LEED Platinum Home Tour – Recap

A 110-year old formerly abandoned, tax-foreclosed property gets new life as an ultra-green home.  GreenPath Homes is aiming to make the Fountain Square Cottage the first LEED for Homes Platinum renovation in the state.  The project also has broad professional and community education objectives which are detailed at www.takethegreenpath.com.  Follow their progress on their blog.

We had a great turnout for our LEED Platinum home tour. The event was dually attended by both the local chapter of the USGBC and YAF Indy. Home developer William Wagnon (LEED AP Homes) gave a thorough account of the LEED for Homes system and how it has applied to this project in particular. He made it clear that a large majority of the points were achieved simply by the location of the home, the home is an infill development located a 2 minutes walk from Fountain Square (one of the premier cultural hubs in Indianapolis). Other than picking up those “free” points, many points were achieved simply by building a quality product while utilizing an existing historic shell.  One of the areas were they did chose to go all out was in the insulation of the home. The entire home was insulated with spray foam, in the attic they used a full 12 inches. The installers kept telling them that it wasn’t necessary, but William had seen the energy model data, and he assured them he needed those 12 inches.