by Sean | Jul 8, 2014 | Energy Efficiencies, Energy Efficient
All of our homes are certified Energy Star vs 3. We hire a 3rd party, independent energy rater to help us at the very beginning of design to ensure we are building our clients a healthy, energy star, green home. Our Energy Rater continues to work with us throughout the building process. She is at this job today for a blower door test, along with the building inspector and the heating and cooling contractor. For more information about our standard of building green and the why please click here.
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by Sean | Jun 11, 2014 | What Customers Are Saying
Living Stone Construction homeowners Jim and Susan Jones fell in love with Asheville years ago while visiting their daughter, a student at UNC Asheville. The Joneses were living in Greensboro at the time, where Jim had a Chevrolet dealership. He was developing a luxury apartment community there when he and Susan decided to move to the mountains in 2010.
They found a steep lot in The Settlings of Black Mountain, and then found Living Stone Construction. The Joneses asked company president Sean Sullivan to advise them about building on the slope, “and we got to know him and we became friends,” Jim said. “We saw everything Sean built, and that gave us confidence. This is the second custom home we’ve built, so we know how hard it is to find a good builder.”
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by Sean | Jun 11, 2014 | Accreditation, News, Recognition
Being part of a great team can yield wonderful results. No one knows this better than Sean Sullivan, owner of Living Stone Construction, and Laura Sullivan, owner of ID.ology Interior Design, both located in the Asheville area. Not only do Sean and Laura sometimes work together on the same projects – they’re a team off the job site, as well. This happily married couple has managed to strike a great balance that has led to exceptional accomplishments. One such accomplishment is The Rockcliff home – an award-winning Asheville project on which Living Stone Construction served as the builder and ID.ology served as the interior design firm. North Carolina Design talked to Sean and Laura to find out more about this spectacular home, and how their solid teamwork helped them achieve award-winning results.
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by Sean | Jun 4, 2014 | Energy Efficiencies, Energy Efficient
From “learning” thermostats to energy saving smartphone apps, it has never been easier to monitor and control your home’s energy use. While we all love doing our part to help the environment, the real draw here is how these simple green solutions will help you save money by keeping those monthly energy bills low. Here are just some of many easy home energy-monitoring tools that can help your home run as efficiently as possible.
Smart Thermostats
With the dog days of summer fast approaching, many homeowners worry they won’t be able to keep their homes comfortable without their energy bills going through the roof. Luckily, innovations in smart thermostat technology can help you keep your house cool and refreshing without breaking the bank.
Nest Labs offers the Nest Learning Thermostat. This sleek, minimally designed wall thermostat can be adjusted manually in your home or wirelessly from any location through your computer or smartphone. Each time you adjust the thermostat, Nest learns about your temperature preferences and daily life. It then uses this information to help you keep your home at a consistently comfortable temperature while simultaneously saving money on energy costs. For example, it learns to automatically adjust the temperature when you’re away at work, asleep at night or when the weather unexpectedly changes.
Other similar programmable thermostats include the Ecobee Smart Thermostat, the Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat, and the Venstar ColorTouch Thermostat.
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by Sean | May 30, 2014 | Building Green, Green Building
A charming landscaping feature that delivers home-grown vegetables, herbs and fresh flowers without a trip to the farmer’s market – it’s no wonder raised-bed gardens are popping up in neighborhoods around the country. A raised garden bed sits above its surroundings in a lush display of color and edible bounty whose care and maintenance is easy on the back and knees. Occupying whatever sunny space is available, framed in wood, stone, corrugated metal, a single bed or several in a pleasing configuration, raised beds may be anywhere from 6 inches to 3 or more feet high. Ideally, the beds will be no more than 4 feet across, allowing the gardener to reach into all parts of the bed from the edge. Surround multiple raised beds with mulch or crushed stone pathways in a regularly spaced formal configuration or create meandering or zig-zag designs. Tier progressively smaller beds atop one another to create a layered, cascading effect. Naturally rot-resistant wood such as cedar or redwood creates a longer lasting frame, but thick planks of pine, recycled plastic deck lumber, stone, brick, cinder block and corrugated metal sheeting all create their own looks and will endure. Or start with a raised-bed kit -- home and gardening supply stores offer them in many varieties and sizes. Spreading weed-suppressing fabric or using thick layers of newspaper, wetted with a hose, where the bed will be placed is all the ground preparation necessary, as long as the raised bed is deep enough to accommodate the roots of your plants. Create Optimal Growing Conditions A raised bed enhances your garden’s yield. Soil that is fertile and stays loose supports denser plantings than a traditional plot. Plants are arranged close enough to touch when full grown to create a lush display of foliage and color. (more…)
