A couple of months ago we told you about a huge milestone the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) reached with one billion square feet of LEED-certified space. Recently, the USGBC announced that over 10,000 homes in the nation have attained LEED certification through the LEED for Homes program.

Nate Kredich, vice president of residential market development for the USGBC, said “Reaching this milestone signifies the continued transformation of the home building industry towards high-performing, healthy homes that save home owners money. Market leaders across the production, multifamily, affordable and custom home segments have recognized that there are green homes, and then there are LEED Homes, and they are acting accordingly.”

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Salishan 7 project took place earlier this year. The Salishan 7 project was the 10,000th project to receive certification through LEED for Homes.

Green Building Pro reports that since the program’s launch back in 2008, 10,161 homes have been certified. The 10,000^th home to earn LEED certification was the Tacoma Housing Authority’s 91-unit development, Salishan 7. That project was also the first federally funded HOPE VI Redevelopment project to achieve LEED Platinum status.

This is a huge moment in the LEED for Homes program and Trilogy Partners is thrilled to have contributed to over 10,000 homes becoming LEED-certified!

Photo credit: Tacoma Housing Authority.

We like to keep up with everything that’s going on in the world of LEED certification here at Trilogy Partners, so we found this news to be really cool. Students studying architecture at Tulane University, along with their professors, have built the first LEED-certified residential project for a first-time home buyer in New Orleans.

According to Editor at Large, this project was a collaboration between URBANbuild, a design-build program at Tulane University in which students take part in, designing and constructing prototypical homes in neighborhoods throughout New Orleans, and the Neighborhood Housing Services.

The home’s owner, Tami Hills, was thrilled to receive a certificate honoring her home’s energy-efficient design. She noted having insulation as one of her favorite aspects of her home because for the first time since she began living in New Orleans, she is “warm in the winter and cool in the summer.”

The porch of Tami Hills' LEED-certified home in New Orleans.

Additional green features of this LEED-certified home include low-E windows, Energy Star electrical features, an energy-saving air conditioner, and sustainable materials such as bamboo flooring and zero-VOC interior paint.

We think this is awesome news for the LEED program! You can learn more about this project at Editor at Large.

Photo credit: Editoratlarge.com.

Builder magazine has recently revealed the top housing markets to watch in 2011 and we here at Trilogy Partners were delighted to see that a Colorado market made the list of 22 “intriguing markets.” All 22 markets appear on the Builder Health Market, which scores the top 100 housing markets based on the number of building permits pulled. Check out what Builder magazine had to say about the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield market.

The Denver-Aurora-Broomfield housing market was named as one of the top markets to watch in 2011.

The Denver-Aurora-Broomfield market was at number 40 out of the top 100 markets and has a projected building permit forecast of 8,178 for 2011. According to Builder magazine, Denver has already moved into the recovery stage as foreclosures are down 9 percent since 2008. Denver was the 24^th largest housing market last year and has a growing population as more people are drawn to the nearby scenery and recreational opportunities. Additionally, the unemployment rate in that area is below the national average and building permit activity rose by 22 percent last year, which leads to the expectation for a faster increase in 2011.

It’s exciting to hear about such great things going on in Colorado’s building industry! You can check out Builder magazine for additional information.

Photo credit: Denver-travel-services.com.

Last week the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) exhibit “Neighborhoods Go Green! Scaling up Sustainability” opened in Washington, DC. The exhibit models LEED for Neighborhood Development, which is the first comprehensive benchmark for green neighborhood design and is a framework to investigate the elements needed in a sustainable community. The exhibit is on display at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) headquarters.

"Neighborhoods Go Green!" will be on display at the American Institute of Architects headquarters until April 21.

The exhibit features text, photos, and illustrations that represent the features of a model green neighborhood, according to a press release from the USGBC. It also showcases several successful LEED-certified projects from around the nation.

Rick Fedrizzi, the president, CEO, and founding chair of the USGBC, said “’Neighborhoods Go Green!’ celebrates the projects around the world that are helping transform our neighborhoods into walkable, sustainable and economically thriving communities. This exhibit highlights the link between the importance of sustainability and the places where we live and work.”

“Neighborhoods Go Green!” will be on display in Washington, DC, until April 21, 2011, after which it will tour the U.S. You can learn more about the exhibit at www.usgbc.org/ngg.

Photo credit: Usgbc.org.

As more homeowners consider ways to reduce their impact on the environment, more and more are choosing sustainable and green building methods. It’s really great that so many people are becoming more environmentally conscious, but according to Buildipedia.com, if you want to make sure the final product is a quality green build, you’ll want to make sure your project is certified through a third-party rating system.

The most popular green rating system here in the U.S., and one that you here us at Trilogy Partners talk about a lot is the LEED for Homes system from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Another program, the National Green Building Standard (NGBS), was created by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the International Code Council (ICC). Today we’re going to share a few of the differences between the two programs with you.

• LEED for Homes requires a LEED for Homes provider and a Green Rater for each project. The NGBS’ third-party verification depends on which performance path the homeowner chooses to follow.
• LEED for Homes requires preliminary and final certification of each project, including a preliminary certification and review by the Provider, a preliminary inspection by the Green Rater (typically done before drywall installation), final inspection and testing  by the Green Rater, and a final certification by the Provider.
• The NGBS’ performance path consists of various inspections and testing similar to that of the EPA Energy Star program. This includes testing and inspecting individual components, such as grading the insulation installation. All testing is performed by NAHB-approved verifiers.

You can learn more about LEED for Homes and the NGBS, as well as the similarities and other differences between the two programs, at Buildipedia.com.

Photo credits: Ecohomemagazine.com and Builderonline.com.

New reports have revealed that the remodeling industry is bouncing back and is ahead of the building industry in the recovery curve. According to Builder magazine, national spending on remodeling reached $300 billion in 2010, as reported by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

The report offers predictions that remodeling spending will increase at a rate of about 3.5 percent this year and in the years to come. While that is below the 12 percent annual pace of the housing boom that occurred from 2003 to 2007, it is quite higher than the downturn from 2007 to 2009, in which remodeling spending dropped by nearly 13 percent.

Gwen Biasi, spokesman for the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, said “It’s picking up somewhat out there. We’re hearing from members that their phones are ringing again and people are coming up with money for remodeling projects. The project aren’t as huge as they might have been five years ago, but [remodelers] are seeing an increase.”

Perhaps this news is a sign that the building industry will see an increase in spending in the next few years, too.

Photo credit: Nchsa.org.

After Hurrican Iniki hit Kauai in 1992, the Kauai House was remodeled. The master bathroom featured painted green and white porcelain tiles and a glass block shower stall. Very early 90s themes. For our bathroom renovation the plan was to expand the bathroom by combining it with a large closet. In doing so we would create a bathing “lanai”  overlooking the Wailua River. The lanai would also be a sitting area for the master bedroom, in a sense creating a very island style “bridge” between the bath and bedroom.

Master Bath Before Remodel

Master Bath Before Remodel

The new bathroom features a lanai with twin tubs. A wall of folding glass doors separate the lanai from the rest of the bathroom and the master bedroom.

Twin tubs on the lanai overlook the Wailua River. The lanai also serves as a sitting area for the master bedroom. Because the lanai is in essence open to the elements, the doors between it and the bed and bath are closed during inclement weather.

The master bath features an antique Chinese Chest converted to a double vanity. The feel is tropical and the look timeless.

To the right of the vanity is a shower with twin shower heads. Tile includes tumbled Ankara on the floor, Ankara brick on wainscot, and a chipped gold Onyx on the walls.

The shower stall with twin shower heads and Ankara and Onyx tile.

More Kauai Before and After posts to follow. Visit the Kauai Remodel Gallery for more great photos of this fantastic project. Design by Trilogy Partners and Azaya Design.

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We at Trilogy Partners were very proud when the kitchen we designed with the assistance of Kathye Conti made the cover of Timber Home Living Magazine. This kitchen had proved quite a challenge indeed. From the beginning we were dealing with a bit of a tight space. Still, we needed to create a kitchen suitable for pros. This kitchen would feature two sinks, Dacor appliances including a 48″ Fridge, 2 dishwashers, microwave, cappuccino  maker, a wall oven and a 36″ Range with convection oven.

Perhaps the biggest challenge however was that during construction we discovered that we had no way to vent the range hood. A downdraft vent would not work with the range oven we had chosen, and venting upward would mean our vent pipe would perfectly bisect a roof valley. This would certainly cause the roof to leak, if not this year, then next. After studying the problem for a week, we decided we really didn’t want to build a chase to hide the vent pipe. We instead came up with a far better, albeit unorthodox, solution.

As the photos show, we left the vent pipe exposed, ran it across the ceiling, and used it as the structure for a hanging pot rack.  A problem had been solved and the solution became one of the highlights of Caleb’s Kitchen.

A solution good enough to make the cover of Timber Home Living magazine.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recently completed a survey study to determine how new homes will shape up over the next several years. The study, presented annually at the NAHB International Builders’ Show, surveyed builders on consumer preferences and revealed that Americans have changed their views of what they would like to see in their next home.

68 percent of builder surveyed suggest that homes will include more green products, features, and technology such as low-E windows; engineered wood beams, joists or tresses; water-efficient features like dual-flush toilets and low-flow faucets; and EnergyStar rating for the whole house by 2015.

Additionally, the study predicts that home sizes will decrease. To save on square footage, homeowners are eliminating spaces like living rooms, foyers, and dining rooms. However, about 54 percent of builders reported that family room size is likely to increase by 2015, according to the NAHB’s assistant vice president for survey research, Rose Quint.

You can learn more about the housing trends that are expected to be present by 2015 on the NAHB website, or you can check out the full study at Housingeconomics.com.

Photo credit: Nahb.org.