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Like many people, Ron and Melissa “Missy” Stratton spent this past Christmas at their home surrounded by loved ones. In the lower level, the sounds of billiard balls clacked on the pool table, mixing with holiday music and plenty of lively conversation. Missy said the house was so boisterous one of the couple’s two cats even refused to come inside.

It was a scene typical of the day, but in anything but your typical surroundings. The Strattons’ property, called Lizard Tail because of its position at the “tail” end of lizard-shaped Loch Lomond in Bella Vista, is a unique combination of rustic woodsy aesthetics, an open, comfortable design and common sense principles that incorporate renewable resources and, oftentimes, local materials.

And though they will admit they didn’t necessarily set out to build a “green” home, many of the principles that guided the planning for the 4,000-SF, two-level house also happen to be eco-friendly. For the Strattons, being green was simply a by-product of careful planning and pragmatic design. With Energy Star-certified windows and energy-efficient appliances, native plants irrigated by lake water, locally sourced stone and plenty of skylights reducing the need for electric light, Lizard Tail’s beauty is more than skin deep.

After living in Wisconsin for nearly 20 years, the Strattons moved to Arkansas in 2008 to be closer to their parents. Missy and Ron retired from their respective jobs in elementary education and the pharmaceutical industry and started developing the idea for the house they wanted to spend the rest of their lives in.

Inspired by the “Not So Big House” movement led by author and architect Sarah Susanka, they wanted to emulate her message of functional and unique living spaces designed for everyday life. Susanka’s principles, like varying ceiling height, plenty of “away spaces” to escape to and rooms serving multiple purposes influenced Lizard Tail so much that, out of her 21 components, only one can’t be found in the home.

“People have these very high-ceiling, impressive, overbearing things that are not comfortable to sit in,” Ron said. “We didn’t want to build a big mansion. We wanted to build something comfortable.”

They enlisted Fayetteville-based architect Michael Bauer to put their ideas to paper. After a year of discussion and planning, and 50 sheets of drawings, construction began in 2007 and the couple moved in at the end of 2009.

Michael says one of the main elements that went into the design is the concept of gestalt, or the synergy of different items coming together, and the conscious use of space carved out of instead of defined by walls. He emphasized free flow between rooms to avoid any “dead end” spaces and stocked the home full of built-ins, turning otherwise plain walls into useful storage.

“So much of this is integration of not just the client’s wants and needs, but how all this comes together on this particular site, in this particular part of the country,” he said.

They positioned the main level of the house at the top of a hill and built the lower level into its slope, taking advantage of the insulating properties of soil and leaving the site as untouched as possible at the same time. Much of the excavated soil was kept on site and redistributed as berms and water channeling drainage swales.

“The materials used for the exterior, which often continue into the interior, require low to no maintenance,” Michael said. These include elements like stained concrete floors and terraces; natural stone from a Prairie Grove quarry; cedar siding, which is resistant to decay; and aluminum frame exterior doors and windows, which won’t rust and require no painting, staining or sealing. Proper solar orientation and plenty of glass walls, skylights and a glass roof at the lower level allow for an abundance of natural light and energy savings.

Inside the home, Maple cabinetry was sourced from a local millworker, as were the metal countertops, which are highly durable and cost effective. Douglas Fir rafters and pine ceilings at the main level continue the use of renewable resources, Michael said.

“What we really wanted was a house that was balanced inside and outside,” Missy said. “We wanted to feel like we were part of the environment and we wanted a house that looked like maybe it grew up from the ground.”

On the top level, an area called the loggia, an Italian word for a covered outdoor space, spans the distance between a separate guest suite and the rest of the home. Positioned to capture the prevailing winds during the summer, a ceiling fan also helps keep the area cool while discouraging insects. Like tucking the home into a hill to reduce heating and cooling costs, the strategic positioning of the space is another example of smart design that not only fits into the landscape but saves money and benefits the environment.

“It’s everybody’s favorite room in the whole house and it’s an outdoor room,” Missy said. Thanks to the home’s flexible design, the couple also conserves by heating and cooling the one-third of the house they need and opening up the rest of the home only when company or an event requires it.

And green doesn’t stop with the house. Missy’s love for organic gardening is showcased outside with compost-filled raised beds and an on-site greenhouse where she grows an array of herbs – from basil to oregano to thyme – and in the winter, other crops like a lemon tree and a blueberry bush. Inside, she uses cleaning solutions of baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar exclusively. “I’ve got no 409 in the house,” she says with a laugh.

“I think the thing people most want to emulate about this property is my organic gardening,” she said. “Probably more than the building itself, the greenhouse and the garden out there do more to change people’s minds about chemical use and the fact that they can grow their own food.”

The house also serves as a spot for hosting charity events, another one of her passions. Missy’s on the board of the Bella Vista Public Library Foundation, is involved in a nonprofit courtesy van providing transportation for those without it, and helps with the Benton County Sharing and Caring program, which gave gifts to 4,000 needy children in 2011. For the Bella Vista Library, she’s hosted two cocktail receptions at the house. And as part of a home tour fundraiser organized by a local church, Lizard Tail was host to no fewer than 1,270 visitors over a two-day period.

With the home becoming a well-known example of not only a green home but also an embodiment of the Not So Big House principles, the couple says they hope to continue a trend for better homebuilding in the future.

“For all this to happen, it has to be pragmatic and cost-effective. Too often, some of the stuff sounds silly I have to say and it doesn’t seem cost-effective,” Ron said. “These are the things that will actually make people think a little bit more about how they might build.”