EcoClassic Homes Launches in Southeast and West Coast Markets

Homebuyers Get Future Thinking, Cost Efficiencies and Timeless Appeal 

in New State‐of‐the‐Art, Systems‐Built, Green Housing Options

Atlanta, GA – EcoClassic Homes™, a New World Home® Master Licensee, is now offering an updated
selection of ultra energy‐efficient, sustainable homes dedicated to integrating regionally‐inspired design
and next generation green products and manufacturing methods.

Evolved from the principles developed by New World Home, EcoClassic Homes provides a variety of
LEED‐certifiable housing options at prices that can fit most budgets. EcoClassic is expanding its portfolio
to include not only detached single‐family homes, but also attached single‐family options including
townhomes and duplexes, and multi‐family options. The company is also designing a new line of
live/work homes with the owner’s commercial space on the ground floor and residential space above,
representing the ultimate green commute – just a short trip down the stairs to work. Every size and style
of home posts unsurpassed energy‐saving performance. Plus, the design of the EcoClassic Homes
building system can produce a move‐in ready home in about 100 days.

These homes introduce a variety of regionally‐appropriate, timeless housing solutions to the housing
markets in the Southeast and West Coast that are uniquely designed and engineered. They are greener,
healthier, more cost‐effective to operate and maintain, as well as being more sustainable, enduring and
valuable than other housing options.

EcoClassic homeowners can save more than 50 percent on their energy costs and reduce their water
consumption by tens of thousands of gallons per year over the operation of a similarly sized, code‐built
house. They also enjoy superior indoor air quality thanks to the use of advanced mitigation techniques
and zero‐VOC and urea formaldehyde‐free materials.

With offices in Atlanta and Los Angeles, EcoClassic Homes is helmed by an experienced executive team,
including Chief Executive Officer Michael A. Natbony, President and Chief Operating Officer Steven R.
Fader and Chief Marketing Officer Jason R. Scheidt. Natbony and Fader are pioneers in the evolving field of systems‐built homes, having helped establish and guide New World Home through its introduction to the market. Now, in response to increased demand, they are taking their expertise to new regions and to new products.

“We have used the best practices that we have introduced, tested and perfected throughout our careers
as a foundation to deliver an even broader variety of homes now being requested by our customers.
EcoClassic is working with homeowners, architects, specialized vendors, developers, builders and an
increasing array of organizations including academic institutions, government agencies and non‐profit
groups to create truly enduring housing options and more sustainable communities,” Natbony said.
Fader said he is eager to take his extensive home building and New World Home experiences to the next
level. “By leveraging a strong base of experience and principles, EcoClassic Homes employs a
proprietary, whole‐systems design that can enhance market demand and create value,” he noted. “I’m
excited about the projects we’re currently working on. This approach to modular building science
integrates state‐of‐the‐art products and proven practices that we’re confident will provide many
benefits that make tremendous sense for the homeowner at competitive pricing.”

Scheidt is new to the company, and spearheads its branding and marketing activities. “The minute I first
stepped in to one of these incredible homes, I knew I had to be part of this innovative team. It thrilled
me that such high levels of green performance could be so well executed in such classic and enduring
designs. To us at EcoClassic, that’s what sustainability really means – homes that continue to be
appealing and practical for generations to come.”

EcoClassic’s single‐family homes are offered in three categories:
• Select Homes – The up to 2,000‐square‐foot classic homes make green living surprisingly
affordable and attractive.
• Signature Homes – Ranging in size from 2,000 to 3,500 square feet, these flagship homes offer
more room and more amenities while still being ultra‐efficient.
• Custom Homes – Choose from among an almost inexhaustible variety of options and a wealth of
expertise to create the healthy, green, efficient home of your dreams.
 
Attached and multi‐family options are also joining the EcoClassic Homes’ offering:
• Live/work complexes
• Duplexes, triplexes and other attached dwellings
• Townhomes
• Institutional housing for students, faculty or campus visitors

For more information on EcoClassic Homes, visit www.ecoclassichomes.com, follow us on Facebook
(www.facebook.com/ecoclassichomes) and Twitter (@EcoClassicHomes), or call 1‐855‐602‐8898.

Classic Notes - 'Tis The (Pollen) Season: Is Your Home Helping or Hurting?

*In our inaugural series of posts, "Classic Notes," we will revisit a number of issues our Blogger-in-Chief Diane E. Curtis previously published under the auspices of our Essential Housing line. Essential Housing was established in part to provide affordable, work force housing to urban neighborhoods in the process of revitalization.*


Editorial Note: Although this article was written about the springtime, we here in the South experience seasonal allergies...well, seasonally! November and December can be especially difficult for allergy sufferers due to dramatic changes in temperature and humidity that always accompany the transition from Autumn to Winter.  

Spring is in "full bloom" here in the Southeastern United States. And everything is coated with a fine (and sometimes not-so-fine!) layer of yellow powder. Pollen. It's everywhere. On your car. In your house. Up your nose! It seems to infiltrate every nook and cranny, no matter how small, through seemingly supernatural and diabolical methods. You leave your windows closed. You do not run your attic fan. And, yet...it is everywhere. How? Why? WHY ME?! The answer is simple: insulation. Or more accurately, a lack thereof.

Your house is not as tight as you think it is. Drafty windows, gaps in insulation, microscopic holes in the flashing around windows, doors, and junction boxes all contribute to letting drafts in and heating and air out. And this time of year those drafts that enter don't just bring the warm air in, they also bring the pollen which can trigger allergy and asthma attacks. Both of which compromise your immune system, leading to spring-time colds, upper respiratory and sinus infections.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has recognized that indoor air quality should be a major component for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. And the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established Indoor airPLUS to provide a set of guidelines and specifications to home builders who wish to incorporate both passive and active clean air/air filtration elements into their construction. Essential Living LLC, along with its parent company, New World Home LLC, builds LEED certifiable homes, and is a Builder Partner of the EPA’s Indoor airPLUS program.

Last spring, I spent my days working out of one of our model homes in East Cobb County, Georgia. This home holds the distinction for being the first LEED Platinum Certified modular home built in the state of Georgia. As a usually miserable seasonal allergy sufferer, it was a lovely spring for me – the best I’ve ever had here in the South. While the pollen count rose to unheard of levels – 200 is considered high, and we had several days with a count over 6,000! – I enjoyed the clean, fresh, pollen- and dust-free air inside an astonishingly well-insulated home. I worked and breathed freely without the assistance of allergy meds all day. Returning to my own (non-EcoClassic Homes) house in the evening was a different story.

Take away lesson? I’m “allergic” to drafty houses! And I’d be willing to bet you are, too. Before the next Pollen Season rolls around, I hope to be enjoying the air inside my very own EcoClassic Home. What about you? In the market for a new home? Ready to breathe easy? Visit http://EcoClassicHomes.com for a complete selection of floorplans. Then contact me at diane@ecoclassichomes.com or by calling me directly at 678-323-1405 to begin planning your very own EcoClassic Home. And…BREATHE!

Classic Notes - John Muir & Friends

*In our inaugural series of posts, "Classic Notes," we will revisit a number of issues our Blogger-in-Chief Diane E. Curtis previously published under the auspices of our Essential Housing line. Essential Housing was established in part to provide affordable, work force housing to urban neighborhoods in the process of revitalization.*

John Muir, the prominent Scottish-American naturalist, wilderness preservation advocate, and founder of The Sierra Club was born on 21 April 1838 in Dunbar, Scotland. Muir was instrumental in the preservation of American wilderness sites, particularly in the West, and helped save the Yosemite Valley and Sequoia National Park from development and destruction. As such, he is known today as the "Father of the National Parks."

   

But did you also know he's central to our company's mission and design aesthetic? All of the homes in our Founder's Collection are named for prominent preservationists and/or environmentalists, including Muir and many of his friends including Theodore Roosevelt and Ralph Waldo Emerson; and even a rival, Gifford Pinchot.

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." 

~John Muir

The Muir

The Emerson

The Roosevelt

The Gifford

The Pinchot

Classic Notes - Make Every Day Earth Day with EcoClassic Homes

*In our inaugural series of posts, "Classic Notes," we will revisit a number of issues our Blogger-in-Chief Diane E. Curtis previously published under the auspices of our Essential Housing line. Essential Housing was established in part to provide affordable, work force housing to urban neighborhoods in the process of revitalization.*


Today marks the 42nd annual Earth Day. What began in New York City in 1970 as a modest effort on the part of Senator Gaylord Nelson to make the country more aware of the damage being done to the environment through industrialization and improper disposal of waste has since grown into an international movement to make world citizens proactive in environmental and conservation efforts, not just on April 22nd but every day. The original Earth Day was intended as an “environmental teach-in” which Nelson envisioned would take place on college campuses nation-wide. Since its inception, Earth Day has moved beyond the campus and the awareness of just students and faculty, to involve communities everywhere, both large and small, and people from all walks of life.

There is no denying that Green is hot. Everywhere you turn, some company is touting its efforts to be more environmentally friendly; and to produce sustainable, organic, fair-trade, shade-grown, local-sourced – you name it, they shout it. And while we applaud their efforts, and encourage their progress, more must still be done. While it is true some wear the green label simply because it is trendy to do so (we call this “green-washing”) most are well-intentioned and are making genuine efforts to be more eco-friendly because, well…it just makes sense. And cents!

Going green is cost effective because it is more efficient. Green products, while the initial investment may be slightly higher (although that is changing), often last longer and perform better than their out-dated energy-hog counterparts. The difference is often found within the design of the product itself. For example, front-loading washing machines require less water than top-loaders. They expend less energy in the agitation process, because they let gravity do most of the work. We see a whole-system approach that pays attention to best practices and is mindful of the way the universe works.

At EcoClassic Homes, we spent years in Research & Development for just that reason: we paid attention to the way buildings and people respond to the environment, and the way the environment responds to buildings and people. The result is a holistic approach to construction technology where different systems and aspects work together to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. With Essential Housing LLC, we took those best practices and delivered a home that is affordable, sustainable, and healthy. Because here at EcoClassic Homes and Essential Housing, we believe that EVERYONE deserves a home that is energy efficient, healthy for your family, close to public transportation and economic opportunities, improves the neighborhood, pays you back over time, and will provide shelter for generations to come.

If we are to “save the planet,” we cannot focus our efforts on a single day, but must do our part EVERY day to improve the environment, work with nature not against it, and teach the next generations to continue our ways. Because it isn’t just a house we call home, it is this glorious, fragile, complex, nourishing, beautiful blue and green rock we call Earth. So, happy Earth Day – today and every day!

For more information on EcoClassic Homes, please contact us and we’ll happily share all the wonderful things we’re doing every day to improve the environment, one house at a time.


Diane@ecoclassichomes.com
Direct: 678-323-1405
Toll-free: 1-855-602-8898

Classic Notes - Breathing Easy: Your House Should Help, Not Hurt

*In our inaugural series of posts, "Classic Notes," we will revisit a number of issues our Blogger-in-Chief Diane E. Curtis previously published under the auspices of our Essential Housing line. Essential Housing was established in part to provide affordable, work force housing to urban neighborhoods in the process of revitalization.*

May is Asthma Awareness Month, and as a Builder Partner of the EPA’s Indoor airPLUS program, we believe it is incumbent upon us to help educate the community on the environmental risks associated with the development of asthma and the exacerbation of asthma symptoms.

Did you know…

• …The air inside your home is often more polluted than the air outside? Chemicals and other toxins, Nitrogen Dioxide and other gases emitted from appliances and building materials, mold spores and mildew, fungus, carpet and bedding fibres, dust mites and other pests, and other airborne particulate matter can actually cause asthma, in addition to irritating symptoms of those who already suffer from the disease.
• …We spend approximately 90% of our time indoors? As such, it is very important that the air we breathe inside our homes, schools and workplaces is free of irritants.
• …Asthma causes more missed school days and emergency room visits for children under 15 than any other ailment or injury? It stresses our healthcare system and contributes to poorer classroom performance.
• …Asthma disproportionately affects lower-income families, minorities and children? African-American children are especially susceptible to developing asthma and have dramatically higher mortality rates.
• …Environmental factors and cheap building materials used in inner-city housing are the primary culprits for this population disparity in asthma sufferers?

At Essential Housing, we have made it our mission to provide affordable, sustainable, healthy housing close to urban centers in an effort to rehabilitate inner-city neighborhoods and the people who call them home. Indoor air quality is a vital aspect of this effort, and our housing solution speaks directly to every one of the bullet points listed above.

We use:

• Non-toxic building materials including low- or no-VOC paints, adhesives, countertops and flooring; and no added-formaldehyde cabinets and insulation.
• Tight insulation to keep out exterior environmental pollutants and HVAC systems that utilize advanced filtration to trap even the smallest airborne irritants.
• EnergyStar-rated appliances which operate more efficiently, reducing Nitrogen Dioxide emissions, and range hoods that vent directly to the outside.

We do this because we believe healthy homes support healthy people. And healthy people support healthy communities which are then allowed to thrive and grow and prosper. That allows schools and workplaces to be better attended than emergency rooms, and resources spared from expensive asthma treatments can go towards improving the lives of our home owners and others in the community.

For more information on the benefits of home ownership with Essential Housing and EcoClassic Homes, please contact Diane at:

Direct: 678-323-1405

Cell: 404-886-6588

diane@ecoclassichomes.com

And, for more information on asthma and asthma causes, treatment and prevention, please visit the following online resources:

http://www.epa.gov/asthma/awm/

http://www.physiciansweekly.com/pw16_10.1.html

http://www.epa.gov/epahome/sciencenb/asthma/index.html

http://www.webmd.com/asthma/default.htm

http://www.lungusa.org/lung-disease/asthma/