Just a quick reminder: the monthly Des Moines Rehabbers Club monthly
meeting is tomorrow, January 7. Join us for a tour and discussion at the
"Craftsman" style *1311 4th Street house from 9:30 to 11:00* - get inspired
for the new year of home improvement and renovation!
Steve

Termite treatment does not need to cost thousands of dollars. You need to talk to a different company. We have found Springer Pest Control to be competitive in pricing & guarantee. Their number is 515-262-9229.

Roberta McAfee
Your Real Estate Consultant for Life
McAfee Realty
4310 SE 17th Ct.

Kelli:  Termites are everywhere.   Always have been.
I don't think you need to pay for monthly treatments. I would just watch for the mud tunnels. Have an inspection now and then and treat when necessary. [link]
 
Marlon
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Oregon-based Ideabox has been on the prefab scene doing their thing in the Pacific Northwest for a long time now.  I’ve mentioned several of their homes and look forward to sharing a few newsworthy articles here in the next couple months.  As a preview, I thought I’d share a new design of the company — the Minibox.  It’s a 200 square-foot tiny house with a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom/living area.  It’ll have IKEA cabinets and fixtures, energy-efficient appliances, and Energy Star windows.  More soon …

[+] Visit Ideabox for Hip Green MiniBox prefabs.

Credits: Ideabox.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Ideabox Launches Urban Series Prefabs
2. Building an Austin Tiny House [Video]
3. Clean Tech Tiny House in San Jose

Xero Flor is a lightweight green roof and system originally developed in Germany. A version was first supplied to Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant by Xero Flor America LLC, the exclusive manufacturer and distributor here in the states, and now the company’s announcing Cradle to Cradle Silver for the technology.

The company’s pre-vegetated green roof mats install above a custom base for a green roof that’s “naturally resistant to weed encroachment, wind uplift, and surface erosion,” according to Xero Flor America.

The mats are supplied by regional farms and used with recycled-content products to help purchasers reap LEED credits if desired.

Xero Flor has been used in private homes across the country, including in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, Utah, and Washington, to name a few locations.

[+] More about lightweight Xero Flor green roofs.

Credits: Xero Flor America LLC.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Boral Intros Cradle to Cradle Exterior Trim
2. USGBC Pilots Wood Certification Options
3. Green Materials to Grow to $70B by 2015

Our house had a history of termites with the previous owners. (Truthfully,
it had a history of EVERY pest with the previous owners. Yuck.) We recently
had one of the major termite services inspect our home and yard as a
maintenance precaution.
Our house showed no evidence of new termites, but we have a woodpile about

The case for renovation grows stronger every day - thanks for participating
in this movement through the Des Moines Rehabbers Club.
A new report produced by the Nationl Trust for Historic Preservation called
"The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building
Reuse", concludes that, *when comparing buildings of equivalent size and

I’m fascinated by the work of Netherlands-based Dave Hakkens in a recent project called “Rubble Floor.”  Interested in reusing old building materials as new building materials — and inspired by terrazzo floors — Hakkens conducted several tests on materials such as roof tiles, bricks, nails and screws, and glass.  He used concrete as the binder and crushed old materials into pigments and fillers.  In the end, Hakkens found it’s entirely possible to make new materials with the old.

[+] More about Rubble Floor by Dave Hakkens.

Credits: Dave Hakkens.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Green Materials to Grow to $70B by 2015
2. Ecotrax Recycled Content Floor Tiles
3. Roof Made with Adaptive Reuse Records

From Fine Homebuilding Magazine via our good friend, Jack Porter... 12
Restoration Blunders! This is a worthy read for anyone considering a major
renovation project.
*[link]
or a web link that is harder to read, but faster to download...
*
[link]

Thanks, Valerie. I heard from her this morning that she had located a set
of cabinets through Facebook.
Thanks,
Steve

I may have a lead. Freebies. No lead paint either.
Valerie
______________________________ __
From: Steve Wilke-Shapiro <swilkeshap...@gmail.com>
To: RenovateDSM <renovatedsm@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 4:27 PM

Hi Rehabbers,
I received the following request from a friend this morning and thought I would see if anyone out in Des Moines rehabber-land has a lead on a set of cabinets in good enough condition (and without lead paint) that they would be willing to donate to a public school classroom.

Homes at North Pointe, in Frederick, MD, are attaining NAHB's Emerald certification.

Traditional home styles plus a net-zero building standard is a winning combination in the Homes at North Pointe development in Frederick, Maryland.

North Pointe was a dormant development whose design pattern was set when developer NEXUS EnergyHomes, Inc., adopted the project. Nexus took the existing set of plans for the project adjacent to Frederick’s historic district and proceeded to “energize” them, according to Mike Murphy, president of Nexus’ construction division, in order to achieve NAHB’s Emerald certification and reach the net-zero goal.

One benefit of geothermal heat pumps is that no noisy a/c compressors disrupt your backyard conversations.

The result is bringing buyers to the 54-home community despite the slow housing market. Two homes are completed, six are nearing completion, and 17 more lots are under contract waiting to break ground. At this pace, Murphy expects to be sold-out in the 4th quarter of 2012.

Murphy is not surprised by the demand considering the homes are being sold at comparable prices to code-built new construction homes in the area. A 2,750 square-foot home in the community recently sold at $335,000, or about $121 per square foot (see current listings at North Pointe).

He said, “Our homes are selling at about a 7-8% premium over homes in the area, but this is more than made up [in the buyer’s mind] by the lack of utility bills, the available tax credits, very clean indoor air, and other intangibles.”

Strategies for reaching net-zero and Emerald certification at North Pointe include ground source geothermal heat pumps, photovoltaic panels, SIPs walls supplemented by spray foam insulation, and super-tight air sealing. A whole-house monitoring system, called NexusVision™, tracks energy production and consumption, and can show this information to the homeowner via the web or smartphone and tablet applications.

While Nexus EnergyHomes only started building homes in 2011, for three years the company had been working with the Research Center at the National Association of Homes Builders to refine its strategy and process. And that effort is paying off.

Murphy said, “Of the approximately 70 NAHB Emerald Homes nationwide, three currently are in Maryland. When this project is completed, all 59 homes at North Pointe will be certified.”

“It’ll be the Emerald City,” he said.

Building on the early signs of success at North Pointe, Nexus EnergyHomes has several projects launching in 2012.  These developments in western Maryland and South Carolina and a custom townhome project in Philadelphia. The company also plans to build custom homes for clients with their own land.

Contemporary interior styling complements the traditional exterior designs.

[+] More about these net-zero energy Homes at North Pointe.

Credits: Nexus EnergyHomes.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Traditional Style Passivhaus Built in Ohio
2. Traditional NZE Home in Connecticut
3. ZETA Fabricates Homes for NZE Project

Here’s an outline of our coverage from January. In terms of our new articles, the most shared one on Facebook was about liquid-cooling LEDs by Switch Lighting, while the most shared one on Twitter was a green product interview with architect Michelle Kaufmann. As always, we’re interested in learning about inventive green homes and new green products around the USA.  If you have news for JetsonGreen.com, send us a tip.

Innovative Prefab and Home Projects:

• Prefab ADU Keeps Family in One Place
• Lori-Quint LEED Platinum Home in Georgia
• Production NZE Home Unveiled in Denver
• Passive House Gets LEED Gold in Rhode Island
• KitHAUS Prefab Writer’s Studio Set in West LA
• Students to Build Greenest Home in Canada
• Element Prefab Designed by the Owners

Technology & Products Innovation:

• Liquid Cooling LEDs Available in 2012
• Freedom is a New Smart Induction Cooktop
• DuChateau Has a New FSC-Certified Floor Line
• Panasonic Intros Inventive Tankless Toilet
• Vanillawood Hearts Reclaimed Wood
• Allure Energy Intros EverSense Thermostat System
• An In-Home Energy Display for the Refrigerator
• Plugwise Eliminates Excess Energy Use

Know-How & Other Green News:

• Happy New Year, It’s 2012! [2011 Roundup]
• Ten Green Building Trends for 2012 [Earth Advantage]
• Five Green Home Trends for 2012 [Buildipedia]
• Interview: What’s the One Green Product …
• The Environmental Value of Building Reuse
• Solar Decathlon Takes Talents to Orange County
• Book: Sustainability in America’s Cities
• Book: Urban Ecological Design
• Week in Review Archives

My Water-Wise Bathroom Redo on HouseLogic:

• Article 1: Intro to a Water-Wise Bathroom Redo
• Article 2: Water-Wise Bath with a Tight Footprint

Also, subscribe to our weekly newsletter for updates, article summaries, newsworthy links, and other site news.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Water-Wise Bath Remodel on HouseLogic
2. My Green Bath Rehab on HouseLogic
3. Interview with EcoHome Magazine

Hi Rehabbers,
I received the following request from a friend this morning and thought I
would see if anyone out in Des Moines rehabber-land has a lead on a set of
cabinets in good enough condition (and without lead paint) that they would
be willing to donate to a public school classroom.
Please reply to me personally (swilkeshap...@gmail.com) and I'll forward

Hi Rehabbers!
I'm looking for a location to host the next Rehabbers Club meeting on
October 1 from 9:30-11am. If you want to show off your renovation project,
get suggestions and advice from our members, or if you know someone with a
cool rehab project they'd like to share, please contact me at
kelli.grif...@gmail.com. We're open to projects at all stages, whether

Linda's going to be hosting our January meeting on the 7th, so you'll get
another chance to see this great house in another couple of months!
Thanks Linda!
-Kelli

Open House
After a long summer of remodeling, I would like to invite you to come see the results. My goal was not only to revitalize the beauty of this house, but also to make it a place where I can comfortably live the rest of my life. So, it is not a true restoration, rather it is a renovation with loving respect to the original design.

Sorry for the double email - the green renovation panel and discussion will
be held on *Sept 24th* from 8:30-noon.
*A distinguished panel of experts comes together to discuss green renovation
and the connection between historic preservation and green building. From
design details to financing hurdles, this will be an interactive

*"A distinguished panel of experts comes together to discuss green
renovation and the connection between historic preservation and green
building. From design details to financing hurdles, this will be an
interactive presentation for those looking for hands-on solutions or a
supportive conversation about saving our existing buildings. Bring your

*Leave a comment below through the end of Thursday, February 2, 2012, to be considered for a random giveaway of one copy of Urban Ecological Design.

The second book that I want to share with you is Urban Ecological Design: A Process for Regenerative Places, which is authored by Danilo Palazzo and Frederick Steiner. The book, published in December 2011, was sent to us by Island Press and documents the authors’ Not Only One Solution Process, or Noos, for transforming urban spaces in a sustainable manner.

Noos has ten phases — processes, prerequisites, knowledge, synthesis, options, dialogues, master plan, presentation, details, and implementation — that are explained in detail with illustrations in separate chapters.

This is an interdisciplinary resource for city planners, architects, engineers, and landscape architects, etc. If you’re interested in learning more about the design of regenerative places, check out Urban Ecological Design.

[+] Purchase Urban Ecological Design on Amazon.

*To participate in this giveaway contest, leave a comment here by midnight MST on Thursday, February 2, 2012. One comment per person; use a valid email; available only in the United States. By leaving a comment, you agree to the terms and conditions relating to giveaways on Jetson Green.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Sustainable American Cities [Giveaway]
2. Housing Reclaimed for Next to Nothing
3. Urban Farms Around the World [CNN]