Allen Bianchi Architects and Aspect Development Group bring you this new project in the heart of Montrose. Open flowing spaces with beautiful natural light. Large balcony. Living area with wide plank oak flooring and wood burning fireplace. Oversized kitchen island with Granite countertops. Custom modern European cabinetry and stainless steel built-in appliances. Natural stone master bath. Oversized walk-in closets. Pre-wired for security and media. (more info)
Hold on to your hats, folks. If you want to keep up with the Jones’ on the housing front, going bigger isn’t going to cut it anymore. Today, for the Jones’ and others on the forefront of home trends, it’s all about how
much green you’ve got…and I’m not talking about money.
Green modern homes, or eco-friendly houses as they’re sometimes called, are “what’s hot” in modern homes right now. That’s because of two reasons:
(1) Green modern homes are designed (literally) to save the environment.
(2) Living in a green home is easier on the pocketbook than a traditional home.
So, as you go out green house hunting, whether you’re a sightseer or a buyer, here are some features to look for:
◊ Solar panels on the roof, but make sure the technology is current. (No pun intended.)
◊ Insulated windows above and beyond traditional double panes
◊ Tank-less Water Heaters
◊ Low-flow faucets and showerheads and low-volume flush toilet tanks
◊ Fluorescent or LED lighting throughout the house
◊ Environmentally friendly flooring (i.e. Bamboo instead of hardwoods)
◊ Rainwater collection system and drip irrigation in the flowerbeds
◊ Appliances with high EERs (energy efficiency ratings)
◊ Low-maintenance Xeriscape-based landscaping
If you’re thinking about custom building a green home or purchasing a newly constructed modern home from a green builder, consider requesting the following:
Recycled Building Materials. The home should make good use of recycled materials and / or biodegradable materials. For example, use salvaged wood instead of newly cut wood for building and use recycled glass for countertops instead of marble or granite.
Rooftop Landscaping: Another emerging trend in green homes, though less common to see in your everyday neighborhood, is rooftop gardens. It’s not just for downtown high-rise buildings anymore. They’re great if you have the opportunity to add one on because the vegetation will help to regulate your home’s temperature.
It may not be easy to find a modern green home with many, if not all, of the “green” features listed above, but more and more consumers are demanding “greener” homes when they build or remodel. To have a green home that’ll one-up the Jones’, make sure that the home is built by a green builder and / or is certified green through an organization such as the U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org).
Do you live in a Houston-area modern green home? Great!
Tell me why you went green and how going green has changed how you live.
Biography:
Steven Kleiman is a licensed real estate broker and the owner of Houston, Texas-based
Oakington Realty. The firm provides agent services to buyers, sellers and investors
interested in real estate inside the I-610 Loop. To learn more about modern real estate
in metro-Houston, contact Steven at: realestate@modernhouston.net
Posted in modernhouston.realestate
Tagged green, leed, oakington realty, steven kleiman, sustainability
This is Modern Houston, so it only makes sense that a column from me, your local Modern Houston Real Estate Specialist, would focus on…what else? Modern homes!
Hi everybody. I’m Steven Kleiman, and there is so much to know when it comes to modern real estate. Lucky for you, I have no shortage of things to talk about! Now, since this is my inaugural column, I figure that I’d give you a crash course on exactly what modern / contemporary real estate is.
A “modern home” (aka “Classic Modern”) is often considered a house that was built in the early 20th century, usually anytime from the around the 1920s through the 1980s, because the predominant architectural style for the homes was more simple than the highly ornate homes built prior to the 1900s. Meanwhile, homes built from the 1980s to present day are often called “contemporary homes” (aka “Contemporary Modern”). Contemporary homes often exhibit even more simplicity than modern homes. That simplicity is conveyed, not only in the structure of the home but also the landscaping, interior design, and living space.
Semantics sticklers may differentiate between Modern / Classic Modern and Contemporary / Contemporary Modern; Generally, I don’t. I tend to use contemporary and modern interchangeably because out here in the real world of real estate, the styles often mesh. In fact, I like to describe modern / contemporary real estate to my clients as structures characterized by amazing architecture, smart design and an environment that fits the homeowner.
Contemporary real estate is an exciting topic to explore and I look forward to sharing my contemporary real estate knowledge with you. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll teach me a thing or two as well. Here’s hoping! If you live in a modern home or if you see one while you’re out, send me a picture with some information about it and why you think it’s a great example of a modern home. It may just become a talking piece for my next column!
Biography:Steven Kleiman is a licensed real estate broker and the owner of Houston, Texas-based Oakington Realty. The firm provides agent services to buyers, sellers and investors interested in real estate inside the I-610 Loop
