The dirt continues to fly and trucks roll along as progress continues on the Magnolia Farms land.

Before we break ground on the Idea House (my house), countless choices have to be made. Which type of heating and cooling system do we use? Geothermal? Hydronic? Are we going to power the home completely or partially with solar? Are we going to use solar panels or film?

As you can see, the more we learn about the options available, the more questions we have.

These issues are not insurmountable by any means. They will actually be fairly easy once we have all the facts weighed with our lifestyle and budget.

That is why we are planning this house while the road on which we live still doesn't exist. We need time to research.

The one concrete decision we have made is to find a LEED certified architect with plentiful experience in green building to advise us on our plans. I would suggest that should be anyone's first step when building an eco-friendly home. He is in the process of looking at our plans and lot holistically to guide us on everything from the placement of the house to daylighting to air flow.

When in doubt, find someone smarter than yourself

Also, tomorrow Will Harris (the developer) and I are meeting with a sales rep from Rinnai to learn more about their newest technologies in tankless water heaters and home heating systems they offer.

I will be sure to report back on both the architects' feedback and my thoughts on the Rinnai products.

If any of you have any suggestions or thoughts, please share. With this ever-changing and expanding green market, we are all learning together!

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User Comments – Give us your opinion!
  • Brett Little
    21691590
    Hello! If you want to take the guess work out of it. Hire Eric Hughes of Image Design. He is an architect with about 13 LEED Certified homes, several more underway and a few net zero projects as well.

    6812 Old 28th Street SE, Suite D
    Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
    Phone: 1-616-957-LEED (5333)
    ehughes@imagedesignarch.com
    http://imagedesignllc.blogspot.com/p/about.html

    Brett Little
    AES
    Brett.Little@allianceES.org
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Living a Sustainable Life

Latest posts by Kelly Emerine
Kelly Emerine
Kelly Emerine is the marketing director for Magnolia Farms in Elizabethtown, Ky. Magnolia Farms will be the first eco-friendly development of it's kind in Kentucky. With nine years of experience working in new construction and real estate, she is excited to combine her passion for homes with her interest in non-toxic, eco-friendly living. Kelly graduated from the University of Kentucky and is a proud mother of twin girls, wife, business owner and entrepreneur.
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