Baldwin Homes, Inc. has completed a number of Green Certified homes filled with environmentally friendly features. However, for the Maryland Green Show Home project, the builders decided to go above and beyond. With more than 65 green features throughout, the Show Home qualified for an Emerald Level Home Innovation NGBS Green Certification
As part of The Preserve at Severn Run green community, the Show Home will one day be surrounded by more than 70 other certified homes. Currently, 10 homes have been completed, all certified at the Silver level. In addition to the individual green features of each home, the community itself was developed to keep all of the water onsite through a regenerative stormwater management system.
Located in Gambrills, Maryland, The Preserve at Severn Run is situated near the Severn Run River, where the water from the community will eventually drain. Surrounded by trees, the builder wanted to keep the natural terrain of the lots by only clearing an area for the house and septic field.
For the Show Home, Baldwin Homes worked with architect Cathy Purple Cherry on the overall design, which can be described as traditional, save for the gambrel roof. There is a front porch with a dormer above to emulate the homes of the 1940s and 1950s, with the rooms appearing to be built into the roof structure.
Construction on this 7,000-square-foot home with five bathrooms and five bedrooms began in April 2012 and was completed in September. The home was then opened to the public for events and educational tours. The proceeds for the events, more than $22,000, went to support Hospice of the Chesapeake and the Make a Wish Foundation. A portion of the earnings from the sale of the home will go to these local charities as well.
The Show Home is built out of concrete with R21 insulation standard in the walls, and then the builders added more insulation to finish with an R-value of 36. "You're pretty much in a fortress," says Lisa Webb, selections and marketing coordinator with Baldwin Homes.
Since stucco isn't common in the area, the home has stone and fiber cement siding, as well as exposed concrete. There are Weaver pre-cast walls on all three levels of the home, which Webb reports has never been done before. She estimates that the owner will spend less than $3,000 a year in electric bills.
The builder also buried two, 2,000-gallon cisterns to capture water runoff from the roof to flush the toilets in the winter, and irrigate the lawn in the summer. The south-facing home has three solar panels on the roof for hot water, which are designed to look like skylights. The kitchen cabinets, as well as other fixtures, were purchased at local second-hand stores and repurposed.
Ten different designers were brought in for the interior, and thus each room boasts unique and unexpected design features. One designer decorated the wall above the fireplace in the family room with over 1,000 oyster shells, while another used the wooden frame of a canoe for the light fixtures in the ceiling of the dining room. A lead designer oversaw the project to ensure that these creative details remained cohesive.
Visitors to the home have been enthusiastic about the innovative green features, and Webb reports that Baldwin Homes is pleased with the result as well. Not only was the company able to raise money for charity, but the builders used the home to educate others in the area on various ways to embrace the green building movement.
Energy-Efficient and Green Features
Man-made swales in the community for stormwater management
30% post-industrial recycled content asphalt manufactured within five miles of the jobsite
Native landscaping
Eco-friendly pavers
12-inch roof overhangs to protect and shade the home
FSC certified lumber
Recycled ceramic tile
Buried cisterns to help offset water needed for irrigation
Rain barrels
South facing windows
CFL light bulbs
Gas fireplaces for healthier indoor air quality
Recycled drywall made of 99% pre- and post- consumer recycled content and made locally within 300 mile of the jobsite
Progress Energy Star light fixtures and ceiling fans
Recyclable carpet
Marmoleum flooring, a natural product made primarily from renewable resources, including linseed oil, wood flour, and pine rosins
