Couple building very green home in Powhatan
MARK GORMUS/TIMES-DISPATCH
The house at 3072 Judes Ferry Road in Powhatan County will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday.
Open house |
In her job, Allison Dunaway makes sure people follow state environmental laws.
That entered into her thoughts when it came time to build her dream house.
"I wanted to put my money where my mouth was," said Dunaway, 30.
She and husband Greg, 32, are building an unusual, environmentally friendly house on 2 acres in Powhatan County.
If all goes well, green-building experts say, the house will probably be the first in the region approved by the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design residential program, or LEED for Homes.
"To my knowledge, it would be the first in the Richmond area to be certified," said Sean Shanley, director of residential operations for EarthCraft Virginia, a group that helps projects get green-building status.
The LEED program is run by the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington-based nonprofit group. The program began in 2000 for commercial buildings and in January 2008 for homes.
Approval for the Dunaways' home could come in late summer. The house at 3072 Judes Ferry Road is not quite finished.
Nine homes in Virginia have received various levels of LEED certification, including ones in Crozet, Afton and Arlington County, according to the building council. The house in Powhatan is going for one of the top certification levels.
Watershed Architects in Richmond designed the Dunaways' three-story contemporary. It's small -- at about 1,900 square feet. That means builders use fewer materials, fewer trees get cut and there is less space to heat and cool.
Small size, among other features, helps a house gain LEED certification.
"Overall, it's promoting living more economically and environmentally," said Wayne Grebe, president and CEO of Handcraft Homes, the builder. "In that respect, LEED has an impact on total lifestyle."
The walls and roof of the home were built with special panels of foam sandwiched between plywoodlike boards.
Called "structural insulated panels," the sheets are extremely strong and provide about 40 percent more insulation than you get in a typical home, Grebe said.
In addition, the house was built off the ground, on concrete columns, to reduce problems such as mold that can arise from leaks in basements and crawl spaces.
The home cost about $280,000, while a standard home that size might cost $210,000, Grebe said.
Handcraft Homes would have charged even more, but the Goochland County-based company wanted the experience of building its first green house, Grebe said.
Depending on how many environmentally helpful features go into it, a green house can cost anywhere from a few percentage points more to more than 25 percent over the price of a standard home, Grebe said.
But the owner of a house like the Dunaways' can recoup the extra cost in about seven years through energy savings, he said.
For that reason, a green house is for people who are settling down.
Dunaway, who works for the state Department of Environmental Quality, said her parents live nearby. She and her husband, who have a 2-year-old daughter, Madeleine, plan to be in their home for years to come.
"This is it, hopefully," she said.
Contact Rex Springston at (804) 649-6453 or
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“Handcraft Homes would have charged more, but the Goochland County-based company wanted the experience of building its first green house.“
And the attendant publicity.
Nothing wrong with that. Good luck to all involved.
It might however help to explain the discrepency in the quoted price and mikeyt’s estimate.
12steprevenge… where do I get my numbers? From buying lots and building homes in Richmond for eight years. Trust me, I’m a little more accurate than MLS.
12steprevenge… sorry, you’re wrong.
1900 sq/ft is not a small house. I grew up in a less than 1000 sq/ft house with mom, dad and 2 sisters.
Woodford: Where are you getting $600,000? And who cares how much money they spent? It’s none of your business.
On one hand conservatives think they should be left alone to do what they want, make their own choices, etc., without intervention (esp. from the evil “government”). But bring up anything to do with environmental concerns and they’re all up in people’s faces, telling them what they should and shouldn’t do and why. Hypocrisy!
This is a great story, but most people can’t afford to build a $600,000 house in Powhatan. “Environmentally conscious” people always focus on themselves and not others. This $600,000 dream green home makes virtually no dent in the carbon footprint of this region, state, country, or world. Until the mentality of the world changes, “green” people are doing nothing but making a spectacle of themselves. Now I’m going to go for a joyride in my Hummer.
A few comments regarding how environmentally friendly this project is brings up valid points. However decisions are not made in a vacuum. People have financial constraints and family commitments that take precedence over environmental impacts. A child’s education and upbringing take precedence over environmental impacts. This land was going to be developed regardless by somebody. What would you prefer, a gargantuan energy hog or a compact energy efficient home owned by a family that respects the land? Do you know the commute and the method of commute? From many comments it seems like people have never had to make these decisions. It is much easier to hear 2% of a situation and pass judgment without research and a full understanding of the situation. This article was pushed by the builder to promote green building, not the family promoting how environmentally friendly they are. In fact they are very private and feel uncomfortable about the whole situation.
This family worked for what they have, there was no charity involved. The wife worked and paid her way through graduate school while the husband worked and paid his way through apprenticeship school, college and now graduate school. They made sound financial decisions throughout the years that has allowed them this situation through HARD WORK not charity. Please look at Powhatan’s assessment website, Mike’s proprty cost comments are grossly overstated.
All the griping in the comments here is just weird. I don’t even care about the “green” element (although that’s a bonus) in this story. Most impressive to me is that this couple built such a cool-looking house. Thank god they don’t have the same dull taste as 99% of people who build in central Virginia.
I do agree with a previous comment that 1,900 SF is not really a “small” house.
Isn’t there also grant funding for those people who choose to pursue “green” building?
We’re glad the story generated so much discussion. We’d like to respond to a few of these comments - not to comment on any of the opinions, but only to set the record straight. First, we bought the land for the assessed value, which was hundreds of thousands of dollars lower than assumed in previous comments. The details of the sale (including the amount we paid) are public information and readily available in Powhatan’s on line real estate assessment records. We are not rich (we both work for the state), and we had no financial help from either of our families. Sticking to our budget was a requirement, not a whim. Greg is a licensed master electrician, and spent many cold days and nights completing the house’s electrical systems after work and on weekends.
Second, we lived in a 1940s cape cod in Westover Hills in the City of Richmond before deciding to move. We loved the City - the proximity, the neighborhood, the people - BUT we didn’t love the taxes, the never-ending City council controversy, or the pubic schools in our district. That house used oil heat, and more electricity than our new one does. We couldn’t afford to renovate that house to meet our needs. Banks give mortgages much easier for new homes than renovations. We decided to move to be nearer to where much of our life already was - Allison’s parents, our church, some of our friends. The decision to live in Powhatan was a given. Allison’s commute did not change because she works at the DEQ office in the far west end (same distance from the City or from Powhatan). The land would’ve been built on by someone. HOW to build was the real choice. We chose to try to build in the most environmentally responsible way we could afford.
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