Featured Home

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Tennyson Homes
This month's featured home is a 3-Star Built Green™ home built by Tennyson Homes in Kirkland. Tennyson Homes believes that preserving the natural environment is an integral part of creating a home that buyers will be proud to own. The many sustainable construction practices and design features incorporated into this home demonstrate that belief.

The home was built on an in-fill site to utilize existing infrastructure. The existing home on the site was deconstructed and carefully recycled, with all usable materials and plants going to professional salvagers and private individuals, and remaining materials separated and recycled minimizing the amount of material going to the landfill.

Inside the new home, durable materials such as granite and limestone were installed. A healthy indoor environment was supported by the use of low-VOC paint and fewer carpeted areas, with low-pile carpet used where carpet was installed. 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 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.

Ashworth Homes
Elite Homes for Every Family
(206) 715-9552 in Kenmore

Chaffey Homes Come home to Chaffey…it's where you want to be!
(425) 822-5981 in Kirkland

Champion Metal of Washington Inc.
Manufacturer and Quality Metal Roofing and Siding
(425) 485-3003 in Woodinville

Chee Development Company
(206) 601-4256 in Sammamish

David Vandervort Architects
(206) 784-1614 in Seattle

Donald & Mike Realtors
(425) 773-2470 in Seattle

Dyna Contracting Inc.
(206) 297-6369 in Seattle

International Development Corp.
(817) 251-6999 in Texas

O 2 Pure Air Duct Cleaning LLC
Solutions for a Healthier You
(425) 605-8976 in Woodinville

TrashBusters Rubbish Co.
Full Service Recycling and Disposal Specialists
(206) 545-1100 in Seattle

TruKraft
Home Finishing Materials
(206) 779-8983 in Seattle

Member News

Built Green member companies Environmental Home Center, Mithun, Prestige Custom Builders, Stuart Silk Architects, Urban Hardwoods, and Weber + Thompson are all featured in the February issue of Seattle Homes + Lifestyles among the top 100 people, places and things that define Seattle design.

Built Green members who are also members of the Master Builders Association are now indicated as Built Green members on the MBA's website by a small green tree. When people search the website for a remodeler, homebuilder, service or product they will see this tree next to the member company's name.

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.

New Certifications

Congratulations to Bennett Homes for certifying eighty-three 3-Star Built Green homes in Issaquah; Centex Homes for certifying one hundred seventeen 3-Star Built Green homes in Lynnwood and Bothell; Country Construction for certifying one 3-Star Built Green home in Kirkland; Eco Seattle Homes for certifying four 2-Star Built Green homes in Seattle; Greenleaf Construction for certifying two 4-Star Built Green homes in Seattle; Marpac Construction for certifying one 3-Star Built Green, twenty-six unit, multi-family project in Seattle; Martha Rose Construction for certifying two 5-Star Built Green homes in Seattle; Natural Building Solutions for certifying one 3-Star Built Green remodel project in Seattle; Quadrant Homes for certifying forty-three 3-Star Built Green homes in Auburn; The Dwelling Company for certifying one hundred seven 3-Star Built Green homes in Issaquah.

Events

Thursday, January 19
NBIS Business Leaders Forum
Join the Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability (NBIS) for its inaugural season of the 2005-06 Business Leaders Forum. The next event, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Thursday, January 19, will feature Lonny Knabe, Sustainable Projects Coordinator of Nike Corporate Facilities. Knabe has been instrumental in planning and implementing innovative sustainability projects at Nike headquarters and worldwide facilities. He will describe how he makes sustainability projects pencil out and what benefits they bring to the company and its stakeholders. The cost is $20 for NBIS members and $30 for non-members (continental breakfast included). Click here to purchase tickets online. For more information, contact NBIS Co-Director Mary Rose by phone (425) 828-0982 or email.

Sunday, January 22
Trash Fashion Bash and Cake Competition
Join International Sustainable Solutions for a fun evening of sustainable cakes and trash fashion show on Sunday, January 22 from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Seattle Design Center! Built Green members such as Jim Potter of Kauri Investments, Bert Gregory of Mithun, and Diane Sugimura of the Seattle Deptartment of Planning and Development will be among those modeling their most glamorous haute trash. All attire will be designed and created out of recycled and salvaged organic materials. In addition, teams from architecture firms throughout the Northwest will be creating cakes based on the theme of sustainable building designs. Judging and awards for the cake competition will be held just prior to the fashion show. Proceeds from this event will be used to help put on an international conference in Seattle in June 2007 called Great Cities. The cost is $125 in advance, and $1,050 for a group of 10. Click here to purchase tickets online. For more information, email Patricia Chase.

Letter from the Director

Built Green Members Honored at MBA General Membership Dinner
As each year comes to a close the Master Builders Association holds a banquet both to install a new association president and to present awards to its outstanding members. This banquet holds the proud moniker: The General Membership Dinner, and its awards serve as a beacon to all MBA members as they recognize the cream of the crop within the association. As the Built Green Director, I'm proud to announce that at the culmination of 2005, nearly all of the honorees at the General Membership Dinner were active Built Green members, and have played key roles in promoting the success of the program. In this column, I'd like to reaffirm the honor bestowed upon these members by the MBA, and give them the recognition they deserve for helping promote environmental practices in mainstream building.

Outgoing MBA President Donna Shirey of Shirey Contracting has been an active member of the Built Green Executive, Steering, and Conference Planning committees in 2005. Her participation has been invaluable in the development of the program, and her company incorporates green design and materials into their projects. At the General Membership Dinner, Shirey Contracting was also a co-recipient of the MBA Remodeler of the Year Award.

For 2006, Shirey passed the presidential torch to Jim Potter, a local urban developer and chairman of Kauri Investments. In 2005, Potter certified Luminaire, a 50-unit condominium project in Lake City, under the Built Green multi-family checklist. A case study on Luminaire can be seen on the Built Green website.

The coveted MBA Builder of the Year Award was shared by Todd Bennett of Bennett Homes, and Doug Barnes of Centex Homes. In 2005, Bennett Homes certified 252 homes and Centex Homes certified 240 as Built Green by utilizing the single-family checklist in both King and Snohomish counties. In addition to their MBA recognition, these two companies are distinguished as the two biggest Built Green certifiers of the year. Both builders have homes featured in the case studies section of the Built Green website.

In the associate category Diane Glenn of the Construction Consultants was recognized as the 2005 MBA Associate Member of the year. Diane has been a long time participant in too many Built Green committees to mention, including the Executive and Steering committees. She is currently a third-party verifier of Built Green projects, the chair of the Multi-Family Checklist Revision Committee and has also been a key advocate of the program to production builders.

It is encouraging to see such a high level of interest and participation of Master Builders Association leaders in the Built Green program. Kudos to these honorees for literally leading by example in promoting a more sustainable future, it is gratifying to see them get duly awarded for it.

— Aaron Adelstein, Built Green Director

Puget Sound Energy

The results are in!
PSE's New Construction rebate programs were a big success in 2005 thanks to the forty-two builders that participated. Rebates include Energy Star® qualified natural gas furnaces, high efficiency natural gas water heaters, Energy Star qualified dishwashers, Energy Star qualified clothes washers, Energy Star qualified fixtures and bulbs and Energy Star-certified homes.

PSE paid over $200,000 to builders in rebate incentives in 2005 which resulted in 78,661 kWhs saved and a whopping 95,363 therms saved (enough natural gas to heat 136 homes for an entire year!).

PSE would like to thank those builders that supported energy efficiency by participating in our 2005 rebate programs. We look forward to continuing to work with you in 2006.

Builders that are not currently participating in PSE's New Construction rebate programs can contact Chris Boroughs for more information by phone (425) 456-2431 or email.

Office Space

Tenant Space for Lease
Looking for opportunities to expand the presence of your small business in a supportive and collaborative environment? Urban Green, a resource center for sustainable development, seeks to foster emerging green business enterprises by offering cooperative office space for lease in Pioneer Square multi-tenant space, beginning July 2006. Space is limited; contact Mike Cox by phone (206) 684-5518 or email

Education Spotlight

Education is not only an important part of remaining current in the field, but also an annual requirement of the Built Green program for project certification. Many great classes and workshops are on the horizon through MBA University, Built Green and other sources. Here is a full listing of the MBA University's upcoming Built Green classes, as well as information on our upcoming Built Green Conference and other workshops for the month of January to assist in your planning. More classes will be announced throughout the year, so keep checking this monthly newsletter for additional educations opportunities. You can also visit the Built Green Washington website for green home building courses and events across the state.

Thursday, January 19, Bellevue
Introduction to Built Green™
This free seminar provides introduction to the Built Green program from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Thursday, January 19 at the MBA Housing Center in Bellevue. Learn how to certify a project and use the checklist, how to join, how the program works, and other resources. The seminar presents examples of projects and covers how to fill out the Built Green checklist. This seminar is required in order to certify homes as Built Green. To register, contact the MBA University registrar by phone (425) 460-8208 or email. If you can't make it on January 19, the class is also scheduled for later in the term on Tuesday, March 21, and Tuesday, May 16.

Wednesday, January 25, Seattle
Stormwater: Turning a Potential Problem Into an Asset
This seminar, sponsored by Seattle Public Utilities and the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, is a basic introduction to the topic of managing stormwater in the landscape designed for builders, developers, contractors, landscape architects, engineers, architects, planners, and landscape designers. Speakers will focus on successful large and small, municipal and private projects for collecting and retaining rainwater around our region as teaching tools. Rain gardens, living roofs, cisterns, swales, soil improvement, plant selection and landscape design for projects will be presented and critiqued. This seminar will teach you how to implement many of these practices to meet upcoming stormwater regulations. This course will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 25 at NHS Hall, Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle. The cost of the course is $50 and includes lunch. Pre-registration is required. Built Green credit offered. For more information or to register, call (206) 685-8033.

Thursday, January 26, Seattle
Landscape Stormwater Strategies: A Practical Design Workshop
A more advanced design and construction workshop geared toward participants who have a basic knowledge, such as provided in the January 25 seminar, "Stormwater: Turning a Potential Problem into an Asset." This interactive workshop will "dig deeper" into soil improvements, bio-retention (swales and rain gardens), landscape design for stormwater management and permeable paving techniques. Speakers will show how to integrate these techniques into overall site design and construction. The goal is to help professionals apply these innovative techniques to their own designs and projects. This course will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 26 at NHS Hall, Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle. The cost of the course is $50 and includes lunch. Pre-registration is required. Built Green credit offered. For more information or to register, call (206) 685-8033.

Thursday, February 2, Bellevue
Build Green & Profit
This interactive workshop will help you develop Built Green™ priorities for your company. Whether you are a builder, designer, developer or another allied professional, you'll leave this program knowing how to use this special tool to build your business. The class provides an overview of the Built Green rating system; an introduction to green building design; a discussion of how building green affects your bottom line; and an offering of "top picks" from the checklist. This course will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Thursday, February 2 at the MBA Housing Center in Bellevue. The cost of the course is $100 for members of the MBA and $125 for non-members. Built Green credit offered. To register, contact the MBA University registrar by phone (425) 460-8208 or email.

Thursday, March 16, Seattle
2006 Built Green™ Conference
Our Built Green Conference is an excellent way to meet your annual Built Green educational requirement, as well as to simply learn something new! The conference will include a green products and companies tradeshow, and 10 different educational workshops on green building, design, marketing and more! Our keynote speaker will be Sarah Susanka, an award-winning architect and author of "The Not So Big House." The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 16 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle. Registration is now open through March 13. The cost is $145 for Built Green members and $175 for non-members, with reduced fees available for registering three or more employees (call for details). For more information or to register, contact Built Green™ Coordinator Amanda Reed by phone (425) 460-8238 or email.

Friday, March 17, Bellevue
Built Green™ Sales Boot Camp
A great class for real estate professionals! Not sure how to effectively tap into the growing market for green homes? A more advanced and practice-intensive course than the previously offered "Tapping the Green in Built Green™ Homes," this course will help perfect your green sales pitch. You'll review the basics of green building, develop and practice your green sales pitch, define your target market and sales approach, and practice with sales scenarios. This course will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday, March 17 at the MBA Housing Center in Bellevue. The cost of the course is $100 for MBA members and $125 for non-members. Built Green credit offered. To register, contact the MBA University registrar by phone (425) 460-8208 or email.

Friday, May 5, Bellevue
The Systems Engineering Approach to Homebuilding
The Systems Engineering Approach to Homebuilding will help you stand out in the crowded homebuilders market. Learn how to build homes that are 30 to 50 percent more energy efficient at little or no increase in cost to you! Topics include key strategies for designing and constructing energy efficient homes, and choosing optimal ductwork, windows, insulation and heating/cooling equipment. This course will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday, May 5 at the MBA Housing Center in Bellevue. The cost of the course is $50 for MBA members of the MBA and $75 for non-members. To register, contact the MBA University registrar by phone (425) 460-8208 or email.

Friday, May 5, Bellevue
Advanced Framing
The Advanced Framing class is all about doing more with less " learning how to build a structurally sound home with lower material and labor costs. This course covers problems with current standard practices; the five phases of successful implementation; a variety of efficient framing techniques; and challenges to successful project completion. This course will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, May 5 at the MBA Housing Center in Bellevue. The cost of the course is $50 for MBA members of the MBA and $75 for non-members. To register, contact the MBA University registrar by phone (425) 460-8208 or email.

Call for Entries

AIA/COTE 2006 Top Ten Green Projects Awards
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) invites architects to submit entries for the AIA/COTE 2006 Top Ten Green Projects Awards. The Top Ten Green Projects program seeks to identify and recognize the benefits of a high performance, sustainable design approach; to educate the architectural community and the public at large on the increased value that sustainable design provides for developers, building owners and occupants; and to acknowledge architects as experts in the creation of energy conscious and environmentally responsible design solutions. Entries must be submitted by Tuesday, January 31, 2006. For more information about the awards and applications, see the AIA website.

New Energy Incentives

The Tax Incentives Assistance Project (TIAP) has a great new website to help builders and manufacturers benefit from a new $2,000 tax credit for energy efficient homes. A credit of $2,000 is available to home builders who build homes (including both site-built and manufactured homes) projected to save at least 50 percent of the heating and cooling energy of a comparable home that meets the standards of the 2004 International Energy Conservation Code. These credits are available for buildings or systems placed in service from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2007. Visi the TIAP website to learn more!

New Stormwater Rules

New Stormwater Rules are Now in Effect
The Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) issued new stormwater rules in December as part of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. The primary change is that construction sites disturbing one or more acres of soil must now obtain NPDES permits; the previous threshold was five acres. Furthermore, the permit requires that after October 1, 2006, a certified inspector must be in charge of monitoring the project. MBA University is offering a two-hour seminar on the new rules on Wednesday, January 18, 2006. For more information about the new rules, please contact South Snohomish County Manager Jennifer Jerabek by phone (425) 460-8240 or email.

King County

King County is proud to announce the launch of its newest website EcoDeals.org
EcoDeals.org, is a new King County Solid Waste Division website designed to make environmentally responsible shopping convenient, fun and easy for county residents. EcoDeals.org will showcase products that are less hazardous to the environment, contain recycled or reused content, conserve water, or are energy efficient, with an emphasis on those that are locally made. Here you will find a one-stop shopping collection of products, product descriptions and downloadable coupons that will introduce you to a whole new range of purchasing choices that have been carefully selected according to strict criteria for environmental performance as determined by EcoDeals.org.

Built Green members Dunn Lumber, Environmental Home Center and Puget Sound Energy will be participating in this project. To learn more about green building materials, Energy Star appliances, and furniture for your next Built Green project visit EcoDeals.org.

Snohomish County

Wednesday, February 1
Sustainable Building Task Force Brown Bag
The Sustainable Development Task Force is hosting a brown bag event that will focus on the status of the State DOE Stormwater Manual and how LEED, Built Green and low impact development can help you meet the new requirements. For more information, or to RSVP, call Chris Fate at (425) 783-8274. This forum offers an excellent venue for networking, to meet the Taskforce, and learn about other projects and activities. Additional topics for the 2006 SDTF Brown Bag series include: Trees, Natural Landscaping, Green Space and Site Preparation; LEED and Built Green Status, Projects and Strategies for Snohomish County; and Sustainable Business.

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.