Ballard just got a little more eco-friendly: the first Built Green Emerald Star home in the city is in our ‘hood at 1749 NW 61st St. It sold last week for $850,000.
The home, built by Dwell Development, is the first in Seattle to have the Built Green Emerald Star rating. Built Green is a regional residential building program that aims to develop environmentally-friendly homes, and range from 3-5 star ratings, with Emerald Star being the greenest rating possible.
The Emerald Star rating requires zero energy usage, achieved by building with mostly reclaimed or repurposed wood, using renewable energy such as solar or wind, and consuming 70 percent less water than a typical home. There’s a checklist Emerald Star-rating homes must follow, which even includes a general requirement that the homes must be located within half a mile of at least five essential services. (Click here for a video tour of the house)
The 4-bedroom home is 2,218 sq. feet, and its exterior features reclaimed barn wood from the Northwest and naturally-rusted barn metal roofing. The old materials are the “rain screen siding system” over a weather-proof liquid barrier underneath, according to Dwell. The home is landscaped with native plants, rainwater catchment cisterns, and bio-planters.
The house is 100% electric; solar panels line the roof, which supports the net-zero energy use. It was built using Passive House technology; high-tech framing, triple-glazed European windows and heat recovery ventilation all add up to give the home its uber-green rating.
Dwell’s Anthony Maschmedt tells us the firm is also finishing 5-Star Built Green townhomes just down the street from the Emerald Star home. According to Curbed, the home was purchased by a couple moving to Seattle to work for Amazon.
