With 113.5 points, this North Carolina home is one of the greenest remodels ever certified by the LEED for Homes program, according to EcoHome Magazine. Architect Jay DeChesere led the Wilmington project which diverted 91% of construction waste and secured a HERS rating of 28 post-renovation. You’ll have to admit these are some stellar numbers! DeChesere made a few noticeable modifications (compare old and new above). The garage was converted to into a living space, a carport now extends from…

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Ideabox was invited to participate in this year’s NW Natural Street of Dreams in Portland to show how compact living, when well designed, can be luxurious at the same time. The eco prefab on display the entire month is about 20% the size of the largest home on the block, yet it has everything one could ask for *and* an approachable price tag. Fortino is 1,250 square feet with two bedrooms and two bathrooms – built in a factory, delivered…

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Seattle has its fair share of LEED Platinum homes, but this is officially the first LEED Platinum single family home in the state of Washington outside of Seattle. Located on Bainbridge Island, it was designed by Coates Design Architects for owners Ed and JoAnne Ellis. The Ellis Residence is a fascinating blend of style and sustainability and demonstrates a number of green strategies. Ellis Residence, built by Smallwood Design & Construction, has a vegetated roof, photovoltaic array, geothermal heating, rainwater…

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This contemporary home just hit the market about a week ago and comes with Earth Advantage Gold certification and a 2.4 kW photovoltaic system expected to save the future owner about 30% on utilities. With three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and 1,836 square feet, the speculative home at 5110 NE 17th Street also has bamboo flooring, tankless water heating, and energy-efficient appliances for $419,000, illustrating the fact that in progressive cities like Portland, stylish green homes are becoming…

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This is the first Passive House in California and the first retrofit Passive House in the entire country, according to a press release issued by Solar Knights Construction earlier this week. The airtight retrofit was accomplished with, among other things, superior insulation, triple-glazed windows, and an energy recovery ventilation system. A Passive House, like ones we’ve discussed in Lafayette, Salt Lake City, and Kansas City, must be airtight, or have less than 0.6 air changes per hour with an air…

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This is the first certified Passive House in the “South,” and it’s located in Lafayette, Louisiana. What’s interesting about the home – other than that it illustrates the use of the Passive House standard in a hot and humid climate – is the fact that the low-energy home, with the help of rooftop solar laminates, is a net zero energy prototype for the future. It was designed by Corey Saft, architecture professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and…

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This modern residence, monastic and fantastic at the same time, is called E.D.G.E., an Experimental Dwelling for a Greener Environment. It’s small, with 480 square-feet of space, yet the space appears plentiful as it transforms to suit a variety of uses. Plus it’s beautiful inside and out and has some incredible green elements. Revelations Architects designed and built E.D.G.E. and took home an Honor Award this year from AIA Wisconsin for their work. The firm prefabricated E.D.G.E. and, after making…

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There’s a massive residential community under construction in Santa Fe Springs in Los Angeles County. Comstock Homes, developer of The Villages at Heritage Springs, says it’s the largest solar powered community in the nation, which is partially why it’s so interesting. These California homes come with roof-integrated Sunpower Suntiles, and they’re built for efficiency, too. When all is said and done, The Villages — mapped on roughly 54 acres — will have more than 500 single-family residences and attached townhomes….

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