It's a house that would look comfortable in a catalog - a clear sign that a special group of KU students passed their final exam.
"It is the ultimate senior project," Kayleen Lindstrom, a final year Master of Architecture student.
The group of students designed and built what's known as a net-zero solar house, meaning it makes enough energy to power itself.
"We focus on sustainability whether it's the materials we use, how we use them or the overall end product," said Michael Lavanier, a final year Master of Architecture student.
While the home is connected to the electric grid, the solar panels on the roof will power the house on a sunny day.
"If you produce more power than you need you can actually meter back to the company and create a credit," said Lavanier.
Then, the home can use the saved up power on cloudy days.
According to the Department of Energy, the home will be one of nearly a million American homes with solar panels by the year 2020, up from just 400,000 in 2013.
"It's something as a society people are becoming more aware and more conscious of how important it is to take care of our environment," said Lavanier.
This home takes care of the environment in other ways too.
"Everything in this house has been either donated or recycled, and that's something we really pride ourselves on, especially in this program," said Lindstrom.
The kitchen countertops are made of marble from an old building in Kansas City. The siding is western Red Cedar from train trestle bridges in Idaho.
The home already found a buyer who will pay a high price: 350,000 reasons the students get an A+.
"I know there'll be building aspects that I can take away and keep with me for the rest of my life," said Lavanier.
The home is open for the public to tour this Saturday, May 7 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The home is located at 1200 Pennsylvania Street in Lawrence.
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Justin Wilfon can be reached at justin.wilfon@kshb.com.
