Related • Eco building blocks

Our next Idea House explores one of the fastest-growing trends in the West: green building. Using two side-by-side homes in Menlo Park, California, to demonstrate techniques and materials, the Green-Built Idea House will be a showcase for eco-savvy homeowners. While building green typically adds about 6 percent to the initial cost of a home, the long-term savings in energy use, improved air quality, and other benefits make it a compelling trend. “It’s just the right thing to do,” says our builder, John Suppes of Clarum Homes in Palo Alto, California. The two completed homes will be profiled in our December 2005 issue.

Overview of an eco house

What: Both versions of our Green-Built Idea House are less than 2,000 square feet. One home will be fully decorated; the other will include cutaway wall sections and exhibits explaining eco-friendly building materials and products. Clarum Homes, our builder, constructs “zero-energy homes,” which incorporate roof-mounted photovoltaic panels designed to produce enough electricity to meet the needs of each home. The homes will also be able to feed excess electricity back to the utility power grid.

Who: This collaboration is one of our most ambitious. We’re working with the City of Menlo Park; the California Integrated Waste Management Board; Clarum Homes; EDI Architecture in San Francisco; Pamela Pennington Studios in Palo Alto for interior design; HLD Group Landscape Architecture in Los Gatos; and our national sponsors.

Where: Hamilton Park, a 6-acre development that includes a 1-acre park and 47 single-family residences, with some moderate-cost units designated for school teachers and city employees.

When: Completed homes will be open for viewing October 7, 2005, to January 22, 2006; call 800/786-7375 for information.