PRESS RELEASE AND ADVISORY
Leigh Scott, Dir. of Green Bldg. Programscell 919-451-8116; w 919-493-8899leigh@hbadoc.com
Darcia Black, Green Home Tour chaircell 919-815-3662; w 919-534-1187
April 14, 2009Durham, NCTriangle HBAs Announce the 4th Annual Green Home Tour
Presented by:
Pre-Tour Press Conference:
When: Friday, April 24, 2009, 10 am.
Where: At the "Go Green" Cottage built by Sun River Builders Signature Homes at the Streets at Southpoint near the Bose store, 8030 Renaissance Parkway in Durham.
What: Explore the "Go Green" Cottage and hear comments from: Barnette Crabtree, Sun RiverBldrs Signature Homes; Chad Ray, 2009 Chair of Green Home Bldrs of the Triangle; Darcia Black, 2009 Tour chair; Nick Tennyson, Executive VP of the HBA of Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties; and Suzanne Harris, VP of Government Affairs at the HBA of Raleigh-Wake County.Tour Dates and Times:Saturday, April 25, 2009, 10 am to 6 pmSunday, April 26, 2009 - noon to 6 pmSaturday, May 2, 2009 - 10 am to 6 pmSunday, May 3, 2009 - noon to 6 pmThe Triangle-area Home Builders Associations will be spotlighting the latest green building techniques and materials in the 4th Annual Green Home Tour. This free, self-guided tour will include 36 green homes in Wake, Chatham , Durham , Orange , Granville, and Alamance Counties.
As in previous years, homes on the tour range widely in style and price, and the event offers several affordable and entry-level homes in addition to a number of luxury custom projects. All homes on the tour are enrolled in the green-building certification program administered by the Green Home Builders of the Triangle, which is a joint project of the Home Builders Association(HBA) of Durham , Orange , and Chatham Counties and the HBA of Raleigh-Wake County. Each entry is required to achieve sufficient goals in all of the green building program areas and must conform to at least the bronze level of green certification.
“It’s not possible for a builder to enter our tour simply by adding some solar panels to an otherwise code-built home,” commented Leigh Scott, Director of Green Building Programs at the HBA. “In order to achieve our certificate and enter the tour, a builder must consider the whole home as a system and incorporate green techniques and components throughout the project,” she stated.
“The emphasis of the Green Home Tour is on the technical details of construction, and some of the homes in the event are expected to be only partially complete so that attendees can see materials and techniques that would otherwise be hidden behind the walls,” said Darcia Black, Green Home Tour chair. “Even builders with finished homes are investigating creative ways to spotlight the green items in their tour entries, and some of them will be using features such cutaways to show sealed crawl spaces, advanced framing techniques, and extra insulation,” she added.
Triangle residents seeking more information about the tour are invited to attend one or both of the two community-based kickoff events. The first kickoff event will be held in the parking lot of the Whole Foods store in Raleigh from 6 to 8 pm on Thursday, April 23. Musical entertainment will be provided by Not Dead Yet, which is an ensemble led by Bob Hartford, a green developer from Chatham County.
The second kickoff event will be held at the Carrboro Century Center from 9 to 11 am on Saturday, April 25, which is the first day of the tour. The program will include informative speakers and displays about many aspects of green building.
Detailed information about tour entries is available online at www.TriangleGreenHomeTour.com, and free tour books can be obtained at the kickoff events and in local Whole Foods and Stock Building Supply stores on about April 16.
