Mark Johnson Custom Homes Blog

Mark Johnson Custom Homes’ LEED Platinum Green Home in Landfall Country Club was featured on local news station WECT 6 Wilmington. The LEED Platinum certification is the highest possible rating for a Green home from the United States Green Building Council. View the video and read the complete article on the “Greenest Home in the State”.

MJCH would like to introduce our readers to the new Velux Sun Tunnel skylight - the most innovative tubular skylight in the industry!

The new product design delivers brighter and whiter natural light along with easier and faster installation than ever before. Velux Sun Tunnel skylights are ideal for smaller rooms such as closets, hallways, laundry rooms and second baths. You can now add natural light to places you thought were impossible.
 
The model used at our Green home in Wilmington, NC is the TMF Model. It is a flexible skylight that can be installed quickly around attic obstructions. The TMF Velux Sun Tunnel skylight meets ENERGY STAR approval guidelines for energy efficiency in all climatic regions of the United States.  

The skylight features a ring with a mirror finish just below the dome to reflect light from all angles. The flexible design of the tunnel makes the Model TMF the easiest tubular product to bend around attic obstructions and great for sunny areas.
 
It also features an innovative one-piece pitched metal flashing that is designed to keep out the elements while providing the optimal angle for gathering light from all directions.

The skylight comes with a pre-assembled ceiling ring and paintable ceiling trim ring to complete any look. Featuring a dual diffuser that reduces the chance of condensation and increases energy efficiency, the skylight provides even light distribution through a frosted diffuser. 

 For more information on this and more Velux products, visit their website!

For the latest on our Green home in the Landfall Community in Wilmington, log into our Progress Portal with the Username “51″ and Password “2009″

The Velux Sun Tunnel was installed by Flores & Foley Roofing, LLC of Wilmington, NC.

Courtesy of: veluxusa.com

Mark Johnson Custom Homes, Inc is proud to use an environmentally smart option in their Green home in the Landfall Community in Wilmington, NC.

Mohawk Carpet leads innovation in sustainable flooring with SmartStrand® carpet with DuPont™ Sorona® renewably sourced polymer. In a partnership with DuPont, this carpet exclusively offers fiber made with Bio-PDO™ (the key Sorona® ingredient), which is produced from corn sugar.

By utilizing this new ingredient, 37 percent of Sorona® is being made from renewable resources. This marks the first time that a luxuriously soft carpet offers durability and stain protection, while also making less of an environmental impact.

DuPont™ Sorona® plays a major role in the worldwide objective of a renewable economy and represents a new frontier in sustainability. This carpet is environmentally smart because:

- The production of Sorona® polymer requires 30 percent less energy than the production of an equal amount of nylon.

- Greenhouse gas emissions from the production of Sorona® are 63 percent lower than nylon manufacturing.

- This energy reduction results in approximately one gallon of gasoline saved per every seven square yards of carpet.

The superior stain resistance of SmartStrand® carpet is engineered into the fiber and will never wear or wash off, meaning consumers will never need to retreat the carpet with stain protectors after steam cleaning.

And this engineered-in stain resistance reaches new levels of protection, allowing tough stains such as mustard, red wine, and cherry Kool-Aid® to be removed simply with warm water and a mild detergent, or with Mohawk FloorCare™ Essentials. The fiber even resists discoloration from bleach.

For more information, visit their site.

Courtesy of: MohawkFlooring.com

Last month we featured a Low Volume Irrigation System, a highlight of our Green custom home in Landfall.  This month we will be touching on the heating, ventilating and air conditioning system. It will play a major role in our goal of building a LEED registered home and attaining the highest LEED certification possible.

• The HVAC system will be a Trane 17 seer unit. Air-conditioning compressors are rated by their seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) numbers. SEER designates the efficiency you can expect from your air-conditioning system. Higher numbers mean better efficiency. Federal regulations now mandate better energy conservation: As of 2006, only air conditioners rated 13 SEER and higher are available. Each increment of SEER results in approx 8-10% savings in cooling costs; this home should be about 25-30% less to cool.
• Every room has an air return, resulting in more consistent temperature and comfort.
• Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs) reduce the energy required to heat and cool outdoor air, thereby subsequently reducing the homeowner cost. We needed a way to remove stale air from the home and replace it with fresh tempered air. The Trane ERV allows us to achieve this goal.
• Filters play a key role in removing dust and particles in the air. This home will feature one MERV 13 filter. MERV is an acronym for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value which was developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioner Engineers, ASHRAE. The MERV value represents a performance indicator for an air conditioning filter from the beginning to the end of the filter’s life. The highest MERV value is 16 and the lowest is 1, in this case the higher the value the more efficient the filter will be in trapping airborne particles. Rather than replacing the filter every 30 days, this filter will need to be checked quarterly and replaced as needed.
• In order to further keep utility costs controlled, the home will feature programmable thermostats, all ductwork will be sealed, and insulated concrete form walls (ICFs) ensure the insulation package is at its highest potential. 
• Chemicals and contaminates in the garage can also play a major role in indoor air quality. Carbon monoxide, for example, can be a problem if your home is not properly sealed from the garage. Our home will be completely sealed, as well as have a continuously running fan in the garage which vents directly to the outside, ensuring the gases and chemicals are not a health risk. However, we have also installed a carbon monoxide detector just inside the garage entry door for added safety.
• Fireplaces play a major in role in air quality. To achieve maximum points in this area, we chose the direct vent fireplace option. Direct venting fireplaces burn more efficiently and provide safer indoor quality by venting to the outside.
• Prior to project completion we are required by LEED to perform a preoccupancy flush. All doors and windows will be opened for a period of 48 hours. We are using low or no voc products wherever possible but there are still chemicals and off-gassing present in the air. The occupancy flush will help eliminate these contaminates, ensuring a safer and healthier home.

 What do all of these items mean to our next homeowner? A safer home with greatly reduced heating and cooling costs. 

To follow the progress of 2002 Kenilworth Lane, visit our Progress Portal login page and enter the Username “51″ and Password “2009″!

Discover the quality and design of  Mark Johnson Custom Homes by watching our virtual tour of a Landfall custom home.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zuvzO9yOvw]

Located in North Carolina within the coastal community of Wilmington and only five minutes away from Wrightsville Beach, Landfall is a controlled-access gated community which offers countless advantages to its residents.  Since Landfall is one of the only communities of its type in the Carolinas, it is no surprise to Landfall’s residents that the community was previously named “Best Address” in Forbes magazine.  

Wilmington is positioned between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, making Landfall the perfect setting for those who enjoy scenic water views.  With nearly 2200 acres and 2000 homes, the community is situated on approximately four miles of waterfront property on the Intracoastal Waterway and Howe Creek. 

Wilmington’s historical downtown riverfront is located less than 15 miles from Landfall, and features top-rated restaurants, entertainment, shopping and nightlife.  Wilmington also offers activities for all family members, with landmarks such as the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, Thalian Hall, Airlie Gardens and the USS North Carolina Battleship.  Wilmington’s reputation as an ideal place to live has spread across the country.  Scenes of Wilmington can be seen on popular TV shows Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill—both filmed at Wilmington’s Screen Gems Studios.      

Over the past 15 years, Landfall has developed into North Carolina’s premier private coastal golf community.   Those who opt to become a member of the Country Club of Landfall while living in one of the Wilmington new homes within Landfall, will find 45 holes of the best golf in the state located just steps from their front door. Embark on a great golf experience while playing on courses designed by Jack Nicklaus (27 holes) or Pete Dye (18 holes).  The annual Landfall Tradition, held on the Nicklaus course, features 24 of the nation’s top men’s and women’s team. 

Club members are also able to take full advantage of the two clubhouses, fitness complex, eight lane Olympic pool, and tennis complex.  Designed by legendary tennis pro Cliff Drysdale, the complex contains 14 multi-surface courts.  A fully stocked pro shop is on site, providing a professional staff to help with each member’s tennis needs. 

Whether or not residents join the Country Club of Landfall, the community continues to offer numerous amenities for those of all ages.  Those who live in Landfall are able to take pleasure in the community’s walking trail, parks and sports facilities—including soccer and softball fields, a basketball court, a volleyball court, and two extensive children’s playgrounds.  A community calendar is also available, which lists activities for everyone to enjoy.

The Landfall custom homes and homesites are decisively dispersed among golf courses, lakes, ponds, creeks, conservation areas and the Intracoastal Waterway.  Each home has a unique style, and must be built by an approved Wilmington new homes builder.  

Mark Johnson Custom Homes, a Landfall custom builder, provides the perfect solution for those who want to build their dream home in Landfall.  The company thrives on its simple, straightforward building process, which allows homebuyers to enjoy the experience of building a home for their family. 

When building Landfall custom homes with Mark Johnson Custom Homes, everyone within the company works hard to ensure the new homes are built to the owner’s specifications and design selections.  The Landfall custom builder assigns each homebuyer a Project Manager and Designer to assist with the decision process.   Clients are encouraged to attend a Builder Meeting, where they are able to review the contract with the Builder. 

During the construction phase of the Landfall custom homes, homebuyers will receive a User ID and Password to access information on the Web regarding the building of their Mark Johnson Custom Home.  The Landfall custom builder, Mark Johnson Custom Homes, updates the online Client Progress Portal site each week with progress photos and a construction schedule, allowing homebuyers to review the status of their dream home from any computer. 

Founded in Wilmington, N.C., Mark Johnson Custom Homes, Inc. is a licensed unlimited builder by the State of North Carolina.  Mark Johnson Custom Homes is recognized for delivering high-quality custom Wilmington new homes and Landfall custom homes.