Eco-Friendly Homes Host Living Green Tour

When Issaquah Highlands is fully built out as an urban village in the next few years, over 2,500 Built Green™ homes will have been added to the city’s home stock.

This is the result of a vision and commitment to sustainable development maintained by Port Blakely Communities from the very beginnings of this highly livable neighborhood.

But you don’t have to wait that long to see the results – this weekend, Issaquah Highlands is hosting the Living Green Tour of Homes. Sponsored by Puget Sound Energy and Northwest Energy Star, the Living Green Tour of Homes will take place today and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visitors can pick up a free tour map and home pricing information at the Issaquah Highlands New Home Information Center. Energy Star representatives will be on hand to answer questions. Tour homes were built by seven premier homebuilders – Bennett Homes, GMP Homes, D.R. Horton, John F. Buchan Homes, Regency West, Specialized Homes, and Magnolia Lane LLC and Sequoia LLC, both subsidiaries of Steve Burnstead Construction Company.

Each home will have information on its special, ecofriendly features, providing an opportunity for homeowners to learn how to live “green.” On the tour, visitors can learn about Built Green – a comprehensive sustainable homebuilding program established by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. All homes on tour meet the Built Green 4-Star level of performance.

Many of the homes on tour are Energy Star qualified, which means a third party verifier attests that the home meets a list of energy efficient criteria including an overall performance level of at least 15 percent more energy efficient than the already strict Washington energy code, making these among the most energy efficient homes in the country.

For homebuyers, both Built Green and Energy Star offer important protections, assuring their home is more comfortable to live in, has healthier indoor air, costs less to operate and has been built in a way to minimize present and future impact on the environment.

“There has been a lot of coverage about the importance of building ‘green’ for our natural surroundings, but what some people may not realize is that those same innovations being used to reduce waste can also save them money,” says Lee Kuhl, Puget Sound Market Development Lead for Northwest Energy Star. “An Energy Star certified home not only lowers the demand on natural resources, reducing harmful emissions, but it can also reduce your heating and cooling costs by up to 30 percent and your water heating costs by 20 percent.”

“As homebuyers will see this weekend, environmental responsibility can come in all different prices, sizes, and designs,” says Judd Kirk, president of Port Blakely Communities. “You don’t need to sacrifice architecture or aesthetics to create living spaces that are healthier to live in, cost less to operate, use fewer resources and are more cost effective to maintain.”

Kirk notes that when Port Blakely made a commitment to “green” building years ago, it really was just a matter of asking some simple questions about the outcomes of what they do when they build. “We asked ourselves questions like ‘How can we reduce the energy and water use in the homes we build?’ ‘How can we improve the indoor air quality and health of our homes?’ ‘How can we protect water quality during construction?’ ‘How do we reduce job site waste?’ ‘Can we find materials that will last longer?’ ‘Are resources available locally to reduce long-distance shipping?’

“These are questions every responsible developer should be asking today,” says Kirk.

Issaquah Highlands has been recognized for its commitment to environmental stewardship. In 2006, the community was presented with the Green Hammer award for outstanding Built Green community, the Green Pioneer award presented by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, and Excellence in Sustainable Certified Construction award for Blakely Hall presented by Associated Builders and Contractors.

In addition, Issaquah Highlands is home to two of the nine silver LEED-certified buildings in the state: Blakely Hall and Fire Station No. 73. LEED is a national green building standard and certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. It evaluates environmental performance from a whole building perspective over a building’s lifecycle and provides a standard to measure how “green” a building is designed and constructed.

Kirk says, “We’re very proud of what our homebuilders have been able to accomplish at Issaquah Highlands and we’re especially proud that our residents have picked up the torch of environmental responsibility and carried it on in their everyday lives. The community’s support and commitment has surpassed our highest expectations.”

The Issaquah Highlands master planned community offers its residents retail and restaurants, miles of wooded trails; 1,500 acres of parks and open space; an elementary school;, sports courts, baseball, softball and soccer fields; tot lots; community center with full kitchen, meeting rooms, and computer stations; and an off-leash dog park.