By Mark Samuelson

Can you build a house even greener than ‘net-zero energy?’ President Obama’s pick to serve as ambassador to Finland has done just that; and you can tour it Sunday in Boulder’s Mapleton Hill neighborhood, 1-4 p.m., just north of Pearl on Fifth.

Bruce Oreck, appointed ambassador to Finland, created the ‘Next West House’ in Boulder, on view Sunday, Aug. 9, 429 Spruce Street, 1-4 p.m.

Boulder developer and environmentalist Bruce Oreck created his ‘Next West House’ to be ‘net-zero carbon’—so efficient that it not only makes more energy than it uses, but recovers enough to compensate for what was used to build the house and its materials. Oreck calls it “the greenest home in North America”…and received a Platinum LEED certification for it—highest possible rating. more »

By Mark Samuelson

BOULDER. Work began last week on a solar-powered replacement for the home of 78-year-old Bobra Goldsmith, known as “llama lady,” who lost her house Jan. 7 to a 3,000-acre range fire that tore through the Boulder County ranch where she raises llamas and alpacas.

Gathering at Bobra Goldsmith’s home site: Brett Steury and Mary Coonce of Porchfront Homes, Goldsmith, and Matt Grandsaert and Tim Webb from Integral Engineering. Goldsmith’s llamas won grand awards at the 2009 National Western Stock Show.

“This is going to be very energy efficient, getting a high percentage of its operating power from solar and super energy-efficient construction,” said Mary Coonce, who together with husband Tim Coonce are principals in Boulder-based Porchfront Homes. “We expect to complete construction in late fall.” more »

WHERE: Solar home, 4-bedroom plus study in Native American motif, 265 Skylane, Erie Airpark, refreshments.
PRICE: $749,900
PHONE: 720-270-5068 WEB: http://www.tourfactory.com/368590

In 1993 when gasoline was a buck-a-gallon, architect Doug Beall was inking drawings for a 2,800-foot house plan that had been rattling around in his head since grad school at Berkeley…solar heated, partially earth-bermed, and visually matched to the prairie topography east of Boulder. What he didn’t have was a site, or more importantly in days when energy prices were still pretty low, was any financing.

Today that house, which found both a lot (Erie Air Park) and a construction loan in 1997, is on the market. Beall and wife Julie have raised two teenagers there, are now off to Steamboat Springs (he works for Intrawest, son Kevan is an alpine snowboarding champ) and have the place on the market, 2-acre site included, at $749,900.
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