Where can you find good examples of green homes? We've created our own inventory. These are homes that represent what people are actually doing to build or remodel houses using green principles.
• Clayton iHouse: Pre-fab green home by Clayton Homes. See additional views from Popular Mechanics.
• Atria Green Residencies Penthouse Flat in Hong Kong: An eco-friendly 880-square-foot apartment in a tong lau by KF Development includes PVs and solar water heaters.
• Big Green Homes (worldwide): WebEcoist provides views of some of the largest "green" homes, with spaces up to 15,000 square feet.
• Cambridge Eco-House (likely) in Crossway, Kent, UK: A zero-carbon home with timbrel vaulting (a method from medieval Spain) and triple-glazed windows by architects at Cambridge University in the UK. Find additional information in this article.
• Dairy House in Somerset, UK: Remodeled dairy building with wood/glass laminate addition and restoration by Skene Catling de la Peña.
• Florblanca Reserva in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica: sustainable design resort in Costa Rica by William Hezmalhalch Architects.
• German Passive Homes in Darmstadt, Germany: Homes with no furnaces that have ultrathick insulation and complex doors and windows use heat exchangers for fresh air.
• Mill Creek Net Zero Home in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: An ongoing project to build a zero-net energy home in the Mill Creek area of Edmonton.
• miniHome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Sustain Design Studio created five models of green travel trailers.
• Shire Strawbale Home in Emyvale, Prince Edwards Island, Canada: An ongoing project to build a hybrid infill straw bale house.
• Shaker Meeting House and Dwelling House: Recreations of White Water Shaker Village by the Center for the Electronic Reconstruction of Historical and Archaeological Sites at University of Cincinnati.
• Muise Solar Porch Roof in Lamar County, GA: Porch roof shades patio and house with solar panels (video) by Solar Source of Barnesville, GA.
• Cheimets Superinsulated Home in Arlington, MA: Homeowner Alex Cheimets wants to superinsulate his home. The roof will have an R-value of 59, and the walls an R-value of 39.
• Net-Zero Home in Portsmouth, NH: Little Green Homes is constructing LEED "platinum" single-family residence in Portsmouth.
• This Old House: Weston in Weston, MA: PBS home improvement series This Old House built a LEED silver-certified home.
• Fort Irwin Family Housing in Fort Irwin, CA: 915 for-rent duplex homes on military reservation in the Mohave Desert by Torti Gallas and Partners.
• mkSolaire in Chicago, IL: The mkSolaire model home is a featured attraction by Michelle Kaufmann at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.
• The 100K House in Philadelphia, PA: Stylish LEED Gold or Platinum homes targeted at $100K by Postgreen.
• Wright Beach House in Hampton, VA: 3,200-square-foot house on Chesapeake Bay with low heating costs with preliminary plans from architect Laura Lintz and refinements by Solar Center's Dona Stankus.
• Brookside Container House in Kansas City, MO: Two bedroom container home of 2,000 square feet with geothermal heat, soy foam insulation and bamboo flooring by Home Contained.
• Builder Magazine LivingHome 2009 Concept Home in Santa Monica, CA: Two-story 2,466-square-foot hybrid modular/panel sample by LivingHomes for the 2009 International Builders' Show in Las Vegas, NV. The home will then travel to Long Beach, CA, for TED 2009.
• The Gatsby Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA: All solar-powered, all-green urban community of 34 detached homes by MasterCraft Homes Group.
• Logical Homes in Manhattan Beach, CA: Homes made from shipping containers from DeMaria Design Associates.
• Malibu Ranch Guest House in Malibu, CA: Fireproof steel frame, concrete and glass guest house with PVs and a geothermal pump system by Group3 Architects.
• Pre-Fab Green Home in Culver City, CA: Affordable pre-fab 4,200-square-foot home by Sander Architects, which is low-maintenance and small carbon footprint.
• Rock Row in Los Angeles, CA: Heyday Partnership is building LEED-certified, affordable houses in their "Rock Row" development in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of LA.
• Solar Umbrella in Venice, CA: Two-story 1,900-square-foot home with amorphous PV canopy that protects the body of the house from thermal gain and provides all electrical needs, plus solar hydronic heating panels and storm-water retention system by Pugh + Scarpa Architects.
• Tree House in Studio City, CA: The Tree House Project completed a two-story, four-bedroom 2,400-square-foot home by Vision Development includes heat recovery system for used hot water.
• Modular eHomes from Cargo Containers in Boca Raton, FL: Envision Prefab turns cargo containers into prefab homes.
• Jigsaw House in Bethesda, MD: Recycled single-story home with continuous spatial flow around an open air courtyard by David Jameson Architect. Won a 2009 Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture from the American Institute of Architects.
• Design/Build Green Homes in Branford, CT: Portfolio of homes by Green Homes.
• GREENbuild in New Orleans, LA: Prefab three bedroom 1,200-square-foot with optimized solar orientation, PVs, solar water heating panels and all-fluorescent lighting by Tulane School of Architecture.
• Manhattan Townhouse in New York, New York: A renovated townhouse in a brownstone on the Upper West Side by Gleicher Design Group.
• Westchester Green Homes in Chappaqua, Katonah and Pelham, NY: Homes in Westchester County include a colonial, a Mediterranean-style, a farmhouse and other examples.
• Living Building Challenge homes in Portland, OR: Three builders are completing homes for the Cascadia Region Green Building Council Living Building Challenge, which encourages low-impact, high-efficiency projects to serve as models for wider-spread residential or commercial development. Participants include The Commons (by Dustin and Garrett Moon at site [website may not function]), the June Key Delta House Community Center (Sienna Architecture, probably out of business), and the Kenton Living Building (SERA Architects).
• Salt Point House in Salt Point, NY: By Thomas Phifer and Partners, 2,200-square-foot house on a meadow with views to a small private lake. Won a 2009 Institute Honor Award for Architecture from the American Institute of Architects.
• Rylant Cabin in Seattle, WA: Method Homes prefab cabin available 400 to 1,800 square feet.
• 131 Hillside in Mill Valley, CA: LEED-H Certified 2,116-square-foot custom home by Scott Lee of SB Architects and built by McDonald Construction and Development.
• CAZNEAUpads in Sausalito, CA: GREENpads built green modern crafts homes in town.
• Crescent Cove in San Francisco, CA: Affordable stacked townhome housing near CalTrain terminal by David Baker + Partners.
• Glen Park Residence in San Francisco, CA: 2,500-square-foot energy-efficient home by Strachan Forgan, senior architect at Sasaki Associates.
• Green Condos in Berkely, CA: Architect/builder Maurice Levitch condos 2,000 square feet 200 GreenPoint rating.
• Margarido House in Oakland, CA: Large LEED-H Platinum and GreenPoint Rated home in Oakland Hills by McDonald Construction and Development (with video tour by owner).
• Plaza Apartments in San Francisco, CA: 106 affordable highly efficient green studio apartments with on-site mental and physical health services for the residents by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects. Won a 2009 Institute Honor Award for Architecture from the American Institute of Architects.
• Cedar Stucco Home in Los Altos, CA: Outside cedar panels and stucco blend with surroundings by JSW Architects.
• Harrell/Benson House in San Mateo County, CA: Remodeled 22-year-old house by design-build firm Harrell Remodeling Design + Build with solar panels, handicapped access, and multiple green options.
• Donna Kitchen in Mountain View, CA: Green kitchen remodel in 1930s-era bungalow by Spectrum Fine Homes with slate tile and honed-quartz counters.
• Powell Home in Mountain View, CA: Green remodel of 1,300 square-foot 1940s-era cottage by Spectrum Fine Homes with zero-VOC paint, bamboo and Marmoleum floors, double-pane windows, air leak remediation, and other green features.
• Green Senior Home Model in Roseville, CA: Eskaton Senior Services green home model for seniors with GrandCare System to monitor elderly family members.
• Mormon Street House in Folsom, CA: New 1,940-square-foot LEED Platinum house by John Packowski of PHA Architects and built by RJ Walter Homes named Green Builder Magazine "Green Home of the Year" 2008.
Note: Homes listed are not affiliated with Green Making.