Portico by BOA Builders LLC

The Portico was designed to demonstrate that a production-built home can achieve exceptional energy performance, resilience, indoor environmental quality, and occupant comfort using practical construction methods that can be implemented across an entire community. Located within Chipeta Hollows, a new 55+ active lifestyle community in Grand Junction, Colorado, the home serves as both the community's model home and design center while demonstrating BOA Builders' approach to high-performance production homebuilding.

Rather than chasing individual efficiency upgrades, BOA Builders focused on integrating proven building science into a repeatable construction process. Every system from the building enclosure and HVAC to ventilation, electrification, and energy management was selected because it contributes to the performance of the home as a complete system while remaining practical, durable, and repeatable for production construction.

The high-performance enclosure combines advanced framing, continuous exterior insulation, dense-pack fiberglass insulation, comprehensive air sealing with AeroBarrier, and high-performance low-E windows to create a durable, energy-efficient building envelope. The completed home achieved an exceptional air leakage rate of 1.37 ACH50, providing a strong foundation for comfort, durability, and long-term performance.

Heating and cooling are provided by an Amana variable-speed cold-climate air-source heat pump paired with a Rheia compact duct system that keeps all ductwork within the conditioned space. This approach minimizes duct losses, improves airflow consistency, simplifies installation, and allows every home to be professionally balanced and verified after installation. A Panasonic Intelli-Balance ERV provides continuous balanced ventilation, delivering filtered outdoor air while maintaining excellent indoor air quality and energy efficiency.

The home's all-electric design incorporates a Navien heat pump water heater, induction cooking, a 3.69 kW rooftop solar photovoltaic system with Enphase microinverters, and a FranklinWH battery energy storage system. The electrical infrastructure was designed to support the next generation of residential electrification through the integration of a SPAN Smart Electrical Panel, SPAN Drive EV Charger, and Leviton EVOLVE Smart Lighting System. Together, these systems allow homeowners to monitor electrical loads, prioritize backup circuits, integrate renewable energy, and manage energy use from a single platform.

The completed home achieved a HERS Index of 20, a Carbon Index of 25, and certifications including DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, ENERGY STAR® Version 3.2, ENERGY STAR NextGen, and EPA Indoor airPLUS.

For BOA Builders, this project was never intended to be a one-off showcase home. The systems, construction methods, and design decisions used in the Portico were selected because they can be repeated across future homes without sacrificing quality, constructability, or affordability. We believe the greatest innovation in high-performance housing is not a single product or technology, it's the ability to consistently deliver better-performing homes through an integrated, repeatable building process.