in the house, it stays there. It doesn’t fluctu- ate. Tere are no spaces that are warmer or cooler than the others. It’s almost like living in a Termos.” Since moving in, the Leggs are working
to make other aspects of their lives greener, too. Tey’ve installed a barrel to collect rainwater for the gardens. There are two composting bins cooking their contents on different schedules so that’s there’s always fertilizer ready when the beds need it. Gar- dens that now hold parsley and cilantro will produce tomatoes, peppers, jalapenos, onions and herbs when the weather turns warmer.
Is it worth it? The downside, if there is one, to build-
ing or buying an Earthcraſt home is that they cost more than a traditionally built house. Builders use higher quality materi- als and Flowers says he has to pay more for specially trained subcontractors. “But you want your A-teams on these jobs. Tey know what they’re doing; they take their time; they pay attention to detail.” Flowers says the cost difference may not
be as much as you think. “For a basic level of certification, it may cost $4,000 more on a $400,000 house. Ten years ago the differ- ence might have been greater because state
energy standards were lower. Now that I have to do a lot of this stuff anyway, it doesn’t cost that much more to do the rest.” Another concern shared by Flowers and
the Leggs is that appraisers do not always appreciate the added value in green homes. “Tey really don’t give the builders any credit other than maybe saying it’s constructed a little better than the average house, which is an understatement,” Glenn said. As long as you’re planning to stay in your house a few years before selling it,
the Leggs say the extra cost will be worth it. “It’s almost like taking $100 or $200 off your mortgage every month when you consider what you’re saving on utility bills,” Glenn said. “We factored that in when we thought about how much we were going to pay for the house. “It is more expensive, and it is underap-
praised, so you have to be aware of that. But for us, it’s the quality of the home—not just the insulation—and the attention to detail that makes the difference.”
April 2013
Columbus and the Valley
11
11
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88