What is LEED?

You may be hearing more and more about LEED Certified houses and buildings being built in your state, community, or even neighborhood. And in case you were curious what LEED is, we came across an article that sums up what this green movement is all about.

What is LEED?

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) created LEED as a rating system for green building.

Green building refers to the design, construction, and operation of buildings in an environmentally friendly way. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. The rating system is specific to the type of project being worked on. Some of the specific programs are LEED-New Construction, LEED-Existing Buildings, LEED-Commercial Interiors, LEED-Core and Shell, LEED-Homes, LEED-Neighborhood Development, LEED-Schools. The rating systems are broken down in to points for each type of credit. Certification levels within the systems are:

•Minimum points: Certified
•Second highest points: Silver
•Third highest points: Gold
•Fourth-maximum points: Platinum

For more information check out the USGBC website.

Barbara Buffaloe, Architectural Studies, College of Human Environmental Studies, University of Missouri-Columbia

If you have a project you would like to consider for LEED Certification, feel free to contact the owner of Southern Cottages House Plans, Michael R. McLeod, Architect and LEED Accredited Professional, for more information.

Pleasent Outdoor Living on the Wrap Around Porch

Weekend Weather Forecast for Hampstead, NC

Looks like it is going to be a warm weekend here in Hampstead, North Carolina. There may even be a chance for scattered thunderstorms on Saturday. Most people would agree these conditions make for a perfect evening to sit in their rocking chairs, enjoy a cold lemonade and take in the views from their wrap around porch.

Our selection of house plans with Wrap Around Porches are designed to enable you to enjoy the outdoor views and breezes. Wrap Around Porches are a great asset to a house because they extend the living space to the exterior, they shelter and protect the windows and doors from water damage and they shade the exterior walls and windows reducing heat gain and thereby reducing energy costs. You can also screen-in a portion of the porch for pleasant outdoor dining.

The Island Cottage House Plan is a playful, coastal cottage getaway. With it's wrap around porch, roof decks and roof-top observation loft, it's a great coastal house plan.

The Plantation Cottage draws upon the southern, coastal, low country vernacular and features large, wrap-around porches and a full basement.

The Country Cottage has all the amenities of a larger house designed in a compact space. Its wrap-around porch extends the living space to the outdoors.

The Mountain Cottage is a variation of the Island Cottage and illustrates one of the many customization's of this versatile plan. Its wrap-around porch is a key element in its design.

The Lookout Cottage is a magnificent treehouse with roof decks, balconies and a rooftop observation platform perfect for overlooking trees and rooftops to see the coastline.

The Nags Head Cottage draws upon the characteristics of the historic, rugged, beachfront cottages found along the coast of Nags Head, NC. The wrap around porches protect the walls and window and door openings while also providing shade from the heat.

Jody's Trip to Washington D.C.

This past weekend, Jody Zimmer, our student intern from Oregon, ventured up to Washington D.C. to visit the mall and take in the sites. This was his first time visiting the Capital of the United States and was impressed by all the amazing architecture in the D.C. area. Here are a few of the pictures he brought back with him.

In 2007 the American Institute of Architects came out with a list of "America's Favorite Architecture", and six of the top 10 were located located in the District of Columbia. They were:

1. The White House -

Jody just happened to be there when The President was getting dropped off by Marine 1. Talk about good timing!

2. The Washington National Cathedral -

(This picture was taken off of Google Images)

3. Thomas Jefferson Memorial -

(Another picture taken from Google Images)

4. United States Capital -

5. The Lincoln Memorial -

6. and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial -

Although this building wasn't found on the top 10 of "America's Favorite Architecture", Jody's favorite building was actually the old Executive Office Building, pictured below.

Apparently there was so much to see in the DC area that Jody has already began making plans to visit again. We look forward to the next round of pictures from his future visit.

New Video!

We recently added a new video to our YouTube Channel. This video feature some of the projects completed by Michael R. McLeod, Architect, PA. You can find a complete list of his completed projects at http://www.mcleodarchitect.com/.

We would love any feedback you may have for us regarding and of our projects. Thanks for checking out our blog!

Happy Earth Day

How well do you know the History of Earth Day? We found a quiz from Planet Green that tests your knowledge about this green holiday. These questions may be more difficult than you think. Here's a few to get you started, good luck!

1. When was the first Earth Day celebrated?
A. 1968
B. 1970
C. 1975
D. 1980

2. Which politician is considered the founder of Earth Day?
A. Senator Gaylord Nelson
B. President John F. Kennedy
C. President Richard Nixon
D. Senator James L. Buckley

3. The first Earth Day consisted mostly of enviromental demonstrations, but also resulted in which of these legislative moves?
A. The creation of the EPA
B. The Ammendmant of the Clean Air Act
C. The development of the Clean Water Act
D. All of these

Are you ready? Take the complete earth day quiz from Planet Green here

What are your plans for this years Earth Day? Leave us a comment and let us know your plans are and how you did on the Earth Day quiz.

Answers: 1. B, 2. A, 3. D