The Zarillo Lakefront House - Watertown, Connecticut

2023 Small Residential 1st Runner-Up

Looking to retire to this beautiful waterfront property in Connecticut, Bill Zarillo, owner of Zarillo Building Innovations, sought to build a custom home that prioritized energy efficiency, handicap-accessibility and weather resiliency.

Since the land slopes down to a lake, the house would need high basement walls durable enough for the anticipated lake effect wind. The design also included a garage over a garage, which required incredible wall and floor/ceiling strength to withstand the weight and movement of automobiles.

Zarillo investigated numerous structural wall options and ultimately decided on Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) from Nudura due to their durability, fast installation speed, availability of product and low cost of construction. 

The home also secured a single-source warranty from Tremco CPG by using a variety of their other building envelope products, including:

• HYDROFOAM radiant heat insulation
• HOMEGA ceiling insulation
• TUFF-N-DRI waterproofing
• EnviroDri weather-resistive barrier (WRB)
• Dymonic 100 urethane sealant
• ExoAir 110AT air barrier
• Prebuck window and door bucks.

“The great thing about Tremco and Nudura is all the compatibility tests have been done so therefore I feel secure using an ICF block along with a waterproofing product from Tremco,” Zarillo explained.

In the end, the Insulated Concrete Form walls reduced interior temperature fluctuations, lessened the HVAC load, and reduced the owner’s utility bills. With photovoltaics to incorporate solar power as well as geothermal heating and cooling, this home achieved net zero energy status.