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Building Seattle Green, from seattlepi.com, brings us good news from Washington. Green homes are selling faster and for more money than other homes. Danielle Johnson reports “Environmentally certified homes sold for 4.8% more and stayed on the market for 24% less time than comparable homes sold last year.” This is good news for the earth, and builders and home-based product manufacturer who have a head start on the greening market.

This reminds me of a similar study done by Prof. Norman Miller, where he found that green (LEED certified and Energy Star rated) office buildings and spaces were selling and renting for more money, as high as 30% more, than regular buildings of similar size and class. So we have evidence in both the commercial and residential sectors of real estate that it pays to go green. It pays while you’re operating a building (we all knew that) and it pays when you rent or sale.
(read more about Prof. Miller’s study)

It will be interesting to see the results continue to come in as more studies are done. For now, there isn’t a valid argument against it. Maybe our status symbols will update, and MTV Cribs will feature stars and athletes with extreme green diggs…

We’ve featured Michelle Kauffman before. Her work is pleasing to me, so I thought I’d share some vidoes. These are inside looks into some of her homes, the Glidehouse and the Sunset Breezehouse. Enjoy…

MKD video 1

MKD video 2

MKD video 3

thanks michelle and preston

Tags: green design, green homes, michelle kauffman, pre fabricated homes

Every morning I look at the same hilltop near my basement apartment and imagine building up there. Something about the seclusion and privacy, the view, the abundant natural light, and living above the smog gives me a boost of energy as I’m headed for work. For now it’s a dream, and it probably will be for a long time, but I’ve nevertheless found the perfect house to go up there, and here she is:

The Lightkeeper by Dan Tyree

Now I know I usually write about green building and sustainability. First let me say that I’m fully aware that spreading away from the urban center is a “no-no”, but then again I’ve already shared my feelings about new urbanism. In regards to building big, I have no intention of building bigger than I feel my family needs, I just have a big family… Now that I’ve provided the disclaimer, here’s my attempt to rationalize my decision.

First of all, just look at this small snippet of the view around here (northern Utah):

It looks much the same all around, not to mention a great view of the valley below. To counter-act myself: Isn’t that what I’m trying to protect? It is…

That’s why I’ll do it with straw bales. I would also put in photovoltaic panels (remember, this is a dream home) and wind turbines. By the way, the wind up on that hill is amazing! I would plant my own small forest and turn the landscape into a permaculture garden. When the air car comes out, I’ll be set. I think I’d be pretty carbon-nuetral at that point. Now, if I can only figure out how to get a road level enough for my air car to make the trip…

A note about the designer:

Dan Tyree is a well respected and creative home designer out of Winter Park, FL. His designs contribute a timeless nature to residential architecture that is a kind of sustainability all it’s own. His homes are in many styles inlcuding, but not limited to, beachfront, craftsman, and modern. His work can be found all around the gulf of mexico and up the eastern seaboard, with several others along the western coast. These homes are found in the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Bahamas, Grand Cayman Islands, and Honduras. He is a member of the Front Porch Design Society, AIBD, and the National Trust of Historic Preservation. He sell his plans digitally and works in the sunlight.

His plans can be found at The Plan Collection.

Tags: dream home, lightkeeper

Agilewaves Inc, a California based IT company, has created the Resource Monitor (shown above) which displays a building’s performance. Their first client, Nueva School in Hillsborough, CA built green, incorporating such things as solar-electric panels and a living roof. When they wanted to measure the performance, they went to Agilewaves.

Keeping track of performance has long been an important practice in any management setting. It strikes me odd that we’re just barely getting building owners interested in moitoring their energy consumption. I liken it to a blazer I used to drive. This model had a monitor that showed me my mpg on an instant. Watching it go up and down affected the way I drove. Not only did I drive to conserve gas, but it resulted in safer practices that I still use today. I think the tech is pretty awesome and has the potential to instigate many changes. Agilewaves CEO, Peter Sharer, recently wrote “Conservation is the low-hanging fruit of resource sustainability. The only investment it requires is that we become more aware of the impact of our unconscious habits”. Obviously Sharer and Nueva School had a connection. C-Net reported “the school said the application will be valuable to facilities managers and to students as an educational tool.”

Look for this technology to be integrated in home network systems and power strips. There are already a few models out there from GE and P3 International.

via C-Net

Tags: conservation, green design, performance monitor, sustainability

Though it may not be the hot topic of the century, building residences with storage containers is getting a lot of attention right now. Let me tell you why.

Structure: The biggest reason the idea has caught on is that the structure is already done. No need to worry about structural support. You also don’t need to worry about fire, mold, or termites.

Customizable: You can put these containers together in just about any configuration. You’ll need a good foundation and a good welder, but that’s about it. The rest can be finished and insulated pretty easily.

Creative: This isn’t exactly a new idea, but it is a creative one. This sort of unique housing is not only fun to live in, but it’s a refreshing statement of modern lifestyle. It’s also a unique solution to conventional housing. Let me put it this way, you can get a 40 foot container with 9 ½ foot ceilings for about $3,100.00 (www.storageaz.com). That’s pretty inexpensive and the work is half done. Cut it open a bit, add your windows and doors, and you’ve got a framed house.

Now I know this still sounds crazy for a lot of people. Take a look at the video by G Living with architect Peter DeMaria for further information on building with storage containers. Visit DeMaria’s website to see more of what he’s talking about.

Cooler than you thought, huh?

Via www.jetsongreen.com(see the video here) and www.storageaz.com

Tags: green design, housing, modern design, storage containers

I’ve seen a lot of cool ideas when it comes to architecture. A lot of them come from renovating old structures. For example, turning old department stores and old churches into a house is pretty cool. It creates an interesting space the seems fresh and accommodating. However, I’ve never seen this before: turning a bridge into a guest house.

This 2004 project by dan hisel design was for a client who just so happens to own an old railroad bridge. I’ve got to credit the story to John at archidose.blogspot.com who put together an amazing story about habitable bridges.

Unfortunately the bridge guest house was never built, but I now find myself itching to go buy a bridge. To the owners: Is yours for sale?

Yale economist Robert Repetto created an interactive website displaying possible economic gains based on cutting carbon emissions. The interactive is based on seven key assumptions pulled from various other models. Repetto decided to put together the best models out there to give a more comprehensive view.

The interactive asks you to decide how likely the seven key assumptions are, and then gives you the standard projected economic growth compared to your predictions. It even shows a worse case scenario. I did it based on my own predictions and found that we would come in just under our expected GDP by the year 2030. The important concept here is that worse case scenario, we’re still growing, and we’re still making money.

The personal problem I have is that the model is based strictly on cutting carbon emissions. We all know that the issue is far more complex than that, at least when it comes to government actions. The real elephant in the room right now is energy independence (which coincides nicely with carbon emissions for the most part). Though impossible to predict all pros and cons of moving away from oil and the like, I’m waiting to see a model that considers these priceless contributions. I just don’t see it happening very quickly unless the government is spurred on by something along the lines of national security. Without government support, the free market will take a while to figure out renewable energy, especially with oil companies around.

Source: Discovery News

Tags: cool websites, green economy

MarketWatch published a market report two days ago about an increase in sales in the housing market. Have we hit the bottom so soon? What I found most interesting were the comments at the bottom. The experts in the peanut gallery tend to disagree.

Author Rex Nutting reported on word from the National Association of Realtors. “Sales of single-family homes rose 2.8% in February to 4.47 million, the second increase in a row and the fastest sales pace since August,” wrote Nutting. He quoted Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisers who said “”We seem to be finding a bottom in home sales even as prices keep falling.” One user commented “It’s all about spin baby, thats all it is.”

While the increase in sales and the decrease in homes on the market is a good sign, it’s interesting that 175 comments in one accord sang disgust. Usually commentators tend to argue one with another, some with the proceeding article, some against. Not this time. Are we being overly pessimistic when we doubt reports from the National Association of Realtors? What possible benefit do they have in tweaking the truth? It will be telling when other organizations follow up with their own studies.

Commentators often toted the ridiculous appreciation rates of homes compared to inflation from the last couple of years. They noted that it was bound to crash. Many laughed at American’s tendency to buy much more than they can afford, trying to “keep up with the Jones’.” I think the best approach was from an “economist for Wachovia” who did so with “cautious optimism.”

Tags: housing market, housing slump, real estate

This last week was the The International Home and Housewares Show 2008 in Chicago. A main focus for many companies was greening up their product line. CNET News gave a thorough report on several of the stand-outs.

Among the featured goodies that CNET found are a power strip that tells you how much power you’re using, a mop that cleans with water alone, a space heater that uses less electricity, and an array of water bottles.

I thought the report was interesting. It’s nice to see companies responding to green concerns. CNET did a good job at explaining the products they featured, and pointing out greenwashing possibilities. Check out the article and research the products. Buying green is as important as building green, and can have farther reaching affects. Here’s your link.

Tags: green design, home products

An important aspect of sustainability is preserving the buildings we can and transforming them into renewed and efficient structures. The unfortunate reality is that remodeling can be a tiring and cumbersome process that leaves a bad taste in your mouth (that’s the mold). Thankfully, remodeling homes is now being recognized and aided. The USGBC and the ASID (that’s the US Green Build Council and the American Society of Interior Designers), the two premier organizations in their respective fields, have joined forces to offer guidelines that cultivate green practices and support proper planning.

Titled REGREEN Residential Remodeling Guidelines and released last weekend at the Interiors 08 conference in New Orleans, the 182 page document covers topics such as home performance, major addition, gut rehab, and deep energy retrofit. In the interest of definitions, the guidelines state that “green remodeling is the design and construction of projects that reduce environmental impacts of remodeling, including energy, water, and materials consumption; waste generation; and harmful emissions, both indoors and out.” Clearly the effort is focused on a whole-systems approach, denouncing the thought that bamboo floors and recycled glass countertops make a home ecologically responsible. Planning is stressed, and the document is presented in a project-based approach, helping the reader see similar projects, including case studies, and hear comments of those involved. The format is designed to offer specific and thorough help with examples and an extensive strategy library. Consider this a must-have for anyone tackling a remodeling project.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of this guideline is that it’s a guideline. Don’t confuse this with the USGBC’s LEED for Homes. This is not a certification program, just some helpful hints from those who know the most. In a residential situation, certification doesn’t always make sense. Homeowners can still know they’re following the experts without spending extra money on a certificate that doesn’t hold any real value. Now certification will probably help out your equity, and I can see the importance of LEED for Homes with new construction especially. This may become an issue of codes before long. However, the reassurance that we don’t always need to be labeled by the state is a good thing.

Thanks to the USBGC and the ASID. This may be one of the most important steps in the battle for middle-class earth we’ve taken so far.

Tags: asid, green building, green design, Remodeling, usgbc