Mark Johnson Custom Homes Blog

Jacksonville, NC home remodeler Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to pass on this extremely valuable information. Courtesy of Sapona Green Building Center in Wilmington, NC, the brochures below outline the possible tax incentives and rebates your home could receive should you decide to “Go Green” for your next remodeling project! Mark Johnson Custom Homes is a Green builder that has built a LEED Platinum home in the Landfall Community in Wilmington, NC. Let us remodel your home to create the ”Green” home of your dreams! 

New Hanover County, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes, Inc would like to introduce our readers to WARM, the Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry.

WARM assists people living in substandard housing, including elderly and disabled. By upgrading their housing, they hope to alleviate some of their recipient’s problems and create a safe and healthy environment for them. WARM works with individuals, organizations and businesses in Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, and Pender Counties.

Every year, WARM organizes over 400 volunteers with a variety of skills to complete vital repairs on an average of 50 homes, helping many elderly, disabled, and other very low income homeowners stay in their homes.

WARM’s mission could not be fulfilled without their faithful, hard-working home repair and business skilled volunteers. As they continue to grow, WARM will be in need for more of both types of volunteers. Interested in helping out? Click here for volunteer opportunities!

Contact WARM through their WEBSITE, E-Mail (info@warmnc.org), TWITTER or FACEBOOK.

“Discover Tactics That Are Guaranteed to Work and Won’t Break the Bank”

 St. James Plantation, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes understands that Green homebuilding practices are becoming more commonplace and will eventually become required. In reference to their latest LEED Platinum home in the Landfall Community in Wilmington, NC, Vice President of Business Development Kevin Johnson said, ‘”In ten years we expect building energy efficient homes to be the standard and required by law. Currently only a few builders are doing it, so we’re glad to be out there on the leading edge.” 

In a recent article in BuilderOnline.com, Senior Editor Nigel Maynard explained in detail ten simple steps that contractors can use to build more Green homes. Below is the list and to read the full article, including costs associated with each strategy, click here.

1.  Orient the house for energy efficiency.

2.  Place windows appropriately.

3.  Install a radiant barrier.

4.  Properly air-seal the structure.

5.  Insulate. Insulate. Insulate.

6.  Remember the attic.

7.  Install a properly sized efficient HVAC system.

8.  Choose an efficient hot water system.

9.  Choose fluorescent-friendly fixtures.

10.  Install Energy Star appliances.

Courtesy of: BUILDER Magazine

EverGreen, the Wilmington Star News Green blog, recently reported that beginning October 1, 2009, plastic bottles will be among the items banned from North Carolina landfills. Below is an excerpt from the post. For the complete article, including specific recycling information for Pender, New Hanover and Brunswick Counties, click here. St. James Plantation, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes, Inc encourages all North Carolina residents to take advantage of their local recycling centers.

“Enforcement will happen largely at disposal facilities such as landfills and transfer stations, according to the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources. It would be next to impossible to keep watch on every individual’s trash, so it will become the responsibility of the trash collectors to weed out the bulk of banned items from the trash…

According to state statistics, every 17.3 seconds, North Carolinians throw away enough plastic bottles to reach the height of the Bank of America Building in Charlotte, while at the same time, North Carolina and the Southeast are home to plastic plants eager for material to make new products.

Specifically banned from landfills are ‘Recyclable rigid plastic containers…that have a neck smaller than the body of the container, and accept a screw top, snap cap, or other closure. The prohibition on disposal of recyclable rigid plastic containers in landfills does not apply to rigid plastic containers that are intended for use in the sale or distribution of motor oil.’

You can find more information on establishing a recycling program and take an online pledge to recycle from the state Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance.”