Home Available Homes Sold Homes Green Features Neighborhood Contact At Olive Court, it's easy to Live Green. We are proud to create homes that are healthier for homeowners, more energy efficient and gentler on the environment. Because of our green building practices, you are taking a large step in the green direction simply by buying an Olive Court home. Here are some specific ways we build our quality homes. Green living enhancements include high-efficiency furnaces, dual-flush toilets for water conservation and improved insulation. Overall Energy Efficiency On average, our homes exceed California's strict Title 24 energy code by 17%. This overall energy efficiency provides you with a home that is comfortable and affordable to operate for many years. It also reduces pollution from power plants and our dependence on finite energy sources. Third Party Energy and Green Building Review of Home Plans We use a number of well-respected consultants who help us analyze our home plans and specifications. Their advice helps us incorporate some of the best green building practices so we can provide you with long-term value in your home. Efficient Appliances We install Energy-Star rated dishwashers, refrigerators, washers and dryers. Energy Star appliances save energy and water, reduce your utility bills and conserve our nation's water and energy resources. Hot Water Pipe Insulation We insulate all of our hot water pipes to reduce the heat loss in the pipe and the time spent waiting for hot water at your fixtures. Efficient Fireplace Your new gas fireplace is efficient and safe. It has a sealed combustion unit that does not rob your home of conditioned indoor air, nor allow for dangerous "backdrafting" into your home of carbon monoxide or particulates. Duct Mastic on Joints and Seams Ductwork is typically sealed with duct tape, which is prone to leaks and failures. Your home's ductwork is sealed with a mastic adhesive that provides an airtight seal that lasts for many decades. High-Efficiency Furnaces We are installing 92% AFUE furnaces rather than the traditional 80% AFUE. These efficient units reduce utility bills and our dependence on finite energy sources. Energy-Efficient Windows Our windows are double-paned, vinyl-framed and use a Low-E coating. These windows reduce the transmission of sound, heat/cold and solar radiation through the windows, saving money on utility bills and offering a quiet, comfortable interior space. Low VOC Paints The paints used have VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) under 50 grams/liter for flats and 150 grams/liter for glosses. This is 50%-75% lower than federal and regional limits. These paints are the same quality as higher VOC paints, but reduce the possible health hazards of VOCs to your family. Sealed Combustion Furnaces We install sealed combustion furnaces that do not use indoor air for combustion. These units are highly energy-efficient and avoid chances of the furnace contaminating your home with carbon monoxide. Improved Insulation We install insulation that has recycled content and uses binders that contain no formaldehyde or is certified to be low-emitting by the state of California. Vented Range Hoods Many range hoods only circulate back into the room, but we vent all of our range hoods directly to the outdoors. This practice allows you to fully exhaust undesirable odors, particulates and combustion gases. Built-in Recycling Centers The homes have recycling and trash bins built into the kitchen cabinets. The bins make it easy to separate trash from recycling, promote higher recycling rates and remove obtrusive trash barrels and recycling bins from the kitchen floor. Waste Reduction and Recycling We do detailed planning to reduce the amount of waste that our construction process generates, and we then go significantly beyond county requirements and recycle 65% of what does end up as construction waste. This saves you money on your home, reduces the amount of waste going to our landfills, returns valuable materials into the industrial process and reduces the amount of new raw materials we need to extract from the earth. Recycled Content Aggregate for Roadway Base We use recycled aggregate in our roadway and driveway bases to reduce the amount of the virgin rock taken from the earth and to stop quality materials from being wastefully put into the dwindling supply of landfills. Engineered Wood Products We use a number of different engineered wood products for the posts, beams, joists, rafters, subfloors and sheathing. These products are generally stronger and more stable than solid wood, giving your home increased durability and strength. They also use fast-growing farm trees, which reduces the need to take trees from old-growth forests. Fly Ash Concrete Concrete is typically made of Portland cement, sand, gravel and water. We replace at least 20% of the Portland cement in our concrete mix with recycled fly ash. Fly ash is a combustion waste product from coal power plants that is normally put into the landfill. Extensive research and experience shows that it has bonding qualities very similar to Portland cement. By replacing some of the Portland cement, we are able to reduce the need to use as much cement. Cement manufacturing uses large amounts of energy and produces a significant amount of pollutants as well as carbon dioxide-one of the main contributors to global warming. Fly ash is a smaller and smoother particle than Portland cement, so it can fill more voids in the concrete mix and requires less water, which makes for stronger and denser concrete. Fiber-cement and Stucco Siding Rather than using our region's wood resources, our siding is made of either stucco or cement boards. Cements boards are made of cement and stabilizing cellulose fibers. These materials are very durable (50-year warranty), last much longer than wood siding and provide a stable surface for making the exterior paint hold better. High-Efficiency Toilets The toilet is the biggest water waster in a house. We have installed new dual-flush toilets that allow for a small 0.8 gallon flush. This technology can save significant amounts on your water bill. Water-Conserving Grass We have picked a turf species that does not require a vast amount of water to be healthy and vibrant. This will save on water bills if you set your irrigation system appropriately. (This information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.) Site Design by Ali Franzen ~ Ali Franzen Web Design ~ alifranzenwebdesign@gmail.com