_resized400X266.jpg)
Through my weekly readings, I wanted to share this article simply because in my local market there are some agents that consider sustainable homes to be comparable to bare minimum code homes. This only shows the lack of knowledge these agents have. This article proofs that a homeowner that implements high performance features into their homes would ultimately determine their home selling price. I believe for a real estate agent to blur out the words" overpriced" without analyzing why the difference in price is mind boggling to me. Everybody loves a bargain but consumers have to question themselves with this: What such a bargain in comparison to other homes on the market that actually tell you what the difference is. Remember this "If it sounds to good to be true guess what it is not" there is always a hidden because. Food for knowledge.
Local limestone and reclaimed wood beams helped the home earn points for LEED Platinum certification.
Photo By Paul Bardagjy
Natural Home's Show House in Boerne, Texas, is a shining example of just how sustainable suburban housing can be.
By Kim Wallace
July/August 2010
Karen and Griz Adams’ Craftsman-inspired stucco and limestone home fits right into its golf-course community outside San Antonio—with a few exceptions. Designed by Boerne, Texas, architect Ben Adam, the 3,526-square-foot home takes full advantage of its site, with natural ventilation and south-facing windows overlooking long Hill Country views.
The roof sports a solar hot water heater, and a detached three-car garage is equipped for future photovoltaic panels. Hidden underground, a vertical, closed-loop geothermal system quietly heats and cools the home, while two buried 20,000-gallon rainwater harvesting tanks keep it completely off the water grid.
The home’s many forward-thinking features have it on track to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification, the highest award given—a first for this Texas town. “It’s not the place where you would look for something like this,” Adam says of the home’s very traditional surroundings. “But we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be neat if we did this another way?’”
Putting the pieces together
Living in a small town made finding talented local contractors easy. “There is a great cabinet maker, a standout concrete guy, and many local craftspeople,” Karen says. Once they assembled their team, Adam and the Adamses conducted a pre-construction charrette—an intense period of design collaboration—to devise an efficient homebuilding plan that considered every discipline involved. “The most important lesson we learned was that collaborating with other professionals during the planning phase is essential,” Karen says.
The Adamses’ builders used advanced-framing techniques, such as two-stud corners and wider spacing for studs and rafters, which saved wood and allowed for additional insulation. Instead of traditional plywood, the Adamses chose commercial-grade exterior gypsum and fiberglass sheathing. “It’s a wood-sparing approach and is used extensively in commercial buildings,” Griz says. They chose native reclaimed limestone from a nearby quarry for the house’s façade, backyard retaining walls and indoor fireplace.
When their budget allows, the Adamses plan to install photovoltaic panels over the pre-wired garage. For now, their solar water heater and ground source heat pump, which warms and cools the house efficiently, keep their utility bills low. “The electric bill here consistently runs around $200 per month, so it’s significantly cheaper to operate,” says Griz, who was paying $450 per month for utilities at a much smaller rental before he and his family moved in. “It’s one of the huge advantages of green construction.”
Read more:
No comments:
Post a Comment