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The real chef's kitchensRestaurateurs expand into land, building country homes and growing food.
What we can learn from 1970s homesEco-conscious home styles and features of the '70s are making sense again.
The 'cargotecture' movementHere are 8 amazing examples of construction using shipping containers.
Creating beauty, shelter from trashHere's how bottles, tires and jeans are becoming building materials.
How junk can help build homesCheck out how recycled materials have become walls, tiles and more.
5 best energy-efficient light bulbsHere are the most worthy of the new lighting options.
Home, chemical-free homeSee how this healthful house protects homeowners and the environment.
Real-time energy monitors cut costsNew devices help homeowners track their electricity use immediately.
Upgrade now, pay laterMake your home more energy-efficient without paying a ton upfront.
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Buy a LEED-certified home
By Christopher Solomon of MSN Real Estate
Are you intrigued by the idea of living in a home that walks lighter on the land but wary of "green homes" because of their cost — or maybe because you've seen too many hippies in Earthships?
It may be time to take another look at green homes. Eco-conscious homebuilding has exploded worldwide in the past dozen years. As of July, nearly 23,000 housing units worldwide have some Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, the most popular green-building standard. Nearly 86,000 units are in the pipeline, according to the Green Building Council, which created the LEED standards in 2000.
LEED rates new or existing homes on their environmental friendliness. It measures factors such as whether the wood used was sustainably harvested, how much energy the home uses and more. The LEED standards start at certified, then graduate to silver, gold and platinum.
All of this do-right effort can make financial sense, especially in terms of resale value. In a new study of California homes sold in the past five years, University of California researchers found that green-home labels increased single-family home prices by 9%
Check out these 10 LEED homes for sale around the nation. You may be surprised that being green can be high-fashion but that it doesn't always have to break the bank.
NOTE: All descriptive information is courtesy of listing agents. Properties were on the market and listed as available at the time of publication in August 2012, unless noted.
Buy a LEED-certified home
Chicago
Price: $435,000
Size: 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Green standard: LEED certified
You can go green in the big city. Check out this condo in a 2008 concrete-block building in Lincoln Square. Its sustainable touches include bamboo floors and sunny east views to reduce lighting needs, and the home also has luxuries such as a marble spa bath, a private terrace and granite counters. You can walk out the front door to dining and shops. An attached, heated garage space can be yours for $39,000.
Find more Chicago homes for sale on Realtor.com
- On our blog, 'Listed': Builder optimism at 5-year high
- Find the cheapest mortgage rates near you
- Design Center: Get eco-friendly ideas for your own home
Buy a LEED-certified home
Los Angeles
Price: $1.175 million
Size: 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Green standard: LEED certified
The winner of the local American Institute of Architects' 2011 design award, this home is loaded with eco-conscious features: solar panels, dual-pane windows, tankless water heater and paint with low volatile-organic-compound content. The floor-to-ceiling, dual-pane windows let in lots of natural sunlight and big views of L.A.
The kitchen and living areas in this steel-construction, 2,761-square-foot home are on the ground floor; bedrooms are upstairs, as is a roof terrace. Cafes and restaurants on trendy Glendale Boulevard are a few blocks away.
Find more Los Angeles homes for sale on Realtor.com
- How much is your home really worth?
- Pinterest users: Check out MSN Real Estate's boards
- MSN Money: How much house can you afford?
Buy a LEED-certified home
Lexington, S.C.
Price: $284,900
Size: 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Green standard: LEED certified
Think a standalone green abode is out of your price range? Check out this new home in Lexington, in central South Carolina. Its appliances are Energy Star-rated, which really helps this 3,062-square-foot home sip energy, compared with other five-bedroom homes. Those appliances don't look bad in the kitchen, either: They're stainless steel, complementing a granite-topped island that seats four.
Find more Lexington homes for sale on Realtor.com
Buy a LEED-certified home
Alexandria, Va.
Price: $807,900
Size: 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Green standard: LEED certified
Old Town Commons is five city blocks of new LEED-certified luxury town homes within a commuter's walk of King Street and the D.C.-area Metro.
Take the Duncan model: Built this year, the town home has four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,082 square feet. Homes in Old Town Commons have either private garages or private backyards.
The Duncan and other styles feature a bevy of green attributes, including programmable thermostats, low-flow water fixtures, light-colored roofs, panel construction to minimize waste, compact fluorescent bulbs throughout and a walkable location.
Find more Alexandria homes for sale on Realtor.com
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Buy a LEED-certified home
Savannah, Ga.
Price: $235,000
Size: 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Green standard: LEED silver
Looking for something green and affordable in a cool city? Check out this condo in the Frogtown Lofts of downtown Savannah.
The 1,056-square-foot home was built in 2007 with Energy Star-rated appliances, bamboo flooring and a green roof of plants. The condo also sports luxuries such as a marble bath, granite countertops and elevator access.
Buy a LEED-certified home
New Paltz, N.Y.
Price: $583,000
Size: 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
Green standard: LEED silver
Green Acres is a community of net zero energy homes — or homes that produce as much energy as they consume annually —in the mid-Hudson Valley, about 90 miles north of New York City.
How do they do it? Residences such as this 4,000-square-foot house finished in 2008, are built using technology such as superefficient insulated concrete forms for walls, solar panels for electricity, geothermal heating systems and triple-pane windows to keep the place snug.
Note: This property is no longer listed.
Find more New Paltz homes for sale on Realtor.com.
- On our blog, 'Listed': Builder optimism at 5-year high
- Find the cheapest mortgage rates near you
- Design Center: Get eco-friendly ideas for your own home
Buy a LEED-certified home
Denver
Price: $725,000
Size: 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
Green standard: LEED certified
Looking for eco-chic in the Rockies? Check out this looker, designed by 2012 AIA National Young Architect Award recipient Brad Tomecek of Studio H:T. Built in 2007 as the first LEED-certified single-family home in the nation, Studio H:T says, the 2,908-square-foot home is tricked out with bamboo floors, low-flow water fixtures, efficient Energy Star appliances, recycled-rubber paver tiles and walls made of American clay.
Want more? The home is in Denver's LoHi neighborhood, which has a "Walk Score" of 87; that translates to good access by foot to shopping and dining.
Find more Denver homes for sale on Realtor.com
- How much is your home really worth?
- Pinterest users: Check out MSN Real Estate's boards
- MSN Money: How much house can you afford?
Buy a LEED-certified home
North Richland Hills, Texas
Price: $449,900
Size: 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
Green standard: LEED silver
Everything's bigger in Texas. Just take a look at this 4,190-square-foot home in a suburb of Fort Worth. Yet it's built tight: The electric bill has never been more than $380 a month, listing agent Susie Fitzgerald says, thanks to an encapsulated attic — with insulation between roof rafters and on attic walls — two tankless water heaters and thermal windows.
Outside, the home has drought-tolerant landscaping to help save on the water bill during the parched Texas summers. But this home doesn't take itself too seriously: It has a wine room and a "secret room" hidden off the fourth bedroom.
Find more North Richland Hills homes for sale on Realtor.com
Buy a LEED-certified home
Palm Springs, Calif.
Price: $2.195 million
Size: 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Green standard: LEED silver
This home, one of 93 homes on 375 acres of Palm Springs' historic Smoke Tree Ranch, was custom-built in 2008 with dramatic views of the surrounding mountains. The three bedrooms feature Kiva fireplaces and striking baths.
What makes this 2,833-square-foot ranch house so green? Try the bank of solar panels that generates enough power for this to be a net zero energy home. Or the efficient pool that uses saline instead of harsh chlorine to clean itself. Or the roof tiled with Eco-Shake shingles, made from recycled tires.
Find more Palm Springs homes for sale on Realtor.com
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Buy a LEED-certified home
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Price: $850,000
Size: 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Green Standard: LEED gold
East 54 is a LEED gold-certified urban village of luxury condos, shops and dining in the college town of Chapel Hill. The complex got that stamp of environmental friendliness for its use of recycled materials, low-flow toilets and natural lighting.
But you may like this 1,557-square-foot, top-floor unit for its great views of the University of North Carolina Finley Golf Course, its oversized tile shower and the complex's rooftop pool.
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