Mark Johnson Custom Homes Blog

As a Green home builder, Mark Johnson Custom Homes understands the importance of utilizing eco-friendly options for your home. When we built our Energy Star Certified home in the Landfall community in Wilmington, NC, we worked with the U.S. Green Building Council to ensure it would also be LEED Certified Platinum, the highest certification level attainable from the USGBC. The U.S. Green Building Council also publishes the Green Home Guide, an online resource for homeowners looking to build, remodel or retrofit their home with “Green” options in mind. And because this is such an invaluable resource, we’d like to share an article from the Green Home Guide’s article entitled “Take Steps toward a Poison-Free, Natural Lawn”. Below are just a few easy tips to ensure your lawn is Green-friendly and to read the complete article, simply click here!

Altering when and how you water your lawn is one of the easiest adjustments one can make to maintain a healthy, eco-friendly home. Watering between 5-10:00am is best and if you use an irrigation controller and the water is not soaking in, adjust your controller to water twice a day in shorter periods.

Proper maintenance of your irrigation system will also help save you time and money. Check for leaks in the system at least once a month during the dry season to ensure leaks will not waste water. Also add an automatic shut-off for days when it rains. And in lieu of spraying herbicides to kill weeds, hand pull them or dig them out.

Courtesy of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide

New Hanover County, NC Green home builder, Mark Johnson Custom Homes enjoys the informative articles on the U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide website. One particular article outlines 15 Green home improvements, each under $500. Below is the list written by Jeanne Huber of This Old House and to read each one in more detail, click here!

1. Build a clothesline
2. Add a tube-type skylight
3. Put a recirculating pump under the sink
4. Insulate hot-water pipes
5. Plant deciduous trees
6. Install a programmable thermostat
7. Create a rain garden
8. Install a smart ceiling fan
9. Replace can lights
10. Build a worm bin
11. Install aerators on faucets         
12. Clean your refrigerator coils         
13. Replace weatherstripping         
14. Reduce light pollution         
15. Clean green  

Article Courtesy of: GreenHomeGuide.com Photo Courtesy of: Rob Howard

St. James Plantation, NC Green home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to share a very informative article from the U.S. Green Building Council and This Old House Magazine. The September 2009 article outlined over 30 ways to make your current home more Green and eco-friendly. The article also has a cost and benefit key to help you determine what actions are best for your home. Below are 10 of the tips and to read more, click here!

1. Battery Recycling

2. Think Globally, Act Locally

3. Dim That Bulb!

4. Paint Your Home “Green”

5. Prevent Energy-Wasting Air Leaks

6. Audit It

7. Automate It

8. Be an “Energy Star”

9. Good Day, Sunshine

10. Nix the Night Lights

Pender County, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes has enjoyed blogging the past year on our LEED Platinum Green home in Wilmington, NC, the Green features we incorporated in the home, and other Green options available to homeowners. With that in mind, we’d like to share an article from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide that covers nearly every aspect of creating a Green kitchen. The following information is covered and to read the complete article, click here!

DESIGN FOR REDUCED RESOURCE USE

• Refrigerators

• Dishwashers

• Lighting

DESIGN FOR IMPROVED INDOOR ENVIRONMENT

• Exhaust Hood

• Stoves

• Plumbing

BUILDING MATERIALS

• Flooring

• Cabinets

• Countertops

CONSTRUCTION AND REMODELING

MAINTENANCE AND USE

• Refrigerator

• Dishwasher

• Floors & Counters

• Exhaust Hood

• Plumbing

• Cleaning Products 

Jacksonville, NC Green home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to share a recent RealtyTimes.com article outlining the future of Green Building. A new study from the U.S. Green Building Council estimates how many jobs Green building will support and how much money Green building will generate.  Below is an excerpt and to read the complete article, click here!

“The USGBC writes on its Web site that ‘buildings in the United States are responsible for 39 percent of CO2 emissions, 40 percent of energy consumption, 13 percent water consumption and 15 percent of Gross Domestic Product per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity.’ The study found that from 2000 to 2008, $178 billion in gross domestic product was contributed to the economy and 2.4 million direct/indirect and induced jobs were created or saved which generated $123 billion in wages.

‘Our goal is for the phrase ‘green building’ to become obsolete, by making all building and retrofits green — and transforming every job in our industry into a green job,’ said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of US Green Building Council.

Fedrizzi says, ‘This study validates the work that the 25,000 people gathered here at Greenbuild, and every member of our movement, do every day.’ According to the press release, ‘The study also assessed the U.S. Green Building Council’s 19,000-plus member organizations and found that they generate $2.6 trillion in annual revenue, employ approximately 14 million people, come from 29 industry sectors and include 46 Fortune 100 companies.’ It further included results from workers including architects, construction laborers, truck drivers—all aspects of the green building industry.”

Jacksonville, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes encourages all of our readers to understand why energy efficient homes are important to the environment, human health and land resources. When building our Energy Star home in Wilmington, NC we utilized the services of Above and Beyond Energy in Wilmington, NC, a third-party independent company that strives to help homeowners minimize their home’s carbon footprint through improved efficiency and durability.

We’d also like to share a recent article from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide by Wisconsin Green Building Alliance member Tate Walker in which he outlined the reasons homeowners should be aware of energy efficiencies. Below are the points he addressed and to read the complete article, click here!

What are the environmental costs of energy waste in U.S. homes?
Can you scale the big picture down to the homeowner’s perspective?
What are the health benefits of more energy-efficient homes?
What are some of your favorite innovations or design ideas for energy efficiency?
What got you interested in green remodeling?

Brunswick County, NC new home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to share informative information on having a “Green” kitchen. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide answered the questions below regarding why you should consider a “Green” kitchen for your home. To read the complete article, click here! 

• What’s the most important environmental problem with a conventional kitchen remodel?
• What environmental problems are associated with using a conventional kitchen?
• What are the health benefits of the green remodeling process and of using a green kitchen?
• Is there scientific evidence for these health benefits?
• How does the green approach affect maintenance and operating costs?
• What are some of your favorite innovations or design ideas for a green kitchen?

When St. James Plantation, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes built their LEED Platinum home in Wilmington, NC, they learned the LEED for Homes system first-hand. Developed and run by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED for Homes is a Green home rating system that ensures homes are designed and built to be energy and resource efficient as well as healthy for its occupants. (LEED Platinum is the highest attainable certification for a home under the LEED for Homes program.)

LEED for Homes is a detail oriented program and we would like to share this informative “Frequently Asked Questions” brochure from the U.S. Green Building Council. It answers everything from “What is a Green home?”, “How will the quality of LEED Homes be assured?” and “How can my organization be a LEED for Homes Provider?”