Sep
30
New Construction Photos
Hi all,
I just added a ton of new photos to our Green cam. Check them out, then tell me what you think.
100 Comments
HGTV Green Home 2011 Giveaway
Countdown
DAYS
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The countdown is on! Enter for your chance to win HGTV Green Home 2011 starting April 14 at 9 a.m. ET. Get reminders from our HGTV Ideas Newsletter. Also, tune into the HGTV Green Home 2011 special.
Maybe the tower was created in honor of the German fairy tale, you know:
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so that I may climb the golden stair!"
Or, better yet, maybe it truly is my beloved lighthouse!!!
MGTOTD: CAFFEINE IN YOUR COMPOST! Some coffee shops will give you their old coffee grounds for your compost. It's free fertilizer!
(I really love this one!!)
Hello everyone! It's Kari, the 2009 Green Home winner! I am finally writing to all of you to say "thank you" for all of your well-wishes and congratulations. I wasn't sure where exactly to say hello, so I figured the newest blog would work. I just wanted to give all of you an update…
We have decided not to keep the house. It's unfortunate, but with a young family, and my longevity with the County, I could not afford to uproot and move, as much as I would have loved to. HGTV has been wonderful, and the winner's weekend was amazing. Thanks to HGTV and all of the sponsors who have worked so hard to create such a masterpiece, as all of the homes have been. It was a very hard decision to let the home go, but we had decided to use all of the furnishings and build our own "green" home here in Saginaw, Michigan. We have a lot picked out, and our builder is LEED-certified. We had intended on building a "Parade of Homes" home, with the latest green technology appropriate for Michigan. We were attempting to get more than a "gold" certification for the home with LEED standards. It would be one of the first of it's kind on our area.
We have hit a snafu with dispensing of the home. The developer, Core Communities, is not financially stable at this point in time. They may not be able to honor the contract to purchase the home from me. I may have to attempt to sell the home on the open market, and most likely take a huge loss. My only hope is to make enough to pay the taxes. HGTV is attempting to work with us as much as possible, and I have hired a wonderful attorney to help me through this process.
As much as this was a dream come true, right now it is a living nightmare. I am not balking at the closing costs, as they were stated directly in the rules. But when you think of having to actually take title to a home that may be unsaleable, due to the economy, oh my heaven's sake…
Anyway, I will try to keep folks up to date on our progress if they'd like to know. I am not ungrateful to win this sweepstakes, please don't think I am. I won a house from HGTV, not a cash equivalent. Nonetheless, it is still a very difficult process to go through. Please keep these things in mind when entering this contest. There are large expenses that will be paid, and especially these days, please check out the developer. This is the second time HGTV has used Core Communities, as the Hilton Head home was built by them. That winner also had issues with payment.
I'm asking everyone to keep their fingers crossed that this will actually turn out to be the fairytale I had hoped it to be! Thanks again for everyone's thoughts, prayers and support.
Renee, that doesn't mean you're ready to leave Florida already? Thought of you & your son 2 weeks ago while I was in the ocean & had a jellyfish bounce off my arm. Somehow my friends didn't believe me until the next day when we saw 3 of them inches from us, but then it was time to get out of the water quick – ladies on the beach were screaming to get out & then he saw the shadow. Wonder if it was the same shark they just caught off the coast closer to you? I'm the only one of us that has gone back to the beach – it's a big ocean & Ii realize I have to share it with the sharks, it is their turf after all.
Dear Kari: Thank you so much for your long awaited report on the Green Home that you won. Sorry that your dream has turned into a nightmare. I am glad that HGTV is being as helpful as they can, but it is imperative that they check our the developers. Once burned by Core Communities. why did they use them again?
Glad you got Linda's amazing furnishings, I wish you the best of luck building your own LEED certified home in Michigan. Please keep in touch. Love and prayers.
Dear Kari: Thank you so much for your long awaited report on the Green Home that you won. Sorry that your dream has turned into a nightmare. I am glad that HGTV is being as helpful as they can, but it is imperative that they check our the developers. Once burned by Core Communities. why did they use them again?
Marie: Just a thought about your lighthouse. Maybe you could erect a disco ball above the roof. As it turned the sun would reflect the mirrors and send out rays of light. Oh shucks, what would happen at night. Would the moon and stars be enough to send out light? Oh well, back to the drawing board.
Thanks Marie for another site for me to add my name to a petition. Although sometimes I wonder if anyone actually reads them. I have gotten a few form letter responses from politicians before, although no reply to a direct email I sent to the new appointed Florida congressman since his first 2 newsletters mentioned nothing about the environment, then his 3rd stated he was in the minority voting against funding environmental cause. Guess he's already figured out I will NOT be voting for him in the future.
Kari: Somehow the end of my blog didn't get posted. I wish you the best of luck building your Green Home in Michigan. Please keep us posted.
Kari, I hope the best for you & your family. Hopefully many will learn from your unfortunate problems. I will not enter anymore big prize contests unless I sign up through myunclestan which the wonderful HGTV greamers informed bloggers about. I pray your issues will be resolved soon so you can start building your gream home.
Dear Mary;
I was looking around on the Green Home Pro site for the floor plans, I only saw the first floor plan, if the home has three levels where are the plans for the other two levels of the home?. Please help.
I would love to know when we can expect to see the house plans? I love the pictures, but that doesnt tell me anything about the inside of this beautiful green home.
Please give us a peek at the house plans soon, thanks!
Thank you for the update on your green home. I am sorry it is not working out for you. I hope you overcome all of your problems & get enough cash to build “your” green home.
Dear Kari: THANK YOU for the update on your adventures with winning the Green Home in Florida! I have read articles very similar to yours about other winners & the tax consequences!! Also, it is so hard to believe that for more than 10 years Core Communities have led the way in award-winning, master-planned community developments along Florida’s Treasure Coast & now, not financially stable! But then, we are in exacerbating times! I'm just soooo sorry that you are experiencing difficulties with your winning GREAM!! All in all, I'm sure that the rainbow still falls close to your home!! THANK YOU so much for commenting to we mortal dreamers, and please do keep us informed!!
Katydid: I think instead of erecting a disco ball above the roof, I would really, really like something more authentic! I would hope that the concentration of the light would come by a "lens" or "optic". Of course, originally lighthouses were lit by open fires and later candles! In fact, the Argand hollow wick lamp and parabolic reflector was developed around 1781 in Europe. In the US, whale oil was used with solid wicks as the as the source of light, until the Argand parabolic reflector system was introduced around 1810 by Winslow Lewis.
I do enjoy your imagination & I guess on a full moon the disco ball might send out enough rays to light the night!!!
MGTOTD: Donate or Recycle Used Electronics: To keep the environment healthier and safer, try to donate or recycle your old electronics. Provide a school, organization or family with an electronic device that they could not otherwise afford. This saves the old device from the trash, and saves the resources and energy that would have gone into making a new device. If the products aren’t working well enough for anyone to use, recycle them (there are lots of places to do this for free.) Try to buy electronics from companies that take back their products when you are done with them, or companies that use safer materials in their products in the first place, and use them as long as possible.
Hi Bloggers, Danny here, I'am sorry to hear about the problems the Coffeys are haveing with the taxes on the home in Fla.,but not suprised. I know a lot of bloggers have snubed me for starting the line of B.S. on taxes here ( And some of the more naive among us belive that this talk triggered this chain of events.) But the reality is it's always been like this and,because we dare to talk about this, and HGTV / DIY have been honest enough to respond to us like grownups, We have beenkept in the loop and well informed of the behind the story situation. I,am glad I asked, and got answers from them and our open talks . It prepared us, and made us more ready to handle the conseqeuces of winning such a humongous prize Danny
Marie & other foodies, I came across this recipe last night & since it is apple season in New England, I remember picking m own apples there.. Thought you may enjoy a drink named food (rather than our food named drinks)
Steamed Apple Cider Pudding
Serves 4-6
Ingredients (local or organic whenever possible):
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tb freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups peeled and cored apples, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins (or dried cranberries or chopped dates)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup maple syrup
For the pudding:
Prep a 1-quart heatproof casserole dish by brushing with oil and dusting lightly with flour. In a bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda, lemon peel, spices, and salt, and blend. Add the apples, raisins, and nuts, and toss until coated with flour. Combine cider and maple syrup and stir into the dry ingredients until flour is absorbed. Transfer mixture to the casserole dish. Wrap tightly with two long sheets of aluminum foil crisscrossed on top.
Place a trivet inside a large pot. Set the casserole dish onto the trivet. Fill pot halfway with boiling water and bring to rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and steam 75-90 minutes or until pudding is set, replenishing water as needed. Remove the casserole from the pot and let cool. Remove foil and run a knife around the edges. Turn casserole over onto a platter and unmold. Slice with a serrated knife and serve warm.
Kari!!! It has happened to many of the winners… actually most of the winners… The economy has greatly effected the home values around the nation!! And I understand your stress!!! In the past, the homes were easy to sell!!! We all appreciate you keeping us update and being so honest !! We will all keep our fingers crossed for you and we do know that you will come out better than if you had not won… of course, minus the stress of figuring out what to do and how to handle it….!!! Good Luck… as, I know there are a lot of companies out there trying to "appear" better off then they are….thinking that they will get a lucky break… while they end up breaking the hearts of well, intentioned, hard working individuals. SO hang in there… and enjoy the beautiful furniture!!!!! And I am sure that HGTV had already signed the contract with Core Communities for the Green Home 2010!!! So, I am sure that they will work out something…… We will keep positive thoughts for you!!! Love life by living green!!!
Hi Kat!! I am seriously thinking of signing up with myunclestan before entering the Dream and Green Home.!!!! As we saw with the Coffeys… you can win by entering just a few times!!! Talk to you soon!! Love life by living green!!
Hello! Ed in Oregon, Thanks for your comment, I'm gald you are doing so well.
I thing you right maybe this DH will have a windows' s walk ,and I thinging it will also have a shell stairs from the masterbedroom to there
Sorry, Kari to hear about your DreamGH doesn't work well in Fl.
Good Look in your new GH in Michgan.
Marie: With your awesome knowledge of lighthouses you could easily erect an authentic one. keeping it as green as possible.
AlmaC: I like your idea of a widow's walk and shell stairs. Now that's thinking outside the box.
Kat: Your recipe sounds so yummy. Would you bake it for me and send me a slice? Reminds me: message to self: get cider and donuts from favorite Mill tomorrow.
Dear Kari, thank you for being gracious and letting us know how things are going! Wishing you well…
Hi Kat: Thank you for the scruptious belly-satisfying recipe! I can hardly wait to try it! In fact, I just bought ten pounds of my favorite apples ('cause they were on sale)!
My dear Katydid: I guess if I were to erect an authentice lighthouse, I would have to specify the erection of a brick tower capped with an octagonal iron lantern attached to maybe a 26-foot by 30-foot dwelling attached to the tower by a covered passageway. On completion, the tower would have to stand approximately 46 feet from grade level to ventilator ball, and would be outfitted with an array of fourteen lamps with reflectors situated at a focal plane of 103 feet, by virtue of the tower's location atop my private bluff. My white light would be visible every 90 seconds for a distance of 16 miles in clear weather conditions.
I guess I would have to work hard on keeping my lighthouse lean & green!!!
My dear Katydid: I guess if I were to erect an authentic lighthouse, I would have to specify the erection of a brick tower capped with an octagonal iron lantern attached to maybe a 26-foot by 30-foot dwelling attached to the tower by a covered passageway. On completion, the tower would have to stand approximately 46 feet from grade level to ventilator ball, and would be outfitted with an array of fourteen lamps with reflectors situated at a focal plane of 103 feet, by virtue of the tower's location atop my private bluff. My white light would be visible every 90 seconds for a distance of 16 miles in clear weather conditions.
I guess I would have to work hard on keeping my lighthouse lean & green!!!
MGTOTD: RAG POWER! Use your old dishtowels and cut up old bath towels to clean up in the kitchen and around the house. That way, won't have to buy paper towels. You'll save money that way, and recycling that old soft cloth really works. It's more absorbent! Stronger than paper! It's cleaning the way your grandmother did…with rags. You don't use paper, and you save money.
Marie: I knew you would have the specs fpr a genuine lighthouse. Let's give up that idea, as neighbors might object, to say nothing of air craft and ships at sea. I think I'll just wait to see the finished building of the home, and then we can embellish with our imagination. What I can't wait for any longer are the floor plans. PLEASE, HGTV, give them to us soon. At least take off the floor plans of the last Green Home on the right of the screen every time we log in. So depressing, considering the current postings by Kari.
HGTV: I am really looking forward to your program "Longest Yard Sale" tonight. Hope it will as much fun as I think it will be.
Marie: Your Rag Power post brought back a childhood memory. As I was visiting my "proper" Aunt, I called the soapy cloth I was using to wash dishes a dish rag. No, she said, that is a dish cloth. Not in my house, I thought in my head, but didn't say a word.
We keep a huge supply of towel rags in the garage. They are so useful for washing the floors, drying the floors, same with the car, and sopping up leaks. etc. One washing in the machine and dryer and they are good to go again. We use green cleaning products, but is this being green enoughj?
OK….I'm trying this again…with THIS home. Since I haven't heard from my cousin OR sister, I used Google maps to scout out the neighborhood of The Pines…..Is the house on Lois St./Dr. ? There's one towards the end of the street that possibly has the roof top(s).
When observing the recent photos, I have noticed a road towards the left side of the building. Towards the right side….I believe I see a straight edge (a rooftop?) between the tree line?
Anyone else doing a little more snooping? …. Other than me?
And yes…I do other things besides snooping…..Today we went to Lowes and my imagination was doing double time. Fortunately…one of the clerks shared my interest in sewing and realized I was preparing a sewing nook! We had a lot of fun bouncing off ideas with each other. My dear hubby walked off to find other materials….his honey do list was increasing as we spoke. I wonder if Lowes even knows they have that talented clerk in their store?
OK…I could be wrong about Lois….I found THREE new constructions off of Oak Ridge. Cool thing though…..someone in the neighborhood created a Boot shaped swimming pool with a spur. Do I hear a Yee Haw! ????? Maybe these finds…and my commenting on them will SPUR someone into giving us some pics?
I can see that the Coffey's have a big challenge ahead of them. They may not be as optimistic as I am, but I suspect that they'll do just fine when all the dust has settled. I hope for their sake that resolution will come sooner rather than later.
Speaking of dish rags vs dish cloths, Show Me says that in his family, they are called dish towels. Must be the European influence, I'd guess.
And when it's time to start entering to win the 2010 Green Home, come (Pine) hills or high water, my hat's in the ring on this one (both of them if necessary, the coolie hat AND the top hat.) Aside from Show Me, I'm the most tenacious person I know, so whatever the hurdles, bring'em on!
I can see that the Coffey's have a big challenge ahead of them. They may not be as optimistic as I am, but I suspect that they'll do just fine when all the dust has settled. I hope for their sake that resolution will come sooner rather than later.
Speaking of dish rags vs dish cloths, Show Me says that in his family, they are called dish towels. Must be the European influence, I'd guess.
And when it's time to start entering to win the 2010 Green Home, come (Pine) hills or high water, my hat's in the ring on this one (both of them if necessary, the coolie hat AND the top hat.) Aside from Show Me, I'm the most tenacious person I know, so whatever the hurdles, bring'em on!
Coop: There will never be hurdles too high for your gait! In fact, when it comes to seeking something valued or desired, I put my money on you & Show Me! I trust that you'll be there in the finish!! Good luck when it comes to (Pine) hills, but from the look of that Rainbow, there will not be any high water to speak of!!!
I guess there are many references to that rectangular piece of absorbent cloth for drying and/or washing in the kitchen. My french grand-mère would refer to them as a "torchon" (mostly for drying) and/or "lavette!" Never-the-less, using cloth opposed to paper will keep us 'lean and green!!'
All this talk about 'rags' leads into my MGTOTD:
Cloth Napkin and Dishtowel Green Tips:
1. Only wash when soiled. Most adults don’t really dirty a napkin after every meal.
2. Designate a place to store “in-use” napkins and use the same one until it is dirty.
3. If you have a large family, designate a napkin ring for each member to identify their napkin between meals.
4. Toss dirty napkins and dish towels in with other laundry.
5. Use eco-friendly laundry detergent.
6. Wash with cold water and line dry when weather permits.
I was born near Boston and now live in Arkansas. How I'd love to return to that beautiful area to live! I can just smell the clean ocean air and my mouth waters for fresh lobster. Love the tower design, so hope it's not just a tower for ventilation, please have stairs up so the winner can enjoy the view! There should be a telescope up there as in the historic sea captains houses. We're all anxious for that floorplan -please,please,please!!!!
Well said Marie…. WE always head to the kitchen and wash off our hands and face after dinner. I have the same cloth napkins that I purchased in 1996. I purchased them in a variety of whites and off whites so that I could interchange them and remove stains easily. (the best way to remove stains…. lemon, salt, baking soda and at the last resort hydrogen peroxide, I start with lemon and salt… if that doesn't do it, then I soak in baking soda for a while…if not…. then a mixture of baking soda and hydrogen always works.) You are correct on using them over and over.. Especially when you are eating dry foods….(meaning not to messy or saucy)!!! THanks again for reminding us all how easy it is to be green!! Love life by living green!!
I'll vouch for your cloth napkin tips, Marie Miller. Whenever I visit my French relatives, they always do each one of those six tips. Having a "personalized" napkin ring makes each person responsible for taking good care of their own. (No one wants to have the messiest napkin at the table, so everyone takes care to keep them neat and tidy.)
As for the Green Home tower design, at this point I'd say it looks like a page from the 2009 Green Home, with the clerestory windows and very high volumed ceiling for light and a sense of open space. That means no lamps, reflectors, or white light every 90 seconds visible for 16 miles. But if you win the Plymouth Green Home, Marie, you can always climb up on the flat roof with a powerful flashlight during inclement weather, and slowly turn around and around to warn off any ships in danger of crashing onto the rocks in Plymouth Harbor. Of course, you'll please the sailors, but certainly not your neighbors!
Plymouth Pilgrims for Progress on Floorplans.
The photos are great! But I wish that we could get a view of the house from a different angle. Plus, I cannot remember…..did you tell us how much square footage this house is going to have?
Coop: So good to have you and Show Me back. I really missed you. But are you suggesting Marie become a flasher? That would really please the sailors and maybe some of the neighbors,too.
Add my name to Plymouth Pilgrims for PROGRESS ON FLOOR PLANS!!!
Oh my, Coop & Katydid: I am laughing so hard, my eyes are too watery to read any further….Marie, "the Plymouth Pilgrim Flasher"!! I would love to accomodate the idea, however, I will only be good for about ten turns before I become not only the Flasher, but the dizzy neighborhood flashing lighthouse-keeper! I'm thinking though, batteries would be in keeping with the idea of going lean and green!!!
Okay, Coop…I know what you are going to say: Marie, the Dizzy Damsel Plymouth Pilgrim Flasher!!!
MGTOTD: Check the Ingredients of Your Personal Products!!
You probably wouldn’t slather harmful chemicals all over your body (unless you’re into that kind of thing), but many of us are unknowingly doing just that several times a day. Personal care products are full of substances that cause cancer and myriad other health-related problems. That is why it’s important to know which ingredients are harmful, and to check the labels of all products, especially those that you use most often, or that are used by children. To be safest, use as few products as possible.
continued……
Harmful chemicals are often lumped together as “fragrance” and “flavor,” so look out for companies that list those as ingredients to mask what is really in their products. Here are some other common chemicals to look out for, listed by the products in which they appear most often:
Many different products: parabens, phthalates, diethanolamine (DEA), methylisothiazolinone (MIT),
Formaldehyde, petroleum derivatives
Baby bath products: coal tar, FD&C or D&C colors
Hair dye and bleaches: Phenylenediamines (such as PPD), lead acetate
Mascara: mercury
Nail treatments: toluene
Sunscreen: benzophenone, homosalate, octyl-methoxycinnamate
Stunning home and to think that its all :green" makes it even better.
Thanks for that stunning drink, although we don't have Thanks Giving here in South Africa this is not going to stop me from making it for friends:)
Have your plans drawn up by your own designer or use our architectural design service. Once this is done our Professional Team Of Building Price Negotiators will find you the best deal through our large network of industry contacts.
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DONALD
builders