ByDFW builder Don Ferrier‘s daughter wanted an affordable, green home, so they retained the best local green architect, Gary Olp of GGOArchitects, to get the job done. What’s interesting about this home is that it’s economically pragmatic, but it looks good–it’s proof that a modern, green home can be relatively affordable.
We’re talking about a 2,038 square-foot home in the price range of about $117 per square foot ($230,000). After getting the home design, she had to wait two months due to materials shortages, but the home took four months to build after that. The monthly home heating and cooling bill averages $20-30 a month. That’s amazing, especially in Texas.
Green Features
There’s a rainwater collection system connected to a 3,000-gallon holding tank, which is used for irrigation and toilet water. Toilets are low-flush, of course. She landscaped with drought-tolerant, native Texas plants to conserve water. She didn’t install a full-blown solar system (costs about $30,000), but she did install enough solar panels to power the tankless water heater (also saves water).
The home design called for Structural Insulated Panels (SIP) to create a more energy-efficient, tight building envelope. For heating and AC, the builder installed a Daikin HVAC system that runs at 20 SEER. The HVAC system price tag was $5,500, which is cheaper than a geothermal heat pump and about 90% as efficient. Of course, low-VOC paints and stains were used throughout. Lights and appliances are Energy Star.
The stairs are bamboo, and some of the floors are stained concrete. The kitchen island surface is a grenadine Formica (Green Guard certified), and the cabinets were created from regionally produced ash, treated with a low-VOC stain. You’ll notice the 33 glass block windows on the northern wall, which invite natural lighting without diminishing interior privacy. There’s a solar tube in the closet for natural lighting.
In the rooms with carpet, it is PET (polyethylene terephthalate) carpet, which is created from reclaimed polyester resins of two-liter soda bottles and other plastic containers. Some of the other carpet is InterFLOR modular carpet, made from corn husks. The list of green features goes on and on! You can go to this link to find the source of all the products used in this home.
