What makes a house not just a home, but an ultimate family home? A team of homebuilders, architects, and energy consultants have built such a house, complete with "zero-energy" status, a game room loft, a hideaway accessed by a touch-latch mirrored door, an air-conditioned garage bay, and a home management center next to the kitchen.

Last week's 2004 International Builders Show saw the unveiling of the Ultimate Family Home, a 5,300-square-foot idea house located in Pardee's Nevada Trails master-planned community in southwest Las Vegas.

"This is the first project of its kind to truly address what families really want in their homes," said Boyce Thompson, editorial director of Builder magazine, one of the sponsors of the project. "Around every corner, inside and out, we've created a home that addresses how families live, work, play, rest and entertain."

The house showcases Pardee Homes' commitment to energy use and resource-efficiency. The Ultimate Family Home, under the direction of ConSol Energy Consultants, is expected to produce a surplus of electricity from a discreet system of photovoltaic panels. Any extra energy produced will be sold back to the local utility in the form of energy credits that the homeowners can use. That means that a sunny day could prompt the electric meter to actually run backwards.

The energy-efficient measures will ultimately result in up to $5,000 a year in utility bill savings.

The Ultimate Family Home also has smart appliances and an energy monitoring system in the home management center. And airtight ductwork, low-e windows, and deep eaves that reduce thermal transfer and loss through the home's structure, ultimately lowering energy demand.

Pardee Homes is the first major builder in the country to construct all its homes in accordance with federal Energy Star standards.

Energy Star homes are 30 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the 1993 national Model Energy Code or 15 percent more efficient than state energy code, whichever is more stringent. The savings are usually achieved through:

• Building envelope upgrades
• High-performance windows
• Controlled air infiltration
• Upgraded heating and air conditioning systems
• Tight duct systems
• Upgraded water-heating equipment

Meanwhile, in addition to the energy-efficient features, the Ultimate Family Home took a lot of its inspiration from kids. A focus group included teens and young children in the idea phase. Some of the features that came to be in the house include: