Fig.1-Zone 1 (Entry way)                    Fig.2-Zone 2 (Guest room) 

  
Fig.3-Hallway & Utility room              Fig.4-Zone 1 (Living & Dining)

Today was the first of a multiple series of tours that I'm hosting at the 'Green Concept Home' in Bellevue.  Except, nobody showed up!  I'm guessing it was the in-climate weather earlier in the day that had everyone decided it was going to be a rainy mess... but the sun came out at tour time.  You missed out!

As they say in showbiz, the 'tour' must go on ... at least that's what I say!  Anywho, owner David Huang and I toured the installation of the radiant floor heating PEX tubing for the first floor, which is covers the kitchen, living room, entry way and the guest bedroom (roughly 1,500 sq. ft.).

The home will have 6 zones.  Zoning controls the delivery of heat to a particular area of the floor by either controlling the flow of water (where the water temperature remains constant, but the amount of time it is "on" in an area varies), the temperature of the water, or a combination of both.  Areas of the floor plan can have different heating needs due to what a room is used for, how often a room is used, and even what floor covering is used.  The first floor of this home will have two zones, one for the kitchen, living room and entry way, the other for the hallway and guest room.

Lines, where the walls are going to be, are spray painted in red on top of the black visqueen or vapor barrier, so that the installer knows where to loop the PEX tubing.  He affixes the PEX tubing to the concrete wire mesh.  Underneath the visqueen barrier is a 3" inch thick foam insulator, so you don't lose the heat into the ground.  That insulation sits on top of the compacted gravel. 

In the picture above (fig.2) The area where the tubing is coming up 18" off the slab, is where the 'brain' of the heating system will be located.  Most likely positioned inside the closet of the guest bedroom.  The white tubes that you see are the water feed and return lines to the water heater, which will be in the utility room (fig.3).  So, all 6 zones throughout the house will be independantly controlled by the control center in the guest bedroom.

The first floor is ready to have the conrete poured with the PEX tubing installed and pre-plumbing done.  Sorry you missed the tour, it was educational.  The next tour, which will probably be framing using SIP's, will be in a couple of weeks.  Stay tuned!

To get a better look at these photos, go to this link: http://photos.greenrealtor-wa.com/GalleryThumbnails.aspx?gallery=279675

Good news 1st timers!  President Obama has signed the Homebuyers Tax Legislation, extending and expanding the tax credit until April 2010.  The legislation includes some modifications to the existing tax credit which will become effective December 1st.

The National Association of Realtors has created written materials in this link provided below, explaining the original and modified Homebuyer Tax Credit.  See details: http://bit.ly/1Qv7If

Call me and let's get you qualified and into home ownership!

Sorry everyone, I forgot to post this sooner.  Tomorrow is Green Seattle Day.  If you aren't doing anything tomorrow, Saturday Nov. 7th from 10 am til 2:00pm, go lend a hend and plant trees, revitalize vegetation throghout specified areas and parks around Seattle. 

For more information on the event, and to sign up, got to: http://bit.ly/39pDqs

You may see me at the Burke Gilman Trail location!

The newest eco-business to hit Seattle is Green Cleaning Seattle.  This company is not your ordinary 'Merry Maid' house cleaning service.  They do provide similar services, but the one thing that sets this company apart from the others is that they use all natural, environmentally friendly cleaning products. 

For those wishing to live with better indoor air quality, this is huge.  Because the homes we now live in are so air tight, which is fabulous for energy conservation, but it does trap toxins given off by most household cleaning products which contain chemicals.  These harmful toxins enter our bodies through the air we breathe, through the pores on our skin and the water we drink.  So, using cleaning products  that are all natural, ensures that the air we breathe in our own homes and the water that we send back to the soil and rivers, oceans and streams, are friendly to wildlife and eco-systems.  Here are some of the services GCS provides:

• Maid services - They will come to your house and fold your laundry, do the dishes ans sweep your patio.  Contact them and find out what they will NOT do!
• House Cleaning - Whether you need daily, weekly or monthly cleaning, you can pick a consistent schedule that fits your needs.
• Party/Event Cleaning - GCS will provide cleaning before, during and after your fiesta.  What a concept!
• Move in/Move out Cleaning - The first step before you move in to your new home, condo or apartment ... and the last step before completing your move out.
• Building Maintenance/Janitorial Services - GCS will service healthcare facilities, retail space, corporate offices and schools.

For more information, go to: http://www.greencleaningseattle.com/Home_Page.html

I had the opportunity to go and visit the GCH this weekend to see what was going on.  It looks like they put in the footing drains and back-filled with gravel.  Very smart of them to put in footing drains while you're pouring the foundation.  For those who don't know why footing drains are used, they help flow water build up away from the foundation, basement or crawlspace.

If you want a good moisture control system, you need to put one in, especially here in the Northwest.  Good moisture control will help control mold and water in the basement or crawlspace.  That will lead to better air quality in the home.  You will NEVER eliminate mold and moisture, but you can control it so that it doesn't become an expensive problem down the road.

I am a fan of an organzation called Greenopolis on Facebook.  They did a live broadcast featuring Bill McDonough discussing C2C and other topics. I thought he was a very educated man and a proficient speaker on the subject and brought out some insights that I never thought of before.  For example, in Part II of the broadcast (around 3:34), he relates a story of Thomas Jefferson and a letter that he wrote to John Madison concerning his belief of what the design of the Federal government should be in relation to the environment.  He said that the earth belongs to the "living", and not the "dead".  Meaning that no man should take more than he needs during his lifetime, only what he needs while he is alive.  Pretty powerful statement.  Anyway, take time to listen to the whole address at this link:  Bill McDonough Live Broadcast

Bill McDonough

William McDonough is a world-renowned architect and designer and winner of three U.S. presidential awards: the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development (1996), the National Design Award (2004); and the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (2003). Time magazine recognized him as a "Hero for the Planet" in 1999, stating that "his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that - in demonstrable and practical ways - is changing the design of the world.

McDonough's new book, written with his colleague, the German chemist Michael Braungart, is a manifesto calling for the transformation of human industry through ecologically intelligent design. Through historical sketches on the roots of the industrial revolution; commentary on science, nature and society; descriptions of key design principles; and compelling examples of innovative products and business strategies already reshaping the marketplace, McDonough and Braungart make the case that an industrial system that "takes, makes and wastes" can become a creator of goods and services that generate ecological, social and economic value.

In addition to describing the hopeful, nature-inspired design principles that are making industry both prosperous and sustainable, the book itself is a physical symbol of the changes to come. It is printed on a synthetic 'paper,' made from plastic resins and inorganic fillers, designed to look and feel like top quality paper while also being waterproof and rugged. And the book can be easily recycled in localities with systems to collect polypropylene, like that in yogurt containers. This 'treeless' book points the way toward the day when synthetic books, like many other products, can be used, recycled, and used again without losing any material quality - in cradle-to-cradle cycles.

The foundation for the Green Concept Home was poured this week.  They couldn't have timed the weather better, they had gorgeous conditions!  I read that they are using 30% fly ash concrete mix which is considered to be more environmentally friendly.  Fly ash is a residue from coal combustion; by using fly ash in the cement mix, it actually converts waste into useful material.   In fact, research has shown that by adding a controlled amount of fly ash, the strength of the concrete mix can be improved.  You learn something new everyday.

The cons of using it, is that with the higher content of fly ash, the concrete does take longer to cure. Which is probably why most contractors don't use it (more delays in construction).  However, “LEED for Homes” green certification program, recognizes the sustainability aspects of adding 30% fly ash to concrete foundation mix – you earn points towards the certification.

I attended the mini REBC in Bellevue yesterday, because I enjoyed the last bar camp held in Seattle about a month ago.  It was more of the same, but for someone like myself, who has been slow to embrace social networking ... well, it's what has become necessary to be a leader in your business.

So, I've committed to get a Facebook account and start facebooking, keeping current on my blog with informative content, commenting to other blogposts, linking to information for my "Tweeople" or "Tweeops" on Twitter, etc. etc.

Big up props to W.A.M.P (Washington Association of Mortgage Professionals) for sponsoring the event.  See link: Mini Barcamp Bellevue

"Green Concept Home" by owners Millie Leung & David Huang

There is a "Green Concept Home" that just broke ground here in Bellevue.  It has the distinguished honor of being  the first single-family home registered under LEED-H in Bellevue.  The owners are Millie Leung and David Huang.  David (of Modus V Studio) designed the home, and both Millie and David will direct its construction over the next year.  They hope to obtain the Built Green certification on the home as well.  This is what they're planning in terms of green elements:

Solar hot water heater;

Solar photovoltaic panels;

Structural insulated panels (SIPS);

Rainwater collection system;

Heat recovery ventilator;

Radiant heat flooring;

Bamboo flooring;

Recycled content countertops and recycled content metal roof; 

Energy Star appliances and fixtures; and

Low flow water fixtures and low maintenance landscaping. 

The 2,840 square-foot home is estimated to cost about $200 per square foot to build (not counting any architect or contractor markup).  Pretty exciting project for the eastside!  I will follow this project during its construction and posts updates on construction progress.

RE Bar Camp 2009

I had the fortunate occassion to attend my first Real Estate Bar Camp in Seattle today.  I had heard the buzz before about this gathering of real estate agents and professionals who got together to learn how to use 'bar-hopping' as a means to drum up more business.  I was amazed to learn that my preconception was a huge misconception!

Bar Camp, an inception created around the desire for real estate and mortgage professionals, or anyone affiliated in the real estate industry, to come together and share and learn in a fast paced, open environment.  The forum is organized by topics relevant to the current real estate market, trends, technology and is led by anyone who wants impart of their professionalism on the topic.  The discussions are participatory and encourages interaction from attendees. It kind of looked like a 'speed-dating' conference to be quite honest, without the akwardness. where you quickly jumped from one discussion to another throughout the day . . . but actually felt like you came away with something.

The day sort of centered around social media craze.  There were discussions on how to best use facebook, twitter, blogging and other social media marketing tools to enhance your business.  I really wanted to attend this Bar Camp because I need to step up my game on the social network scene big time!

Zillow hosted the event and we were instructed by several of their employees, including blogger Drew Meyers, who is a business development specialist.  Drew lead a forum on SEO's with Stephen Jagger of Ubertor (a real estate website provider in Canada) and imparted some helpful information on getting our websites higher up the search engine ladder. Ben Kaufman, my broker, lead a class on green sustainability ... which I missed because I was more interested in the blogging class so I can be a better 'blogger' because I just plain suck at it! 

I would encourage anyone who has not attended Bar Camp, to seriously consider attending one.  I hear they are happening all ove the country now, so catch one coming to a city near you.  I'm going to the next one in Bellevue on October 8th.