Custom high-performance homes, with the numbers in writing.
We design and build new custom high-performance homes in Avon, Simsbury, Canton, Farmington, Burlington and Granby. Every home we build is sealed tight and then tested by an independent blower-door test. You get the number in writing.
We build new custom homes in the Farmington Valley. We design them to last for generations, to use little energy and leave a small footprint, and, depending on your site's sun and the size of the array, to reach net zero. They look like the homes people here want to live in: traditional forms, not boxes. We care about how a house looks, how quiet it is, how the air feels, and how long it will stand. Alta Terra is Alex and Matt, and you deal with us directly from the first call to the keys. New homes are our work. Now and then we take on an addition or a deep renovation, when it's the right fit for both of us; ask.
Four things you can count on.
See your house and its budget before you sign.
Before there's a construction contract, you see your home as a model and a budget built from it.
Every choice shows its cost, so you decide with the numbers in front of you. How the process works →
Tested, and you get the numbers.
Every home we build is sealed tight and then tested by an independent blower-door test. You get the number in writing.
You will get a 3D scan of every wall before the drywall goes up, so you have a virtual twin of your house, and a handover binder with a digital copy of everything. How we build →
We start with the land.
We walk lots across the Valley and publish honest write-ups of the ones we'd build on.
Found a lot yourself? A site review, a half day on the land and a written report, tells you what it would take before you buy it. Land worth building on →
Custom, with performance you choose.
Every home gets the same tested baseline. How far past it you go is your call.
Air sealed and tested, fresh-air ventilation, heat pumps, all-electric, ready for solar. From there: a deeper envelope, solar with battery backup, or net zero, which depends on your site's sun and the size of the array. Phius certification sits at the top of the range. We're beside you for every one of those choices, with the numbers to decide on. You see the budget before you sign. The standard, and how far it goes →
Pick the door that fits.
Tell us about your lot.
Send the address and what you have in mind, and we'll take it from there. No paperwork at this stage.
Start with your land → I'm looking for landSee the lots we've walked.
We publish the lots we'd build on ourselves, with what each would take. Found one on your own? Ask us for a site review before you buy it.
Land worth building on → I have plans or an architectWe build what they drew.
At the performance they specified: an energy model, a blower-door test, and no quiet swaps in value engineering.
For architects and plan holders →The Farmington Valley.
Six towns we know well: stone, trees and hills, and houses that belong on them. Outside these towns? We take projects case by case. Tell us about your lot and we'll take a look.
We don't ask you to take quality on faith.
We model your house before we build, check the work as it goes, and test it when it's done. You get the results.
Modeled first
Before we build, we model your house: how it will use energy, where the sun falls, how the systems fit. The budget comes from the same model, so the two agree.
Tested after
An independent tester closes up the house, pulls air out with a calibrated fan, and measures how much leaks back in. Every home we build gets this test. You get the number in writing.
Handed over with the record
You will get a 3D scan of every wall before the drywall goes up, so you have a virtual twin of your house, and a handover binder with a digital copy of everything: the test results, the manuals for every system, and the model of your house. It is yours to keep, and to hand to the next owner.
The contract comes last.
You should see your house, and its budget, before you commit to it.
Early on, well before any construction contract, we design your home with you as a model you can look at from every side, and we build a budget from it. Every choice shows what it costs. By the time there's a contract, you know what you're getting and what you're paying for.
- Your house as a model you can look at from every side.
- A budget built from that model, line by line.
Start a conversation.
Tell us about your land, your timing and what matters most to you. It takes about two minutes. Alex and Matt read every note and reply personally.