GREEN-FRIENDLY

Sustainable, energy-saving homes important buying factor

By Kathy Dean

As environmental awareness grows, prospective homeowners are looking for houses that are energy e cient and sustainable. Atlanta builders are up to the challenge, as they continue to design and construct more green-friendly homes.

“Homebuyers are increasingly interested in well-built and sustainable homes,” said Beth Fore, Vice President of Operations and Consulting at Cablik Enterprises. “Buyers are becoming aware of the way that a home’s structure a ects their utility bills, and they’re looking for proper insulation techniques and products.”

Some of the points that people are looking for these days include LEED-certi ed builders, EarthCra Houses and Energy Star appliances. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a rating for the design and construction of green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. EarthCra Houses are residences that meet criteria such as proper site planning, resourcee cient building materials, indoor air quality and water conservation. And Energy Star products use about 20 to 30 percent less energy than is required by federal standards.

Fore noted that spray foam insulation has become quite popular since it’s a key component to constructing a solid building envelope, the barrier between the home’s conditioned and unconditioned environments.

“Cablik Enterprises has signi cant experience in green building practices,” she said. “We built the rst LEED-Silver certi ed home in Atlanta, and a strong majority of our homes are built to EarthCra standards. In addition, we’ve included geothermal systems and advanced HVAC [heating, ventilation and air conditioning] systems for some of our clients. We can build as green as a homeowner wants to go.” e GreenSmart program is extremely comprehensive and includes sprayon insulation that lls wall cavities, energy e cient plumbing and lighting xtures, house wrap and air sealing. Radiant low emissivity (low-E) glass is used for windows to heat and prevent sunlight from overheating rooms, and radiant barrier roo ng blocks 97 percent of all radiant heat going into the attic to keep houses cooler. rive Homes currently has een modern townhomes available at 712 Oakview in Decatur. Priced from the mid $400s, each townhome features a two-car garage, a roo op terrace and top of the line nishes throughout.

Green building practices don’t require that homeowners sacri ce comfort or style. Cablik Enterprises’ 975 at e Park, a collection of four modern townhomes located near Piedmont and 10th Street, o er skyline views from the windows, balconies and roo op decks. ey have three bedrooms, three baths, oor-toceiling glass windows and rich, hardwood oors.

Nestled in Midtown, the West Highlands neighborhood o ers new Cra sman style homes in the low $200s. e Brock Built Properties community boasts plenty of green space that includes Herman H. Perry Park, picnic areas, walking paths and a playground.

Brock Built is so dedicated to green building and conservation that it has developed the GreenSmart program, designed to save energy.

“Many of our homeowners are focused on both ongoing energy e ciency—including R38 blown-in insulation (which exceeds the code requirement of R30), tankless water heaters, and water-saving plumbing xtures—and sustainable and recycled materials like the engineered oor system made from recycled material and engineered hardwood ooring,” reported Kirstin Hobday, Chief Operating O cer of rive Homes.

Hobday added that one of the most e ective materials she has found for green building is radiant barrier sheathing, a product that keeps the attic temperature cooler and ultimately reduces energy costs.

“I think it’s important for any forward-thinking builder to be focused on energy e ciency and thinking green,” Hobday stated. “From the low-E double-pane windows and doors and the use of e cient heat pumps with fresh air intake, to professional air sealing and the use of a radiant barrier sheathing, we’ve researched and adapted the best practices of EarthCra certi cation to our construction speci cations in an e ort to build highly energy e cient homes.”

Another Decatur neighborhood, Park Overlook, is a unique enclave of 10 single-family homes priced from the mid $600s. e alley-entry homes, many on private, cul-de-sac homesites, have had so much interest that the nal three homes are currently under construction by Monte Hewett Homes.

“We’ve been building energy-e cient homes for many years, long before it was an important buying factor for homeowners,” said Dina M. Gundersen, Director of Marketing at Monte Hewett Homes. “In our Park Overlook community in Decatur, we installed water saving plumbing xtures, a feature that future homeowners have asked about. We also make sure that every home goes through blower door and ‘duct blaster’ testing to ensure the integrity of the building envelope.”

Brock Built Homes (above and inset) have built these “green homes” called West Highlands west of Downtown.

At left, a home at Park Overlook from Monte Hewett Homes.

She neatly summed up Monte Hewett Homes’ philosophy: “’Green building’ is no longer a buzz word, it’s an expectation—and rightly so.” options from private estates and cottages to condominiums and

John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods prides itself on building green, energy-e cient housing. eir homes are out tted with aerated plumbing xtures and watersaving toilets, Energy Star appliances and lighting, and e cient heating/cooling systems with programmable thermostats. Building features include quality insulation, house wrap, vinyl windows with low-E glass, waterbased paints and engineered lumber made of renewable materials.

Turnbury Gates in Chamblee is a John Wieland gated neighborhood of luxury townhomes. Homes surround the neighborhood’s central park that features a sparkling pool and private pavilion with an outdoor fireplace.

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