Asheville Homes and LAND!- The Keep In Touch Blog

Leading Edge. Smart. Involved. That's You.You would never crawl on toxin-laden surfaces-like the carpet you  might find in #5 below.
Your living spaces are healthy from the ultimate gourmet kitchen,  sumptuous sauna-master bath,  vast solar room that breathes warm, fresh air into your surroundings while at the same time  offering you spectacular views of native landscape with a backdrop of distant mountains. YOU live in a veritable mini-biosphere... the next step in eco-logically sound living... up-to-the-minute style combined with advanced environmental sensitivity....

Highly efficient, with practical amenities and quality finishes.YAY, Baby! Your your home is generous.  With such laudable features and benefits for home dwellers, no wonder some industry experts are predicting sustainable building    will be the norm by 2010 just about the time you are just starting to school.

Can you tell which of the living spaces below could be unhealthy for you?

1. (to the right)          South-facing glass...vertical glazing ...                                  
Appropriate overhangs on all south-facing windows ...
Minimal west and north windows...Bamboo flooring ..
radiant floor heat...Natural light for  passive solar heating opportunities    

2.  (below) Active solar /radiant floor heating system... 
fiber cement siding offering high R value, smaller square footage, passive solar design, with heat absorbed
on west, east, and south.Native landscaping
and human-scale design. 

.   3. The kitchen and the entire first floor have sustainable flooring. A large range hood uses automatically activated air ducting. .. huge mountain view, a large pantry and extensive social and work space around a curving island invite family, guests and nature in.

4.   Optimal natural setting with a terraced, organic garden. Outside colors and materials blend with natural landscape. Inside special attention and foaming of joints during framing and with Icynene insulation ...active circulation of heat flows from the second floor to the first floor

                                             5.    . Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), a  plastic used in 70% of all building materials including the vinyl siding on portions of this house. PVC is difficult to recycle and contains harmful constituents that can be released during use or when disposed in landfills. It is considered the plastic with the greatest potential health and environmental impacts. People who are sensitive to toxic substances might hesitate to live here since it was constructed using chipboard filled with formaldehyde.

6 Here is a 1923 retrofit with bright, attractive, non-toxic true linoleum  made from linseed oil, cork, or jute. 
This floor is highly durableand made from  renewable materials.  Notice the energy efficient fluorescent lighting.

7.    This is an example of a home that has been masterfully restored and updated with energy efficient features and appliances. Consideration has been given to maximize thermal efficiency, too. This brick bungalow is a proud member of and Asheville area sustainable community.

Here are examples of interiors/exteriors that either areor are NOT eco-friendly. The home just above is a Craftsman Bungalow built in 1923.It is typical of homes in the Asheville, North Carolina area of that era.  The  new homes are also typical of those to be found here. When you come to Asheville, you will find REALTORS from various companies who are working together to advance the notion of sustainability in real estate in Western North Carolina.  A number of us are Eco Agent Certified or are in the process of becoming Eco Agent Certified  through a program that the Asheville Board of Realtors and the Clean Air Community Trust started in 2005. The Eco Agent Certification process is a 36-hour classroom program that educates REALTORS about a variety of green building a development issues from indoor air quality to sustainable site design.  

Eco agents help buyers determine what features of green real estate are most important to them, find real estate that best suits their needs.and point them in a direction for obtaining financing for green real estate. Eco agents help sellers communicate the value of "green" real estate to buyers, other real estate agents, and to the general market and market to the niche pool of "green" buyers.

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Copyright © 2007 All Rights Reserved  Asheville ECO Real Estate: Trends, Legacies & The Home Place Greenolina

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