green homes: If I Want a Green(er) Home Where Do I Start?
- 06/19/10 04:35 AM
There are no national standards for what a “green” home really is. The USGBC (United States Green Building Council) has the most recognized green building and retrofitting/remodeling standards in the country. But there are others—all with different standards. There’s the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Build It Green and Built Green (yes, different organizations). Then there are local standards such as Arlington, Virginia's Green Home Choice Program. Well you get the picture--whose standards do you use. But here’s the thing—right now, in the Washington Metro area where I do business, there just aren’t a lot of new homes being built to … (1 comments)
green homes: If It's a Green Home Can I Afford It and What's A Green Home Anyway
- 06/16/10 03:55 AM
So you’re thinking about buying a green home. What does that mean, actually? Does it mean buying a really big expensive home with “green” features? Does it mean buying a really small home with a tiny ecological footprint? Does it mean solar panels and a wind turbine in your back yard? Does it mean you’re being a hypocrite if you don’t use rainwater barrels and stop driving your car? Does it mean spending a lot more money than you ever would for a regular house? “Forget it. I’ll just buy a regular house. It’s all to complicated, expensive and politically correct for me … (2 comments)
green homes: Literally Walking the Walk: Walkable Communities are Green Communities
- 05/11/10 12:08 AM
The word pedestrian pertains to walking. But another somewhat derogatory meaning is: monotonous, dreary, commonplace, dull--which is what some diehard city dwellers often think of suburban living. Well, tell that to the homeowners with a 70-100% walk score on www.walkscore.com even though they live in "the burbs". Tell that to my clients whose home sold for $40,000 above list price in 2009 in the middle of a housing recession, partly because their 1938 cape cod was walking distance to the vibrant Clarendon section of Arlington, VA. Walkability is the new green and sustainable. All over the country “more and more buyers want to live where they can park … (0 comments)
green homes: Cleaning on the Cheap Save Money Save the Planet
- 10/30/08 08:52 PM
Cleaning on the CheapSave Money Save the PlanetIf you want to trim your budget, stop buying expensive and potentially toxic cleaning supplies. Growing up in the fifties before Ad Men took over, cleaning supplies in the grocery store probably took up about one tenth of a grocery store isle. This morning I walked down a complete, 48 foot grocery isle with cleaning supplies of one type of another taking up one entire side of of the isle. And they were expensive! Now that we're all watching our pennies, here's a secret. Plain old white vinegar can clean just about anything. … (1 comments)
green homes: Eco-Friendly Kitchen Countertops
- 08/13/08 07:22 AM
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 There is a saying in the world of environmental sustainability: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-in that order. What does that mean when it comes to replacing your countertops when you remodel your kitchen. Of course Formica countertops are oh, so passé. Corian has also gone out of fashionable favor. Formica is plastic coated with a resin made with formaldehyde and Corian is petroleum based. So, neither of these is very environmentally favorable. Granite is a "with it" alternative and it's, well, natural, right? Natural yes, but questionable quarrying practices and the high energy costs of shipping such heavy material … (1 comments)
green homes: What's That Smell?
- 05/22/08 07:35 AM
No it's not the cat litter box or a garbage can that needs emptying. That smell may be more than just a nasty odor, it might very well be downright hazardous. In fact the EPA has determined that indoor air quality is typically "between two and five times more contaminated than outside air and in some cases, a hundred times more." If, as a buyer or homeowner, you or any of your family members suffer from asthma or allergies then you should be extra concerned about the quality of the air inside any home you own or are considering purchasing. Even … (4 comments)
green homes: Home Owners, Buyers and Sellers What it Means to be Green
- 03/07/08 01:11 AM
It's very chic to be "green" these days. But what this actually means has many interpretations. So the first thing I would like to posit is that being "green" doesn't have to be expensive, isn't necessarily sexy and you don't have to buy a lot of new stuff to call yourself environmentally conscious. As a home owner, buyer or seller there are simple things that you can be aware of that will both SAVE you money and help save our increasingly fragile Mother Earth. So on this blog I will offer you some options that will help you to take baby … (0 comments)
This blog is my attempt to share all of the information and knowledge that I have gained and continue to gain about how to "green" our lives. I want to help people to look at their carbon footprints when they buy, sell and renovate homes.
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