-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Kyle Hornor, left, is shown here with his parents, Eldona and Duane Hornor, in front of the couple’s home.

VARINA — If you drive by the Hornor family’s farmhouse west of Varina, it looks like a ranch-style home from the road, but there’s more here than meets the eye.

When the previous owner constructed this unique home around 1979, the north side was built into the earth, with only one window on that side, and a passive solar energy system was integrated into the south side.

“The house stays pretty cool in the summer and stays warm in the winter,” said Eldona Hornor, who grew up down the road and moved into the home with her husband, Duane, in October 2013. “It stays so warm that even in January we sometimes have the air conditioner on.”

The 1970s energy crisis and energy efficiency were key considerations when Orlen and Phyllis Rohlfsen built the house. Orlen researched information from the University of Minnesota about earth homes, plus he investigated various kinds of passive solar energy systems for home use, according to the article “Passive Solar Features Make for Interesting Varina Home,” which appeared in the March 20, 1982, issue of The Messenger.

“Rohlfsen drew up his own floor plans with the assistance of his contractor, electrician and plumber friends, Willis Ripke, Earl Holmstrom and Bob Johnson of Newell. Credit is given Holmstrom for the cathedral ceiling located in the family room about the center of the ‘open air’ home,” the story noted. “The lack of walls for bracing bothered Rohlfsen, so he enlisted the aid of a Lake City architect for a ‘sound home’ that would support the weight.”

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
During the day, south-facing windows make the home’s living areas bright and inviting.

The article also explained how Rohlfsen designed the passive solar system, which can still be seen on the south side of the home. “Rohlfsen’s son, Brad, searched through the Rohlfsens’ tin can disposals, as well as those of relatives and friends, to come up with the 1,080 aluminum cans used for the solar panel. Rohlfsen constructed his own panel with the 1-inch, cut-off ends from the aluminum cans. The cans were painted with flat, black paint to better absorb the sun’s rays.”

The heated air was then forced by a fan into the home, which includes a sunken living room.

The passive solar system is located opposite a fireplace with a large, wooden mantle that matches the large, wooden ceiling beams near the living room. The Hornors converted the wood-burning fireplace to a gas fireplace to make it more user-friendly.

During the day, south-facing windows make the home’s living areas and kitchen bright and inviting. “I’m glad that Orlen and Phyllis created a well-designed kitchen with lots of cabinets,” Eldona Hornor said.

The home has no basement, although the Rohlfsen family included a “bonus room” in the attached garage area.

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
This view shows more of the back of the house and how this is a partial earth home.

“Orlen grew a huge garden southeast of the house, and he stored his produce in the area he designed by the garage,” said Duane Hornor, who added that Orlen also raised apples, cherries, plums, grapes, gooseberries and more. “The garage area never gets below 40 degrees.”

While the Hornors have updated parts of their home to suit their needs, many of the home’s original features remain, from the light fixtures in the living areas to the brown, vinyl flooring the kitchen. There’s a lot to like about this house, Eldona said. “It’s located along a paved highway, it’s all on one level and it’s well built.”