Real Estate Investing

This should tell you the potential for greening your home. A 1948 ranch-style home in Minnetonka, Minnesota has been awarded the U.S. Green Building Council’s first-ever LEED for Homes Platinum Certification. That is the top possible rating in the points system that ranks structures based on their eco-friendly features.

The remodeling project, coordinated by environmental organization Live Green, Live Smart, ran into some obstacles early on. Planners were told there was absolutely no way to remodel the house and achieve any significant LEED rating. Those authorities were wrong, apparently.

“Two years later, we know that green remodeling is going to provide an essential contribution to our planet’s survival by preserving existing resources and fostering more sustainable systems and practices in both remodeling and new construction of homes,” said Live Green, Live Smart CEO Peter Lytle.

This house in the Minneapolis suburbs is truly extraordinary. Of course, you’ve got your solar panels, low-water landscaping, low-emitting paint and other standard eco-friendly features. But this house is oh-so-much more.

We’re talking about geothermal wells stretching 135 feet beneath the earth’s surface and transmitting the earth’s heat through pipes laid underneath the front walkway. The energy from the earth’s heat is actually used to heat and cool the house. It’s really remarkable, and this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what they’ve done with this house. Check out the full details and pictures here, and get inspired.