Sunset Green Home seeks to capture Southampton green building tax incentives

Custom home builder Coastal Management LLC is on target for spring 2015 completion of Sunset Green Home, a LEED registered project seeking Platinum certification at completion. Sunset Green Home will not be the only LEED certified home in the Hamptons, but it is the first home to register under LEED for Homes following Southampton's adoption of substantial green building tax incentives. The project broke ground in June and hopes to be offering house tours in May 2015. To achieve its LEED certification, Sunset Green Home will be energy efficient, and will incorporate innovative materials and technologies. Because Sunset Green Home replaces a house that was made uninhabitable by Hurricane Sandy, architect William Heine of Eastport designed it to exceed current building code requirements for its flood zone. The house is on pilings two ft. above the current base flood elevation. Heine also designed a south facing house to take advantage of views of the Shinnecock Bay and to provide an ideal orientation for the home's solar photovoltaic system. Fay Framing has completed the framing, employing ladder blocking and other advanced framing techniques that will contribute to the project's LEED certification. Coastal Management has installed Boral TruExterior trim that includes high recycled content, and has used ZIP System sheathing which was harvested, extracted and manufactured within 500 miles of the project site to earn credits in the LEED Materials & Resources credit category. Installation of an energy efficient and durable Western Red Cedar roof has begun, Integrity by Marvin impact-resistant windows will be installed next week, and interior work will commence shortly. Kim Erle, LEED AP Homes, is documenting Sunset Green Home's construction process on the website www.SunsetGreenHome.com, where she also publishes articles on topics in sustainability. As the Project Team Leader and homeowner, Erle hopes Sunset Green Home will be viewed as a model for green residential building in a region where homeowners are increasingly calling for environmentally friendly, healthy and energy efficient homes. "Since Southampton Town building codes are so stringent, many new homes could qualify for the green building tax incentives. We're setting an example with Sunset Green Home to encourage other residents to follow our lead" she said. While achieving LEED certification can be challenging, the program's requirements and recommendations result in homes with superior air quality, energy efficiency and durability. Richard Manning, Board member of the Long Island chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC-LI), is Sunset Green Home's Green Rater responsible for testing that the home is built according to plan. He cites Integrated Design and communication within the project team as critical to achieving the project goals. "The more everyone communicates with each other the better it is because it leads to less mistakes and saves time and money" he said. Sunset Green Home's integrated project team includes sustainability expert Kathryn Cannon, LEED AP Homes, of GreenBoom Consulting. Cannon stressed the importance of building for the long term, stating "we are very cognizant of building for the present and future needs of the residents and the home. We will incorporate smart technologies that will enable the homeowner to measure energy use, receive data feedback and make adjustments - often remotely - to maximize the energy efficiency and minimize the carbon footprint of Sunset Green Home."