That mammoth amount of cash that the state provided to steer buyers to the dormant new construction market has dwindled to only $12 million. May proved to be a boon for buyers taking advantage of the tax credit as buyers claimed approximately $30 million. The California Franchise Tax Board speculates that the $100 million fund will be “wiped out by August 2009 and the incentive will not be extended.”

Buildings such as San Francisco’s Arterra (which is on target to receive a LEED Silver up from LEED-NC which we previously had been informed) does offer some unique Green attributes.

Don’t get too bent out of shape if the tax credit disappears as a good agent should be able to negotiate more than a $10K credit (and maybe more sustainable offerings) if you play your cards right.

With the opening pre-sales event of the LEED certified Arterra in San Francisco coming up on Sept. 30th we’re not exactly convinced that perspective buyers are placing their deposits because of the LEED certification or even the whole “Green Lifestyle” that the Arterra continues to promote.

Apparently, the sales office has pre-sales reservations booked for Saturday, Sunday and into Monday. That means green building gets a boost. Always good. But we have a sneaking suspicion (plus someone at the office told us) that the real green draw is the price point. A one-bedroom Mission Bay condo (without parking) for about $515,000 continues to draw buyers to this project like reality to television.

But who are we to judge why someone buys green? People who buy a piece of the Arterra because as Bob Barker says, “The Price is Right” may be doing the right thing for the wrong reason. But at least they are buying green.

Looking for some extra spending money to spruce up your house? Forget digging though the old sofas, just hit up Uncle Sam. If that sprucing up includes removing that nasty, not to mention dangerous, lead-based-paint from rental properties or one that you actually live in then it might be worth downloading and filling out some of the myriad forms on the HUD website.

HUD has made $39 million in funding available as part of their Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grant Program.
Lead exposure can lead to reduced IQ, learning disabilities, reduced height, poorer hearing and a truckload of other health problems associated with children. But don’t dillydally as the closing date for this grant program is October 31, 2006. ]]> http://greenerati.com/2006/09/25/get-the-lead-out/feed/ 0 http://greenerati.com/2006/09/21/who%e2%80%99ll-stop-the-rain/ http://greenerati.com/2006/09/21/who%e2%80%99ll-stop-the-rain/#comments Thu, 21 Sep 2006 07:06:47 +0000 pepeflaco http://greenerati.com/?p=195

With the Arterra, San Francisco’s first LEED certified San Francisco condos, just about ready to go into pre-sales it’s no surprise that some visitors in the sales office appear from curious to confused.

Some prospective buyers who drifted around the sales office came for the Green factor but others don’t know green from pink. The salesroom doesn’t exactly push the green aspect. Those who don’t have an attention to detail could easily miss the bamboo kitchen floors, and the dual flush toilets. Even so, one green product continually baffles potential buyers – the Trespa rainscreen system. It more than baffles, it disturbs some.

We’re not exactly fans of bedding down in high-end coffins, except maybe during Halloween, so people here should get over their fears of something new. The rainscreen system isn’t exactly the new green kid on the block. Builders have been using this overcladding technology since the 1940’s in Scandinavia.

For too many years America builders and engineers have sought to resist nature rather than embrace it. You can’t beat Mother Nature and why should we? Traditional thinking has been to prevent rainwater from entering buildings by use of barriers and sealants. However we don’t live in a vacuum so do to poor workmanship, material degradation and building movement (here in SF?) that system breaks down.

The beauty of rainscreen overcladding comes from the fact that the technology uses the effects of the wind to control rain water from entering the building.

The design uses simple pressure effects of the wind to dissipate the rain water energy. The specially designed drainage paths direct the water away from the opening.

The project manager at the Arterra describes the Trespa rainscreen system like a kind of Gore-tex as it actually allows moisture to flow in AND out. Most other buildings are hermetically sealed which don’t allow any evaporation which traps moisture in the walls and can lead to mold or other hazardous problems. ]]> http://greenerati.com/2006/09/21/who%e2%80%99ll-stop-the-rain/feed/ 0