The Leapfrog House: LEED-Platinum

FOR SALE: 541 SW Maplecrest Ct., Portland, OR 97219, listed @ $549,950, call David for more details

This home is the amazing result of many minds being drawn together to create a superior high performance home. Taking its name, the Leapfrog House, from the notion of “greening further than most people dare to green,” this home aims to go beyond common expectations for how a home can perform. Each day that it awaits it’s buyer, someone is out there spending too much money on utility bills. I’ll save the mechanical details for their site, which outlines the construction techniques, mechanicals, and materials that you could pour over for hours. In essence, the home is intended to have the smallest carbon footprint possible–in the construction phase and over the course of its life. They thought of everything and did most everything–from harvesting almost all of the framing lumber and timbers at FSC-certified forests within a couple hours of Portland to burying two cisterns that store about 6,000 gallons of rainwater that can be filtered and sterilized for all uses in the house and for irrigation.

The almighty mechanical wall that makes this home perform exceptionally well

The floor plan allows for a multitude of lifestyles and living arrangements. The main living spaces are open and loft-like, with a couple loosely defined spaces that could used for multiple purposes. The plans also include nearly 600sf of space for an accessory dwelling unit  (ADU) above the garage, if that is what the buyer chooses to do. Or, it could be a home office, an art studio, a yoga and exercise space, or a massive master suite (if you’re so inclined). As it stands, it’s a 3-bedroom, 2-bath home with multiple bonus spaces that can adapt to different uses over time.

I highly recommend a tour, if you’d like to get a better sense of what sets this home apart. Contact me to set up a guided tour.

If this type of home appeals to you and you’d like to explore other options within the Portland market, you can set up a search here, or contact me for a customized residential market search. This home is listed by Sandi Sheets @ Windermere Real Estate.

 

August 10, 2010 · Filed Under listings

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Energy-Efficiency, Now (no cash out of pocket!)

Clean Energy Works Portland is helping homes save energy with no upfront costs
Be one of only 500 Portland homeowners to take part in the Clean Energy Works Portland pilot. The pilot is helping qualified Portland homeowners finance and install energy-efficiency upgrades.  Homeowners are paired with a certified Building Performance Institute contractor and receive one-on-one guidance from an Energy Advocate.  This team will assess and prioritize the home’s energy-saving opportunities, and help the homeowner decide which improvements to make.  The contractor will then install the energy-saving upgrades to the home.
Thanks to federal stimulus funding, homeowners will pay no upfront costs.  The cost of the energy-efficient improvements will be financed through a low-cost, long-term loan that the homeowner can repay over 20 years on their utility bill.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity. Go now to www.cleanenergyworksportland.org to learn more and apply. Spots fill up fast, so be sure to apply soon!
Brought to you by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, in collaboration with Energy Trust of Oregon and other organizations. 

Clean Energy Works Portland is financing program designed to make upgrades to your home easy, and has no upfront costs.
Follow these four simple steps to take advantage of this unique opportunity:
1. Apply for the pilot program.
Go to CleanEnergyWorksPortland.org and fill out the short application to see if you and your home qualify for the pilot.
2. Receive an in-depth home energy assessment.
You will be paired with a certified Building Performance Institute contractor and an Energy Advocate, who will be with you every step of the way to answer questions, explain the recommended measures and financing options and help you through the installation process.
3. Install energy-saving improvements with qualified contractors.
Once you decide which improvements you would like (weatherization is required), the contractor assigned to you will perform the work.
4. Repay through your heating utility bill.
Thanks to federal stimulus funding, you will pay no upfront costs. The cost of the energy-efficient improvements will be financed through a low-cost, long-term loan that you can repay on your monthly heating bill.  To date, participants have financed between $4,000 and $20,000 worth of energy upgrades to their home.  The average loan amount is $11,000.
APPLY HERE!
 
 

March 25, 2010 · Filed Under Uncategorized

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