It wasn't so long ago in real estate market news that building a "green" house using sustainable materials and high efficiency utilities was just a trendy idea touted by environmentalists and shelter magazines, but rarely taken seriously by the average homeowner.
However, it just isn't so cheap to heat and cool a house anymore, and with water shortages becoming more commonplace, it may not be long before H2O becomes a commodity worth more than oil and gold. Going green doesn't sound like such a far-fetched notion anymore, does it?
The Pacific Northwest has long been a leader in the greening of residential building in real estate market news. A newly completed house in Portland, Oregon, recently hit the market with an asking price of $340,000 and a very desirable LEED Platinum certificate, the highest level of accreditation given by the respected U.S. Green Building Council.
The three-bedroom and two-and-a-half bathroom house has 1,680 square feet spread over two floors of environmental friendliness. The builder has made extensive efforts to use sustainable and recycled materials, nontoxic products and energy saving utilities. The ground floor slab is 40% recycled material, the paints and stains are all zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds), the cabinets are custom constructed with wheatboard and joined with formaldehyde free glues.
The upstairs floors are bamboo (used for its fast growth sustainability), the water heater is tankless, the furnace highly efficient and all plumbing fixtures are low flow, including the dual flush toilets.
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