What makes the Homes at Acadia Lane “Green”? By David Carse, Hart Hill Design-Builder of Acadia Lane homes
How can a home site be “Green”?
The location and orientation of the homes were chosen to make use of the natural drainage pattern and the native tree hedgerows which were in place from the time the land was farmed. The access drive follows the edge of the native tree lines, which serve as natural dividers between the lots. Parts of the old pasture stone walls are still in place in front of the houses. The homes were placed with attention to passive solar gain and sheltering from wind, and they were built at the edge of the open portion of each lot to preserve both the tree lines and the open character of the former pasturelands.
What is Passive Solar Gain?
Passive Solar Gain in a building design that collects stores and distributes solar energy. The concrete basement walls of the Acadia Lane homes are fully insulated thereby creating a passive thermal mass. A majority of the windows are south-facing high efficiency windows and help to take advantage of winter heat gains. In the summer, the substantial roof overhangs shelter windows from the sun. Natural tree lines protect the houses from winter winds, all this without an expensive, complex or high-maintenance active systems.
These homes also feature “Low E” (low emissivity) coating on the window glass. This coating is like a one way street which allows heating rays from the sun to pass through into the house, while blocking harmful UV rays, and at the same time blocks heat from escaping from the inside out.
Stay tuned for more “Green” details about Acadia Lane.

The Northwestern Vermont Board of REALTORS® has released its real estate market statistics for March 2012. The information is a result of data contained in the Northern New England Real Estate Network. This report covers Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle Counties.

New listings in the northwestern Vermont region increased 21.7% to 264 listings. Pending sales were up 36.6% to 179. Inventory levels continue to shrink, down 5.9% to 1,053 units. Prices remain fairly stable. The median sales price in the three county regions saw a decrease of 1.4% from last year at this time.

“The Spring housing market is definitely here,” said Kathy Sweeten, executive vice president of the Northwestern Vermont Board of REALTORS®. “Properties priced right are moving quickly.”

Hinesburg’s Newest Energy Efficient Home – 87 Green Street

The second home on Green Street, the new smart growth community in the village of Hinesburg Vermont, has arrived. I say “arrived” because it was delivered via truck from Preferred Building Systems in Claremont New Hampshire. At just under 2000 square feet, this 3 bedroom, 2 ½ bath modular home was built under strict quality control and energy efficiency guidelines in the company’s indoor factory and was brought on several tractor trailer trucks. With specialized staff from PBS and a very large crane, the home was fastened together in one day and has taken its permanent location adjacent to 89 Green Street, the first home of this energy conscious community. The finishing work is now underway with R.C. Volk Construction of Hinesburg.

Green Street is developed by Bast and Rood Architects of Hinesburg. Rob Bast, the lead designer of 87 Green Street, said he chose Preferred Building Systems because, “I can still achieve the quality of construction and energy efficiency we want for Green Street, while simplifying the building process during the winter.” As with 89 Green Street, 87 will have both energy efficiency and low maintenance as its focus, using cementitious siding for the exterior and having insulation values for the basement, walls and roof of R-20, R-40 and R-80 respectively.

The public will now be able to get a true sense of the vision of this unique community as both 87 and 89 Green Street are soon to be connected with a promenade making village amenities accessible to all. Visit www.greenstreetvermont.com for more information about this exciting new community or contact Greentree Real Estate www.vermontgreentree.com to schedule a viewing.

Monkton, VT — Greentree Real Estate is delighted to welcome Ivy Knipes as their newest Realtor®. Ivy joined Greentree in February, has been licensed as a Realtor® since 2006 and currently has designations as an Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR) and Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource (SFR). She is a native Vermonter growing up in Essex Junction and holds a BA in History from Trinity College. As an avid horse back rider, Ivy specializes in equine properties, rural properties and also first time home buyers.

Ivy lives in Ferrisburg with her husband, Joe, three horses and two cats. She can be reached at ivy@vermontgreentree.com or (802) 338-2344. Greentree Real Estate is located in Monkton, Vermont and serves both buyers and sellers primarily in Addison and Chittenden Counties. For more information, please visit www.vermontgreentree.com.

Greentree Real Estate Announces New Associate Broker

Monkton, VT — Greentree Real Estate is delighted to welcome Scott Meade as Associate Broker. Scott joined Greentree this January and has been licensed as a Realtor since 1985. He previously owned Meade Real Estate in the Mount Snow, VT valley and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Greentree. Scott and his family relocated from Colorado this summer where he owned Meade Real Estate and Construction Company in Summit County Colorado, where he is also still licensed.

Scott lives in Shelburne with his wife Katie and their two children, Alex (9) and Leah (5). Scott can be reached at scott@vermontgreentree.com or (802) 343-9170. Greentree Real Estate is located in Monkton, Vermont and is owned by Bill and Phyllis Martin. Greentree Real Estate serves both buyers and sellers primarily in Addison and Chittenden Counties. For more information, please visit www.vermontgreentree.com.