The Evolution of The ABC Green Home Project
Demonstrating to the industry that building Affordable, Buildable, and Certifiable homes can be done for a more sustainable and energy-efficient lifestyle with seven homes and counting
The ABC Green Home brand aims to demonstrate that building green can be Affordable, Buildable, and Certified. All of the homes under the ABC Green home brand feature their own unique venture, expanding the possibilities for each particular type of home building.
1.0, 1A & 1B
The original ABC Green Home 1.0 was funded by and developed with Southern California Edison (SCE) in 2012 at the Great Park in Irvine, Calif. It remained open for 12 months and was toured by 32,000 people and viewed by over 100,000 people via the online virtual tour on the website (www.abcgreenhome.com). It even won the Gold Nugget and So Cal Awards for Green Home Design Excellence and garnered significant press and TV coverage.
It has since been deconstructed with the site restored to grass. The materials from the original project are currently being recycled into two new Net-Zero, three-bed and two-bath single-family homes by BCA Development, alongside Habitat For Humanity of Orange County. Together, the ABC Green Home team will build these two new Net Zero, LEED homes, designated 1A and 1B, which will then be available to U.S. military veteran families.
2.0
Construction continues for The ABC Green Home 2.0 project presented by SoCalGas in Walnut, Calif.
Peninsula Publishing provides the architecture and design team services, as well as all of the building materials. Habitat For Humanity, Pomona Valley Affiliate is the homebuilder responsible for sourcing the lot, managing construction, and providing most of the labor.
The 2,486 square-foot, multi-gen, move-up home is designed to house two families. The self-contained, multi-generational suite on the first floor features living quarters for two adults, while upstairs there is a master bedroom with two additional bedrooms with en suite baths and an additional full bath.
3.0, 3A & 3B
The groundbreaking ceremony for the third installment of the ABC Green Home series, the ABC Green Home 3.0, kicked off in Fullerton, Calif. Despite the abnormally hot spring weather for Southern California, many gathered around the ground site of what will soon become a cluster of three energy-efficient – one also multi-generational – Net-Zero homes, designed by Danielian Associates, built by Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, developed by Peninsula Publishing, and with plentiful materials donated by benevolent manufacturers. This project encompasses two great things: conservation of the environment and support for our veterans.
The 3.0 will have its grand opening in April.
4.0
Nestled in the San Bernardino mountains in the picturesque town of Crestline, Calif., and sitting on a flat 8,500 square foot lot above lake Gregory is the site of the next Net-Zero home in the ABC Green Home Project.
Architect Chuck Good-Man has created a beautiful single-family, craftsman-style, two-story home with meticulous attention to detail. To the unfamiliar eye, this home looks like a nice interpretation of the craftsman style on a mountain lot. Working with Robert Style at CORE Structure and Consultant Engineer Ray McDonald, the three have prepared the engineering design, which includes a conditioned attic and finished basement.
Like all of the earlier ABC Green Homes, there is a lot going on beneath the surface. For starters, the exterior walls are nine inches thick. Beneath the siding is an inch of rigid foam sandwiched beneath two layers of weatherization membrane by Typar. Between the 24-inches-on-center, two-by-six studs sits the fiberglass insulation, generating an R-rating of 56. Outside, the cold mountain air does not pass through the walls and the heat doesn’t leave the building, and vis versa is true in the summer heat. New with this ABC project, a sophisticated whole home ventilation system not only moves the air, but cleans and pressurizes it, too. Indoor air quality is integral in this attractive house.
Read and monitor the home’s progress from design through construction by checking in on the live view camera streaming 24/7 on www.abcgreenhome.com; people can get the latest information by watching the ABC Green Home videos on YouTube and reading Green Home Builder magazine by Peninsula Publishing, the company developing the project.
Sergio Flores is an Assistant Editor for ABC Green Home magazine. He may be reached at sergio@penpubinc.com.