Luxury Home Magazine

PacificLuxuryLiving.com Luxury Home Services | 51 How “Green” The Mountain? By Glenda Anderson, CEO & Master Designer, Details International, Honolulu Sustainable Minds Think Alike By Doug Pierce, Mokulua Woodworking, LTD When driving the beautiful roads of Italy, you can’t help feeling a little sadness when you pass through areas such as Carrara, where Michelangelo selected marble for his timeless works. Centuries later, the continued mining has left huge scars. So as much as we all love granite and marble, it is time to explore some alternatives. One stunning new “green” alternative is natural quartz surfac- ing – extremely resistant to stains, scratches and heat, available in myriad colors, and very workable. Ten years ago no one knew what it was but now it’s readily available. First introduced to the U.S. by a company called CaesarStone, it has been copied and produced by other reputable companies such as Silestone, Cambria and Zodiaq. Their Web sites contain more information and stimulating ideas for your next renovation or new construction. Natural quartz is also found in some very exclusive projects; CaesarStone was selected as the exclusive surface of project7ten, one of the few Platinum LEED homes in the country. So consider going the natural quartz route... you’ll be in pretty good company. When starting a building project there are obvious steps most inves- tors and homeowners take to ensure they get a great home at a fair price. These steps include interviewing architects, getting bids from contractors and assessing what budget will best fit the financial goals of the project; however, there are a few extra steps one must take to elevate his project for sustainable success. The first and most important step is to substantiate the experience your architect and general contractor has in the sustainable building industry. Every- where you look it’s “green this” and “sustainable that” but few can actually prove how their business has adapted to successfully incorpo- rate both thoughtful design and environmentally friendly products. Another crucial step in the process of sustainability is to figure out ex- actly what your project goals will be. An open dialogue in the begin- ning of the design process significantly reduces costly change orders at the end of your project. If the architect and contractor know your project goals up front together they can fit the pieces of the puzzle together; saving you time and money! Questions? Comments? Future requests? Let us know what you would like to hear more about at: info@lhmhi.com Goes Green ~ Eco Column