The last of my visits was with Bobby Harrell of Harrell custom homes. I decided to speak with him, because I am familiar with his beautiful, elegant, Million dollar plus homes. I had the opportunity to visit another builder, Ferrier, so I wanted to see the difference in efficiency and consumer acceptance.
The first home I visited was a million dollar home, 5,000 square feet. . I was surprised to see the complete package of foam encapsulated insulation. I have heard all about it, but to actually see the material in the walls and the attic, was pretty neat. The temperature in the attic was a pleasant 72 degrees and will remain the same year around.
The homes utilize thin wood floors, MDF(medium density fiberglass),the facets are low flow and the toilets 1.6 gallon toilet flushes. Says the toilet to flush 24 golf balls! I was impressed to learn the builders use PEX piping. Which is a durable plastic, instead of copper. 
“PEX (or crosslinked polyethylene) is part of a water supply piping system that has several advantages over metal pipe (copper, iron, lead) or rigid plastic pipe (PVC, CPVC, ABS) systems. It is flexible, resistant to scale and chlorine, doesn’t corrode or develop pinholes, is faster to install than metal or rigid plastic, and has fewer connections and fittings” http://www.pexinfo.com/
All the appliances are energy star and the HVAC system is a multi-stage system with a compressor outside and blower inside. He guarantees the homeowners AC and heating will not exceed $250!!! That is crazy to think in a 5,000-7,500 square foot home!!
An example of foaming the walls of a home… http://www.foammywalls.com/our-process/
The homes also are designed with low-E, argon-filled windows, saving about $600 per house. “Window choice has a real impact on heating and cooling costs” http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/articles/understanding-energy-efficient-windows.aspx
I can only hope to own a million dollar home, but it is impressive to know that a builder with generous client, still promotes energy efficiency. I was glad I had the opportunity to see the process of foam insulation. Who knows…maybe one day I will be selling the homes and have the upperhand on the sustainable aspects!
kberryhill 