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Posts from the ‘Materials used at City Cabins’ Category

Feb 24

A lighting assemblage in a new hi-performance Seattle home

The benefits of natural daylighting in a home or office can’t be over expressed.  Aside from the obvious energy-savings daylighting can offer a bit of drama, energy and add to ones cheerful disposition. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has documented increased worker productivity and a reduction in employee absenteeism in it’s LEED Certified buildings that has enhanced daylighting features.

Seattle home builder Martha Rose takes daylighting and interior lighting to a whole new level in her latest new homes in Seattle, City Cabins.  Maximizing daylighting with strategic placement of windows to allow the natural light to filter into the living spaces, one of the key elements are the 9’ tall ceilings which allow the windows to be placed six inches higher allowing greater depth of natural light into the living areas.

When the sun goes down the homes come alive with well thought-out ambient, task, way-finding and accent lighting.  The open stairways are well lite, using George Kovas’ wall sconces that direct light upward illuminating the tall ceilings as well as casting a soft light downward defining the wood slab steps.  The kitchen features 3 Hudson Bay pendant lights that offer the rare trifecta of lighting ambient, task and accent lighting perfect for a kitchen that looks more like a living area than a food prep area.

The advance lighting package allows the homeowners to easily transition from dinner to after dinner by way of ambient style lighting with undercounter LED lighting and a custom designed dining room fixture that is also a great transitional piece.  The custom fixture is made from a 4’ piece of apple wood (same as the kitchen cabinets) shaped into an artist palette.  Suspended from the ceiling wrapped in stainless steel, the palette shaped fixture takes on a bit of a commercial look while helping to define the dining space from the living room and kitchen areas.  The fixture has a solar tube coming through it surrounded by 7 LED micro-spot lights which can be directed to showcase or to accent.

All of the lighting is eco-friendly energy saving CFL and LED bulbs which use less electricity, last longer than regular light bulbs and put out minimal heat.

The two homes are currently listed for sale, for more information contact Adrian Willanger, Coldwell Banker Danforth.

Related posts:

  1. Stainless in Seattle (11.1)
  2. New Seattle homes have a distinctive urban craftsman vibe (9.5)
  3. People-centric Homes in Seattle near completion (9.4)
  4. Invest In Seattle Green Real Estate and Reduce Your Electricity Bills (9.4)
  5. Tips To Help You Find Hi-Performance Houses In Seattle (8.9)

 

 

 

 

 

Feb 22

Stainless in Seattle


The idea behind using a one piece kitchen counter, back-splash and sink made out of stainless steel was” an easy decision when taking into account all of the other finish elements that have gone into City Cabins,” mentions builder Martha Rose.

The stainless steel counters and sink turns out to be the perfect integral accent to the high end stainless appliances in the hybrid homes.  Understated and seamless, they don’t immediately jump out at you, after looking and touching and perhaps asking what these are you are drawn –in.

Rose was targeting a pool of buyers looking for quality, durability and a sense of authenticity while she was choosing the finishes for City Cabins.  The counters provide a unique transition from the apple wood cabinets, open beam-ceiling and the reclaimed plank flooring by offering a metal element to offset the mix of wood.  Originally designed as homes to be functional, energy efficient and filled with character.

The “Cabins” on Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill have been well received with multi-offer on one of the two homes and lots interest on the remaining one.   For more information contactAdrian Willanger 206 909-7536, Coldwell Banker Danforth.

 

Related posts:

  1. New Seattle homes have a distinctive urban craftsman vibe (15.3)
  2. Green Builder Selects the AirTap for their Hot Water Solution (13.4)
  3. The much awaited City Cabins coming mid-January (12.7)
  4. Seattle Green Builder freshens up marketing to reflect trend towards Zero-energy(11.9)
  5. Builder Uses Salvaged Flooring to Help Reduce Their Environmental Footprint (9.7)

Nov 29

Game Changing Lighting at Seattle’s City Cabins

Builder Martha Rose, president of Martha Rose Construction in Seattle Washington, is electing to upgrade traditional builder grade incandescent lighting in her new homes, City Cabins in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, with ultra-compact and extremely efficient Juno Mini LED Downlights and Gimbals.

The living rooms of City Cabins will be displaying the much sought –after “quiet-ceiling” architectural designed fixtures featuring Mini LED Downlights and the Gimbals that feature a 30 degree aiming and 360 degree rotation, perfect for adding a bit of drama to your favorite work of art!

The beauty of this type of task lighting is that it produces virtually no heat while enhancing visual comfort while using 1/10 the energy of traditional lighting. The lights are expected to last 50,000 hours which equals about 5 years if you left them on 24/7.

Rose mentions “sustainable building is all about doing more using less.” This type of think has influential in their selection of light bulbs for the “Cabins.” It just makes sense to use more efficient bulbs that use less wattage even though the cost is greater but once you look at the whole profile or payback for a LED bulb compared to a standard incandescent bulb it makes more financial sense.

A typical incandescent bulb would take 60 watts to produce 800 lumens where a CFL bulb would take up to 15 watts and a LED would take up to 12 watts to produce 800 lumens. The initial cost of an incandescent bulb is small compared to the cost of the energy it uses over its lifetime.

City Cabins are due to be competed in December of 2011, for more information visit CityCabins.com or contact Adrian Willanger 206 909-7536.

Oct 27

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New Homes with Juice on Queen Anne Hill

City Cabins in Seattle

City Cabins in Seattle

 

New Homes with Juice on Queen Anne Hill

According to a recent report by Pike Research by 2015 automakers worldwide are expecting to sell more than 3 million electric vehicles.  Forward thinking builder Martha Rose, president of Martha Rose Construction, is making it easy for home buyers to have an electric vehicle by pre-wiring their new City Cabin homes for Electric-Vehicle (EV) charging stations.

Going a bit further Rose has installed a 2KW photo-voltaic system on one of the two homes, the other is pre-wired for solar and an EV station, the solar array will produce enough electricity to power an electric vehicle between  7,000-10,000 miles a year depending on the make of the vehicle.

This trend is something that designers and builders are starting to look at across the country; Monday KB Home announced that it will build all its homes under the Build San Antonio Green program starting in December.  KB Home is one of the largest homebuilders in the country.

City Cabins two high performance homes locate in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle are due to be completed in December of 2011. For more information visit the web site CityCabins.com or contact Adrian Willanger 206 909-7536.

Oct 24

City Cabins to Shine Brighter

City Cabins to Shine Brighter

Home builder Martha Rose, president of Martha Rose Construction in Seattle, is adding arrays of LED lighting to her latest project in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood. The projects, City Cabins, are all-electric powered homes.

More lumens equals more light

Rose mentions “sustainable building is all about doing more using less.” This type of think has influential in their selection of light bulbs for the “Cabins.” It just makes sense to use more efficient bulbs that use less wattage even though the cost is greater but once you look at the whole profile or payback for a LED bulb compared to a standard incandescent bulb it makes more financial sense.

A typical incandescent bulb would take 60 watts to produce 800 lumens where a CFL bulb would take up to 15 watts and a LED would take up to 12 watts to produce 800 lumens. When searching for high efficient LED bulbs, at the top of the list, we found the CREE that would produce 950 lumens using only 9 watts of electricity, the bulb retails for $79.95.

As the popularity of LED lighting increases the price will start to come down along with the passing of the 2007 the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) that was signed into law. The Department of Energy (DOE) issued new energy efficiency standards for fluorescent and incandescent bulbs. It will be phased-in 2012 through 2014 (California will begin one year earlier starting January, 2011)

City Cabins will use both CFLs and the next generation LED lighting for their lighting solution of their new homes.

City Cabins are due to be completed in mid-December and are now available for pre-sale. For more information about these two-high performance homes visit CityCabins.com or contact Adrian Willanger.

Oct 11

The New Green Appraisal Addendum

Last month the Appraisal Institute published their green addendum which can be attached to any appraisal. The addendum won’t guarantee that the homeowner or builder will get their increased property value for the green features added but what is guaranteed is that it will at least be looked at.

The new addendum can be downloaded filled out and submitted as part of the appraisal to the lender. Some of the key points are to make sure that the energy saving features are listed accurately and if you can provide any records of energy production or savings these would be documents that should be included.

Any third party certifications (LEED, Energy Star, Built Green, Earth Advantage) documentation should also be included for review. Appraiser using the new addendums will be better equipped to compare like features and properties much easier when determining value.

Seattle builder Martha Rose mentions that she already filled out both the Appraisal Institutes’  Residential Green and Energy Efficient Addendum along with the High Performance Home Addendum from Earth Advantage filled out for her new homes, City Cabins. “I typically will include any third party energy estimated usage reports along with lots of photos of the construction methods we use.”  “Typically we won’t get full credit for all the components that go into building a high-performance home but it’s a good start” comments Rose.

 

Oct 10

The Juniper Connection on Queen Anne Hill

City Cabins on Queen Anne Hill

City Cabins on Queen Anne Hill

 

Once Martha Rose, president of Martha Rose Construction, learned about ecological benefits that are derived from the harvesting of western Juniper from Oregon’s high desert it was clear that this would be natural fit to use.

The juniper in 1934 barely covered 1 million acres in Central Oregon today they cover 6 million acres. The main concern with the growing juniper’s growing population is its thirst. Junipers pull moisture out of the ground all year long. Which results in the prairie grasses that provides  food, shelter and erosion control don’t get enough water to survive.  By thinning the junipers, mostly young trees, the underground wells are able to produce more water especially during the late season mid-July through September when the high desert really needs more water, helping to increase the spring output to 3-5 gallons per minute, which during the dry months is a lot of water.

Rose likes the juniper’s’ rustic characteristic, durability, its environmental credentials and thought it would add an element of authenticity to her City Cabins project in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood.  The juniper natural rot- and decay-resistances makes it an exceptional choice for decking, retaining walls, fencing and landscaping at City Cabins.

City Cabins are the newest next-gen high performance multi-green certified homes in Seattle are scheduled to be completed in December of 2011. For more information and availability visit CityCabins.com or contact Adrian Willanger 206 909-7536.

 

Oct 9

City Cabins –The Urban Hybrid

By merging the world of traditional architecture with leading-edge building science and hi-performance construction you get the new “urban hybrid” City Cabins in Seattle’s Queen Neighborhood.  The unique design building combination is a pure comingling of the best of the past and the optimum of the next-gen building movement.

The “Cabins” are packed with smart design features that could easily go-unnoticed, yet these features are perfect solutions to enhance the occupant’s creature comforts and reduce yearly utility costs.  The super-insulated well sealed homes our partnered with a high-efficient heat-recovery ventilator (HRV) that supplies the homes with fresh filtered-air into the living areas and bedrooms 24/7 while simultaneously exhausting the stale air.  Workings in harmony with the HRVs are the Mitsubishi Mini-Split heating/cooling systems that provide zonal heating and cooling throughout the homes.

Strategic window placement increases the natural daylighting and breath-taking views of Fisherman’s Terminal, Salmon Bay and beyond to the Olympic Mountains.  Incorporating a wide range of lifestyle components into every detail makes these home truly special from the all-electric systems,  the use of unmatched re-claimed tongue groove wood planking, LED lighting, movable kitchen island are all part of the new “get-used-to-it must-haves” the new buyers are looking for.

City Cabins are currently under construction and scheduled for a mid-December release. For more information visit CityCabins.com or contact Adrian Willanger 206 909-7536.

 

Oct 6

City Cabins Locked-Up

City Cabins at framing stage

City Cabins Locked-Up

Two of the last remaining defenses used to divert moisture penetration in new construction are the windows, doors and exterior cladding. The siding and windows are being completed this week at City Cabins in Seattle Washington.

The final windows are being installed this week completing the “lock up” phase. The selection of Serious Windows was made because of their overall thermal and acoustic performance.

Controlling rain water and moisture penetration is especially important when Seattleites experience seasonal rainfall and dampness without many sun breaks that would normally allow for installed materials periods to dry out. To mitigate these concerns, builder Martha Rose and her architectural  team have designed a comprehensive building envelope, roof overhangs, advance sealing techniques, custom made stainless steel window pans all designed to help avoid water and or moisture infiltration.

Each exterior layer designed for a specific purpose; yet working together they provide an advantageous, long-term wall assembly that will aid in reducing long-term maintenance costs and increase the indoor air quality (IAQ) of the homes.

An important item to note is that during the construction of City Cabins it has been one of driest summer/fall seasons in recent Seattle history helping to avoid lengthy drying out periods between construction applications.

City Cabins are the latest high-tech high-performance homes built by Martha Rose Construction, conveniently located in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood with close proximity to the bustling South Lake Union neighborhood as well a short distance to The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Fremont, Ballard and downtown Seattle.

City Cabins are scheduled to be completed in the 4th quarter of 2011, for more information visit CityCabins.com or contact Adrian Willanger 206 909-7536.

 

 

Sep 29

Heating and Cooling is The New “SEXY” in New Homes

City Cabins the latest high-tech high-performance homes being built in Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill neighborhood by award winning green builder Martha Rose are “totally electrifying”. The all electric homes will be introducing several systems and appliances that will help lower the owners cost of ownership by reducing utility costs while improving comfort and overall livability.

One of the most exciting systems to be added to the City Cabins is Mitsubishi Mr. Slim a split-ductless A/C and Heat Pump by Mitsubishi Electric. One of its newest features is the intergraded i-see sensor that automatically adjust the room temperatures by directing either cool or warm air to the spots that need it, way cool!

The sleek, thin compact Mr. Slim also offers Platinum Deodorizing and Anti-Allergy Enzyme filters for added indoor air purifying. Heating and cooling zones within the home are operated independently from the rest of structure which can be controlled with a wireless remote.

The Mr. Slim unit is just one of the new innovative features that can be found in the “Queen Anne Plan” of City Cabins.

City Cabins are currently under construction and are slated for completion in the 4th quarter of 2011. For more information regarding availability visit the website CityCabins.com or contact Adrian Willanger 206 909-7536.

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