albuquerque: Earth Origins Construction's "Our Eco Inspired Home"
- 02/19/09 04:34 AM
I am very excited to announce that Earth Origins Construction is gearing up to showcase our current green project, "Our Eco-Inspired Home", in the Green Built Tour New Mexico set to occur May 16th-17th 2009. Our Eco-Inspired Home was designed to respect and honor the beauty and health of the earth, synchronizing green construction technologies with organic, natural aesthetics. This home reflects Earth Origins Construction's commitment to blending green building innovations with breathtaking beauty. "Our Eco Inspired Home" features: Projected HERS rating at 56. Test administered by Larry Gorman with Building Energy Solution. Home exceeds high performance requirements of level 1 insulation of EPA's Energy Star Program. … (1 comments)
albuquerque: Drought Tolerant Landscaping in New Mexico
- 11/22/08 12:26 AM
Now that we are in fall season, with some days feeling like winter, I am amazed at how much color still exists on in my mostly drought tolerant landscaped yard. This was the first year that I spent a lot of time planting, seeding, and gardening my yard and the aesthetic payoff has lasted months beyond expectation. So I thought I'd post a bit about the "wonders" of gardening a Southwest-inspired-by nature-landscape. Living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, anyone will tell you how dry it can get. And although it is imperative that we drink enough water everyday to keep our … (1 comments)
albuquerque: Good News for Albuquerque's Housing Market
- 11/19/08 12:20 AM
These days when anytime a person hears the word "economy" it is never followed with a feel-good response. Growth and economy are never heard in the same sentence (unless it is something like "the US (or global) economy is experiencing fast, negative, rock bottom declining growth." So I was happy to open up an email sent out by the Realtors Association of New Mexico Online News this morning to read that Housing Predictor forcasts the Albuquerque real estate housing market shows promise of stabilty, dependabilty, and maybe? even slight growth! The city of Albuquerque has avoided the subprime crisis and our economy is marked with healthy growth potential. News like this is like … (0 comments)
albuquerque: Online Continuing Ed -Informative but TIME CONSUMING
- 11/18/08 11:28 PM
I just completed an on-line continuing ed class offered by Kaplan entitled Home Inspection and Environmental Basics. It covered an array of topics from radon, lead concerns and disclosure, formaldehyde, mold, indoor air quality, sick building syndrome, red flags when inspecting a home, water leakages, safe drinking water, different types of soils (foundation issues), indoor air quality, underground storage tanks, electromagnetic fields, biological pollutants, combustion pollution. The list goes on and on. Now, as a person concerned with the environment, as a real estate broker, as an EcoBroker, and as home builder, this class was really invaluable. But as someone who has a lot … (2 comments)
albuquerque: Improve the Indoor Air Quality of Your Home
- 11/17/08 10:30 AM
For most people, it comes as a suprise to learn that a home's interior exposes us to 2-5 times more pollution than we are exoposed to outdoors. Given that most of us spend the majority of our time indoors, and that many buildings are tightly sealed for energy efficiency, creating healthy indoor air is an important step toward "greening" our homes. Simple ways to improve indoor air quality are: 1) Increase air filtration and ventilation in your home. Just open up a window and let the air in. 2) Change your air filters in your heating and cooling duct systems often. 3) Grow houseplants. Plants not only consume carbon … (0 comments)
albuquerque: Green Appraiser in New Mexico
- 11/11/08 12:12 AM
Does anyone out there (in New Mexico) know of an appraiser that specializes (or at least has a wide knowledge base) in green home appraisals? Green built homes -should- carry a higher value per foot than do "non-eco" homes but there are so few green homes out there to compare. In fact, The National Association of Realtors reports that Congress is actually considering legislation, HR 6078, which would require energy efficient, energy-conserving, and renewable energy sources be considered as improvements in an appraisal. The house I am building right now is located in Albuquerque's North Valley, which anyone who knows, is itself … (5 comments)
albuquerque: Concrete Floors in High-End, Green Home?
- 11/10/08 07:59 AM
As a green builder with Albuquerque's Earth Origins Construction, I am constantly researching and pondering over the best products and processes to use to make a home both green and beautiful. (Although in my mind, anything that is sustainably built is, by principle, beautiful.) As a real estate broker I also have to consider what makes a home marketable, too. It's great to come into the real estate world from both these angles, as a realtor and builder. I would like to thow a question out to you brokers, in particular to those who have experience working with clients concerned about … (8 comments)
albuquerque: Book Recommendation: Earth Spirit Living: Bringing Heaven and Nature into Your Home
- 11/10/08 06:45 AM
As I am in the midst of building a green home, it is important to me to make sure that the aesthetics and "energy" of this home reflect, honor, and bring forth the power and beauty of the earth. I want the "what" and the "how" to converge, so that not only do the building practices honor this planet as much as possible, but also that the energy which the home creates inspires whomever inhabits this home to also honor the earth. OK. You might think this sounds a bit hookey or new agey. (New agey I am not - maybe just a bit crunchy). … (0 comments)
albuquerque: To Microwave or Not?
- 11/09/08 04:38 PM
As mentioned in an earlier entry, I am a green builder and am currently building a totally eco-friendly home in Albuquerque's North Valley. One of the questions my wife/partner and I are deliberating over is whether or not to install a mircowave into the home. We have made the mindful choice to not own one for over the last five years. Our decision has been based on the reseach which shows that microwaves change the mollecular/ cellular structure of food and that they emit large amounts of electromagnetic waves/pollution. Health is our number one priority. Now becuase we are building this home … (9 comments)
albuquerque: What is an EcoBroker?
- 11/09/08 04:07 PM
I often get asked the question "What is an EcoBroker?" So here are a few thoughts to answer that question: An EcoBroker is trained to address the energy and environmental issues that affect real estate transactions. EcoBrokers are real estate professionals pushing the real estate market toward energy-efficient, sustainable, and healthier design/features in homes and buildings. The "performance home" movement is getting a boost thanks to this type of holistic real estate professional earning the EcoBroker designation. With national surveys indicating that 80% of consumers consider themselves "green-minded," real estate professionals with the EcoBroker designation are in a better position to … (1 comments)
I am very excited to announce that Earth Origins Construction is gearing up to showcase our current green project, "Our Eco-Inspired Home", in the Green Built Tour New Mexico set to occur May 16th-17th 2009. ;)
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