Apres-Ski Open House at Waterville Valley Realty

Join us on Tuesday, December 29th, from 3-5 p.m. for an apres-ski party at Waterville Valley Realty, co-sponsored by ABODE. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about Waterville Valley-area real estate opportunities in a relaxed and casual setting. Local experts in real estate, new home design & construction and mortgage lending will be on-hand to answer questions and provide assistance throughout the afternoon.

Beverages and light fare will be served, so make sure to mark your calendar. Call 888-987-8333 or email wvr@wvnh.com for more information. See you there!

Epoch Homes Wins National Design Award

Congratulations to Epoch Homes for taking first place for Green Building at the annual BSC Excellence in Marketing and Home Design awards program. The Building Systems Councils (BSC) of the National Association of Home Builders presented the award for the Best Green Prefab Home at their annual Showcase event in Marco Island, Florida. The winning home design was of the ABODE model home, located at our Design Center in Plymouth, NH. The home is LEED Platinum-certified, was the first to achieve Build Green NH Gold certification and has acheived an ENERGY STAR 5+ rating. For more of the story, click here.

ABODE Shares Sustainability Message with Holderness Students

ABODE played host to students from the Holderness School's Environmental Studies class this week, with over 30 students & faculty on-hand to learn about ABODE's energy efficient building techniques. Gerald Fransen, ABODE's Senior Project Manager, led the class through the Design Center and award-winning model home, educating them on the importance of sustainable design and construction and discussing how these practices will impact their lives. Factors such as air quality, water & air infiltration, and the importance of reducing our carbon footprint were all topics of interest. A special thanks to Mr. Pettit for his commitment to environmental studies and his unique way of exposing his students to technologies and practices that positively impact the environment.

Barron Mountain Founder's Club Opportunity

As you may know, ABODE is formulating a development plan for Barron Mountain in Thornton, NH, in conjunction with Commons Development Group. Current plans call for site and infrastructure work to begin at Barron Mountain in late winter/early spring of 2010, and we have been working with several log home companies to assist us with providing attractive home plan packages.

In advance of that, ABODE is generating an interest list for the Barron Mountain Founder’s Club, a select group of pioneers that will be the recipients of a significantly reduced package offer for their home site and cabin plan in exchange for being the first buyers in the community. This opportunity will be limited to just a handful of home buyers and will offer a savings of up to 40% off the listed sales price.

The theme of the community will be one of simplicity and conservation. Preservation of the land is our focus, with plans calling for the creation of large natural areas that will protect native wildlife, plants & trees, establishing an extensive hiking trail network, and constructing private camping and picnic areas with tent platforms & outdoor fire hearths that blend carefully into their surroundings. With over 5,000 lineal feet of frontage on Eastman Brook, swimming holes and secret fishing spots are plentiful. Our purpose is to provide a low maintenance, low cost lifestyle that immerses you in nature while providing easy access to the nearby White Mountain National Forest and Interstate 93.

If you are interested in learning more about this limited opportunity, please give us a call at 603-536-1400. We look forward to sharing our vision with you.

ABODE in the News Again!

ABODE is in the news again, this time in the article "Energy Efficient Lighting" found in the November/December issue of New Hampshire Home Magazine. The award-winning ABODE model home kitchen and dining area were featured in the story, showcasing the extensive LED lighting package that the home contains. LED's are the epitome of energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. Typical LED's have a lifespan of about 100,000 hours, and with proper care can last for 15 years or more.

ABODE a Multiple Winner at 2009 Prism Awards

The Builders Association of Greater Boston (BAGB) presented ABODE with four 2009 Prism Awards on Wednesday evening at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. The field consisted of more than 260 entries and represented the the best-of-the-best in building, design and marketing throughout BAGB and beyond. By the end of the evening, the judges awarded ABODE Gold for Best Model Home Interior Under $650,000 and Silver for Best Design Center Showroom, Most Innovative Single Family Green Design and Best Single Family Home under 2,500 sq. feet.

In total, ABODE has garnered ten regional & national awards in 2009 alone. Thank you to all of our partners for making this possible and for helping us provide value and excellence to our clients each and every day.

Green by Design Open House a Big Hit

Stunning foliage, great food and some of the finest green building & design experts in New England were the highlight of the weekend at ABODE. The highly anticipated Green by Design Open House attracted nearly 100 participants, with visitors joining us from Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire to learn more about the latest energy efficient building techniques. The casual setting allowed prospective home builders to get a chance to speak
directly with the experts about their plans & ideas, and the energy and participation from the crowd spurned a lot of great discussions throughout the day. Given the value the event provided our clients, we will definitely be hosting a similar event in the future. Thanks to all for a great day!

Green by Design Open House Update

The ABODE Green by Design Open House is now just two weeks away and we have a full complement of experts scheduled to join us for the afternoon and share their expertise with you. The theme of the day will focus on Building a Custom Green Home the Smart Way - Designing your home to fit the needs of your family, lifestyle & budget. How do you go about accomplishing this? Here are a few suggestions:

1. You have to start by deciding what you want and what is most important in the beginning. Comfort, energy savings, a healthy home, return on investment, commitment to green or sustainable living or all of the above? Set clear goals & objectives for yourself and that will begin to shape the vision of your home.

2. What is your investment goal? Be realistic and this will keep you and your building team focused on the right design for you. Sharing this goal with your builder will allow them to approach your home design much more efficiently and effectively and will save valuable time and energy as you move through the process. Pre-qualifying with a banking institution is also recommended prior to beginning the design process.

3. What are your choices? There are many choices, but you can get a jump on the DESIGN process by doing your homework ahead of time. Research sample floor plans to get a sense of space, flow & square footage, research design styles you find appealing, take pictures of homes in your area that you admire, and research products & materials you are considering incorporating into your home. Next, take a look at the ENVELOPE of the home to determine what makes a "tight" house - solar orientation, insulation options, ICF's, glazing options? From there decide what SYSTEMS are going to suit your needs - heating, cooling, hot water, ventilation, propane, oil, geothermal, solar? Finally, your FINISHES add the final style & character to your home - flooring, paints, trim, lighting, cabinetry, countertops?

4. How do you decide? Find an experienced guide to lead you through the process. Each part needs to be coordinated and all of your choices need to be smartly integrated into the whole house solution. This is where ABODE separates from the rest. We manage the team and provide alternative solutions to make the decision-making process easier. We walk you through the process and help you clarify your goals and establish your budget. We educate you on your choices and bring in experts to help you make smart decisions. We develop a holistic solution and put all of the pieces together for you.

The home building process doesn't need to be daunting and building green doesn't need to be expensive. Visit us on October 10th and we'll introduce you to the team that can show you how to build and design a green home the smart way.

Introducing ABODE's NEW Concord, MA Green Home

The site work for ABODE's new energy-efficient home on Virginia Road in Concord, MA is officially underway. The previous structure was taken down earlier in the week and the foundation preparations for the ABODE home are in full swing. Plans are developing for a beautiful Colonial design, which will make a nice addition to the current ABODE plan library. The home will be approximately 3400 sf with plans for a finished attic space. We expect to establish a sale price for the home in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. Also, you're invited to follow our progress on Twitter. Search for "ABODEBuildGreen" and keep up-to-date on the daily happenings in real-time.

Green by Design Open House

ABODE will be hosting a Green by Design Open House on Saturday, October 10th, from 1-4 pm. Bring your plans & ideas and join us for a casual afternoon of demonstrations by New England’s top green experts in architectural, interior, kitchen and landscape design. Representatives from Crown Point Cabinetry, Design East Interiors , Carlisle Wide Plank Flooring, KW Management, Green Building Solutions, and Andrews Construction, along with award-winning architect Elise Stone, will be on-hand to talk about the benefits of green design and energy efficient living.

A BBQ and live entertainment will round out the day, so don't miss the opportunity to tap into some of the green home building industry's top talent and get started on the right path to building your dream home the right way.

We look forward to seeing you!

Jason Maring
Director of Marketing

Custom Green Design & Building Made Simple

Welcome to the ABODE Builders blog! Our approach to blogging is the same as our approach to green building - make it simple and have fun doing it.

How could building a green home be simple you ask? It's made simple by doing the right thing the right way, designing a system that ensures consistency, paying attention to details and communicating well.

We'll use this space to keep you informed about the latest green building techniques, upcoming educational opportunities, financial benefits & incentives and our full-service, award-winning hybrid construction process.

Enjoy!

Jason Maring

Director of Sales & Marketing