Celebrating Green in March with
Sustainable Home Designs and Products

In March, we have green on our minds as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and look forward to the arrival of spring. Why not go green with a house design from our new collection of Award Winning ENERGY STAR® house plans. As seen in Green Builder Magazine, these plans feature innovative, sustainable designs from the leading architects and designers in the United States. Our ENERGY STAR® house plans are available in a wide range of styles and sizes, from craftsman cottages to a contemporary harbor house.  Whatever your personal style preference, you’re sure to end up with the most energy efficient home design available. 

Here are some of our favorite green home products from décor to building materials: 

If you have a large foyer, great room or patio, then you'll want to consider Isis® from Big Ass Fans®, which is engineered to dramatically improve air circulation in large residential homes. It has the power of nine standard fans and will cool the entire living space.

1  Isis® from Big Ass Fans 

Homeowners may struggle with cooling a spacious room with a high ceiling. Ordinary ceiling fans are primarily designed for smaller rooms and often don’t move enough air to make a difference. Isis® from Big Ass Fans is a precision-built fan engineered to dramatically improve circulation in larger residential spaces such as patios and great rooms – moving air at nine times the rate of standard ceiling fans but at a monthly operating cost of pennies per day. You’ll feel the difference from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. Isis can be custom-colorized and is also available in real wood, anodized and vinyl finishes.

Aside from providing maximum R-value performance, UltraTouch™ Denim Insulation is also great in reducing noise. 

2 Denim Insulation from Bonded Logic 

UltraTouch™ Denim Insulation is manufactured from 80% post-consumer recycled denim and provides for extremely effective sound absorption and maximum thermal performance. UltraTouch is safe for you and your family because it contains no chemical irritants, has no VOC concerns, and requires no warning labels compared to other traditional products. UltraTouch™ is also a Class-A building product and meets the highest ASTM testing standards for fire and smoke ratings, fungi resistance and corrosiveness. UltraTouch is an ideal choice for anyone looking to use a high-quality, sustainable building material in their green home.

UltraTouch is available at Home Depot in 16 in. x 48 in. Multi-Purpose Roll (6 Pack)

Benjamin Moore's Natura® Waterborne Interior Paint is one of the most eco-friendly interior paints on the market and you can choose from their palette of 3,400 colors to accent your new home.

3  Natura® Waterborne Interior Paint from Benjamin Moore

Benjamin Moore's Natura® Waterborne Interior Paint is a zero VOC, odorless formula and has earned the company’s Green Promise® designation, Benjamin Moore's assurance that this eco-friendly paint meets or exceeds the strictest industry standards, while also delivering premium levels of performance. Available as a primer, or in flat, eggshell and semi-gloss, Natura Paint provides a durable finish with an unlimited color selection. Natura cleans up easily with soap and water, dries to the touch in 30 minutes, and can be recoated in just one hour.

Benjamin Moore's Natura® Waterborne Interior Paint | MSRP: Quart $22.99 | Gallon $54.99

Give your kitchen design a healthly dose of fresh air and sunlight with a VELUX® Skylight, which you can easily accent with custom blinds.

 4  Velux® Skylights

VELUX® Skylights are designed to reduce your dependence on electrical lighting and significantly lower energy costs, while creating warm and inviting light in your home. These skylights provide more privacy and a third more light than vertical windows because of their placement. They also allow for more wall space for cabinets and furniture, a great feature particularly for smaller homes where storage counts.  Every VELUX® skylight meets ENERGY STAR® approval guidelines for energy efficiency in all climatic regions of the US. Their No-Leak Skylight features a 10-year installation warranty plus 20 years on glass, 10 years on product, and five years on blinds and controls.

GE's® restaurant-inspired Cafe™ line of appliances makes it easy to create a masterpiece thanks to its advanced cooking and food preservation technology. 

5  GE® CleanSteel appliances 

GE® CleanSteel appliances were developed for consumers who appreciate the look of stainless steel, yet enjoy an appliance without visible fingerprints. Designed especially for busy families, the CleanSteel exterior is made of a protective laminate over steel to let the stainless shine through. Cleanup is a breeze. Simply wipe clean with just a damp cloth. No special cleaners are required. If you want to display your child's artwork or important reminders, the CleanSteel surface also holds magnets. Select models are ENERGY STAR® qualified.

Dress up your walkway and accent your columns with  Adirondack Natural Stone Veneer, which are availabe in various stone types.

6  Stunning Stone Veneer

An affordable alternative to natural stone is Stone Veneer. Adirondack Natural Stone offers Thin Veneers, Roughly Squared and Rectangular Veneers, Mosaic Pattern Veneer, Ashlar Veneer, Wall Stone and Uniwall among others.  Stone Veneers offer speed and ease of installation, reduced cost of preparation, no need for a support shelf, resistance to the elements, and a beautiful maintenance-free aesthetic. Adirondack Natural Stone also quarries a complete line of natural stone in distinctive granite blends.