Thursday, March 6, 2014



Join us this Saturday, March 8, from 2 to 5pm for an Open House at Green Peak #9 (9 Devereaux Way, Waterville Valley, NH) and The Snows Mountain house (106 Boulder Path, Waterville Valley, NH).

Wine and cheese will be served throughout the afternoon.   We will have a drawing for 4 Waterville Valley lift tickets when you sign up at the Green Peak house.

You'll want to bring along you house guests and friends because we are offering a very SPECIAL LIMITED TIME OFFER!! We will consider taking your Waterville Valley property in trade on the purchase of Green Peak #9!  Bob Wildes will be on site at Green Peak on Saturday afternoon.  This special offer expires on March 31, 2014.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Parade of Homes October 12-14th!

The weather has definitely started changing here in New England and everywhere you look the Fall colors are popping up on the trees and in the stores!  People flock by the thousands to the Lakes Region and White Mountains to catch a glimpse in all it's glory.


With the Fall colors comes Columbus Day and the final holiday weekend to enjoy the lakes and mountains before the snow falls and skiing begins.   Columbus Day also brings the Lakes Region Parade of Homes 


This is a 3 day event running from 10-4pm daily...  You can check the homes included this year by going to the Parade of Homes website at http://www.lakesregionbuilders.com/index.htm or my clicking the icon above.  Both of our Snow's Mountain and Green Peak homes in Waterville Valley are entered into this event for you to walk through and see all that Abode has to offer.

Sneak Peek at our homes and directions to get there can be seen on our Facebook page as well... 

 Our Green Peak home has great views of the 8th Green at the Waterville Valley Golf Club amongst others.


Our Snows Mountain home has excellent views of Mount Tecumsah and Sandwich Notch.

Both of our homes will have people at them all day including food, drinks, and giveaways.  Why not stop by and see what Abode has to offer!


Friday, August 16, 2013

Another beautiful day in the Valley... Waterville Valley that is!

Good Morning Everyone!!!

I had the pleasure of taking a road trip up to the Valley to see what's been happening on our homes up there...

First of all we have been busy working on the first building in our four building development at Green Peak over on Devereaux Drive...


This isn't even its best view!!!  I stepped out the front porch onto this beautiful bluestone patio...


And what view did I get to see after that...  Well nothing but the 8th Green of the Waterville Valley Golf Course!!


Sound like a nice place to hang up your clubs doesn't it?! 

Those are just the outdoor features that you get with our new Green Peak Development!! Check back next week to see what the inside looks like!  We will also be featuring our Snows Mountain Home...

If you want your own sneak peak in the Valley... Head on over to Waterville Valley Realty and ask for your own tour of the Green Peak Middle Unit or Snows Mountain home!


Have a great day!



Wednesday, September 19, 2012


Looking for NEW construction in Waterville Valley?
We've started building it already.  
"Green" Home on Snows Mountain, One Boulder Path Way. Under construction by award-winning ABODE Builders of New England, featuring their signature innovative "green" construction methods and design features. Fabulous private perch on the side of Snows Mountain looking west across north Waterville Valley toward sunsets, Mt. Tecumseh & Green Peak. 
Just under 3,000SF, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, family room, high efficiency heat system with heat recovery ventilation, 2-car garage and screened in porch, you'll enjoy early spring thru the fall season bug free.
Call the Waterville Valley Realty Team at 1-888-987-8333 for details!

   


Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Another Abode Built Home




 A beautiful addition to its neighborhood, this recently completed home with gorgeous views of a ski mountain nestles snugly into a challenging site.

Working with Abode and the architectural firm Misiaszek-Turpin, the homeowners were able to view program sketches and various options for rough layouts of their idea's, which progressed to this final plan.




  Addressing square footage requirements and keeping a close eye on the budget are typically at the forefront of any new home and were closely monitored to successfully meet both.

The lovely character maple flooring  gives a unique degree of interest and the green design principle of using  locally sourced and milled wood not only helps sustain local small businesses but minimizes the carbon impact.


The living room focal point-the fireplace was designed by our Project Manager and former masonry artist Gerald Fransen. 




The kitchen being the hub of the homes has an open and easily accessible floorplan allowing multiple work stations, not to mention the ease of accomodating a good flow for entertaining with dual access points to the adjacent dining area.

The entrance and "landing area" to this  home is bright, open and has plenty of space for gear in the closet on the right, but is also close to the laundry/storage area on the right.  Wood wainscotting helps keep the inevitable bumps and bruises from ski gear from damaging the walls and provides a continuity throughout the hallway space.  Carpeted stairways (left) keeps footseps muffled whether going up or down .


   Insulated and sealed the ICF basement provides an R-24 value that allows no outside air or water infiltration into the lower level basement.   Cozy & warm, the walkout family room will experience no musty odor that a standard grey concrete foundation usually engenders.
For HVAC a Unico System was installed that uses less than one-fourth of the space in the built environment than a traditional system.  It can deliver up to 12 tons of air conditioning in the same space as a 3-ton traditional unit.
   air is delivered quietly and seamlessly into the room using a 2" or 2.5" outlets or an 8" x ¾" slotted diffuser .You feel the comfort of the system, but you won't hear it.
The air handler is designed to isolate noise and vibration. Each module is insulated such that the unit itself is quiet. The supply tubes are lined with sound-dampening, spun-bond nylon, giving quiet comfort. Through an air principle called aspiration, air enters a room  and creates a gentle suction around itself that draws the room air into its stream of air. Aspiration creates an even, draft free environment which has the net affect of lowering the effective room temperature by 2 to 3 degrees.

From room to room, floor to floor, and floor to ceiling, the temperature differential is no greater than 2 degrees from where you set the thermostat. This provides greater humidity removal through the efficient design of the cooling coils that are two times as thick as traditional HVAC cooling coils, moving air from the conditioned space slower through the thicker cooling coil. This allows the hot air from the space to stay on the super cold Unico System cooling coil longer. This results in up to 30% greater humidity removal. Lower indoor humidity creates an indoor environment that is perfectly comfortable.
These are just a few items incorporated into this house to help make it energy efficient (in the form of lower fuel and utility costs)  aethetically pleasing without sacrificing comfort, and addressed the homeowners needs for their family but for the entertaining that will occur when extended family and friends are lucky enough to visit.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Celebrate National Volunteer Week





National Volunteer Week April 15 thru April 22, 2012
National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. This week we honor those ordinary people who dedicate themselves to taking action and solving problems in our local area.

Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week has grown exponentially in scope each year, drawing the support and endorsement of all subsequent U.S. presidents, governors, mayors and other respected elected officials.
This year, Points of Light Institute is also recognizing the 3rd anniversary
of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and the creation of the Volunteer
Generation Fund through a series of celebratory and service events across the nation.
Celebrating People in Action, presents an opportunity for individuals, families, nonprofit
organizations and government entities alike to celebrate people who
accomplish extraordinary things through service.




The local CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) trailer gracing our parking lot is an effort to say “Thank you” to all the local participants that volunteered hours responding to disaster within the local Ashland, Campton, Holderness, Plymouth, Rumney, Warren, Waterville Valley, Wentworth and Woodstock N.H. area and others when needed.



These are our neighbors, coworkers, friends or family, making a difference on a daily basis not only by encouraging the people they help, but motivating others to serve as well. In many cases specialized training is offered in an effort to specifically target the help needed for a comprehensive emergency response.

Check out these links for ways you can volunteer:
· http://www.greaterplymouthmrc.com
· http://www.nhcitizencorps.org
· http://www.handsonnetwork.org

Friday, March 16, 2012

CHaD Battle of the Badges

It's that time of year where N.H. Policemen pitt themselves against Firefighters from across the state in a good natured hockey match in the Battle of the Badges. .
This competitive game of "Good vs. Good" held at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester N.H. was enjoyed by 5,000 people last year and raised just over $200,000.00 towards supporting programs and services at the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD) . Abode is proud to support our local Plymouth Police Officer Sargeant Derek Newcomb in his 3rd year skating for this volunteer team.

A family centered facility CHaD provides a culture of caring for families requiring advanced pediatric inpatient or outpatient services which include a Pediatric Trauma Center. CHaD recently teamed up with Children's Hospital Boston to help expand upon these services.

If you're looking for some fiercely competetive fast paced hockey come support N.H.'s Firefighters and Police at 5:00 p.m. Saturday March 31st at the Verizon Arena. With the series now tied 2-2, both the trophy and bragging rights are on the line!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

5 Sustainable Homes That Don't Skimp

EcoHome Magazine included Abode's Mountain Home Model in their weekly e-newsletter
http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/news/2012/02-february/1-5-sustainable-homes-that-dont-skimp-on-style-akta-linjen.aspx

Offering practical advice and guidance, highlights of the latest green products and technologies, and in-depth articles on trends and techniques, EcoHome is a source for green-focused builders, architects, and other industry professionals in print, online, and in person. Its award-winning coverage of certified green building projects and products cuts through the confusion surrounding green/sustainable product selections. Check them out at: http://www.EcoHomeMagazine.com

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Another Energy Star Completed Home

Wanting to celebrate Christmas at their home in N.H. was the deadline for our recent clients. Abode began this Energy Star Version 2.5 home in July and by November gave these excited homeowners the guarantee they'd be hosting that first Christmas in N.H. with their children, grandchildren and canine companions.

Building many years ago and knowing building standards and choices have changed greatly, our clients took a year and a half to research home builders that offered the energy efficiencies, quality, turnkey timeline and the critical budget for the house they hand in mind to build.

Informal meetings ensued with our project manager Gerald Fransen and Principal Bob Wildes to hone the goals and wish list items they wanted in this 2 floor, full basement home. References of recent clients allowed them to ask impartial questions to those experiences of building an Abode home from inception to completion.
Once built, a comprehensive energy performance review was done by Horizon Residential Energy Services. By comparing this house to a computer model of the exact same house if it were built to current NEC (national energy code) standards gives a HERS (home energy rating systems) score. On a scale of 0-100, zero being a highly efficient home and 100 being built to the energy code minimum an index score of 80 or less is necessary to achieve the Energy Star label.
This home scored a HERS index of 56 making this home 44% more efficient than a standard code built home!
From the ICF basement where the "Man Cave" is bright, dry and comfortably housed to the 2nd floor sewing room/office, each area will enjoy similar interior comfort due to the combination of products used.
Panelized construction, Pella Energy star windows and doors, spray foam and fiberglass insulation, coupled with Energy Star lighting and appliances and high efficiency boiler all add up to lower fuel and utility costs. Combined with the value engineering Abode incorporates into any project, gives peace of mind and the confidence that good decision making prior to construction and ongoing suggestions/support benefit the client and their home for many years to come.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Water, water everywhere-Managing excess on your property

Corralling snow melt or the abundance of rain, before hitting the busy roadway led to the creation of a bio retention swale here at Abode. The objective is to funnel storm water runoff from our paved parking area where there is no curb into a depression or “swale” rather than running directly into the drainage system beside Tenney Mtn. Hwy.

To encourage infiltration onsite, a calculation was done by a civil engineer to account for the number of square feet of impervious area (ie: paved parking area, amount of roofing, sidewalks etc.) to determine the amount of pervious surface needed to offset this in the form of a storage system.

Bio-retention systems are shallow depressions made with a layer of sand beneath topsoil to hold captured water and slowly release the excess. This prevents more water from entering the Baker River unfettered, and puts less stress on the drainage ditch.

A “weir” made of stone rip rap acts as an escape valve for overflow when the swale completely fills, spilling over into the wetland vegetation below. Planted with grasses and other native species that don’t mind being water logged for short periods of time and enjoy longer dry spells reduces erosion, supports a habitat and food source for insects, birds and other wildlife.





A similar type of depression known as a rain garden is a means to carry, as well as treat storm water. Excess water is diverted by the small dry river bed made of small rocks around the house into the rain garden. Plants with deep fibrous roots like this Tamarind tree and wild grasses thrive and provide cleaning and filtration benefits. This hydrated collection area is an attractive area for plants and animals, and keeps water on our property allowing it to slowly seep back down into the aquifer.

An aquifer is essentially an underground body of water that lies well below the surface permeated in porous rock, much like a beach. When you dig a hole in the sand, the wet sand at the bottom of this shallow hole or “well” represents an aquifer. The level the water rises to in the hole would be your water table.

Planning and creating a system to manage excess water runoff gives a twofold benefit. By minimizing destructive erosion to your property and limiting the spillover effect to surrounding land it places less burden on the public drainage system. Slowing down excess reduces the barrage introduced to the nearby river and allows us to contain as much water as possible to our property and ultimately filtered back into the aquifir. Paired with beautiful plantings your quality of life gets a boost along with your property values.


Thursday, September 22, 2011

PSU intern C. Cook & Project Mgr. G. Fransen honored




A recent PSU Environmental Planning intern, Chris Cook and ABODE's Project Manager Gerald Fransen were recently honored in the University's "Simply Amazing" viewbook, which is used to promote Plymouth State University in the United States as well as abroad.


Working with Gerald, Chris was able to correlate office work involved on projects with field experience during the course of building Abode was doing at multiple locations. Witnessing many phases of construction from preplanning to handing the keys over to the owner gave him real world experience for the energy efficient green building we are known for.

During those winter months as they carpooled to jobsites, valuable one on one time was available to discuss different aspects of these homes and the systems that would be going into them. A trouper, Chris was prepared to do everything from sweeping up at a jobsite to doing estimating and takeoffs and with good humor. Interacting with subcontractors and having opportunities to problem solve were an invaluable source of experience for him and a welcome chance for Abode to mentor a budding professional.

John McKeith Photography courtesy of Plymouth State University

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Abode rainbows




Great rainbows from one of our multiple recent storms.
Between 2008 and 2010, twenty seven states passed legislation enabling Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs. Local governments were then allowed to raise funds for homeowners and businesses to use for renewable or energy efficient systems. The owner would then repay the lending agency eventually through property tax. Shortly after being set up it was put on hold by the Federal Housing Finance Authority (FHFA) which considered PACE programs loans instead of tax assessments and would not support mortgages for these properties. Recently, the PACE Protection Act of 2011, has been introduced, and has been quickly gathering bipartisan support. Its main goal will be to get PACE programs back up and running and more homeowners and businesses using alternative energy sources.
PACE has great potential here in Plymouth, which has been part of the Beacon Communities program. Last year Plymouth as well as Nashua and Berlin, started a combined effort to reduce energy usage by modifying buildings to be more energy efficient.

Check out http://www.betterbuildingsnh.com/ and http://pacenow.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/HR-2599-PACE-Protection-Act-of-2011.pdf

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Indoor Air Quality

There have been a number of visitors to Abode recently who have been concerned with indoor air quality. Anyone who struggles with allergies knows that clean air can be hard to find, especially this past spring. Indoor air pollution is composed of particulate matter, for example, dust, pollen, molds, and bacteria, as well as gaseous pollutants, which are given off, among others, by stoves, paints, varnishes, and cleaning products. According to the EPA, poor indoor air quality is among the top five environmental health risks. But take a deep breath, there are many methods to get cleaner air.
As we learn more about indoor air quality’s contribution to health problems, using low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints and carpeting, as well as having an air filtration system in our homes becomes an evident necessity. Efficiency of removing particles from the air is measured by the minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV), with a scale from 1 to 20. Medium efficiency filters from MERV 5-13 are reasonably efficient at removing a range of airborne particles. Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) is also beneficial up north here, where like it or not, it is cold at least 8 months out of the year. HRV systems allow the heat from the exiting air to transfer to the incoming air, increasing your home’s heating/cooling efficiency. For more information about indoor air quality check out http://www.epa.gov/iaq/ia-intro.html.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Abode's Current Energy Star report



Check out this exciting news:



ABODE Builders of New England,
Thank you for your continued partnership with ENERGY STAR. By building ENERGY STAR qualified homes, your company is doing its part to help protect the environment while offering consumers new homes that are more comfortable and save money on utility bills.
Our records indicate that your company built a total of:
4 ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes in 2010*


  • This is equivalent to:
    Eliminating the emissions from 1.96 vehicles
    Saving 11,856 lbs of coal
    Planting 3.24 acres of trees
    Saving homeowners $1,788 on their utility bills
    We thank you for the important contribution that your organization has made to energy-efficient construction and environmental protection.* Your ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes are reported quarterly to EPA by your Home Energy Rating Provider.

Holderness School AP Class visit



Holderness School Environmental Science AP Class visits ABODE













The 19 Holderness School students in Reggie Pettitt's Advanced Environmental Science classes recently visited Abode to learn more about green design -build concepts. Project Manager and Certified Green Professional Gerald Fransen spoke with the students and fielded questions about sustainable building technologies & products that produce Abode homes making them 40% more efficient than traditional code built homes.



The first 8 students arrived early for this field trip that featured a 3-d model cutaway showing features such as:


  • Ice and water shield, 30 yr. architectural shingles made with 30- 40% post consumer waste that is recycled.

  • Various open and closed cell spray foam insulation for walls.

  • ICF's (insulated concrete forms) with an R-24 rating.

The following day 12 more students were introduced to the product benefits, material choices and principals Abode uses when building to Energy Star or Leed standards. Points touched upon were:


  • Higher insulation values reduce a/c and heating usage during the course of a year which can equal a 30-70% reduced fuel consumption.

  • Energy Star 3.0 requirements and compliance becoming more stringent as of July 1, 2011.

  • Passive solar orientation.

  • Blower door testing which tests the amount of air leakage and air changes needed per hour for fresh air.
  • HERS rating's & how it will eventually be tied to a home being sold, helping the consumer evaluate that homes utility costs. "A home that just meets code has a HERS Index of 100. For every point above or below 100, the home is that many % less or more efficient than the same home built to code."* For example, a HERS Index of 57 which is 43% more efficient than its code-built counterpart.


  • The benefits of high efficiency boilers and heating systems couples with on demand hot water.

  • Solar and Geothermal systems benefits & costs were given discussion time as well.

As these students are engaged in the ongoing LEED dormitory project at the Holderness School, we are encouraged by the catalysts and environment they are exposed to that will ultimately shape more efficient futures.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Our Mountain Model hits the big time in Times Square


What a little thrill to see a low resolution snapshot of our Mountain Model home that made its debut on the Times Square Reuters sign on 3 seperate days! A nice shout out to our friends at Pella who got the ball rolling by choosing us to highlight their energy star windows we use. I wonder if any urban dwellers had a tinge of wistfullness looking at it on the grey dreary days they had last week.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Our Project Managers quote centerpiece for Pella Postcard


Recently our Project Manager here at Abode, Gerald Fransen was showcased in a promotional feature by Pella Windows! This was used at the recent Pro Expo event and will also be used in the upcoming N.H. Home Builders annual directory.


We typically use various sizes of their Proline Architectural series of Low-E double paned Argon filled energy star rated windows and doors as seen in our Mountain model home on this card.


The interior is wood which can be prestained(water based) to match your woodwork or preprimed saving time. The foldaway crank handle lies flat not interferring with blinds and not scraping your knuckles.

The exterior is aluminum clad with a baked on finish (available in a spectrum of colors) is a great low maintenance feature that doesn't give that chalky finish over time.

With the amount of traffic here on Tenney Mountain highway (read-18 wheelers and lumber trucks down shifting) the noise could be conversation stopping, but not so once inside. These beautiful casement windows let you see the assorted vehicles, but you never need raise your voice over the outside din due to the thermal and accoustical properties these windows have.
The passive solar orientation of our model allows the brightness of sunshine into these rooms, but 86% of the u/v rays are blocked, thereby minimizing damage to our textiles.

So, keep a lookout for Gerald's tag line on the Pella postcards that we will be mailing out shortly!


Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Holderness School Senior Colloquium



Abode was pleased to host a visit by 4 Seniors of the Holderness School as part of their 10 day Immersion program, learning about our Green building philosophy and the LEED Platinum certification our model home possesses.


New construction to LEED standards currently happening at Holderness, will give students the opportunity to make educated suggestions towards that process.
Points of interest touched upon were Led & cfl lighting, use of no -VOC paint, specifically designated area's for recycling, the use of products with recycled content (from shingles to carpet) as well as appliances that conserve water (dual flush commodes, low flow shower heads)and mechanical systems with high efficiency (tankless hot water on demand and heat recovery ventilation).


Plymouth State University senior intern Chris Cook, was also on hand to discuss his experiences when working with PSU's Eco-House transformation.

Monday, February 28, 2011

See the progress




Check out the progress the Energy Star home has made that we posted when you could see the bare ground!