House of the Week: Green Building

This weekend I will be attending the always-outstanding, Invisible River (come visit me on the banks!). The event is a theatrical performance on the river, for the river. Over the years, the mission has been to shed light on the history of and human impact on the Schuylkill River. Its always a stunning, awe-inspiring performance so I highly recommend a visit - plus you can come see me and register for a chance to win a free Nest thermostat!

Anyway, a recent Green Designee from the National Association of Realtors, I have been focusing more on sustainability in design and home maintenance. So in honor of the upcoming sustainable water event this weekend and this recent trend, this week's home is a beautiful, green-design new construction in the heart of Northern Liberties!

827 N 5th St $644,000

This 3 bed, 3 full bath townhome in the heart of hipster mecca is my favorite green new construction on the market right now because not only did the builder pick energy-efficient and sustainable building practices and materials at every turn, they also chose to do so with a huge nod towards modern design. From the modern, alcove-entry to the custom walnut cabinetry to the lighting choices to the reclaimed wood fence outdoors and sliding barn doors inside, anyone would be proud to call this design-heavy home theirs, even if it wasn't green.

But it is. Very. Its designed to be a passive house, meaning it naturally uses the home's positioning and environment to keep it warm and cool naturally. It has a HERS index of 51 (a baseline new construction home is around 100 and a net-zero energy home is 0, so thats pretty amazing - especially since most Philly row homes are probably over the 100 mark with loosing energy). All utilities are energy efficient models, as are the appliances. The water fixtures are low-flow and dual-flush, conserving water. And reclaimed wood products are used throughout the house. Triple-pain windows and extra insulation keep the building envelope well sealed. Finally, and probably most impressive for a city row home, is that the roof is topped with 2 rows of solar panels!

Scroll down for pictures, click the above address link for the Realtor site, or, better yet, click here for the full walk-through video (done by HomeJab, with whom I love working)

I do not represent this listing or seller. All information is received through Trend MLS and is deemed accurate at time of posting. Some information in this posting is only the opinion of the writer. Please call or email me at 215-350-0464 and meg.augustin@foxroach.com, respectfully, for more information.

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