6 eco-friendly homes
It doesn't hurt to look!
Hubbardston, Massachusetts. This 2004 four-bedroom home gets electricity from its own solar energy system and heat from a geothermal multizone hydronic system. The open-plan house has high ceilings, a granite fireplace, two sunrooms, and a gourmet kitchen with floor-to-ceiling custom cabinets.
The 15.65-acre property includes fields, gardens, a subterranean greenhouse, an outdoor shower and hot tub, a two-story garage, and a blueberry patch with a 60-pound annual yield. $1,550,000. Linda Bourgeois, Coldwell Banker Realty, (978) 340-5424.
Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania. LEED-certified "Sans Souci" has hot-water radiant heat, air filtration, and a cistern for water collection. The five-bedroom house stands on 6.3 acres overlooking the Delaware River canal and features a wood-burning fireplace, chef's kitchen with walk-in pantry and Amish cabinetry, main suite with balcony, child's bedroom with secret entrance, home theater, and four-season sunroom.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Outside are a veranda, a patio with firepit, and a deck. $2,195,000. Douglas Pearson, Kurfiss Sotheby's International Realty, (267) 907-2590.
Lahaina, Hawaii. Designed to take advantage of Maui's sunshine, this four-bedroom single-level home uses solar panels for electricity and seven solar tubes for light. The open-plan interior is finished with bamboo and tile floors, stealth ceiling fans, and sliding windows and doors.
The half-acre lot includes lawns, lanai areas, tropical landscaping, and a three-car garage, comes with access to the community's clubhouse, and is minutes from Kaanapali Beach. $3,698,000. Raymond S.F. Chin, Hawaii Life/Luxury Portfolio International, (808) 344-2677.
Napa, California. This passive-solar circular home by architect Craig Henritzy is built with energy-efficient Rastra Block. The three-bedroom house, influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, features reclaimed teak and natural stone, an open-flame fireplace, and a sunken-amphitheater living room.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The 7.75-acre wooded property has walled stone patios and pathways, a fountain-wall entrance, and views of San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais. $5,000,000. Sieba Peterson, Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty, (707) 932-1276.
Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Part of Indigo Park, a Platinum LEED–certified resort community, this five-bedroom home was built with sustainable materials, a standing-seam metal roof, and geothermal heating and cooling.
The house includes a great room with floor-to-ceiling hurricane-rated windows, and a vaulted main suite with a balcony. Outside are a forest-certified garapa-wood porch, a deck with a lap pool, native landscaping, and a garage with electric-car charging capacity; the beach, Sasanqua Spa, and River Course are nearby. $3,200,000. Lisa Berl, Kiawah Island Real Estate, (843) 768-4277.
Hillsborough, North Carolina. This Energy Star/Net Zero two-bedroom home is in a "pocket neighborhood," a cluster of homes designed to promote community. The house has solar panels and eco-friendly metal roof and fiber-cement siding; hardwood floors, vaulted ceiling, and built-ins; an open gourmet kitchen with granite counters; a vaulted living room with fireplace; and a walkout basement.
The lot includes front and back decks and professional garden landscaping with native plants. $425,000. Tina Caul, eXp Realty, (919) 665-8210.
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
-
'Solitude has become a notable, and worrisome, trend of our times'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Blake Lively accuses rom-com costar of smear job
Speed Read The actor accused Justin Baldoni, her director and costar on "It Ends With Us," of sexual harassment and a revenge campaign
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Germany arrests anti-Islam Saudi in SUV attack
Speed Read The attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg left five people dead and more than 200 wounded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published