Ask home designers and builders Paul Teruya and Jim Storey of GreenTech Homes LLC what's so special about their homes, and they can easily spend an hour or two elaborating on the 30 new craftsman homes they have in the pipeline for construction in the Southside area, North Chattanooga, St. Elmo and in the Apison community of Prairie Pass.
The builders, who tout their homes as "smart, beautiful and green by design," create homes that are aesthetically beautiful inside and out with highly-functional interior floorplans that are outfitted from attic to crawl space with a long list of energy efficient and green features to save their homeowners' money, improve air quality and reduce known health hazards.
GreenTech homes, which range from $229,000 to $419,000, are comparable in price to traditional new construction found throughout the area.
The handsome craftsman exteriors and professionally designed interiors by the design staff at Sophie's are instantly welcoming but "it's what you don't see" that defines a GreenTech home, said Darlene Brown, managing broker of Real Estate Partners Chattanooga LLC, who represents GreenTech Homes.
"To have a well-designed new home that is beautiful, functional, energy efficient, green for the environment and for your family's health is wonderful and to have these homes at price points attainable to many families is phenomenal," she said.
What you don't see but will definitely appreciate in the GreenTech homes taking root throughout Chattanooga is a 23-point feature list detailing all the air quality and energy efficient features.
Some of the green health and air quality features are Zero VOC (volatile organic compounds) interior paint and caulk, a Sentricon Termite System that uses no harmful chemicals, outside vented gas fireplace and a central vacuum system. Low e-windows, 15 seer heat pump, dual flush toilets, tankless gas water heater with circulation pump, insulated garage door, Tech Shield attic decking and R-50 rated attic insulation are among the energy efficiency/cost savings features.
Tour two GreenTech homes today from 2-4 p.m. and discover for yourself why sometimes "what you don't see" may make all the difference in your next home buying decision.