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“An
EarthCraft™ home was always
on a wish list in the back
of my mind,” recalls
Geoffrey Reid, a former
Atlanta resident who has
long admired the city’s
native Southface Energy
Institute’s green building
certification program. “But
I didn’t know if it would be
practical for a first-time
homebuyer.”
Thus, when Mr. Reid and his girlfriend, Jennifer Burton,
were house hunting for what would become their very first home, green features
weren’t high on their list. It didn’t seem obtainable. A thriving area near to
downtown Charleston, SC, however, was a prerequisite.
After searching old and
new, the revitalized area of North Charleston and the charming community of Oak
Terrace Preserve seemed a perfect fit. The new community has helped to
revitalize North Charleston’s Historic Park Circle neighborhood, and is a
nationally acclaimed sustainable community. “We found a brand new home in what
feels like an already established neighborhood,” says Mr. Reid.
But that was not the extent of the area’s selling points.
In addition to the abundant trees and strong sense of community, all of the
homes at Oak Terrace Preserve are EarthCraft™ certified, which assures that each
is expertly crafted, healthy and extremely efficient; a truly high-performance
home. Best of all, this modern community, with the charm of historic
Charleston, is within reach of many, including Mr. Reid. Homes carry a price
tag between $177,500 and $289,000, and on average run $130 per square foot.
“We came across a really good deal, and the green features
were an added bonus,” says Mr. Reid. “It kind of surprised us. We got the same
price per square foot that we were looking at in much older, inefficient homes,
so with all brand new features, it was a great value. Our home is still selling
us after the sale.”
The quality and value are not going unnoticed – despite the
national recession, sales in 2009 at Oak Terrace Preserve are set to surpass all
previous years, and the community was recognized by Green Builder
magazine as a 2008 Green Home of the Year community.
Similarly, Mr. Reid feels that he and Ms. Burton have made
a safe investment. Their home has been reappraised since they first purchased
it, and they were “extremely pleased” with the results. “Our property value is
rising,” says Mr. Reid, who attributes the good fortune to his high-performance
home and exceptional community. “Looking at it from an investment standpoint,
we feel very good about what we have done with our money here.”
While their property value is rising, other figures are
going down for the couple – their utility bills. “The old drafty building where
I used to live was less than half the square footage I have now, and my bills
there were twice as much,” approximates Mr. Reid.
The numerous advantages of their green home have proven to
be inspiring. Mr. Reid and Ms. Burton now try to be more environmentally
conscious in their everyday lives. Mr. Reid finished their garage using
leftover construction materials that would have otherwise ended up in a
landfill, including a refrigerator door that he turned into a workbench. Desks
in the home office were also crafted using old doors, and they’ve installed two
rain barrels to collect stormwater runoff from their roof. The couple also
often bikes to nearby restaurants. “Living in a green home breeds a creative
way of thinking,” says Mr. Reid. “It’s made us far more cognizant of our
furnishings and habits. It’s a lot of little things that long term will
hopefully add up.”
“Back porchin’ it.” That is what Mr. Reid calls the
regular neighborhood gatherings on the back porches of the homes in the
community. “It’s great because you can just walk over to their homes,” he
says.
After a short time in their new home, the couple has made many friends in
the community, and has found it to be a wonderful mix of everything from starter
families to the retired. It’s part of the goal behind creating this new urban
community. “I’m a bit of a historical preservationist,” says Mr. Reid, “and I
think it’s fascinating that people can go into an areas that was previously
written off and create such a beautiful, non-cookie cutter community. We feel a
part of something where multiple generations have been here before us, and it’s
a good feeling.”
The enthusiasm of these savvy, first-time homebuyers is
contagious. “We joke that our house is like a bed and breakfast,” says Mr.
Reid, “everyone who comes here wants to stay with us, and they are amazed at how
nice a place this is. Today I’m proud to say that I live in an EarthCraft™
home. We can’t recommend it enough.”
To continue reading this article, please click here:
Learn more
about the affordability of green homes from the perspective of an architect.
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