinda says. The all-electric home, she adds triumphantly, is officially net zero.

Closer Look:

Homeowner and architect Melinda Scalfaro turned a cable-rail staircase into a stunning design feature by building a series of shelves on the triangular staircase wall. The shelves were spaced and built of solid maple of the same thickness as the stair treads, creating the illusion that the shelves are extensions of the treads that wrap around the wall. That effect was reinforced by painting the wall the same robin’s-egg blue as the stair risers.

“I didn’t really want any wasted space in this house,” she says.