Water conservation is not a huge issue in our area, but we’re hearing about it more and more on a national level. California Governer Scharzeneggar declared a goal of a 20 percent reduction in water use state-wide by 2012. California currently purchases water from Arizona, but with the continual development expansion in Arizona, particularly in arid areas such as Pheonix, the need for fresh water is a growing issue in the Southwest. How does that affect us in Northern Indiana?
Green
Congratulations to Price Nurseries
Congratulations to Tom McGee and Jody Overmyer at Price Nurseries for their Green Excellence Award from the Indiana Nursery and Landscape Association! They received this award for their design and implementation of the landscaping for the Tri-Way Mini-Golf Course in Plymouth. <Pilot News Article> (Note: The Pilot article has an incorrect address for Indiana Nursery and Landscape and the Price Nursery award has not been posted yet. You can see past award winners here.)
Easterday Construction Co., Inc. and Price Nurseries have enjoyed a excellent working relationship for many years with Price Nurseries acting as a subcontractor for us on many projects and the reverse, ECC doing subcontract work for Price Nurseries on occasion. These projects include Lake Maxinkuckee residences as well as commercial projects such as Fairfield Garden Court in Plymouth.
We are proud of our association with Price Nurseries and look forward to a long and rewarding relationship with them into the future. It is wonderful that their excellent work has been recognized by their peers. Great job guys!!!
Sand Hill Farm – Pocket Towns
Pocket Towns (copyrighted) are a concept I ran across in an article in the January 2009 issue of Professional Builder Magazine. (Read Article Here.) They are high density housing on smaller lots (less than 3000 sf). The homes are pushed to the front and have as little as 5′ side setbacks. Living space varies from 950 sf to 2400 sf with a mix of one and two story homes. Read more about them on BSB’s website here.
Becky and I were in Tampa a couple of weeks ago. Becky had a conference and I tagged along. I didn’t see the new pocket town neighborhood discussed in the article, but I saw some of the old Tampa neighborhoods that it was modeled after. Somewhat narrow brick streets with granite curbs.
(I’m still trying to figure out how granite curbs were affordable in central Florida at the turn of the century when there wouldn’t be a quarry within hundreds, if not a thousand miles.) At the end of the block was a library and a service station. Across that intersection were small shops and a neighborhood grocery store.
These homes were built on an alley system with no garages or off street parking on the front. Parking was allowed on one or both sides of the street, but the streets were pretty narrow when there were cars parked on both sides. Having an alley also allows for utilities to be moved to the back side of the property. Optimally they would all be buried, but that is usually cost prohibitive and rarely seen in older neighborhoods. Some of the homes had parking in the rear or even a garage accessed from the alley.
Part of the Green initiative is a move towards smaller homes and more efficient use of the landscape. The USGBC gives points toward LEED certification for efficient use of land. Notice the return of the front porch which I discussed here previously.
The streets themselves were interesting too. In our area, the recommended construction for brick streets have the streets crowned towards a concrete curb and gutter. This allows storm water to run on the concrete gutter in lieu of across the brick where the brick surface would be eroded and the sand between the brick would be washed away. Florida is so flat and sandy that very little of the water runs off anyway, so the gutter line isn’t as important. The brick streets act as a solid driving surface yet a somewhat pervious surface to absorb storm runoff.
Self-cleaning Drain Pipe
Do you have problems with kids losing things in the bathroom drain? Ever lost jewelry down the drain? Worse yet, were you not sure and went through the process of removing the trap just to find that the lost item actually was misplaced elsewhere? Or do you have problems with constant clogs? I ran across the PermaFLOW trap from PF WaterWorks as a possible solution. This is a clear plastic trap with an external knob that can be turned to dislodge clogs.
They are also marketing this as a “green” solution as it should reduce the need for corrosive chemicals when dealing with a clogged drain. The design is such that they say it improves flow, thus the “self-cleaning” designation. The cost appears to run around $40, plus installation. We have not tried one yet, but I have a few clients that I will be giving the suggestion.
BMC “Cool Roof” Technology
Butler Manufacturing Company (BMC) offers sustainable 25-yr color finishes that meet the reflectance and emittance standards established by the energy codes for “cool roofs.” Butler cool roofs help mitigate the Heat Island Effect, which produces high relative temperatures in urban areas that contribute to smog formation. In this way, Butler® building systems help ensure a safer habitat and microclimate. Butler Manufacturing Company is making efforts to make their products as “Green” as possible. Read how BMC products meet various LEED requirements here and here.