DENVER—Having a home that is environmentally friendly doesn’t mean it has to be uncomfortable or unfashionable. In fact, when it comes to being green, a family can live not only in luxury but can do so in the most fashion-forward way possible. That is part of the message HGTV and sponsors such as Shaw Industries want to convey to the network’s 100 million viewers with the cable station’s 4th Green Home Giveaway.
During a special VIP dealer and trade media tour of the 2,343-square-foot home located in the new community of Stapleton here, Jack Thommason, president of The Home Department and HGTV’s house planner, said, “Our No. 1 goal was to create a beautiful house. It can’t just be eco-friendly; it has to be beautiful.”
The idea, he added, is to show HGTV viewers as well as people who tour the home before it is given away at the end of June that “you can be eco conscious and still have a comfortable, beautiful, stylish house that anyone would be proud to live in.”
To accomplish this, Thommason and his team works closely with the various sponsors of the home, and one of the biggest is Shaw. “We work with them to help achieve our goals as an example for our viewers.”
As with the previous three HGTV Green Home Givaways, all the flooring in the house as well as wall splashes in the bathrooms and kitchen was contributed to the project by Shaw.
Linda Woodrum, HGTV’s Green Home designer, told the audience she “loves going to Shaw and working with Kathy Young (director of flooring) and her team. The people are so talented and helpful, and the products are absolutely wonderful. The tile is so beautiful; many don’t realize Shaw has such great products. They’re a real knockout. Plus, the colors are phenomenal.”
One of 11
As for the house itself, it is part of Stapleton’s “Global Coolness Home Tour and is one of 11 home collections showcasing “the latest and greatest in design and cutting-edge technology.” HGTV’s first three Green Homes were located on the East Coast in North Carolina, Florida and Massachusetts, and Thommason said, “We felt it was time to move west. We were so excited to find Stapleton. It’s essentially a recycled community as it’s built on the old Denver airport site.”
He noted that parts of the house, such as the exterior stone, or hardscape, was made from crushed concrete and pieces of blast fence from the old airport.
Thommason called the house an “over achiever, meaning this place is over 60% more efficient than homes of similar size.”
The result is a home that has already been awarded numerous honors, including being certified platinum under the U.S.
Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Leadership (LEED) for Homes program; Energy Star certified, and achieving a score of 38 in the Home Energy Rating System (HERS). The average new home built to code is HERS rated 100 and the lower the score a home achieves the better.
“All of these achievements could not have been done without sponsors like Shaw,” he said.
When it comes to being a sponsor, Thommason pointed out not anyone can be one for the Green Home. “We have a very large audience, and our viewers want to know everything about the house, from A to Z. We want them to feel confident these companies do what they say so every sponsor is thoroughly vetted.”
The 2011 Green Home Giveaway will be awarded to one HGTV viewer toward the end of the month. The total prize includes the house with all the furnishings, a new GMC Terrain and $100,000 for a total value of close to $700,000.
-Matthew Spieler