Featured Home

Built Green™ home by Crofton Issaquah II

Featured Home
This month's featured home is a 3-Star Built Green™ home built by Crofton Issaquah II, LLC., a member of the collection of companies by The Dwelling Company, and can be found at Crofton, a neighborhood in the 3-Star Built Green Community of Issaquah Highlands in Issaquah. This bungalow is an example of the Dwelling Company's commitment to incorporating Built Green features into every home, as well as a good model of green design and construction practices.

As a part of a Built Green Community this home benefits from the land planning of the community itself, where special care was taken to preserve open space and natural greenbelts. During the construction process, The Dwelling Company worked in conjunction with the land developer to ensure water runoff from the site was filtered of noxious chemicals before entering city storm systems. The home's design also incorporates green features. For example, a large front porch was designed to help regulate the temperature by providing east or west shading. Additionally, bamboo, a fast-growing, sustainable resource, was installed as the hardwood flooring throughout the entire main floor. The indoor air quality was considered, and the home was insulated using formaldehyde-free fiberglass insulation and low-VOC paint was used throughout the interior. For more information on this home's green features, view the case study.

To see other previously featured virtual tours, click here. Virtual tours created by Northwest Property Imaging.

New Certifications

Congratulations to Burnstead Construction for certifying eighty-nine 3-Star Built Green homes in Issaquah.

Events

Visit the Built Green Washington website for green home building courses and events across the State of Washington.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Seattle Green Drinks
All are welcome to join Seattle Green Drinks for an evening of drinks and good conversation. The goal of the group is pretty simple: good times shared among people working in, or interested in, environmental and sustainability issues. This month's gathering will be hosted by the Northwest Tree Alliance at Washington Park Arboretum's Graham Visitors Center, located at 2300 Arboretum Drive East starting around 5:30pm. Visit the Seattle Green Drinks website for more information.

Thursday - Friday, May 11 - 12, 2006
Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities, Conference, Awards & Trade Show
Save-The-Date! Green Roofs for Healthy Cities and the City of Boston are hosting a Green Roofs Conference in May. For more information on the event and to register visit their website.

Courses

Visit the Built Green Washington website for green home building courses and events across the state of Washington.

Friday, December 9, 2005, Seattle
Construction Defects: Water Intrusion & Other Calamities
Moisture penetration has long been a problem for residential buildings. What is new is the staggering cost of remediation and litigation. This conference, Construction Defects: Water Intrusion & Other Calamities, hosted by The Seminar Group brings together experts who will examine the potential liability of water intrusion and other construction defects and ways to minimize the risk and liability. This course will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle. The cost of the conference is $395. For further information or to register, contact the registrar or call (206) 463-4400.

New IAQ Certification

The Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) has launched a green label for flooring products that meet low indoor emission standards called FloorScore™. The certification is third-party verified by Scientific Certification Systems. For a complete list of standards and certified products you can visit the websites of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute.

Recommended Reading

Design for Life: The Architecture of Sim Van der Ryn
Design for Life: The Architecture of Sim Van der Ryn is a beautiful new coffee-table-style book that surveys the work and principles of Sim Van der Ryn, a world leader in the field of sustainable architecture.

Resources

Green Homes For Sale
Take a look at the new website devoted to green homes for sale on the market. The listings cover a wide geographic area, so you can search for homes all over the United States, including Washington!

New website for used household materials
The Washington State Department of Ecology has launched a new website for homeowners or renovators looking to find used household items or surplus building materials. You can find this materials exchange at www.2good2toss.com and the Snohomish County website.

Letter from the Director

Since its inception in 1999 Built Green of King and Snohomish Counties has seen phenomenal growth. Thanks to the dedication of numerous individuals that represent building professionals, community partners, utilities, and program sponsors, Built Green has become one of the most well respected and successful residential green building certification programs in the country. I am both excited and honored to join this group of dedicated individuals as the newly hired Director of Built Green.

As this is my first opportunity to introduce myself to most of you, I'll tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Aaron Adelstein. I come to the Built Green program from member company and sponsor, Environmental Home Center, where I worked specifically with building professionals in providing green building materials and product information. Prior to working at Environmental Home Center I completed B.A. and M.S. degrees in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado and the University of Montana respectively.

Though the directorship of Built Green has been in transition since September, interest in and growth of the program has continued and there is no shortage of news to report. Many of you are probably already aware of the Built Green Showcase Home located at the Suncadia Resort in Roslyn, Washington. Due to the buzz around the Showcase Home, and increasing support and publicity for green building, the Suncadia Resort announced its intent to become a certified Built Green community, thereby requiring that at least 60% of the houses built be certified under Built Green. This is a big step for this high profile project and it will generate significant exposure for the Built Green program and green building in general.

In other news, the planners of the Built Green Conference have been working feverishly to put together a knockout lineup of speakers for the March 16, 2006 event. This years lineup will include Keynote Speaker Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big House, David Johnston, founding member of Built Green Colorado and author of the Green Remodel Guide, and Hans Dunshee, Washington State Representative from the 44th legislative district. More speakers are in the works, and the upcoming conference is expected to be as fun and information packed as last year's huge success.

It is a very exciting time to take the reigns of the program. I look forward to working with the dedicated people who made this program the success it is today, and with all of the members in continuing the tradition of environmental leadership typical of the Pacific Northwest.

— Aaron Adelstein, Built Green Director

Product Spotlight

Build With Brick
A brick home can be a reflection of your customer's personal style and taste. For over a century, Mutual Materials™ brick has provided builders and architects with products that helped them create beautiful lasting impressions.

In addition to its maintenance, environmental, and safety benefits, brick provides infinite design options with a wide palette of colors and textures. Let Mutual Materials help transform your customer's dream home into a beautiful reality and your hard work into something you will be proud of.

For more information on Mutual Materials™ brick please visit us.

For information on how to list your "green" products* in this space, please contact MBA Sales & Marketing Director Pam Worner by phone at (425) 460-8217, or via email.

*Products must be able to meet at least one Built Green credit (see the four Built Green checklists on our website) to qualify, and the company must be a member-in-good-standing of Built Green.

New Members

Are you a Built Green member and a member of the Master Builders Association? Then your company will be designated in the Master Builders Association Directory as a Built Green member. Your company is also listed on the Built Green website.

Welcome to our newest member companies!

BuildSERV Inc
Home Care Manager - Owner Maintenance Guide

Clear Water Construction of Seattle Inc
(206) 368-8912 in Seattle

Country Classic Log Homes
Every home a place of warmth and lasting memories.

C P H Consultants
(425) 285-2390 in Kirkland

"Dig It" Landscaping LLC
The Residential Landscaping Specialist

Enviro Shield
(425) 488-7688 in Woodinville

I M R Renovations
Imagination Made Real

Noland Homes
Smart. Creative. Affordable. Complete.

Pacific Polysteel
Distributor of Polysteel Insulated Concrete Forms

Plastpro Inc
First in Fiberglass

Senger Construction LLC
(509) 674-7774 in Cle Elum

Sierra Homes Inc
(425) 793-5274 in Renton

Treebird Construction
Custom Homes & Fine Remodeling.

View our current members.

Member News

Built Green member companies, CAST Design/Build, Environmental Home Center, Green Depot, and Greenleaf Construction are all featured in the November edition of Building Edge Magazine.

If you are a member of Built Green and have news you would like to share with our readers, please e-mail your announcement to Built Green.

Other News

Muppets in Gingerbread
Be sure to check out the Built Green gingerbread house, modeled after The Muppet Christmas Carol, between now and January 3rd at the City Centre mall on 5th Avenue across from the Seattle Sheraton!

The Built Green gingerbread house is a fantastic creation including characters, animals, lights and lots of candy, of course. It is a collaboration between the MBA and Built Green member company Otak. Following this year's theme of A Dickens Christmas," other displays include London Bridge and the Tower of London with Big Ben. Donations are accepted to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Seattle. An "I Spy" sheet for kids helps them find hidden treasures on our gingerbread house. Directions

Puget Sound Energy

Go Green — Be Seen
Built Green member companies may be interested in the added benefits of joining PSE's Green Power program. PSE has recently developed tools for Green Power Business Partners to enhance their image and build trust among their customers and employees, by supporting Green Power! Electric business customers committing to PSE's Green Power Program at certain levels will receive recognition from PSE for their environmental leadership. PSE's Business Recognition Program makes it easy for your organization to join. The program has two commitment levels to choose from: the Partnership Level," where your business receives a window decal, certificate plaque and quarterly newsletter via our Green Power Report, and the "Leadership Level" which includes all "Partnership Level" benefits, plus a mention on PSE's Green Power Program web site, a press release template, and inclusion in an annual thank you advertisement paid for by PSE.

PSE's Green Power Program is among the top 10 programs in the country (source: NREL 12/04), with nearly 15,000 business and residential customers enrolling since the program's inception in 2001. Green power is electricity produced from renewable sources, such as the wind, the sun, and biomass (energy produced from common materials including plants, residues from agriculture, and municipal and industrial waste.) To learn more about PSE's Green Power Program or to request information about the new Business Recognition Program, call an Energy Advisor at 1-800-562-1482 or click here.

King County

New addition to Green Building Program
King County announces the addition of a new member to their Green Building Program. Patti Southard, formerly with the Environmental Home Center, joined the program in September and will be representing King County on the Built Green executive and steering committees, in addition to chairing the 2006 Built Green conference planning. Patti's background and expertise in marketing, green building materials, and certified wood strengthens the county's commitment and support of green building.

Awards, Call for Entries

NAHB Green Building Awards
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) invites home builders, remodelers, developers, nonprofits, government officials, academics, industry experts and other involved in green building efforts to submit entries for the 2006 National Green Building Awards.

These prestigious awards honor those entities that have demonstrated a tangible commitment and contribution to the principles of residential "green building."
Award entrants are eligible to submit applications for awards in the areas of green building programs, green built projects and marketing products for the advocacy of "green building" construction.

Entries must be submitted by Friday, Dec. 23, 2005. The 2006 Green Building Awards will be presented at the 2006 National Green Building Conference held March 12 to 14, 2006 in Albuquerque, NM. See NAHB's website for more information about the awards and applications.

Contact Built Green

Master Builders Association
335 - 116th Avenue SE
Bellevue, WA 98004
P: (425) 460-8238
F: (425) 646-5985
builtgreen@mbaks.com
www.builtgreen.net

Master Builders Association Calendar of Events

If you have news items for this newsletter, please send us an email. Click here for Directions to the Master Builders Association.