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.

Comments

Accessibility in Good Design

I've been impressed lately with some of amount of accessible design features I've seen around as of late. By "accessible design", I mean home decor, renovations and design that is accessible to those with a physical impairment or disability. First I noticed that back in March, Better Homes and Gardens did a great feature on a home designed with a wheelchaired child in mind. Yes, it was a rancher and mid-century modern in design so it leant itself to move open-flow and clean line design. But even if this isn't your style, there were some great ideas here! Check it out here Then I saw Southern Living did a great home build with "adaptive design" in mind. This was a great feature because it reviewed new construction and slight changes in thinking to make just a welcoming, easy access home for all guests. As noted in the article, " If you’re going to be a good host, particularly from the Southern point of view, where we’re all about hospitality, ...

All About Green!

Bright white and moody colors will likely never go out of style but we are seeing more and more mid-tones come back on trend (last time mid-tones were cool were probably around 2000 when Pottery Barn was THE word). One of the ones I am seeing most often is a gray-green. Its a friendly color that pairs well with more modern tones (think the grays, blacks and whites we have been seeing) but warms nicely with wood tones and natural materials. Apparently SW sees this too as their color of the year (and the month of Jan) is Evergreen Fog. Want to see some of the best ways to use it? Loving these cabinets in green! Again, working well hear with both bronze/black and earth tones Love this more traditional-eclectic look. Looks much more saturated in a dark space! But also a great pairing for a mid-century boho look Great combo color - bold but not overly so. Here looking more truly green against the dark blue Whatever your style, this is ...

Those pesky extra rooms...

Ok, its a pretty first-world problem, but there plenty of people who live in suburbia (or even in the city!) who have a room or two that they just don't use. Often, its a formal dining room or extra bedroom, but if you are the owner of such a room, you may wonder why you are paying for so much unused space! Today, I'm walking through some of the best uses of dead space in your house and how to make it you new favorite room! The Formal Dining Room This is the most commonly "complained-about" space in the suburban home. While we still like to entertain, a lot of people aren't crazy about a whole, extra, (often large) room thats only used on a handful of occasions throughout the year. Unless you have family dinners there, this is likely a space that you are taxed on & heating that sits vacant 350 days of the year. One of my personal favorite ways to reuse this room is to use it as a craft/workspace. The room can keep a large dining table and chairs that ...

The Little Realtor

Search This Blog