Article Category: General Features

Tom Owens: Certifying it Twice

Certifying it Twice: High-Performance Home Receives ENERGY STAR® 3 and Green Built Homes Certifications Tom Owens   Clients came to us a few years ago in search of someone who could both design and build a home that would be environmentally friendly, energy efficient and structurally durable. They had a...

READ ARTICLE

Rob Howard: Practical Priorities

Practical Priorities: Asheville Home Serves as High-Performance Prototype Rob Howard   Today’s homebuyers have a tendency to focus on creature comforts and prioritize the components of a home that can be seen and touched like paint colors, kitchen cabinets, countertops and bathroom tiles. Especially for those designing and building a...

READ ARTICLE

Garret K. Woodward: Breaking Through

Breaking Through: Green Built Homes Certification Program Hits 1,500 Milestone Garret K. Woodward   What once was considered a fringe industry has now become a force in the housing market of Asheville and greater Western North Carolina. “It does seem like a green-certified house in our market has become less...

READ ARTICLE

Leigha Dickens: Coulda, Would, Shoulda

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda: (Flawed) Reasons People Don’t Use Green Building Certification Programs Leigha Dickens   If I had a dollar for every time a client chose not to certify their custom new home through a third-party green-building program, then I’d have more dollars than you might think. Even among clients...

READ ARTICLE

Lee Warren and Richard Freudenberger: Sustainability Simplified

Sustainability Simplified: Ten Solutions In and Around Your Home Lee Warren and Richard Freudenberger   Life is full. We understand. That’s why we made a list of sustainability solutions that are easy, fun, and hopefully doable. If you pick three to implement each year for three years, then you’ll nearly...

READ ARTICLE

Gwen Hill: Building Up Our Youth

Building Up Our Youth: Local Program Creates Career Pathways in Building Trades for At-Risk Youth Gwen Hill   n the summer of 2018, Asheville-based nonprofit Green Opportunities kicked-off the second of three planned cycles of its new YouthBuild training program, a tuition-free pre-apprenticeship program designed for out-of-school youth in Buncombe...

READ ARTICLE

Garret K. Woodward: Rebuilding Affrilachia

Rebuilding Affrilachia: The Value of History and Equity in our Growing Community Garret K. Woodward   Just inside the entrance gate of the Burton Street Community Peace Garden in West Asheville hangs a sign that reads, “Good planets are hard to replace. Treat kindly.” The large hillside garden is accented...

READ ARTICLE

Cari Barcas: Setting the Course for Clean Energy

Setting the Course for Clean Energy: Blue Horizons Project Empowers Community to Conserve Energy and Preserve Region By Cari Barcas   Resulting from a two-year collaboration between local government, business, nonprofit and environmental leaders, the Blue Horizons Project is a comprehensive hub of energy-efficiency programs to empower community members to...

READ ARTICLE

Jonathan Gach: Big-Picture Weatherization

Big-Picture Weatherization: Blue Horizon’s Energy Upgrade Program Jonathan Gach   The Asheville area is fortunate to have a variety of organizations on hand locally to help low-income residents face the challenges that can come with owning or renting a home. Eblen Charities’ Energy Assistance program can help families pay for...

READ ARTICLE

Garret K. Woodward: Filling in the Gaps

Filling in the Gaps: Energy Savers Network Helps Low-Income Homes Garret K. Woodward   It was the basketball-sized hole in the dining room window that stuck out the most for Alice Wyndham. “It was the second house we worked on. He was a veteran who had cancer. His mother had...

READ ARTICLE