Mark Johnson Custom Homes Blog

Brunswick County, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes recently completed a LEED Platinum Home in Wilmington, NC. Receiving the highest certification available from the U.S. Green Building Council and building only the second LEED Platinum home in North Carolina was an extremely exciting achievement. While we have found that many people believe Green building to be extremely expensive, we would like to emphasize that it, in fact, doesn’t have to be. A recent study from the Urban Green Council revealed that building a LEED certified home can cost only four dollars more per square foot to build. To read the complete article, click here. To view the HD video of our LEED Platinum home, click here!

When Jacksonville, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes tackled their first Green project, a LEED Platinum home in Wilmington, NC, they learned a very valuable lesson: although a client may not specifically ask for Green features, the features of a Green-built home are an obvious benefit. Every homeowner wants to save money on utility bills and live in a safe home to keep their families healthy and comfortable. Online for EcoHome’s Chief Editor Jean Dimeo interviewed Sam Raskin, the national director for Energy Star for Homes, on this very subject and the article was very insightful. Below is an excerpt and to read the complete article, click here!

“’You don’t know someone’s willingness to pay until you have the value proposition in hand,’ Raskin said. Energy Star for Homes provides builders a relatively easy way to offer buyers dwellings that are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC) and that include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20% to 30% more efficient than standard houses. But Energy Star-qualified houses are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to green building. That’s why EPA’s Climate Choice program seeks to accelerate market adoption of cutting-edge technologies.”

Saturday, October 10th 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Pender County, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes encourages you to attend this year’s Solar and Green Building Tour! The annual Tour will feature the following sites, offering diverse examples of Green technology:  

City of Wilmington Street Sweeper Facility – 1110 S. 17th Street: Solar power, radiant floor heating, site and building re-use and stormwater run-off improvements are showcased in a commercial setting.
This is the official Tour kick-off site. Bring your PayPal receipts here to pick up tickets purchased online. Tickets will be available for sale here the day of the Tour.

3404 Talon Court: A LEED Platinum gut rehab led by architect Jay DeChesere. This home illustrates a wealth of Green strategies both inside and outside, including a Green roof, a 3FW photovoltaic array, solar hot water, geothermal, rainwater harvesting and an Audubon wildlife habitat.

2002 Kenilworth Lane: Mark Johnson Custom Homes’ LEED Platinum Home in Landfall. New residential construction in Landfall is only the second residence in North Carolina to receive the highest rating by the U.S. Green Building Council. To achieve Platinum certification, the 2,770 square foot, 4 bedroom/4 bath home scored points for health, sustainability, energy and water efficiencies. Note: This site can only be visited by taking the trolley.   

10 South 5th Avenue: This renovation of a grand historic home exemplifies the ultimate in recycling and how, contrary to popular belief, many elements of Green are both simple and traditional. The home’s “new” kitchen also features custom cabinetry and architectural accents crafted from reclaimed wood.

1919 Wrightsville Avenue: A single family dwelling that has been retrofitted with Green technologies by the owner slowly over time. Green technologies include a tankless water heater (natural gas), ductless HVAC system, sealed crawlspace and attic, material repurposing, recycled material, permeable pavers and great landscaping. 

2214 Allens Lane: A single family dwelling with solar hot water heater and where 10 PV cells are in the process of being installed on the roof. The home also features an electricity demand limit meter through Progress Energy. This device limits the home’s appliance use during the peak electricity time period. The home is Energy Star certified and also features separate zones for heating and cooling in each room and all halogen dimmer lights and CFL non-dimmers.

Take a self-guided tour or ride the Trolley with the official tour guide for a narrated excursion!

Early Bird tickets are $15 per person for CFGBA members and $20 for non-members. Due to limited space on the Trolley, children’s tickets for the guided tour will be full price. There is no charge for children on the self-guided tour. Tickets will be available the day of the Tour for $25 at the City of Wilmington Street Sweeper Facility. Proceeds benefit the Cape Fear Green Building Alliance.

 For more information, visit their website!

Brunswick County, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes was proud to host a tour of our Green home in Landfall to the Wilmington branch of The American Institute of Architects last month. AIA Wilmington is a group of over 120 members, including licensed architects and emerging professionals, that is heavily involved in our local community.

“The architects and consultants that visited the Landfall home were thrilled to be able to receive a tour of one of the first LEED Platinum homes in North Carolina. They appreciated the innovation that went into designing the home and hope to see more builders follow the lead of Mark Johnson Custom Homes. One of the features that they especially loved was the interactive information on the television monitor displaying the energy consumption for the homeowner. [See our blog post on TED, The Energy Detective.] This home will definitely appeal to a buyer that is truly committed to the environment, energy efficiency and having a reduction in operating costs.”                        - Michelle Marks, AIA Wilmington

For more information on AIA Wilmington, visit their site.

St. James Plantation, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes is excited to share our recently completed HD video of our LEED Platinum GREEN home in the Landfall community in Wilmington, NC.

The Platinum rating is the highest attainable Green building certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. 

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!