Want to Go Green at Home? Don’t Build New, RENOVATE!

JonathanBlackwell on September 8th, 2008

Think about it. Even if you make your new construction project as green as possible, you are still using new materials instead of reusing and recycling old ones. Not to mention with the current real estate market, the availability of new construction financing in comparison to the affordability of renovation financing and the fact that existing housing stock in disrepair can be purchased at discounted prices, this is really a no-brainer. If green is truly important to you then you will renovate instead of building new.

Jonathan Blackwell

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Creative Uses for the $7500 Tax Credit

JonathanBlackwell on September 4th, 2008

Creative Uses For the $7500 Tax Credit
By James Duffy
The buzz about the Housing Stimulus Bill that President Bush signed into law last month is the $7500 tax credit that First time homebuyers receive now through July, 2009. The bill, H.R 3221 bill was signed into law in July. There was a lot of content [...]

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Focus on Green Building Materials — Terrazzo

Jonathan Blackwell on September 4th, 2008

Terrazzo, used by the ancient Romans, is one of the oldest building materials on earth. It’s use was one part functionality and one part beauty. However, it has fallen back in favor recently due to the demand to reuse and recycle materials that once might have been discarded

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Focus on Green Building Materials — Bamboo

JonathanBlackwell on August 21st, 2008

Bamboo flooring has become hugely popular in recent years for a couple of reasons. First, it is good looking flooring, but second it is also an easily renewable resource that takes less than 5 years to grow to maturity. When you compare that to the 50-100 years that traditional hardwoods take to reach maturity you can see why bamboo has potential.

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Saving Money With Green Renovations

JonathanBlackwell on August 12th, 2008

Spurred by corporations and consumers with an eye on the bottom line, the green building industry grew from $7 billion in 2005 to nearly $12 billion last year. The reason for the growth is economics, building green saves money.

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Green Renovations — Bathrooms

JonathanBlackwell on August 9th, 2008

Let’s face it: the North American bathroom isn’t the most glamorous of rooms. Ranging from staid and boring to downright dangerous, with slippery showers and water hogging toilet tanks and tubs set in a poorly ventilated, water-tight box, many modern bathrooms just haven’t been designed as thoughtfully the rest of our homes.

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Green Renovation — Why Should I Bother?

JonathanBlackwell on August 7th, 2008

So, how do you approach the concept of renovating green for the folks that are not into environmental responsibility? Economics and health of course…

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What is HERS Report & Why Do I Need One?

JonathanBlackwell on August 5th, 2008

Most energy-efficient financing programs will encourage you to have an energy rating for your new or existing home, which will tell you and the lender how energy efficient it is. A rating typically involves an inspection by a professional energy rater who is certified under a nationally or state accredited home energy rating system (HERS).

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Energy Efficient Mortgages Get Boost From New Housing Bill

JonathanBlackwell on August 4th, 2008

The new rule eliminates that $8000 cap and changes it to 5% of the purchase price / appraised value of the home. On a home that sells for $300,000 that means you can get $15,000 of energy efficient improvements with having to qualify for the additional debt to income produced by the higher loan amount or putting the extra down payment that would also be required by the higher loan amount.

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Major Discovery Primed to Unleash Solar Revolution

JonathanBlackwell on August 3rd, 2008

In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn’t shine.

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