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New Resource Group Forms: Dallas Green Building Alliance

Last year a group of contractors, while working together on a sustainable/green/resource-efficient residential project on Walnut Hill, started hanging out together to talk about sustainability, how to make their projects more sustainable, and how to support each other in those efforts.  After months of once-a-week conversations, they decided to start a new group, the Dallas Green Building Alliance.  Their mission is to be a resource for homeowners, Realtors, builders–anyone with an interest in learning more about building and remodeling in a sustainable way.  Their brand-new website is absolutely loaded with information, technical and otherwise, on heating and air conditioning systems, low-VOC finishes, solar, projects, etc.  Yes, they are looking for business, but they have definitely drunk the Kool-Aid and they are really committed to this.  Check it out.

Green Certification Class for Realtors This Week

You’ll remember that last year the National Association of Realtors developed a pretty comprehensive certification for Realtors that covered many different aspects of “green” buildings.  There’s a two-day core curriculum class, being offered this week at MetroTex/dfwRealtors, and then a one-day elective in residential, commercial or property management.  It’s hard to give up two days, but you Realtors will be amazed at how much has been crammed into the class–all of which will come in handy sooner or later.

Dallas Real Estate: About That LEED Certification

An article in the New York Times relays what many of us have been wondering: how reliably green is that LEED label? Is it window dressing for sales and marketing, or a sincere effort to save our planet? Coincidentally, I had lunch with Marc Kleinmann of EGC Dallas today and will have much more to tell you about this.

The New Look For DallasDirt And The Rest Of dmagazine.com

You may have noticed a new look to this blog, not to mention the entirety of DMagazine.com. You can find more info here, or just do some exploring on your own. Take a look at the place. We hope you like it.

Whole Foods Lakewood: Special Parking For Hybrids

Vehicles, that is. I could park in this spot — not the truck. (Sorry!)

Whole Foods Lakewood: No More Excuses Not To Cook

Or, like me, let meat and poultry get freezer burn in my freezer while I doodle around with recipe books. One-of-a-kind, this tech-age scale weighs your meat choice (even venison and buffalo), prices it, then prints off three recipes so you know what the hecvk to do with it, AND serve with it: appropriate side-dishes and the perfect wine selections are also included. Will it suggest the perfect guests? Spouse? Will it do the dishes?

Whole Foods Lakewood

60-foot long timeline marking notable events in Lakewood history and important dates in Whole Foods Market History. Anyone remember the Bluebonnet Cafe?

Whole Foods Lakewood

Since this store marks the move of the famous, 22 year staple Whole Foods on Lower Greenville, WFMI went to extra lengths to make this store a significant “crunchy” showcase and take a nod to the community’s as well as the chain’s lineage, as depicted with this 60-foot long wall timeline.

Whole Foods Lakewood

Counters are made of recycled bottles and jars.

Whole Foods Lakewood

Go green: Lights in the frozen food cases are motion-activated, turn on when a shopper walks by.

Whole Foods Lakewood

The personal shopper service is free the first time, fee thereafter but get this: this store utilizes “Go Green” Concierge Service which uses only hybrid and biofuel vehicles.

Troy Aikman’s New Acquisition

Troy’s lust for his neighbor’s lot set him back more than $8 million, I am told. Supposedly he was to keep the Potashnik home as a “carriage house” but a reader informs me the tear down process has already commenced.

“Drove by this morning and the house next door to Troy’s is already getting torn down.”

He’ll certainly have his pick of contractors in this economy.

WRR Gets House Porn

It happened rather suddenly today — our director of marketing, the fabulous Mary Poe, asked me to fill in for Tim Rogers (as if my Choos could even tap his Cole-Haan’s) over at One Arts Plaza where the D empire is co-broadcasting with WRR the first week of every month. I arrived at the sleek WRR One Arts “studio” to see Adriana Bate sitting on a Barcelona chair and — broadcasting! I did radio so long ago it was the technological dark ages — we had to be in soundproofed rooms with giant earmuff headsets. Over at One Arts, people wandered in and out and I wondered, are we actually on the air? Don’t we have to whisper? Seems not — the mikes are so powerful they probably picked up the sound of my brain cells dying. In any case, it was SO MUCH FUN! Not only did I get to talk about people buying and selling Dallas dirt — oh yes, we were talking about Daria Place big time. I delighted in the guests — particularly Kevin Moriarty, artistic director of the Dallas Theater Center. Kevin was describing the uber coolness we will experience when the new Wyly Theatre is complete — it will pull creative talents from everywhere like a magnet. The seats, he said, will be movable. They can appear. Or disappear. The audience can sit in a traditional auditorium or move to the stage. Seating can also be surrounding the stage, like at a sports event. Architect Rem Koolhaas, a genius with glass, has designed a glass enclosed stage that will be visible to all then can dissappear in a snap — Star Trek images came to mind, “Beam me up Scotty!” Kevin said Mr. Koolhaus told him he was designing a theater machine for Dallas — “and you,” said Koolhaas, “will make great art in it!”

Update: An earlier version of this post, and my interview on WRR, contained information that I had been given from a knowledgeable source who told me one reason why the Bushes bought their new home on Daria Place was that their neighbor, Tom Hicks, had agreed to give them access to his helipad. A spokesperson for Mr. Hicks tells me he does not have a helipad on his property.  While Mr. Hicks occasionally obtains a day permit to land a helicopter on his land, I’m now told there was never any official discussion about letting the President and Mrs. Bush “borrow the landing space”.

Green Building Increases In Dallas Exponentially

Just came from the Texas Green Home Summit–which had almost 700 attendees, blowing everyone’s estimates out of the water.  Mayor Leppert reaffirmed the City of Dallas’s commitment to green building, both for the health of the universe and for the bottom line.  Michelle Russo from McGraw Hill had some great data on how much green building has increased over the last couple of years and how much it’s expected to increase over time (basically becoming the only way to build), as well as what consumers are looking for.  (Presentations are expected to be posted on the website.)

But the best news came from someone in the City building department, who told me that permits are UP over the same period last year.  Now that’s some good news.  Long may it continue.

Ice Storm

It’s almost time to leave the house, darn it — had such a great time lolling about, getting spooked by the sound of ice chunks sliding down the roof. Question: are you more productive in a condo? That was one of my thoughts this morning — and last night — as I battened down the hatches, made sure the pool was on freeze guard, the outside shower turned off, the garage door sealed, the porch plants covered, the heater on in the plastic greenhouse (oh forgot that one), dogs peed and ice wiped from paws, all doors shut and mental note to have insulation re-done on back door to patio — the seal is like a cold air sieve. Ironically, my ice maker is broken: no margaritas. So here I sit at home, tootling on the computer, drinking coffee, petting the dogs, and I think how much more productive I’d be if I lived in a condo closer to everything. A place where you could just walk — or slide — to work. I think this because we went to the Tate Lecture Series last night and I am concerned over my geographical footprint which must be the size of Bigfoot. After listening attentively to Chris Jordan and admiring his work, I wanted to grab the mike and ask him if we shouldn’t just all give it up. I mean, the only way for us to stop contaminating this world is to stop virtually everything we do, especially living as the way we know it. No more wood floors in our homes — let’s go back to living in caves. No long distance travel, just stay in the tribe. Let de-throned financial types hunt for food (eating only what is in a ten mile radius, though I suppose with accelerated fitness they could dig up Arlington zucchinis). Shut down Whole Foods. Quit trucking in those berries from Mexico, even though they are loaded with anti-oxidants! As for the owners of 10,000 square foot houses, you might as well Photoshop Bigfoot, enlarge and stretch him out over five acres. 

Thoughts? �

Modernist Excellence in an Unexpected Spot

The Dallas Morning News has a great piece on Ron Wommack’s quite wonderful house off Douglas Avenue.  Despite the challenges of skyrocketing materials prices and a couple of subs with questionable expertise, Wommack designed a house that takes full advantage of the site and optimizes its space.  And he fully deserves all the accolades.  So does Monica.

Need A Painting Contractor?

Times are tough. The stock market is going deeper than the toilet. So maybe we need a painter without the frills? My favorite part about this contractor is the hand-painted line: “If You’re Piky Please Dont Call”

(Thanks to Ebby Southlake Realtor Patti Moore for sending me the photo).

Before You Put Up That Daria Gate…

Dear former President George and Laura Bush: You may wish to check out Doug Newby’s 10240 Gaywood listing before you go to all the trouble of moving everything into Daria Place. Not that we don’t love your new home from what we can see of it, but check this out: 2.63 acres that also backs up to the combined near 50 acres of Mr. Phillips’ and the Hicks spread, classical mid-century modern design by architect Scott Lyons, a protege of O’Neil Ford. This home has 9902 square feet, a 3800 square foot guest house, pool, standing seam metal roof just like Crawford, and more trees than even Daria Drive. By the way, Lyons designed homes for Eugene and Margaret McDermott and Dan Williams. This home is a wee bit more than Daria — $6,982,000 — but maybe they’ll make you a deal!

802 Salmon on the Home Stretch

On Thursday night, Preservation Dallas is hosting a preview of 802 Salmon, which, when I was over there this morning, was a veritable vortex of activity.  802 Salmon, you’ll recall, is intended as a model project: how to take a modest but historical (1926) bungalow and rehab it in a way that is both energy- and cost-efficient.  And looks fabulous as well.  In fact, I want it.

USGBC and Home Builders Team Up

Looking for info on where green building is headed in the coming year?  The US Green Building Council and the Homebuilders Association of Greater Dallas are collaborating on the 2009 Texas Green Home Summit at the Convention Center on January 29.  Mayor Leppert will speak, as will folks from the sponsoring organizations and from McGraw Hill, who have done considerable research into what buyers are looking for in “green” homes.

And we don’t have to drive to Plano!

The Stoneleigh

The Gallery, Carleton Varney for Dorothy Draper & Company. Be sure to read in AD how our Peter Goodchild restored two 18th century mirrors covered with 30 years of paint.

Will Dallas Homes Get Smaller?

D.W. Skelton and I have talked about this for the last five years — he contending that we will soon see the end of the mega mega home, even in Dallas. Now our Virginia McAlester agrees, and tells The Washington Post’sElizabeth Razzi that big homes were de rigeur at the turn of the 20th Century for the wealthy: 20 or 40 rooms, which required a tremendous income (and staff out the wazoo) to keep up. Now, predicts McAlester, you will see smaller homes built with tremendous green consciousness, especially when it comes to energy efficiency. Other experts say our homes will not get all that smaller — the average U.S. home size is increasing — but will focus more on quality, rather than size. So tell me, where is this happening in Dallas besides Little Forest Hills?

New Years Real Estate Resolutions

Tell us what you plan to do with your homestead in 2009: sell, buy, remodel, maintain? Hop beyond the homestead — plan to buy more real estate in 2009? I’m always ready to sign on the dotted… and have many homestead aspirations. Let’s see how many come to fruition by 2010:

1. Get a new wireless keyboard and mouse. My old one died right after Christmas and I am using a Prilosec OTC mouse that may be a collector’s item someday.

2. Re-paint our media room and make it more than a storage room for my kid’s furniture. The placenta red has to go — I’m thinking carmel. I’d like to build in a bar complete with kegerator (this for future son-in-law) where we have the water pipes in the wall. (Spouse: “And monkeys will fly…”) It’s a pseudo home theatre, but nothing is more fun than going up there to watch movies — when you are not tripping over boxes.

3. Reupholster my dining room chairs and have four additional chairs made to give me seating for eight. Do not tell my husband. When the chairs appear, I will simply insist they’ve been there all along. (I’d really rather buy a beautiful new Baker table with eight chairs, but we are on austerity.)

4. Re-do the walkway from my patio to the pool. I know this will severly injure my husband and son psychologically, as they laid the stone by hand eight years ago. (Figure in budget: shrink sessions.) I am planning a wedding this year and we will be having major parties, I’m thinking Pennsylvania bluestone with tiny Mondo grass. 

5. By December, I’d like to replace my upstairs carpet when the kids FINALLY have their own place. I’m thinking Sisal, but I have dogs.

6. My husband’s resolution: save money and halt all Candy’s New Years Resolutions.

Ah, there’s always 2010!

4500 Lakeside Drive

Storm Windows? In Texas???

See, I think storm windows are under-appreciated.  Particularly when a house has historic windows, good storm windows can preserve the appearance of the house and cut down significantly on air infiltration and noise.  Normally less expensive than new windows.  And I also wonder if they’re not a deterrent to break-ins.  There were existing storm windows at 802 Salmon, and Chas & Jack decided to paint the frames to complement the trim colors and keep them everywhere but on the front facade.