New Construction Goes Green

The Nelsons' large kitchen welcomes frequent guests.

By Melissa S. Labberton

Photos by Chad Bremerman

“We bought the land nine years ago,” explained Jeff Nelson as he welcomed us into his recently finished 4-Star certified “built green” home at the top of Naches Heights.

“He wanted to sell the property,” added his wife, Carol, “and I said ‘You’re not selling my dream!’ ”

Fortunately, after Jeff retired from Farmers Insurance, and Carol, a Lutheran seminarian, took a part-time job at Central Lutheran Church, they hired Harris Construction to build their dream house on the land, with hopes of making it as eco-friendly as possible.

Their builder, 27-year-old Keegan Harris, is no stranger to green-built homes.

A project manager for Harris Construction, Harris’ own green-built home in Tieton won five awards during the Central Washington Homebuilders Association Tour of Homes last year.

At the Nelson’s home, a striking stained glass front door welcomes visitors into the open-concept great room, which includes a large kitchen, living area, dining room and eye-popping 180-degree view of the Naches River and downtown Yakima beyond.

An expansive U-shaped Norwegian granite and tile-backed counter is the perfect size for a party — handy, because the Nelsons say they love to entertain a large crowd in their home. The combination of double-paned “Low-E” Energy Star vinyl windows, natural maple cabinets and gorgeous vertical grain bamboo flooring gives the great room a sunny, spacious feel. The Nelson’s beautiful patterned wool rug — bought five years ago on a trip to India — enjoys a perfect spot in the living area. In the “green” scheme of things, natural fiber area rugs are preferable to the synthetic variety made from man-made materials.

The couple pointed out the rustic cedar mantel above the great room’s gas fireplace. It turns out that Harris discovered the piece of wood on a farmer’s burn pile. He immediately saw its potential and loved the idea of reusing something that would have been destroyed. After trading for it with some large rocks off the Nelsons’ lot – and using a little spit and polish – he created a mantel that adds character to the cozy sitting area around the fireplace.

Near the kitchen, double glass doors give privacy to the well-equipped media room, without completely closing off the occupants from the action in the great room. This feature is convenient when grandchildren are visiting and grandparents want to keep an eye on them without having to listen to the obligatory “Barney” DVDs.

The Nelsons wanted to bring an element of the outdoors inside, and their distinctive entryway and master bathroom do just that.

The floors in both rooms were designed to mimic a river. Harris explained that the floors are comprised of “light and dark pebbles, replicating a gentle stream that flows from the front door’s side light to a pebble pond in the center.” An occasional piece of red glass sparkles among the rocks, and this bright color accent shows up in the bar lighting and dining room walls as well. The couple likes to have visitors take off their shoes when entering the house, and a basket of socks gives guests a subtle hint that this is the place to do just that.

“The master bath also features contrasting pebbles that flow from several upper windows,” Harris added. These “streams” of pebbles represent waterfalls, splashing into a river before calming to a stream, he said. Elegant materials such as maple cabinets, granite countertops, glass blocks and tile all give the master bath a luxurious spa feel. The double shower features a regular

showerhead, a shower wand and room for handicap access.

With retirement and energy efficiency in mind, the Nelsons worked hard when designing their 2,500-square-foot, one-level house. All doorways and bathrooms in the home are wheelchair-accessible. Additionally, they chose all Energy Star appliances and dug a well for water. They also installed a high-efficiency electric heat pump and a propane-powered “tankless” water heater and living room fireplace. Water-based paints and finishes were used on walls, cabinets and flooring to eliminate harmful chemicals, referred to as VOCs (volatile organic compounds). An upgraded insulation package and tight-fitting construction also make the home more energy efficient by keeping the warm air inside on cold days and the hot air out on warm days.

Harris agrees that going green can be more expensive per square foot than construction of an average house, but one can see savings when homeowners average their decreased energy costs and the reduced environmental impact. Harris estimated that the Nelson’s house cost roughly $140 per square foot to build, and the couple’s heat bill for December 2010 was only $182 for a very cold month.

For those interested in “going green,” check out the Central Washington Built Green Association website at builtgreencw.org. It features a list of certified Green Built builders, and a host of information on how to “go green.”