The MEAN LEAN DREAM GREEN Home . . . becomes a Reality
We have engaged local builder Kelly McArdle to build our “mean, lean, dream, green home” in Iredell County. Our home is expected to be one of the first homes in North Carolina to earn the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED Platinum Level certification and the first “average cost” home to earn this certification. We expect to complete our home by the end of the year.

In order to qualify for the highest score of LEED Platinum Level, we will incorporate many features that are emphasized by LEED; sustainable living, water and energy efficiency, the use of environmentally preferred products, recycled material and local, healthy products. We spent a year interviewing builders while researching products that could be used in our home.

Our “mean” home will be the average size, 2200 square feet, and will cost no more than the average price per square foot to build. We have incorporated many of the “desired” features for the typical home of the future as described by the National Association of Homebuilders, such as 9’ ceilings, a well-appointed kitchen, office space, front and rear porches and decks, as well as universal design. Likewise, we plan to incorporate “lean” features such as simple design, energy-efficient, water conservation and use of native plants.
 
We are not only building a “dream” home for ourselves but are hoping to serve a greater cause. It is our goal to build an “average” green home which satisfies the American dream – a home that is affordable, attractive, high quality and low maintenance. We also hope to demonstrate that building green is not just for the wealthy; rather the average American family can build a durable, energy-efficient, healthy home that appreciates in value. We plan to use our home as a showcase to educate and empower others to build their own green homes.

Working with clients, we created the idea of “Mobius living”: living compassionately in the world by honoring Mother Earth – her land, air, water and inhabitants. We see this project as a way to put our “money where our mouth is.”

We spent almost two years working with Joy Kennedy Young, finding the perfect piece of land for our home. As a result of the interaction with us, Joy became passionate about green building. She has since been awarded the National Association of REALTORS Green Designation and is an EcoBroker, the premier national green designation for real estate professionals.

Once we purchased the land, we worked with Charlotte architect Jim Gleeson, AIA in creating our house plan. Gleeson has been a pioneer in the field of green design for many years. He was doing passive solar as far back as 1975 and more recently became one of the first three LEED™ Accredited Professionals in the Carolinas in 2000.
 
We chose Kelly McArdle Construction as they are an award-winning company which combines the latest construction methods and materials with traditional styles and details. As we got to know the firm, we became convinced that Kelly McArdle’s attention to detail and their stated philosophy to build everything to the best possible standard and stop at nothing to ensure a satisfied customer was the right philosophy for our project. In addition, we liked that Kelly McArdle has the experience building homes that meet NC Healthy Built Homes and EarthCraft standards, two industry standards for green. 

We continue to invite other organizations to partner with us in our efforts. We hope to continue to create a collaboration of like-minded organizations – one that is holistic and sustainable, like our home - whose mission is to bring green building to the average American.