Building the 2009 HGTV Green Home

The Mermaid Room

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:16:24 -0500

My favorite room in the house is the "mermaid" room. It is so adorable! As you walk in you can't miss the big mermaid pillow reclining on the pink bed.

Stepping Inside the Home

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:00:00 -0500

At the entrance of the home is a very welcoming enclosed foyer. To one side is an impressive table -- it was crafted from a fallen tree, and the base is made from recycled metal. To the left is an extension of the living room with beautiful orange chaises. There is a full wall of storage that contains two mini refrigerators filled with soft drinks and water. The cabinetry is Expresso, and directly in front are two large orange chaises. I loved the orange. It looked so great against the walls, which are painted in Sherwin-Williams "Edgy Gold."

Outside the Green Home

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:48:41 -0500

The outside is lovely, and with all the paint in place and the landscaping done and the outdoor furniture just calling my name, I was entranced.

Nearly Finished

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:01:18 -0500

The house is nearly finished! Hooray! And it looks great. I hadn't been out to the site for a couple of weeks. Last time I was there, nothing was in the kitchen -- not an appliance in sight. There was concrete on the floor instead of the fabulous Shaw flooring. I would do my entire home in their wood floors. Wait until you see how beautiful and luxurious they are!

Built on a Human Scale

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:57:50 -0500

One of the things about the HGTV Green Home 2009 that I really like is that the scale is really "human size." It has a nice flow from room to room, and each room is spacious but not too big. Everything feels open, comfortable and livable.

Light From Solar Tubes

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:56:28 -0500

I had a chance to meet the roof guy today -- Bill Moore from Legacy Contracting Solutions in Palm Beach. Nice guy.

Color Schemes and Green Gold

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:44:28 -0500

Well, I finally got permission to go out to the site. That place is guarded like Fort Knox. I guess that's because of all the "green gold" there. The house is really coming along and the more that goes into the home, the more interesting and pretty it looks.

Every Day Counts

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:42:15 -0500

"Every day counts," says Greenmeister Jack. He's starting to sound like a guru. Well, not really. It all goes back to this incredible schedule they are on. The rain cost them four full days of work. They have all these charts where they assess progress and keep track of deadlines. And everybody has to be happy. Sponsors, builders, Core Communities who developed Tradition. But Jack-o never gets stressed out, he says. He seems like a cool cucumber to me, I have to say.

Carpets Make Good Green Sense

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:54:32 -0500

The green guys and I started talking carpets. You know you never can get a straight answer when you ask someone in a flooring store if carpeting is more toxic than laminates or tile. Some say yes, others no. Some don't answer and show you some crazy variation on Astro Turf.

The Home Is Going Up Fast!

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:14:01 -0500

Jack, Leon and I took a field trip out to the house. This place is just cool. I don't know the technical term for it, but it has this kind of bell tower that is simply striking. And because the house was sited south, it doesn't square off the lot like un-green (old-fashioned) houses. Behind the house is a field, and on this sunny, windy day it looked like a roil of seawater under the blue, blue sky. There were a lot of workers out drilling and pounding and listening to Bob Seger.

Sharing a Common Vision

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:05:16 -0500

At lunch with Jack Thomasson, HGTV house planner and Leon Camarda, the builder on the HGTV Green Home at Hurricane's on Tradition Square, I learned more about what goes into putting together one of these enormous Green Home or Dream Home promotions. In the case of Green, Jack brought together an architect, designer, landscaper and product providers (not to mention sponsors) who shared a common vision.

A Winning Team of Experts

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:24:46 -0500

I've got house envy. Grand, brooding, green for jealousy house envy.

After a spin through the HGTV Green Home going up in Port St. Lucie, Florida you would, too. This house is only weeks old and is already shaping up to be a Spanish Contemporary show stopper.