For the iconoclast, the person who’s looking for something unique and unconventional, yet sound and attractive. This home at 2241 Armstrong Road, Empire ($649,900; MLS #1896149) is both technologically advanced and environmentally responsible. Used to be building a home with SIPs – Structural Insulated Panels, a prefabrication method involving pre-built panels with a layer of foam insulation – offered advantages in insulation and construction. Now, with Structural Concrete Insulated Panels, they’ve upped the ante, with foam panels sandwiched between wire mesh, connected by metal space frame, and sprayed with a concrete layer. That makes them energy efficient, with carbon neutral architecture and continuous insulation.

So while the home striking to look at, its best features may be that it offers low to no maintenance, low utility bills and year-round comfort: The cement walls work as a heat sink in the winter and a cool sink on the summer, and the home utilizes radiant floor heat. The open floor plan is a result of the post and beam design, made from 100-year-old red pine from the Torch Lake area. Special features abound, including hand-carved doors and various species of hardwood floors. Four bedrooms, two baths and over 3,400 square feet on nearly six acres.

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