Rye House Tour Goes Green

The Rye House Tour, the annual event where guests tour over-the-top Rye homes to raise money for scholarships and special projects at Rye High School, is featuring five local homes including a "green home" at 183 Forest Avenue (above). The house tour is tomorrow from 9am to 3pm and tickets are still available at local real estate offices ($50, $75 or $100, depending if you want lunch).

The green home also costs a lot of green. The 6,800 square foot spec home build by Alliance Corporation is on the market for $6,995,000. The price was reduced by $1 million in March from $7,995,000, according to Zillow. The home is being marketed by Alix Price at Sotheby's.

Here is some of the "green" you will see for your $50:

• 1.2 acres overlooking a natural waterway that flows into Long Island Sound
• one of only a few homes in the area that meets all the criteria for Full Energy Star Rating and LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
• private deck overlooking the water made from recycled plastics, including milk jugs, for low maintenance and sustainability
• a water-saving system drip-feeds trees and shrubbery, eliminating the water waste associated with regular sprinkler systems.
• trees that needed to be cut down were mulched and reused on site, with hundreds of others replanted in their place.
• replanting included a grove of 120 bamboo trees and hundreds of 12-18’ evergreens to create a hardy privacy screen.
• all rocks recovered in the excavation of the land were repurposed, including in the home’s foundation and driveway.
• all metals and plastics used were recycled.
• the slate used for the roof of the home is reclaimed from antique houses.
• only low- and no-VOC (volital-organic chemicals) materials were used inconstruction.
• all polyurethane, lacquer and paint used throughout the house are green sensitive.
• sustainably-harvested hardwood floors

• Crestron ® wiring throughout allows remote control of all lighting, HVAC, temperature, humidity, stereo, video, alarm, landscape lighting and other appliances via the internet, anytime, from anywhere in the world.
• 9 separate heat and air conditioning zones maximize energy efficiency and cost savings. Top-of-the-line Buderas boilers – the world standard in high-efficiency, low-emission hydronic heating – operate at 95% efficiency. The Carrier 2 stage AC units are 21 SEER (State Energy Efficiency Rating) – the highest rating possible.
• a special filtration/circulation system draws outside air over heating coils to refresh air throughout the house every 20 minutes. Fresh air circulates via 4 heat exchangers 24 hours a day. Humidity is also controlled year-round to keep proper levels during dry winters and humid summers. All this is performed at about 30% of the cost of a traditional heating/cooling system.
• two Buderas super-insulated, computer-programmable hot water heaters are on separate systems to conserve power and optimize efficiency without compromising comfort.
• in the kitchen, filtered drinking water on a dedicated faucet and an ice maker saves on plastic bottle usage.
• every outside timber in the home has been sealed and caulked. Soy foam, spray foam and natural mineral fibers create an impervious wall between the interior and exterior for total heat/cool retention.
• the second stairway which connects all floors from the basement to the attic has been efficiently engineered as a “heat tower” to draw hot air up and out through the roof.
• new energy-efficient Marvin windows used throughout to keep prevent heat and air conditioning from escaping.
• custom-built Spanish cedar and insulated glass/insulated doors in the heated 3-car garage are 3” for energy conservation, with the same R value of a traditionally-built 2 x 4 wall.
• highly-efficient radiant heat has been incorporated in all bathrooms as well as the mudroom, the 3-car garage, and the outdoor slate porch.

• all appliances in the home are Energy Star-rated and the superior choices for energy efficiency, including the 48” Wolf professional range, 2 Miele dishwashers, Miele refrigerator/freezer, Miele built-in coffee maker, warming draw and double wall ovens, plus 2 Miele washers and dryers.
• “his” bath in the master suite presents a state-of-the-art water-saving toilet.
• the temperature-controlled… wine cellar/tasting room with stone walls and ceiling and mahogany built-ins (yikes! we hope the mahogany it is certified because many types of mahogany are endangered and pulled from rainforests)

Enjoy the tour.