H
HOME NEEDS
Buildings account for one third of our total energy use, raw materials use, green house gas emissions and waste output. We must make better choices when it comes to building, remodeling and repairing our homes.
Currently LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) – www.usgbc.org/LEED – is the most stringent level of green building, (beware of larger upfront costs, but this may save you lots over time), followed by Earth Craft House Virginia – www.earthcrafthouse.org – smaller scale changes with a focus on energy. Some businesses may simply put a LEED AP on staff or receive certification as a marketing tool, so do your homework!
Architects:
The Gaines Group: (434) 979-5245, 1430 Rolkin Court, Suite 302 This architectural firm includes expertise in environmentally sensitive design, the LEED rating, and the Earthcraft Homes systems. “With 20+ years of experience in Central Virginia, our firm has built a reputation for designing high performance energy efficient projects from family homes to commercial and institutional projects.” www.thegainesgroup.com
Hays + Ewing Design Studio: (434) 979-3222, 609 East Market Street, Suite 203. “Merges inspiring designs with principles of ecology in commercial, cultural, residential and institutional projects,” providing green building technologies, designs for green homes, and LEED certification. Christopher Hays and Allison Ewing, both former partners at William McDonough + Partners, “bring expertise in incorporating aesthetic and ecological considerations in a range of project scales and types in projects located around the globe.” www.hays-ewing.com/
Structures Design/Build: (540) 774-4800, 13105 Booker T. Washington Highway Suite A-7, Hardy, VA A group of talented and experienced architects and builders that harness the efficiencies of the design/build process and specialize in the Passivhaus movement. www.structuresdb.com
sunbiosisSunbiosis, Inc.: (434) 249-2932. Small architecture firm whose LEED accredited professionals offer sustainable design and consulting services. Specializing in single family residential, institutional, and commercial projects, incorporating strategies such as passive and active solar, energy and water efficiency and “green” building materials. www.sunbiosis.com
Thomas, Andrew: (434) 296-9361, 1014 Druid Avenue, Charlottesville. http://www.athomasarch.com/
Topia Design, Greg Jackson: (434)825-3763, 826 B Hinton Avenue. This is a “progressive architectural and community design firm with a proficiency in ecological design” to quote their website. Email: gjackson@topiadesign.net, www.topiadesign.net
Waterstreet Studio: (434) 295-8177, 418 East Main Street. Waterstreet is a Charlottesville-based environmental design firm offering landscape architecture, engineering, and conservation planning for residential homes, gardens and estates, institutional grounds and commercial sites. “We aim to enhance the aesthetic condition and ecological health of the built and natural environment through thoughtful and attentive landscape architecture and civil engineering; through leadership in sustainable/regenerative technologies; through strategic partnerships with like-minded professionals; and through continuing education and re-assessment of our means and methodologies.” waterstreetstudio.net
Building Supplies:
Altenergy Incorporated: (434)882-0908, 1132 East Market St, Paul Risberg, owner. This company sells solar thermal (h20) and photovoltaic (electricity). “Practicality forces us to design systems that ensure hot water at the tap when you turn it on. Altenergy Incorporated knows how to use the very best and efficient technologies to build a reliable hot water plant for your home. A system that will pay for itself and provide your family with clean, renewable energy.” www.altenergyincorporated.com
The Habitat Store: (434) 293-6331, 1221 Harris Street. This 20,000 square feet store sells everything from 8-person hot tubs to claw feet for cast iron bath tubs. Their inventory is constantly changing. Donations are accepted during store hours. www.cvillehabitatstore.org
Nature Neutral LLC: (434) 242-7207, PO Box 7667, Charlottesville, VA 22906, Owner John Meggs opened in 2003, offering safer paints, stains, sealers and all your other green building supply needs. www.NatureNeutral.com
Buying/Selling (Eco-Brokers):
Jim Duncan: (434) 242-7140 mobile, (434) 974-1500, Century 21 office, email jim@realcentralva.com, https://www.realcentralva.com/
Nest Realty: (434) 566-0121
Megan Sacco: (434) 466-2463, Pace Real Estate Associates. A sustainability-minded agent with a vision of helping clients buy, sell and create healthier, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient homes. Megan has earned the EcoBroker® designation and taken additional training in green building, sustainable living and conservation.
Roger Voisinet: (434) 974-1500, RE/MAX Realty Specialists, (434) 981-1076 mobile, 355 West Rio Road. www.cvilleproperties.com
Sara Greenfield: (434) 987-2074, 300 Preston Ave Suite 203, Charlottesville. Principle Broker for Charlottesville Fine Homes and Properties, Sara assists clients with the search process, buying, building, and selling of healthy and sustainable homes. She promotes responsible use of the earth’s resources, while encouraging energy efficient building technologies. Ms. Greenfield is an advocate for home energy audits and a member of the Virginia Association of Realtors, CAAR, 2009 NAR Green Designee, and blogs for CAAR Green Brokers. Email: sara@cvillefineproperties.com, www.cvillefineproperties.com
Contractors (remodeling and building):
This is a list of all the companies in town with at least one LEED AP on staff (LEED, Leadership in Energy and Design, AP = Professional Accreditation) or EarthCraftHouse certified. Let us know if we’ve left off your favorite green builder.
Abrahamse Company Builders, (434) 295-9379, email builders@abrahamse.com, 325 Winding River Lane., www.abrahamse.com
Artisan Construction, Inc.: (434) 979-6399, 1132 East Market Street, Bay #7 This company, owned by Doug Lowe (LEED AP), is currently partnering with Blue Ridge Home Builders Association and the Virginia Sustainable Building Network on a pilot program. www.artisaninc.com/
Barry Meade Homes: (434) 293-7453, 300 Preston Ave. Suite 301, owners: Barry and Tracy Meade, founded in 1987. Email meade@cstone.net. In 2006, Barry Meade Homes completed the EarthCraft House™ certification program and made a 100% conversion to building energy efficient, earth-friendly green homes primarily in the $300,000-$500,000 range. http://meadeconstructionllc.com/
Barton Malow Company: (434) 245-6934, 100 10th St NW. Suite 100 https://www.bartonmalow.com/charlottesville
Faulconer Construction Co, Inc.: (434) 295-0033, 2496 Old Ivy Rd. www.faulconerconstruction.com/
Hazard and Associates: (434) 295-3145, 156 Carlton Road, Suite 204B. www.hazardandassociates.com/
Kingma Developers, Inc.: (434) 981-4137, P.O. Box 5626. Email: doug@kingmadevelopers.com. www.kingmadevelopers.com/
Latitude 38: (434) 806-7871, 310 6th Street SW, Charlottesville, VA 22903 Latitude 38 is a design & build firm focused on unique design, environmental responsibility and dedicated craftsmanship in the City of Charlottesville. latitude38llc.com
Piedmont Housing Alliance: (434) 817-2436,682 Berkmar Circle. http://piedmonthousingalliance.org/
Smith & Robertson, Inc.: (434) 971-7026, 1128 E High Street. www.smithandrobertson.com
Structures Design/Build: (540) 774-4800, 13105 Booker T. Washington Highway, Suite A-7, Hardy VA 24101, www.structuresdb.com. A group of talented and experienced architects and builders that harness the efficiencies of the design/build process and specialize in the Passivhaus movement.
Upstream Construction: (434) 823-6025, Crozet, Virginia. Owner Terry Herndon and her team build healthy and sustainable new homes, remodels and additions. “We build to the highest regional and national green building standards (EarthCraft, Energy Star, LEED for Homes) so that your home is guaranteed by third party testing to be a high performance home.”
Willow Tree Construction: (434)227- 9822, Darren Young. Willow Tree Construction Company “conscientiously renovates existing homes using the most sustainable construction methods available. Our goal is to use eco-friendly products and methods on all phases of the project. This includes designing for durability. By designing for durability, not only are you the client getting excellent craftsmanship, but you are also spreading the environmental impacts of building over as long a period as possible.” www.wtconstruction.net
Energy Experts (Audits):
Airflow Home Energy Diagnostics, (434) 979-4328, 1134 Rose Hill Drive, Charlottesville. Jimmy North, Home Energy Rater, and Dain North, Rater Assistant. This company is the third party certifying/testing organization for the Virginia Green Building Program, EarthCraftVirginia. They promote green building and the impact that it can make for our kids and their kids. They offer three types of energy audits for your home: a walk-through, a more detailed analysis, and a thorough computerized report. “Build it right, seal it tight, and ventilate it properly.” www.aiflowhtgair.com
Albemarle Heating and Air, Tom Kouvanis: (434) 293-4556, 102 Keystone Pl, Charlottesville. Tom provides a duct leakage test, a blow door test and infared imaging for reasonable prices. www.albemarleheating.net/index.php?m=off
Cville Enviro, Russell Edwards: (434) 882-1781, 1130 E. Market St, Charlottesville. Their “Green Home Audit” incorporates a conventional energy audit (which typically focuses on bulk kwh/fuel usage with blower door and infrared scan), but also looks at other factors such as air quality, water usage/management, and building durability. “A report includes blower door testing, infrared scan, heating and cooling review, appliance and lighting review, indoor/outdoor water management, short-term air quality monitoring, and a slue of issues we look for in moving a home toward green.” www.cville-enviro.com
LEAP: (434) 227-4666, 608 Ridge Street. Established in 2009, the Local Energy Alliance Program’s mission is to lead the effort in our local community to conserve energy in buildings to promote cost savings, job creation, sustainability, local economic development, and environmental stewardship. leap-va.org
Do-It-Yourself quick audits: check out www.energystar.gov
Engineering Experts:
McKee Carson: (434) 979-7522, 301 E High St, Charlottesville. “As a multidisciplinary office of landscape architects, consulting engineers and land planners, McKee Carson advocates a collaborative approach to site design.Regardless of a project’s size or complexity, we provide sound ecologically and economically sustainable solutions.” www.mckeecarson.com
Flooring:
Carpet Plus: (434) 977-7587, 1739-A Allied Street (behind C-Ville Coffee). “The area’s largest selection of eco-friendly flooring products, including cork, bamboo, linoleum, leather and “green carpeting”. As many of our customers become increasingly concerned with the size of their carbon footprint, we add more earth-friendly, socially conscious floorcovering to our repertoire.” carpetplusonline.com
Mountain Lumber: (434) 985-3646, 410 West Main Street, Charlottesville next to Feast! Reclaimed antique flooring. www.mountainlumber.com
Hardware Stores (Repair):
Ok, so hardware stores are not the most eco-friendly places on the planet, but where do you go for the insulation blanket for your heater, your clothesline, your low-VOC paints? Shop with the local guys. (John Meggs at Nature Neutral is the local expert in green building supplies.)
Crozet Hardware: (434) 823-4381, 5783 County Road 1217. Rick has owned this Crozet staple since 1949. CFLs may be the only eco-friendly products he sells, he confessed to me. www.facebook.com/crozethardware
The Habitat Store: (434) 293-6331, 1221 Harris Street. This 20,000 square feet store sells everything from 8-person hot tubs to claw feet for cast iron bath tubs. Their inventory is constantly changing. Donations are accepted during store hours. www.cvillehabitatstore.org
Martin’s Hardware: (434) 293-8171, 941 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville. Locally owned and operated. This hardware store has been around since 1893. If you can navigate the crowded aisles, it’s worth a visit, but I always call first. www.martinhardwareinc.com
Nature Neutral: (434) 975-2002, 370 C Greenbrier Drive, Charlottesville. Owner John Meggs opened in 2003. He offers FSC-certified lumber, safer paints, stains, sealers and more. www.NatureNeutral.com
Home Decor:
August Moon Organics: (434) 985-1581, owner, Beth Jacobsen, email: Beth@AugustMoonOrganics.com. This company has been a member of Co-op America since 2002! They offer color grown and low impact dyed bedding, including duvets and shams, table linens, original design yoga mats as well as organic fabrics by the yard. All of the products are fair made locally. www.augustmoonorganics.com
Blue Ribbon Solutions: (434) 964-0816, Diane LaSauce. Amid already-owned household items and great finds from local sources, Diane consults with results. Spruce up the office too. Recommendations for color (low VOC), furniture placement, lighting, organization, and renovation liaison. Lots of bang for your buck! BFA Interior Design, VCU. Twenty-five years experience. Artistic placement of everyday objects. Sensible hourly rate.
Household Items:
Canterbury Estate Sales: (434) 242-0798 Canterbury Estate Sales is an estate tag-sale company in Charlottesville. They hold 3-day sales in people’s homes to try to divert as much as possible from landfills. What they do not sell gets donated to Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, and other charities. When people are downsizing, moving to a retirement home, etc., they offer a solution to the question of “How do I get rid of all this stuff?” www.canterburyestatesales.com.
Circa, Inc.: (434) 295-5760, 1700 Allied St.. This shop, owned by Jackie Binder, has an eclectic selection of a whole BUNCH of stuff (from cork lamps to kitschy cabinets) and the turnover is high, so you must check it out. If you are looking for something in particular, you can leave your name. They buy and sell. www.circainc.com
The Consignment House: (434) 977-5527, 121 West Main Street, Downtown Mall (across from Christian’s). consignmenthouse.net/
Eternal Attic (434) 977-2667, 2125 Ivy Rd. Heavy on the crystal, china and flatware. You can still find interesting pieces (I found a beautiful trunk here). www.facebook.com/pages/The-Eternal-Attic/414427588644960
Ebay www.ebay.com
The SPCA Rummage Shop: (434) 293-8475, 199 Zan Rd (Seminole Square Shopping Center). Nicely organized, big space, and a great cause. Check it out! http://caspca.org/rummage/
Insurance:
Towe Insurance: (434) 295-5191. Towe insurance is a locally owned and operated insurance business that has been serving Charlottesville for over 67 years. President Beth Towe reports that their office donates old computers to Computers4kids and weekly recycles all of their shredded office paper and aluminum. www.toweinsurance.com
“Junk” Disposal
1-800-got-junk: These visually loud trucks have cropped up everywhere, haven’t they? They are a full service junk removal service. You pay a fee and they pick up your trash. Each franchise decides which items will be donated, to whom and which will be pitched. They “try” to recycle 60% of picked up items. www.1800gotjunk.com/us_en/locations/junk-removal-charlottesville
Landscaping :
Acclaim Services Landscaping: (434) 286-3630, 664 Coles Rolling Road, Scottsville, VA. Owner, Mark Harris. Eco-friendly and traditional landscape services. www.acclaimturf.com/
Albiston Associates: (434) 295-6618, 198 Spotnap Rd. Joan Albiston, principal landscape designer and architect, are local experts in the field of sustainable landscaping. www.albiston.us
Edible Landscapes: (434) 361-9134, 361 Spirit Ridge Lane, Afton. www.ediblelandscaping.com
Primm, Jessica, (434) 882-0520, landscape architect, is an expert in sustainable landscaping.
Carson, McKee: (434) 979-7522, 301 E. High St. This firm has landscape architects, land planners and civil engineers on staff, lending expertise in LID (low impact development). www.mckeecarson.com
Constans, Pierre: (434) 277-5202. Permaculture design instructor specializing in landscape design, consultation and workshops (he’s the grafter for Edible Landscapes).
Waterstreet Studio: (434) 295-8177, (434) 906-0374, 111 3rd street SE. Waterstreet is a Charlottesville-based environmental design firm offering landscape architecture, engineering, and conservation planning for residential homes, gardens and estates, institutional grounds and commercial sites. They aim to enhance the aesthetic condition and ecological health of the built and natural environment through thoughtful and attentive landscape architecture and civil engineering; through leadership in sustainable/regenerative technologies; through strategic partnerships with like-minded professionals; and through continuing education and re-assessment of our means and methodologies. waterstreetstudio.net
C’ville Foodscapes: (434) 806-6255. Designs, installs, and maintains food-producing gardens in Charlottesville, Virginia. Our mission is to help people grow healthy food using organic, sustainable methods. Free initial consultations for residents within C’ville or the immediate vicinity.
Email: info@cvillefoodscapes.com, www.cvillefoodscapes.com
Lighting and Lamps
Instead of buying a new lamp, give your old one a makeover. Just be sure you can use CFL bulbs!
The Shade Shop: (434) 270 – 8585, 2125 Ivy Rd #7, (next to Kenny Balls Antiques). theshadeshop.com
