Cabin Series | Babcock Ranch, FL | Finished Home

We are very excited to be a part of this solar-powered city in Florida. Developers aim to provide 19,000 homes with power from a 440 acre solar field. Homes like our cabin were chosen because of their ultra-efficient building envelopes and their artful designs.

House design

The Cabi n

Location

Fort Myers, FL

Square footage

1,267 first floor & 630 loft

Floor Plans

Construction Photos

SIP wall panels anchored to a foundation with pockets cut for timber insertion

Once we get a bunch of the walls standing (and temporarily braced) we start setting timbers into their pockets. First we build our anchors out of regular 2x6s.

Then, we start setting them into place.

Let’s get up close and personal with Team Timberbuilt. See how our homes are built from the best view in town — on the ground, with the crew, as they assemble SIPs and timbers. It’s an easy look at our on-site process from start to finish.

Apparently our SIPs supplier, Insulspan, is the best in the business. In addition to all the mathematical mumbo jumbo that goes into explaining their energy efficiency, they send us some really, really big panels.

This solar city is hosting a bunch of different builders. Right now all these different builders are constructing model homes so potential buyers can come and walk around all the different houses and choose which one they want. Lots of new energy tech is being used in the builds so it’s not surprising that the guys building the house next to ours are also using SIPs for the walls.

What is a bit shocking is seeing how small their panels are. These guys are using 8’x4′ wall panels and it’s taking them tons of time to connect them all individually. Meanwhile, we’re using 24’x8′ panels. Our things are like Macy’s Parade sized walls compared to theirs. This crew next door literally stopped working today to watch us set a fully constructed three-story walls in place. I can’t imagine how long it would’ve taken them (or how hard it would be to air seal all those joints) but right after we finished their foreman came over and asked us where we get such big panels.

Finished Photos

We always feel lucky when our projects end up in able hands. Here’s a great example of what contemporary decorating and a high-end finish can do. The project has come a long way since we left but we’ve been keeping tabs on the exciting efficiency tech at Babcock Ranch. (See more on the timber frame community center we built for Babcock at our Lake House page.)