My Green Glasses

Bucking the Trend on New Homes

// February 7th, 2010 // No Comments » // Green Plans

We are surprisingly bucking the trend with our new home, as quoted by my husband. As we were putting some finishing touches on our house plan, an article was recently published on Yahoo! Finance called “The 10 Must Have Features in Today’s New Homes.”

It was almost like we wrote this article because everything on the list was everything we were planning to do. And we have not read one news article or magazine regarding the latest home trends.

In addition to this list, we are also not going to have true formal dining room. Our house will be built according to our lifestyle, which is centered around family and friends. We always knew we wanted an open floor plan to encourage interactivity throughout the house, plus utilizing as much storage as possible. We do not want any dead spaces in the house. Plus, my biggest feature in the house was a  mudroom with a large laundry room. I’m tried of tracking dirt throughout the house and I’m tried of my laundry area as a closet.

So, here is our list based on that article, we are doing 9 out of 10 on their list:

1 – Large Kitchen with an Island – I wanted a good size kitchen for functionality, but also an island as a central part of the room. The island will be a different cabinet color and different countertop color then the rest of the kitchen (another new trend).

2 – Energy-Efficient Appliances, Insulation and Windows – This is must-have for our “green” home.

3 – Home Office/Study – We actually debated about this room a lot – we wanted one, then we didn’t want one. Finally, we decided it was necessary for our computer, desk, files and all of my books.

4 – Main-Floor Master Suite – Our house will be two-story and who wants to be 80 years old climbing stairs? Not me!

5 – Outdoor Living Room – This was our Number 1 feature from the very very beginning. Living in South Carolina has its weather benefits and there is nothing like sitting outside, soaking it all in.

6 – Ceiling Fans – We will enjoy fresh air circulating throughout the house. Plus, I love the style that looks like palm leaves.

7 – Master Suite Soaker Tubs – Plus we will have a HUGE shower! Currently, our rental’s shower is very claustrophobic.

8 – Stone and Brick Exteriors – Unless financing works out, we will have mostly vinyl siding, but maybe we will add some stone features.

9 – Community Landscaping – We’re moving to a location with neighbors that have several acres to “play” in the woods which include lots of wooded trails.

10 – Two-Car Garages – It is necessary for us to have a garage for my husband’s truck to fit.

The House That God Will Build

// January 25th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Green Plans

Simplify. A word that is often used, but seldom acted upon. Once a year, most of us will look in our closets and clean out a few items from our past. Pants that are too small (although we are secretly hoping we can fit into them later), sweaters that are just plain ugly and shoes that are outdated. We load up our truck and haul it off to charity. We get a tax receipt, claim it later and believe we did a good deed. But is it really enough? Is that one load going to make a difference? I’ve asked myself this question over and over again.

Now, we’re getting into building a house. We thought we wanted bigger and better and more. We lived in an 1800 square foot house and never enjoyed its space. We’re hoping to have more children and thought we needed more space. We have a lot of stuff, so we thought we needed more storage. We have old furniture, so we thought we needed new furniture. It was becoming more and more and more….and bigger and bigger. But does that mean better?

We have been very patient in waiting for our builder. They were tied up with Extreme Makeover for several weeks of planning, work and post-work. It seemed like it was taking forever because we were ready to say go in November. We’re building a house, it’s 3000 square feet, it’s going to green….blah blah blah. Well, we were wrong.

This period of waiting was actually God-sent, which I admit is hard for even me to believe.

Our church was having a sermon series was called, “Simplify” and after these past several weeks, it all finally hit me. Simplify. We need to rethink our thinking and simplify our lifestyle. This house is our opportunity to do that. This period of waiting really opened our eyes and gaves us time to look, think, pray and plan. My husband’s favorite statement of the sermon series was, “cut the beanstalk” because the beanstalk was the way to get to supposed happiness….riches and luxuries. This supposed happiness also brought worry and problems. Do you want the bigger house that comes with worrying about money? Do you want to live with possessions or do you want to live with provisions from God, the provider?

People always have said, building a house is a going to be tough on your marriage. Even though, we haven’t broken ground, I believe it will be the best thing that will happen to our marriage. Building this house will be building upon our marriage, our beliefs in God and our love for the rest of our lives.

We don’t want a bigger house because there will be more to clean. We don’t want more storage because there will be buying more stuff to fill those spaces.

The things that we do want:
1) Functional /Multi-functional space – not wasted, empty space
2) Rooms to live in – not rooms to close off from the world
3) Reuse and recycled features from salvage yards
4) Opportunity to provide space for someone that needs it
5) Room to grow without losing ourselves in enormous size

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matthew 6:21

Green with Envy

// November 29th, 2009 // No Comments » // Green Living, Green Plans

We have fallen in love!  In this economy, we are keeping all options open.  Just in case building is not the right decision for our finances, we would buy a house.  So we went house-hunting. We saw four properties: one that had construction problems, one that was not the right fit, one we could live with and one that we fell in love with.

The house that we love is probably exactly everything we could ask for in our dream house. It definitely has a “WOW” factor in every room, we wouldn’t have to change a thing. It is the perfect color (green), the perfect setting (under Live Oak trees), the perfect layout (almost), the perfect finishes (wood, tile, fixtures, ceilings), but NOT the perfect size. Actually it is massive for us! This house is about 2700 heated square feet and about 4000 total square feet!

My hubby and I had a heart-to-heart discussion about this house. We listed the pros and the cons. We probably could afford the monthly mortgage, but I worry that it is too much house – in utility bills, cleaning, maintenance, etc. I’d worry that we would stretch ourselves too thin and wouldn’t be able to enjoy anything else. It is also far from our work and Peyton would go to a different school district. This house also would require maintenance in the next few years – painting the siding, a new roof, etc.

Then we thought about what our builder told us.  Start with the smallest home possible and grow from there in your plans. Basically, start with only what you need. The biggest the house, the bigger the bills in the future.

I believe that seeing this house reassured us that building may be our best choice. When you build, you get exactly what you want and how you want it.

Building Green Steps

// November 1st, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Green Living, Green Plans

My blood runs green. I remember always falling in love with animals and the outdoors when I was little. All those elementary school field trips to the nature center were my favorite days. However, I have to confess that I didn’t officially start recycling or being aware of my impact before I got my ‘green’ job. As a county recycling coordinator, it is my job to educate the public about waste reduction and recycling. Most of days are dedicated to guiding tours around the landfill and the recycling facility. I ride a lot of school bus around trash and I have to admit, I love it!

My investment in my career has pushed me into the next phase of my life and my family’s life. My green blood has affected my husband and my daughter into living the green life with me. We do all the basics: recycling, avoiding Styrofoam (except for Chick-fil-a sweet tea), donating and repairing things, and buying less products. But now, we are in a position to build a home. Of course, it is going to be GREEN.

My husband and I have spent hours on the internet researching green features and watching several shows on HGTV and Planet Green. We have a Green Wish List for our new home.

Green Wish List:

• Metal Roof
• Grey Water Filtration System
• Tankless Water Heater OR Geothermal System
• Solar Panel
• Recycled Composite Decking
• Energy Efficient Insulation
• Items from Salvage Stores (front door, interior doors, light fixtures, cabinet knobs)
• Low-Flow Toilets and Showerheads
• Low VOC paint
• Energy Efficient Appliances
• Drought-resistant landscaping
• Rain water collection

With all these features in mind, we also have to consider our budget. Some features are just not realistic in this economy, but we will be trying our best to get some of these.