Early American settlers lived off the land, building their homes from the materials supplied by the rich wilderness. However, it's highly unlikely that those homes were as comfortable year-round as this home in western Massachusetts: after all, Jim Patterson and Orchard Valley Heating and Cooling were still more than 200 years in the future.

In an era of sustainable building and environmental awareness, the home of Rick and Ginger Scott in Worthington, MA, is a truly unique New England original. This home is a post-and-beam structure in which all of the beam work was site-cut and milled from trees taken from the property during the clearing.

And who better than another true New England original, Jim Patterson, to handle the home's comfort system needs. Patterson, the sole proprietor of Orchard Valley Heating and Cooling, Southampton, MA, is a familiar face among Quality Home Comfort Award winners. In fact, it was a referral from the homeowners of Orchard Valley's 2007 Quality Home Comfort Award that helped the Scotts select Patterson to design and install the mechanical systems at their new home.

“This project was achieved via referral by Caleb Harris and Lynn Scott, neighbors and in-laws of Rick and Ginger Scott,” Patterson says. “Caleb and Lynn are the owners of a home that won a QHCA two years ago. Based on their recommendation, Rick and Ginger brought me on to design and install their system as soon as the plans were printed.”

“I guess word travels in small towns,” Ginger Scott says. “Jim is very personable, he's a very easy person to work with and we really enjoyed having him here. He also did an excellent job, the system is working beautifully.”

In the true pioneer spirit, Rick Scott had planned on building most of the home himself, after retiring and moving to Worthington from Colorado. After a year of clearing and preparing the site — all the while living on the site in a 23-foot trailer that seemed even smaller thanks to the presence of four Alaskan malamutes — a hip replacement forced Rick to shelve his plans to build the home himself. The Scotts hired Neil Godden, owner of Neil Godden Timber Framing and Carpentry, a local timber framer, to take over the project. Godden is an expert in what Patterson calls, “This construction form of art.”

“Jim is a true professional,” says Godden. “I've done HVAC work in the past, so I know a good deal about it, and Jim really knows his stuff. He knows his products and knows how to use them.”

Patterson performed all the design, installation, start-up, and service on the system. His two sons, Brian and Matt, are part-time apprentices at Orchard Valley, and participated in the ducting and radiant installation. Brian is starting college this fall at a local technical school for a degree in HVACR.

This beautiful new 3,400 sq.ft. home features a large attached garage with radiant floor heating, a radiant-heated basement, a stunning great room with a Tulikivi wood heating fireplace and oven, and a sleeping wing.

Radiant heating was a must, given the high ceilings and cold Berkshire winters. Patterson installed slab-on-grade radiant in the garage, mudroom and basement. The great room features a staple-up radiant system using Uponor Joist Trak panels. The bedrooms stay with the radiant approach, but use Radson wall panel radiators to ensure a quick heat supply. The master and guest bathrooms feature staple down radiant using Uponor Quik Trak plywood panels.