HGTV recently gave away a multi-million dollar dream home in Islamorada, FL and now they’re giving away their very first eco-friendly Green Home located in Bluffton, SC near Hilton Head Island. My persistent daily entries DID NOT pay off for the Islamorada giveaway but maybe they will for this one. It won’t hurt to try and it would be well worth the effort.
I must admit…I admire much of what HGTV does. And why wouldn’t I? They provide an abundance of informative programs and great website DIY-type reference material for homeowners and for folks that just want to gather ideas (pssst…The Fun Times Guide To Homebuilding is a great homeowner idea source, too!).
I think it was a smart move on HGTV’s part to have a green home giveaway. Why? The architectural know-how & technology is here and constantly improving, materials are readily available while at the same time becoming more affordable every day, and developers/builders recognize the demand from customers to build eco-friendly homes on sustainable sites.
In fact, a national green building initiative, dubbed LEED, rewarded the eco-friendly HGTV green home with its’ Gold level certification. That’s an excellent score for their first time out. Next time I say they need to shoot for the top-rated Platinum level to set an example and show everyone how it’s done and any cutting edge technological solutions or ideas.
What’s The Lesson For Home Builders?
You can’t go a day without seeing, reading or hearing about something green. If I’m a residential builder (I’m not one) looking for an edge on the competition, “I’m pickin’ low hanging fruit” by earning one of the national or regional green homebuilding certifications. It doesn’t have to be LEED…there are others. Earthcraft House would be one example of a regional green building initiative that is in our area.
Here’s a great tour of the interior of the home. Check it out…
Here are just a few of the green building features that make this home the wave of the future…only here and now:
- LEED “Gold” Certified by U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
- Greywater reclamation system
- Sprayed-in foam insulation
- Tankless water heaters
- High performance windows
- Green flooring using engineered hardwood products and recyclable Anso nylon fiber carpeting
- 16 SEER HVAC system using a non-CFC refrigerant
- Sustainable Site best practices
- Rainwater harvesting system
- Permeable site
- Low-flow faucets and showerheads
- Photovoltaic solar panel system
Are you interested in learning more about gaining LEED certification for your homebuilding project? Check out the LEED for homes rating system.
Here are even more great resources about green homebuilding in general, as well as the HGTV Green Home:
- Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH)
- HGTV Green Home Giveaway official site
- Delve into the nitty-gritty details of the HGTV Green Home
- Tradition Hilton Head and LEED
I started as a home-stalker… visiting brand new homes under construction in the neighborhoods near my house. That inspired me to write about home building and home renovation projects — chronicling homes during different phases of construction from a consumer's point-of-view. Basically, the tips you'll find in my articles are a collection of checklists for what I think should (and should not) go into building or remodeling a quality home.
