Tale of Two Cribs

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of conservation, it was the age of waste, it was the epoch of realization, it was the epoch of denial, it was the season of riches, it was then a season of rags, it was the spring of hope, yes, we can; it was the winter of "oh, crap the economy... we're damned", we had a slight economy before us, we realized it was in danger before us, we were told by the "moral" some of us are going direct to Heaven, and the rest of us were going direct the other way, the contrite contridictions were uncanny. In short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted that change had to come, in all of our haste, we consumed too waste and losing precious land to landfills at the present date. Houses were constructed, builders not caring for disrepair, now we need to cut back, install responsibly and do things right, while keeping a weak economy and its consequences in sight. Politicians are much more alike in the fight, energy independence, conservation and morals are the plight, all there is left to do is what is right. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, but sometimes it takes a few to have vision and believe in their own foresight."

As adapted by Charles Dickens

OK, so I am no Charles Dickens; however, my message remains true.



Heather Ferrier's Home
Photo By Chris Graves


Paying about 12,000 more to be green, this developer power couple, Heather Ferrier and her husband Travis,  implemented their own sustainability solutions for their home. The green implementations increased the value of their home.

• Tankless water heater
• Shingle roof
• Dual flush toilet
• "zero scaping"
• Kept some of the orifnal home's amenities
• Mini -split unit
• remote control operator

After replacing 100% of their plumbing with spray foam, which embarrasingly enough, I had not a clue what that was, so I thought I would share.


Apparently, there is no better home insulating material that can seal homes from air and moisture intrusion, save on costly utility bills, strengthen the home, and protect family’s health from dangerous mold, airborne pollutants, and allergens than spray foam insulation.




Benefits of Spray Foam Insulation
Stops air and moisture infiltration

• Makes your home more comfortable
• Saves on energy costs
• Adds strength to the building structure
• It is permanent and will not sag
• Keeps dust and pollen out
• Reduces capacity requirements, maintenance and wear of HVAC equipment

Some of their challenges included  trying to get appraiser's to understand the value of the "green improvements".  However, the bonus for them and to the envy of their neigbbor's , was spending approximately $75 per month on energy bills.

Ferrier homes are well known for building some of the most beautiful, modern and sustainable homes. One of their clients, Charlotte and Thomas De La Pena were no exception to the style rule.



Stylishly Sustainable
Photo by Chris Graves

 The De la Pena's are young professionals, which is generally Ferrier homes' clientel. The usual Yuppie home, classy, contemporary was met with space concious amenities. Thomas said that he wanted to be environmentally and economically conscious, not going for the same cookie cutter type of house. The De La Pena's utilized 110,000 feet of land to build their modern style home whic boasted of outstanding features. impressively energy efficient, the class was impressed by the TXU equipment that outlined in dollar and cents how much energy the De La Pena's were using. No kiddo's at this time, but they both said one day they will have a family and want their children to understand the importance of utilizing space and not creating waste.



REFERENCES
http://sprayfoam.com/spps/ahpg.cfm?spgid=1