Green Ideas
Haven Homes
Whisper Mountain is proud to be working with Haven Homes in the development of the green engineered Southern Living giveaway home, Whisper Creek. This charming Southern Living giveaway home is 1543 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths. Sitting on Whisper Creek, this cozy home has mountain views and easy access to parks and trails. Whisper Creek is a part of the Southern Living giveaway program that launched on March 23, 2009. To learn more about the giveaway program, visit www.myhomeideas.com. Click here to view plans.
Whisper Mountain, Near Asheville: Green Building Ideas for Sustainable Living
Whisper Mountain, near the beautiful city of Asheville, North Carolina, is a place surrounded by natural beauty and culture, and is home to the 2008 Southern Living Green Idea House. The Green Building Idea House will be open to public tours in June of 2008.
Energy Efficient Green Construction
A green built home can have a variety of features. It can be constructed with native or natural materials, or recycled materials. Some green built homes help conserve resources, make smart use of natural resources which exist on or nearby the property, and supply sustainable living through the use of solar and wind energy and water collection.
Green Building Practices Utilized in the Southern Living Idea House:- The house will be LEED for Homes, NC Healthy Built, and Energy Star certified.
- A combination of roof-mounted solar hot water panels and an on-demand, tankless water heater provides the home’s hot water.
- The solar hot water panels also work in conjunction with a forced-air heating system, further reducing energy costs.
- Solar electricity is produced using photovoltaic panels. That electricity is sold to the local power company.
- Tightly sealed ducts, installed within insulated space, delivers conditioned air to its intended location. An energy recovery ventilator draws in fresh, filtered air and exchanges humidity.
- Rain water harvested on site supplies the home’s toilets.
- Extensive flashing ensures no water gets inside the house. The 100-year roof is fabricated from recycled metal and blu-wood coated lumber.
- The house is constructed using non-toxic materials with extensive use of locally produced building materials.
- Paints and sealants that emit little to no harmful gasses or chemicals (also called VOCs - Volatile Organic Compounds) are used throughout Davidson Gap.
- High performance, low-E, and double-glazed windows keep indoor air at the desired temperature.
- Using panelized walls created offsite greatly reduced lumber waste.
- Exterior wall and attic cavities contain a 22% vegetable-based, spray-in insulation with a 23 R-value, which is 44% better than energy code.
- Compact LED, fluorescent, and low-voltage lighting add to Davidson Gap’s energy efficiency.
- Low-flow shower heads and dual-flush toilets greatly help to conserve water.
North Carolina Real Estate: With the Option of Building Eco Friendly Homes
Whisper Mountain, North Carolina is a thoughtfully planned private community with full regard for environmental preservation. Situated on the edge of Madison and Buncombe Counties in North Carolina, near Asheville, the preservation of open space has been a number one priority in the master planning of this community. Whisper Mountain has land for sale and provides a limited number of wooded home sites ranging from 1-6 acres in a peaceful, rural setting with dramatic views of the mountains of North Carolina. Whisper Mountain's founders, builders, and residents tread lightly on the land. An extensive trail system, which winds through historic sites that preserve the heritage of early settler's of the land, gives residents and visitors the opportunity for peace and tranquility in the context of a private community. For many emerging from an urban lifestyle or a busy life, living green complements living in balance with nature and embracing the land . . . this is what it means to make your home at Whisper Mountain, where conservation and preservation meet.
Living Green at Whisper Mountain: Recycling, Reuse, and Renewal
At Whisper Mountain we take green building seriously, and we use the best practices of implementing a multitude of techniques. Keeping attuned to the green building theme of recycling, reuse and renewal, our historic and heritage themed owner's lodge and homes incorporate site harvested timber and local stone. Currently, Whisper Mountain has NCHealthyBuilt® and LEED certified houses under construction by Western North Carolina Green Building Council members Cashin Construction and EcoBuilders.
Green Home Building: North Carolina HealthyBuilt® Homes
Whisper Mountain is a platinum member of the Western North Carolina Green Building Council. The NCHealthyBuilt® Homes' Program provides a certificate for homes meeting "green home guidelines" built by residential builders who practice sustainable, high performance building strategies making the home a comfortable, healthy and affordable place to live. Green home building helps to reduce energy and water usage, promotes renewable energy use and helps protect the land where the green construction home is built.
If you choose a HealthyBuilt® Home for your piece of North Carolina mountain real estate, you can rest assured that building materials and processes are selected to reduce pollution and the waste of natural resources during the manufacturing and construction phases and throughout the life of the home. With energy efficient green construction practices, the builder is encouraged to provide homeowner education about the high performance features of the home and to provide local resources for "green" living. Whisper Mountain encourages homeowners and the custom homebuilders to take part in the HealthyBuilt® program.
