A HERS Score of 34!!!

Exciting news from Mike Holcomb of AES (Our LEED for Homes rater) and Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes our "Vineyard Project" just received a HERS score of 34. This is the lowest score Mike Holcomb has every tested as a rater and possibly the lowest score in the State of Michigan. This extremely low HERS score means that our "Vineyard Project" is now projected at the "Platinum" Level under the LEED for Homes program. Both Adam and I are very excited about this news.

What is a HERS, or Home Energy Rating System score? Well it is basically a rating of how energy efficient a home is based on a number of things, including a blower door test, the HVAC system, energy usage, and so on. The HERS rating is what is used to qualify a home for the Energy Star Rating. The rating is based off of a standard new home built to code that was rated originally tested and used as the test case with the score of 100. A typical older home has a HERS index of 125-150. Most homes that qualify for Energy Star homes must have a HERS rating of 85. That means that those homes are 15% more energy efficient than the test house. This is really good and a step in the right direction. Most of our homes have been scoring in the 50's, which is where we would expect the to fall. That HERS score would qualifies our homes as 5 star+ in the Energy Star rating system. The "Vineyard Project" came in at 34 (lower the better) making it 66% more efficient than a new home built to code.

Based on their Home Energy Rating System (HERS) scores, the average home certified under LEED for Homes since its launch in February 2008 is predicted to use an estimated 30-60% less energy than a comparable home built to International Energy Conservation Code. Based on the average HERS ratings for each level of LEED certification, these homes could potentially see energy reductions of:

• Certified: Up to 30%.


• Silver: Approximately 30%.


• Gold: Approximately 48%.


• Platinum: 50-60%.

As many know, Adam and I are firm believer in Kaizan ( A Japanese philosophy Adam introduced me too), or continuous improvement. We are continually studying the design & construction of our homes to make improvements to them so they are as energy efficient as possible within their budgets. So even though a HERS rating of 34 is the best we have achieved so far our goal are to continually improve upon that score with the ultimate goal of a HERS score of 0. You can read Adam's take on it at his blog.

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Happy 142nd Birthday, Frank LLoyd Wright

Today is the birthday of Frank LLoyd Wright. Widely regarded as America's most influential architect, Frank Lloyd Wright left behind a rich legacy of homes and buildings, and created a distinctly American style of architecture that continues to influence architects to this day. He was born June 8, 1867 and pasted a way in April 9, 1959. His work has influence my life since I was a young teenager. I have been and still am inspire by his work. Some of my favorite works of his are Fallingwater, Meyer May House and all the Prairie Style and Usonian houses . Wright's philosophy in architecture promoted harmony between the building, its inhabitants and nature. His homes became part of their surroundings. He minimized their presence and maximized their practicality. He revolutionized modern architecture with the essentials of ecological design and green building. Also today was the birthday of another organic architect pioneer Bruce Goff who would of been 105rd. Today we should all honor both of these pioneers of the green movement. Other birthday this month are, mine Eric Hughes (June 9Th), My Son Joshua (June 29Th) a future pioneer in green movement.

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2009 Michigan Energy Fair

Its time again for the Michigan Energy Fair! Come visit the fair June 26th - 28th in Onekama, Michigan and see the latest in green building technologies. We are proud to have our projected LEED for Homes "Gold" project called the "Granite Hill Project" in Kingsley Michigan (Just outside of Traverse City) Be the 2009 Michigan Energy Fair Show House its also the first LEED for Homes project in Grand Traverse County. Many of you toured our 2007 & 2008 Energy Fair Show House in Onekama which was West Michigan's first LEED for Homes "Platinum" project and won numerous local and national awards.

Stop by our booth (booth #8) and see what we have be up to since last year and get a look at some our latest projects. We are able to show multiple projects using the latest in Sustainable/Green building technologies such as ICF's (Insulated Concrete Form), SIP Panel (Structural Insulated Panels), Advanced Framing, Straw Clay Construction, Passive Solar Design, Solar Hot, Photovoltaic, Wind Generation, Geo-Thermal, Zero-Energy Homes (ZEH) along with the use of the Lifetime Design ( Aging-in-place or Barrier Free Design) and the Not So Big House Design Principles.

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Sustainable/Green Interior Design

Here is a sneak peak of the interior of the "Watercress Project" that my wife Christy designed with the homeowners. Following the LEED for Homes guidelines she can help save you and your builder time and money by helping you with your Sustainable /Green Interior Design selections. She has experience in the following areas.

• LEED for Homes
• Flooring (FSC, Recycled & Reclaimed)
• Lighting (Energy Star, CFLs & LED)
• Windows & Window Treatments (Energy Star)
• Paints & Interior Finishes (Low & No-Voc)
• Furniture & Furnishings Appliances (Energy Star)
• Children's Spaces & Baby Nurseries
• Kitchens
• Bathrooms
• Water efficient fixtures
• Lifetime Design

Christy is incredibly down to earth and easy to work with, people love working with her. By continuously staying up to date on new materials and innovative techniques, Christy is considered a green product expert. With her knowledge and enthusiasm, she continues to inspire our clients to mix these Green Design ideals into their projects.

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The Watercess Project is now complete

Team Hybrid has completed another one. The "Watercress" Project in Pentwater Michigan is now complete except for the final LEED for Homes certification which is projected to be "Platinum". This is the ultimate in Up North vacation homes; the home shell is constructed from ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) & SIP (Structural Insulated Panels) panels and North White Cedar Log siding with a Energy Star Metal Roof. Almost all of the tree's that had to be removed for this cottage were use in the construction or furniture for this home. The interior of this home is unique and one of a kind it was designed by Christy Hughes (My wife) along with the homeowners and is something you really should see.

If you are interested in seeing how the homeowners followed the 3 R's (Reduce, Recycle and Reuse) along with all the other sustainable green feature inside and outside of this home we will be having an open house in the next few weeks, please let us know if you would like to see this home!

We want to thank the member of Team Hybrid for another project well done. Thanks goes out to Andersen Window Corporation, Hybrid Homes LLC, Homestead Timbers, Image Design LLC, Porter Sips and R-Value Concrete Structures LLC for another awesome job! We would also like to thank the Homeowner for allowing us all to be apart of the special project!

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Church of the Holy Spirt Addition Breaks Ground

This past Sunday was the ground breaking of the Church of the Holy Spirit Addition that Image Design, LLC designed. A main part of the addition will be used as a food pantry to help local area families. The food pantry at Holy Spirit is an Emergency Pantry for Northern Kent county through the North Kent Service Center. The Pantry is a cooperative effort with Church of the Holy Spirit and Assumption Catholic Church in Belmont. This construction will bring the Pantry up to ground level, currently the pantry is in the basement. This modification will make our pantry handicap accessible and provide for additional storage space for food stuffs. In addition, this modification to the church will provide additional meeting room for the pantry and community programming.

If you would like to help food and cash donations can be made to either church. The hours of the pantry are 6:00- 7:30 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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Andersen Window Sustainability Tour & Meeting

You may have noticed we use Andersen Windows on all of our projects whether there are LEED certified or not! As a Residential Designer they have been my window of choice for over 20 years now (Example see the picture in the post below this one). I didn't let my personal preferences sway the choice of windows for our Team Hybrid projects they had to earn that. When Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes, LLC and Image Design, LLC had the chance to design and build the LEED "Platinum" Onekama project, we wanted to form a project team to be involve with all of our LEED for Homes projects which we call Team Hybrid. This team of companies had to prove to Adam and me that they had a commitment and a passion for sustainability and our environment with their products or services. So when we were looking for a window company to be a part of our team we didn't let either Adam's or my past preference cloud our judgment we looked at Andersen, Marvin, Pella and Jeld-Wen (Don't get me wrong these are all good window manufactures and I have used them all before.) We also looked at some local manufactures of windows. We asked to meet with a local representative from each of these companies. Before these meetings we asked them all the same question before our meetings with them. "What makes your company Green or Sustainable"? Out of these four companies only one set of representatives could answer and show us why their company was green or sustainable; and that was Aric Lavancher and Mike Bottema from the Andersen Corporation. They were able to show us why their company has been green and sustainable by providing documentation, literature and explaining their manufacturing process to us.

On April 28th Adam and I were invited by Aric Lavancher, our Andersen Architectural Representative, to fly out to Bayport Minnesota to tour the Andersen manufacturing facility and to meet with the Andersen Sustainability Team. We were able to see firsthand and behind the scenes of many of Andersen's manufacturing facilities and process. We were given access to several restricted area's that most people have never seen (even many Andersen employees) This access allowed us to see firsthand how Andersen Corporation is committed to environmental stewardship. To put it in perspective for you the Andersen plant is a 2.8 million square foot manufacturing facility that takes up 64 acres along the environmentally sensitive St. Croix River. Below are just a few examples of their commitments.

• Andersen Corporation strives to utilize a majority of sourced wood from FSC or FSC Certified Controlled Wood in its clad wood products* based on availability and market conditions.”
  
• They commissioned in 2007, a Steam Generating Facility at the Andersen plant that uses wood byproducts from manufacturing, and it produces 80% of the plants energy source. (We are one of the few people that has ever tour this facility and it was amazing to see it working).
  
• 98.5% of raw materials that come into the Andersen plant are used in the manufacturing of their products. Land-filled solid waste at Andersen's Bayport, Minnesota facilities has been reduced by 83% since 1990.
  
• Andersen was the first window company to be Green Seal® certified. Green Seal is an independent non-profit group that labels environmentally responsible products.

I could show you numerous more examples but don't have the room here to do it. So if you would like to find out more about Andersen Windows commitment to Sustainability please visit their web-site by clicking on the underlined Andersen Windows link at the beginning of this post.
To say the very least I was impressed with Andersen Corporations commitment to green and sustainability and give them my endorsement as our window of choice for Image Design, LLC and Team Hybrid.

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March & April Update

March & April were very busy months for us. We now have 16 projects under design in our office with several of them in the pricing stages. Such as the Grand Rapids, West Branch, Glenn, Howard City and Pittsford, Michigan projects. We also have several projects under construction beside the one's mentioned above. Our projected LEED for Homes "Platinum" "Turtle's Hope" project is now under construction. The existing cottage (Which was un-savable) was taken down last week and and recycled. The augers cast pile should be going in next week. Please follow the Turtle's Hope projects web-log. The picture above is a updated photo (South Side or Rear Elevation) of our projected LEED for Homes "Gold " project called "Granite Hill" which is under construction in Kingsley, Michigan (Just outside of Traverse City) they're moving along to have this home ready for the 2009 Michigan Energy Fair this will be the 2009 Michigan Energy Fair Show Home. To find out more about these two projects please read the previous web-log posts on these projects. We also have a non-green project under construction in Forest Hills and a sustainable project near completion in Lake Placid, New York (I'll try to get some up dated picture from the owners of this project to post soon!). We also have the "Watercress" and the "Vineyard" projects now complete and anxiously waiting for their final LEED for Homes rating.

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The Vineyard Project is now complete

Team Hybrid has done it again. The Vineyard Project is now complete except for the final LEED for Homes certification which is expect to be at least "Gold". This net-zero or Zero Energy Home (ZEH) is sure to be another national award winning home with all of its sustainable features such as being Passive Solar, ICF construction and having Solar Hot Water, Radiant Heat, Geo-thermal, 3.3 kw of Photovoltaic and pre-wired for Wind Generation just to name a few.

If you are interested in seeing all the sustainable green feature inside and outside of this home we will be having an open house in the next few weeks, please let us know if you would like to see this home!

We want to thank the member of Team Hybrid for another project well done. Thanks goes out to Andersen Window Corporation, Bauer Power, BuildBlock, Hybrid Homes LLC, Image Design LLC, and R-Value Concrete Structures LLC for another awesome job! We would also like to thank the Homeowner for allowing us all to be apart of the special project!

Update: Read the post on PrairieMod web-site about this project!

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Happy Earth Day 2009

Happy Earth Day everyone! I hope you all take a moment today to really appreciate our earth and maybe do something today to help save it. Try planting a tree or picking up some garbage get your kids involved too. Please remember one of my favorite Indian quotes today.


"We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors: we are borrowing it from our children."


Last chance for our special Earth Day incentive see the post below!

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Earth Day Special

To help celebrate Earth Day on Wednesday April 22nd Image Design will be taking $500.00 off our design fee for any new design projects that we are hired for between April 15th and April 22nd 2009. We hope that you all enjoy the different Earth Day events through-out the next week.

Take action this Earth Day, encourage your states law makers to adopt programs that will help support green homes like Michigan House Bill 4193 http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?2009-HB-4193. Call your local State Representative and ask what they are doing to support green homes in your area.

"YOU MUST BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD." - Mahatma Ghandi

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West Michigan Home & Garden Show

Come see us at the National Award Winning Team Hybrid booth #84 ( it's in the atrium across from our friends at Bauer Power) at the West Michigan's Home & Garden show . Many of you meet us there last year. Come see all that's happened since last years show. Check out our latest LEED for Home projects just nearing completion and see our new projects just about to start construction.

Dates & Times

Thursday, March 5th 3:00 - 9:30
Friday, March 6th 12:00 - 9:30
Saturday, March 7th 10:00 - 9:30
Sunday, March 8th 11:00 - 6:00

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Pierce Cedar Creek Institute's Renewable Energy Conference

On March 21, 2009 from 8:30am-4:00pm Pierce Cedar Creek Institute will be having their Seventh Annual Renewable Energy Conference. This conference is designed to provide a quality experience for anyone interested in renewable energy, from the novice to the expert. The conference consists of a keynote session, break-out sessions and an exhibit area. Please save the date to join us for an exciting set or presentations. Renewable energy is incredibly important for the future of the state and our local communities.

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Onekama Project in ICF Builder Magazine

The award winning Onekama Project is feature in this months ICF Builder magazine. It was the ICF Magazines award winner for Best Large Residential ICF project in the nation for 2008. Congratulation to Buildblock our ICF manufacturer, WallTech Products our ICF supplier, Hybrid Homes LLC the Builder and ourselves for designing and building this award winning project. Be sure to check out the extra photo of the project on their web-site. You can even see a photo of me helping to build this home.

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Turltle's Hope plans are ready for construction

Here is a sneak peak of the new Turtle's Hope project which is projected to be a LEED for Homes "Platinum" project. This near Net-Zero Farm House Style cottage will be built by Adam BearUp of Hybrid Homes, LLC. The perspective above is a southeast 3d perspective created with Google SketchUp software. By double clicking on this perspective you are able to see an enlarged view that shows the suns angle on June 21st. Which enables you to see how the 2'-6" overhangs and the passive solar awnings shade the sun from coming it to the home. You can also see the location of the Solar Hot Water system that will be installed by Mark Bauer from Bauer Power. To follow this project through construction please follow the home owner web-log by clicking on Turtle's Hope at the beginning of this article.

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Not So Big Remodeling: Tailoring Your Home for the Way You Really Live

Sarah Susanka is back, with a new book that shines the spotlight on remodeling, Not So Big Remodeling: Tailoring Your Home for the Way You Really Live. With new house sales continuing to flounder, many people are opting to stay put and work with the house they have. The book walks through the process of evaluating problem areas in a house and identifying the least invasive and most effective strategies for solving the challenges. The book, like Susanka's others, is packed with photos of actual projects, including a remodel of her own home. This is a must read book for anyone looking to remodel their homes. Image Design, LLC highly recommends reading this book!

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Onekama project wins ICF Builder Magazine Award!

We just got the news from the World of Concrete 2009, held in Las Vegas. That the Onekama project has won the 2008 ICF Builder Magazine Award for Large Residence 3,000 to 6,000 sq. ft. We are proud that BuildBlock our ICF supplier believed in our project so much that they entered us it this prestigious award. Buildblock also had two other projects besides ours win awards too.

Congratulation to the Homeowners and "Team Hybrid" members Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes, LLC (Builder), Dave Russell of Wall Tech Products, LLC (Distributor), ourselves Image Design, LLC (Designer) and BuildBlock (Supplier) for winning another prestigious award. Also a big thank goes out to all the behind the seen people who worked on this project, we could not of done it without all of you. Team Hybrid would like to send a special thanks to BuildBlock's Marketing Department for all of their hard work.

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January & February Update

Great news our projected LEED for Homes "Platinum" "Watercress" project in Pentwater is one of the main features in Walls & Ceilings Architect Magazine this month please take a moment to read the article. Also our national award winning "Onekama project" was feature on the 9 & 10 News Northern Michigan's leading news station click on the link and watch the video. We are also excited to have been hired for three new LEED certified projects here in Michigan, there in Ionia, Fruitport and Dexter. Five of our projects are now under construction or nearing completion, we now have sixteen projects in various stages of design in our office. Also we interviewing for several more new and exciting projects all over the country.

Besides being able to follow the "Turtle's Hope" project on there web-log you will also be able to follow our newest project we were just hired for through their design & construction process on there web-log called "Building our Green Dream Home" . This project will be in Dexter, Michigan (just out side of Ann Arbor) and were looking forward to working with these new clients on it. Some of the main features there looking for in their new home are a passive solar design with a rainwater cistern on it. Please watch the two web-log for updates!

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The "Granite Hill" project is under construction

Our latest LEED for Homes project call "Granite Hill" is under construction on 60 pristine acres in Kingsley, Michigan (just outside of Traverse City) This home sits on a ridge next to a hill of large granite boulders thus comes the projects name "Granite Hill". The project is being built by a new builder that were working with, Joel Diotte of the Frontier Group, LLC. The project team will be registering this project as a projected LEED for Homes "Gold" project. It will also be the first LEED for Homes project in Grand Traverse County. We are also striving for this to be a Carbon Neutral Home.

This home will be a Passive Solar Arts & Craft style home built with BuildBlock ICF's (Insulated Concrete Forms) from foundation to the second floor, then the gable end and dormer will be framed using Advanced Framing Methods, for the roof will be using Kasselwood metal shingle which are energy star rated and uses 30% recycled materials. The exterior will be using some of our favorite products James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding and Andersen windows. The interior will have tile and stained concrete floors on the main level which will make great thermal mass. The home was also design with lifetime design principles. The main heat source for this home is a Tulikivi Masonry Heater from Positive Chimney in Cadillac as backup heat we will be using electric base board heat and low EMF electric heat mats from SunTouch which will be installed in the master bath and the main bath. The ideas behind the the electric heat is that in the near future the homeowners hope to add Photovoltaic (PV) and or a Wind Generator to their project to provide all their electrical needs for the home.

This home will also be using re-used /recycled products from Odem Re-use Co through-out the home.

Update: This will be the Official 2009 Michigan Energy Fair Show Home!

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West Michigan Chapter of USGBC names two Residential Green Building Advocates

The West Michigan Chapter of the USGBC has named two of its members Residential Green Building Advocates (RGBA) for the State of Michigan. Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes, LLC and Eric Hughes of Image Design, LLC both have accepted the nomination of Residential Green Building Advocates for the chapter. A chapter’s Residential Green Building Advocate (RGBA) volunteers to serve as the local face of USGBC’s LEED for Homes program, helping to educate, build awareness and demand for green construction practices in the local & state homebuilding industries.

Besides being one of the two RGBA's Eric Hughes has chaired the Residential Green Building Committee for the last two years and also is working on be coming a LEED AP + Homes certified professional. Adam & Eric also were founding members of the Residential Green Building Committee.

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Following the Turtle's Hope Project

Here is a unique chance to follow the construction of a projected LEED for Homes "Platinum" project from start to finish. The project is called Turtle's Hope it is a small (1,328 sq.ft.) energy efficient cottage being built in rural Southwest Michigan, on a small inland turtle-filled lake in Hope Township (Thus giving it the name Turtle's Hope). This near zero energy cottage will be using some interesting construction technique on it. Because of the soil this project will sit on 27 Auger Cast piles roughly 48'-0" deep. Our special foundation system was designed by Roger Kelley of Engineered Structures.

The construction of the cottage will be done by Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes, LLC. This home will have a special floor system with radiant heat designed by ourselves and Adam, the main construction will be SIP panels, with a large amount of southern glass on this house Passive Solar will do most of the heating in winter. There will also be Solar Hot Water on the roof and that should also help with the heat distribution, when integrated with a radiant floor heat system. With the home also being pre-wire for Photovoltaic it will be ready for future upgrades when and if the homeowners choose too. The homeowners will be recycling anything they can from there existing cottage that's on there site, which will then be donated to Habitat Re-store for anything they can use. We would like to thank the homeowners for sharing their design & building experiences with you through there blog.

Updated!!! We are happy to annouce that "Turtle's Hope" will be the show house for this year's Pierce Cedar Creek Institutes renewable energy conference on March 21, 2009. Adam and I will be giving a presentation on the design and construction of this near zero energy cottage.

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November & December Update

As we are near the end of 2008 we have a lot to look forward to in 2009. We will have a new President with a strong goal to make the next 4 years better than the last 8 years. We have new legislation just passed in Michigan and in the the bail out that benefits renewable energies like wind energy, solar hot water and photovoltaic. If all goes as planned Michigan will become one of the major manufactures of renewable energies. At our home/office we just finished our green bathroom remodel and are close to finishing our kitchen remodel. Our office remodel is starting to progress nicely and this winter we will start a new green bathroom and bedroom project.

We are also excited to have been hired for two new LEED certified projects in Pitsford and Bezonia. Four of our projects are under construction and nearing completion, three project are almost ready to start construction and we have eleven projects in the design phase. Also we interviewing for several new and exciting projects all over the country. The picture above is a Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie Style home we designed that's being built in Lake Placid, New York. I would like to thank the home owners Carlo and Amy for keeping us updated with pictures of their project. I will keep you all updated on this project as I get more updates.

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New National BuildBlock Ad Showing The Award Winning Onekama Hybrid House

We are excited to again be part of BuildBlock national Ad campaign. This Ad will be in the October issue of ICF Builder Magazine. You can see the two national awards our project won from the ICFA (Insulating Concrete Form Association) in the ad. BuildBlock is our block of choice when specifying an ICF project. Stay tuned for some more awesome projects being built and in design using there fine product.

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September & October Update

We are excited to see the Watercress (Pictured) and the Vineyard project nearing completion and getting ready for the final LEED for Homes certification process. Congratulation to Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes and his awesome team of craftsmen for all there hard work and dedication for following the LEED for Homes certification process on these two projects. We also are excited to see the interior finishing start on the Watercress project since my wife/business partner Christy worked with the homeowner on all the interior selection for this awesome project we can wait to see all of her hard work payoff. We have several project in the pricing stages now all of the are capable of score very high in the LEED for Homes certification process. We are also excited to have been hired for a new LEED certified project on Long Lake just outside of Traverse City and a green remodel of a 1890 farm house in Howard City. As you may have read below we are please to have won two prestigious national awards from the ICFA. You can read about or awards on my favorite web-log called PrairieMod and the BuildBlock web-site. Also we interviewing for several new and exciting projects all over the country.

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Onekama project Wins Two National Awards

Today we found out the Onekama Hybrid Home won two national awards from the ICFA (Insulating Concrete Form Association). The ICFA Excellence Award is the premier industry recognition for the most innovative and noteworthy ICF projects of the year. We are proud that BuildBlock our ICF supplier believed in our project so much that they entered us it these prestigious awards. Buildblock sweep the awards with there projects. We are proud to have won the following two awards.

ICFA Large Residential Project Gold Award: Is awarded to the nations top ICF residential project over 3,000 square feet.

ICFA Sustainability Project Gold Award: Is awarded to the nations top
Residential or Commercial ICF project which maximizes the energy
performance and minimizes the environmental footprint of a building.

Congratulation to the Homeowners and "Team Hybrid" members Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes, LLC (Builder), Dave Russell of Wall Tech Products, LLC (Distributor), ourselves Image Design, LLC (Designer) and BuildBlock (Supplier) for winning these prestigious awards. Also a big thank goes out to all the behind the seen people who worked on this project, we could not of done it without all of you.

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LEED for Homes Program Review Class

On December 4th 2008 the West Michigan Chapter of the USGBC will be putting on a LEED for Homes program review class at Alliance for Environmental Sustainability in Grand Rapids Michigan. The class will be taught by Mike Holcomb one of the top green building authorities in the country. I highly recommend this class for anyone interest in green building.

WHAT'S THE CLASS ABOUT?
LEED for Homes is a voluntary rating system that promotes the design and construction of high performance "green" homes. A green home uses less energy, water, and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants. Benefits of a LEED home include lower energy and water bills; reduced greenhouse gas emissions; and less exposure to mold, mildew and other indoor toxins. LEED certification recognizes and rewards builders for meeting the highest performance standards, and gives homeowners confidence that their home is durable,healthy, and environmentally friendly.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this course, you will be able to:
• Describe how LEED® for Homes can be applied to various residential
building types.
• Define the Rating System credit categories
• Understand the evolution of the LEED for Homes Rating System through the
pilot process
• Communicate to stakeholders specific details of LEED for Homes
• Know where to go for additional resources and support

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Industry professionals seeking to increase their understanding of the LEED for Homes Rating System and green building strategies, benefits and resources

• Builders


• Designers


• Consultants


• Engineers


• Developers


• Home Owners


• Product Supplier

For all workshop inquiries, email workshop@usgbc.org or call
800-795-1747.

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Green Bathroom Remodel

Today we start our green bath remodel with the help from Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes, LLC we will be gutting a 1952 bathroom and remodeling it as green as possible. The first thing we did was to replace all the existing light fixture with energy star fixture. We replace a inadequate bathroom fan with a new energy star Panasonic Whisper Green fan/light. And the electrical switches will be motion activated. All new plumbing fixture will be Grohe WaterCare low flow fixture to conserve water with a Toto WaterSense 1.28 flush comfort height Eco Drake toilet. The sub floor will be James Hardies HardieBacker™ board with exclusive Moldblock™ Technology then and ceramic tile floor that will be grouted with TEC AccuColor XT grout which is formulated to be highly resistant to common stains and mold and mildew. The combined product should deliver us the ultimate in mold resistance for our green bathroom floor. The walls and ceiling will be painted with Sherwin-Williams Harmony zero-VOC's (volatile organic compounds) paints designed with anti-microbial properties and formulated without silica. The Green Bathroom Remodel pictures will be posted on Hybrid Homes web-site.

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Great Lake Green Conference

The DeVos Place convention center at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan will host the state's first Great Lakes Green conference and exhibition. Events on Thursday and Friday are focused on builder topics and those on Saturday are catered to homeowners and consumers interested in green products and services.

If you get a chance to go I'll be there working the LEED for Homes booth on Friday. Also please stop by some of our friends booths like The Home Inspector General booth, Mike Holcomb will also be giving some great seminar and is probable one of the most knowledgeable persons I know on green building. Bauer Power Booth, Mark Bauer's booth will show the latest in wind and solar technologies he also will be giving some great seminars. Vanbeek's Custom Wood Products booth will have a amazing display of sustainable cabinetry such as Kerei board, Sunflower seed board, Bamboo along with FSC certified Lumber. L & H Adhesives booth will showcase the Bonded Logic Ultra Touch natural cotton fiber insulation made from blue jeans. R-Value Concrete Structures booth can answer all your ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) question Jake will also be giving seminars there. There are over 100 booth to visit hope you get a chance to stop by and see us there and some of our friends.

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National Ad Featuring the Onekama Project

Today we just found out BuildBlock the ICF supplier for the award winning LEED for Homes "Platinum" Onekama project took out a national ad showing our project in the July issue of Environmental Design + Construction magazine. Image Design and Hybrid Homes are proud to have specified BuildBlock ICF's and to be apart of there national ad campaign. The Onekama project is also featured on BuildBlock's website just click on the link adove to read about the project. BuildBlock have a superior product that we are using on serval other LEED for Home certified projects we have under construction including the projected LEED for Homes "Gold" Vineyard project in Paw Paw. We highly recommend there product and here in Michigan you can get it through Wall Tech Products.

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June & July Update

Were back from a Disney vacation in Florida and the 2008 Michigan Energy Fair. And were in the middle of a green remodel to our home and office. Our summer has been busy so far and so has our business. My wife Christy has been getting involved with the interior design on several of our projects now and enjoying the challenge. So here is a updated on our project's Hybrid Homes has the Watercress and the Vineyard projects both under construction. The picture you see here is the Projected LEED for Home "Platinum" Watercress project being built on Pentwater Lake. We are excited to have been hired to design two new project that will be going for LEED for Homes certification in the last two weeks one will been in Dorr and the other one will be in LeRoy. The LeRoy project will be a Clay/Straw Home which we are excited about learning this type of construction. Also we are in the design phase on projects to be built in Grand Rapids, Lamont, Glenn, Delton, West Branch, Kingsley, Grandville. We just finished a project in Lake Placid, New York. We are interviewing for several new and exciting projects all over the country.

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Review of the 2008 Michigan Energy Fair

We had a great time at the 2008 Michigan Energy Fair. My wife Christy and I meet and talked with a lot of interesting people from all over the country that were interested in the design of green/sustainable homes. I want to thank my wife Christy for all the hard work she did to help and prepare for the Energy Fair. The evening before the energy fair we had a VIP party for all those involved with the Hybrid Show House along with friend, clients and the media it was a great start to the weekend long energy fair. Governor Gramholm was the keynote speaker on the opening day of the energy fair and to our surprise Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes was awarded an award from Governor Jennifer Gramholm for being a leader in using renewable energy in residential construction and also as a leader in Green Building in Michigan. Congratulation Adam! Were also gave seminars along with Hybrid Homes on creating the LEED "Platinum" Hybrid Home.

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Our 2008 Spring Parade Home Wins Awards

We are excited that our 2008 Spring Parade of Homes house with Scott Bronkema Builders has won several awards through the Home & Building Association of Greater Grand Rapids (HBAGGA). We all were excited to win the 2008 Awards of Excellence for a $400,001 - $500,000 Home in the following categories below.

• Best Site Harmony


• Best Exterior Design


• Best Floor Plan


• Best Owner Suite

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2008 Michigan Energy Fair

Its time again for the Michigan Energy Fair! Come visit the fair June 27th - 29th and see the latest in green building technolgies. We are proud to have the show home again for this years Energy Fair. Many of you saw the home under construction last year at the Energy Fair. This year you'll get to see it completed. This years key note speaker will be Govenor Jennifer Gramholm. Stop by our booth #8 and see us and get a look at our latest projects.

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Happy 141st Birthday, Frank LLoyd Wright

Today is the birthday of Frank LLoyd Wright. Widely regarded as America's most influential architect, Frank Lloyd Wright left behind a rich legacy of homes and buildings, and created a distinctly American style of architecture that continues to influence architects to this day. He was born June 8, 1867 and pasted a way in April 9, 1959. His work has influence my life since I was a young teenager. I have been and still am inspire by his work. Some of my favorite works of his are Fallingwater, Meyer May House and all the Prairie Style and Usonian houses . Wright's philosophy in architecture promoted harmony between the building, its inhabitants and nature. His homes became part of their surroundings. He minimized their presence and maximized their practicality. He revolutionized modern architecture with the essentials of ecological design and green building. Also today was the birthday of another organic architect pioneer Bruce Goff who would of been 104rd. Today we should all honor both of these pioneers of the green movement. Other birthday this month are, mine Eric Hughes (June 9Th), My Son Joshua (June 29Th) a future naturalist.

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Paw Paw "Vineyard" project is Projected LEED for Homes "Gold"

Image Design, LLC and Hybrid Homes, LLC are excited to announce our Paw Paw project (also known as the Vineyard Project) was just register as a projected LEED for Homes "Gold" project. Nestled in South Western Michigan's wine country this project is located next to a vineyard, thus the project name. This home will be a Passive Solar Prairie style home built with BuildBlock ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) from foundation to the roof where we will be using Elk 40 yr. Prestique Cool color dimensional shingles. The exterior will be using two of our favorite products CertainTeed FiberCement Siding (Includes Fly Ash) and Andersen windows. The interior will have stained concrete floor on all floor which will make great thermal mass. The home was also design with lifetime design priciples and has zero step entries.

Update!!! This home will now be close to a net-zero home thanks to the recent addition of 4 kw of Photovaoltaic, Solar Hot Water system , Geo-thermal heating and cooling and the future installation of a Wind Generator. Now were keeping our figures crossed with the new addition of these renewable energies on this house, it will be enough to push it to a LEED for Homes "Platinum" designation.

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Pentwater "Watercress" project is Projected LEED for Homes "Platinum"

Image Design, LLC and Hybrid Homes, LLC are excited to announce our Pentwater project (also known as the Watercress Project) was just register as a projected LEED for Homes "Platinum" project. This home has a Logix ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms)foundation with SIP panel (Structural Insulated Panels ) walls and roof from Porter Sips the siding will be hand hewn cedar log siding from Homestead Timbers and of coarse will be using our favorite window from Andersen, the project will be topped of with a burgundy metal standing seam roof. The interior of this project will be using a lot of recycled content including cabinets for the wet bar and laundry, vanity tops for two bathrooms various columns and the mantel will come from tree from there building site. This home will sit on the shores of Pentwater Lake with two spring feed creeks that flow into Pentwater Lake. The creeks are lined with Watercress which is where the project gets its name.

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2008 Spring Parade of Homes

If you get a chance please stop by our 2008 Spring Parade of Homes house we designed. It was built by Scott Bronkema Builders and is full of custom crafted details which Scott is known for. This home is situated on a beautiful wooded site with views of two different ponds and is one of the last sites to build on in Dix Farm development in Rockford Michigan. The parade of Homes starts May 21st and go through the 31st. This home should be a show stopper.

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Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day everyone! I hope you all take a moment today to really appreciate our earth and maybe do something today to help save it. Try planting a tree or picking up some garbage get your kids involved too. If you really want to help call your senator and tell them that you would like them to support a Renewable Portfolio Standard - or RPS - that will help jump start the growth of alternative energy in Michigan. Please remember one of my favorite Indian quotes today.

"We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors: we are borrowing it from our children."

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Onekama Project Receives LEED for Homes "Platinum" Certification

Image Design and Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes are please to announced today that its Hybrid Home project in Onekama Michigan has been awarded the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) highest certification through is LEED for Homes program. The Hybrid House received LEED "Platinum" certification. Only 22 other homes in the nation have received this honor. Along with the "Platinum" LEED Certifications and winning the GLREA 2007 Exemplary Project Award, this hybrid home has also been awarded an Energy Star Rating of 5+ Stars. You can also read more about this project in the March issue of Concrete Homes magazine and in the up coming Northern Home & Cottage magazines May issue. If you would like to tour this home it will be the 2008 Michigan Energy Fair Show Home. The Michigan Energy Fair is June 27th - 29th in Onekama Michigan.

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Energy Audits are they worth it.

After meeting so many people at the Home & Garden show this last weekend and hearing them all telling me about there utility bills being $500 to $1,200 dollars and wanting to know what they can do to make there home more energy efficient. I told them sometimes replacing old, leaky windows with new, energy efficient windows may help, but you need to take a step back and see how your home is really performing before you spend any money on windows, insulation, roofing, etc. My advise to all of you is have Mike Holcomb from the Home Inspector General come test your homes. Mike can perform a “energy audit” to find out how well your home is performing. If your home has leaks, where are they? As part of Mikes energy audits he performs thermal imaging where he takes a picture of your home to see where the heat is leaking in vivid color. Mike can also preform a blower door test where a 15-20 mile per hour wind is simulated in your home to see where air (and heat) is leaking from. Without knowing how your home performs, you could be throwing your money out the window. I recently read a energy audit report Mike did on one of my remodel clients project and I was amazed at how detailed his report was. I believe Energy Audits are worth it and would recommend you get one done before you start any remodeling project.

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Come see us at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute

Thank you for those of you that stop by Team Hybrids booth and the LEED for Homes booth at the West Michigan Home & Garden show at DeVos place this past weekend. I got to meet alot of great people and vendor wanting to know about Sustainable Home Design and LEED for Homes. For those of you that missed us at the Home and Garden show or for those of you that didn't get enough of us we are also going have a booth for Team Hybrid and a booth for LEED for Homes at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute on Saturday, March 15 for the 6th Annual Renewable Energy Conference. Our friend Mark Bauer from Bauer Power will be speaking on solar hot water and our friend John Sarver of the Michigan Energy Office will be give a State of the State Address. Hope to see you all there.

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Result from our What is your fravorite home style poll

In December through February we polled our blog reader on "What is your favorite home style". And the following were the results of our poll.

Traditional Style 11%
Arts & Craft Style 23%
Prairie Style 31%
Cottage Style 15%
Old World Style 9%
Modern Style 20%
Other 6%

I want to thank everyone that took part in the poll we had over 105 responses, it will help us in our marketing research. I personally like all these styles but was excited to see the top 3 Styles. If you would like to find out more about any of the above style or if you would like to see examples of these styles please email me or call. Also please check out the new poll on "If you could have any renewable product on your home what would you want".

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January and February Update

This year has started off with a bang! We have been hired to design a green remodel in Sawyer along with three new LEED for Homes certified projects in Glenn, Delton and Tustin. Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes, LLC will soon start construction on two LEED for Homes registered projects we designed in Paw Paw and Grand Rapids these homes will raise the standard for what is green building.

Our Spring Parade of Homes house is coming along great, this will be a must see home built by Scott Bronkema Builders. Also if you get a chance check out the award winning home we design and Scott Bronkema Builders built that's featured in the Early Winter 2008 edition of Cosmopolitan Home Grand Rapids magazine and the award winning Onekama home we designed and Hybrid Homes built will be featured in the March issue of Concrete Homes magazine. Besides the magazine article check out this web article on Concrete Homes web-site about the Onekama project (Click here to read the article).

Last be not least come see us at the Hybrid Homes Booth and the LEED for Homes Booth at the 29th Annual West Michigan Home and Garden Show at DeVos Place February 28th -March 2nd. Hope to see you their!

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