ecohome guy

My brother Speech & Co. bringing us a pertinent message buoyed by some sweet rhythm, harmony and melody.  Thanks for taking us to the other side, AD. This pilgrim is singing your tune...

Yesterday I spent the morning showing my clients several properties. Nothing unusual there for a real estate broker. Except that we did all the showings on foot. It was cold and overcast but my Buyers were game so we covered some ground in the Old Fourth Ward. The tour included a range of homes, from a $49K 1895 row house within view of the MLK Jr. birthplace to a stunning $749K 3 story modern with city skyline views from the roof terrace. All within a few city blocks. Talk about diversity.

This is a logical approach to buying when part of the attraction to the area is the walkability.

The latest demographical and consumer behavior data suggest that this may become a routine experience for me. A recent Urban Land Institute report focuses on major demographic waves to watch in the new decade. The study centered on four major people groups: Aging Baby Boomers, Younger Baby Boomers, Generation Y, and Immigrants. All of these groups have some common characteristics that reflect a desire to live in more pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented, mixed-use environments that de-emphasize auto dependency, whether the location is urban or suburban, the report noted.

So how do I articulate this growing demand? In the past I've promoted Rail Estate [homes within 1/2 mile of MARTA] and homes within bike-friendly communities. Real Estate company Pedal to Properties calls bike-friendly properties Wheel Estate. I'll take a cue from them and call homes in walkable neighborhoods Heel Estate.

If you find yourself in step with this trend you should know that The Old Fourth Ward scores high in all these categories: 

• WalkScore.com gives the neighborhood high 80's, making the area rich in "Very Walkable" Heel Estate.
• Located in close proximity to heavily-trafficked bike paths on Freedom Parkway and the Edgewood Avenue corridor makes bike culture increasingly pervasive and Wheel Estate abundant. 
• As a primary node on the developing BeltLine, the area will continue to evolve as premium territory for pedestrian-, bike-friendly, transit-oriented lifestyles. Or Rail, Wheel, and Heel Estate. 

Ready to go house hunting in a walkable, historic, intown community? Put on your walking shoes and let's stroll!

City of Atlanta has millions of dollars available to help with down payments for homes on the BeltLine. Here are some program basics:

• 10 – 20% of purchase price
• Purchase price limit is $252,890
• Must be in the BeltLine Tax Allocation District. 
• Income eligibility:
  • 1 or 2 person household: $71,200 household income or less
  • 3 or more person household: 81,800 household income or less
• Assistance is in the form of a 0% interest second mortgage
• Repayment of mortgage is due in full upon sale, refinancing, or when the home is no longer owner-occupied. Mortgage loan is forgiven after 15 years.

Let me assist you in acquiring your very own home on the BeltLine in 2010! Email me or call 404.421.9968 today.

Last year Clayton Homes of Knoxville, TN made a quantum leap in sustainable and affordable living with their introduction of the i-house. This is the little house that roared across the blogosphere in 2009 [it was #1 in Top 10 Jetson Green Stories of 2009].

I'm stoked to begin the new year/decade by announcing the Berkshire Hathaway company is bringing the i-house to Atlanta.

In addition to solar, this i-house will be the first to feature the i-raincatcher, a rainwater harvesting system custom designed to fully leverage the rain catchment capabilities of the ecohome's metal butterfly roof.

As my readers know, I'm fond of christening projects. I'm calling Atlanta's first i-house the LightHouse because this home will be a beacon of sustainability and affordability to the Atlanta community.

This home will define sustainable with the following features:

• Solar panels 
• Whole-house rainwater harvesting system
• HERS rating of 42 [Almost 60% more energy-efficient than the typical new home]
• System built [greenest way to build]
• Location efficient [embedded in one of Atlanta's most walkable neighborhoods and close to MARTA, future BeltLine, and bike paths] 

This home will define affordability because of:

• Potential utility costs of $1 per day courtesy of the HERS rating and solar panels
• Potential $0 per month water bills
• Energy tax credits of 65% of cost of solar
• Price point well below homes with similar green features

The i-house homeowner will live light-on-the-land with operational costs that will be light-on-the-pocketbook.

We will be announcing the location soon, so stay tuned...

Did you know that Georgia receives 5.5 peak hours of sun per day – twice as many hours as Germany, the international leader in solar power? This makes Atlanta ripe for a solar revolution powering a new economy and more homes with clean, green, plentiful, localized energy.

Georgia Solar Energy Association does it's part every year to inspire us with local real-world examples of solar projects. On October 3, 2009 GSEA sponsors an educational tour featuring homes, businesses, and educational/government/religious facilities with solar system installations. Visit www.gasolar.org for more info. The tour ends later that day at the German-inspired Hotoberfest in Glenwood Park where attendees can enjoy craft brews and a solar-powered music venue. Ain't it cool how all this ties together?

We are proud to have our premiere ecohome listing, Eden House, as part of the tour, showcasing the solar hot water system.

With the federal, state, and local incentives, the time has never been better to implement your own solar energy system.

A key component of green building philosophy advocates the recycling and reclaimation of construction materials whenever possible. The net effect is that some rather humble stuff can enjoy rebirth and new purpose. There's something about taking material destined for the landfill and reusing it in a home that can create a kind of transcendental beauty in the process.

So it is with Eden House. Recycled/reclaimed items in this home include:

• Broken-up sidewalk reclaimed for open grid pavers
• Countertops with recycled aggregate
• Outdoor railings from pallet wood
• Green roof growth media from recycled mulch product
• Rain barrels made from reclaimed food containers
• Basement concrete from 45% recycled materials
• Finger-jointed wood stud framing

Absolute best practices are when you reuse material from the site in a creative new way like architect David Butler did with the old sidewalks bordering the property.

The confluence of pavers, pallet wood railings, and rain barrel pictured below illustrate in beautiful application the ideal of reduce, reuse, and recycle as applied to building science.

From the forward to the annual review of the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment: 

I feel immense frustration at the slow pace of change in the face of the increasingly urgent need for more sensitive and responsive human environments," Prince Charles wrote.

"The task is made all the harder by the short-term thinking that still predominates in so many spheres of life: a perspective which threatens at a fundamental level our ability to avert catastrophic climate change…

"Expressed in terms of the built environment, within the UK, the emphasis of my foundation remains on maintaining the drive towards dense, mixed-use, walkable development in preference to suburban sprawl, as well as the evolution of residential design to show that 'eco-homes' can be as attractive and courteous to their surrounds as the most desirable traditional dwellings."