2010 HGTV Green Home tour - Exterior

Everyone gather round...its time for a Jordan family slide show!  

We had fun exploring the HGTV house, the model home next door, and the neighborhood on Saturday.  The 2010 HGTV Green Home is located in Cape Cod.   

Let's start our tour with the exterior...

Front (note the wrap around porch)

Yard

Back

The development is designed so all the home fronts and yards face walkways or communal areas.  The streets and driveways are in the back which make the streets feel more like service access.  We parked behind the house and walked around to the front to sign in for the tour. On our way we passed the solar energy switch and the GMC Terrain that's included in the prize package.  During the tour we were assured that the winner will get a brand new Terrain and can choose any color they want. 

 The front porch wraps around the left side of the house.  It looks great and appears to be low maintenance composite material.  The wicker furniture are antique items.  Can you imagine yourself living here?

If we win, Alison will add porch rockers on the side porch and create a cozy spot to relax after work.  This side of the house faces the model home.  The winner will probably be living in a construction zone for quite a while and will become the 'model neighbors' for folks touring the place next door. 

The yard includes a dining table and BBQ area.  The outdoor kitchen can be enclosed by shutting the carriage doors.  Pretty clever, huh?  A dog loving winner can choose to finish closing in the fenced areas then kick back and enjoy living in this pup friendly community. 

Here are a few 'green' attributes of the home's exterior we learned about during the tour.

• A rain water recycling barrel collects water from the gutters that you can use to water the plants.
• The trees were transplanted into the yard from another area of the development and the plants are indigenous to the region. 
• The community is engineered to enable water to flow in the proper manner to maintain a zero net effect on the water table and help maintain the trees.
• Solar panels discretely blend into the roof lines.
• The windows are not available to the general public. They are the highest quality for energy efficiency and are expensive.  Don't break em! 

Next time we'll tour the interior!

We're ready to pack our bags and move in!

Jake and Alison