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theSAGE now available!

theSAGE is now available for purchase at our website. Through an exclusive arrangement with the award-winning firm of Arbor South Architecture, PC, we are pleased to offer this 1,447 sq ft, 2 bedroom, 2 bath home.

Also, Arbor South is currently building theSAGE in Eugene, Oregon and it is targeted at LEED Platinum.
Visit the Arbor South Architecture Group on Facebook for pictures and information.
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theSAGE


We are in week six of construction. theSAGE has roof, windows installed and we are now working on interior “infrastructure”. We are targeting LEED Platinum. We are pulling out all the stops — solar PV, solar DHW, massive insulation, small infill site, reclaimed and reused redwood from the Cuthbert Amphitheater benches (it’s incredible wood! Thanks to BRING Recycling for contacting us).

We will be offering the plan for sale on our website soon. 
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theJADE ready for purchase!

Well, finally, we have theJADE plan ready for purchase via download. It took a little longer because demand for crawl space options is high and we wanted to offer the plan either way. You can also now download sample elevation pages for each plan. This will gve you an idea of what each side of the house looks like as well as an idea of the level of detail in our construction documents.

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theJADE ready to preview



Our latest plan, theJADE is ready to preview at our website http://www.thesimplehouse.com

It is 3 bedroom, 2 bath, with an optional den (in lieu of the middle bedroom). Coming in at a lean 1,392 sq ft, it will be the next series of plans in our line-up.
Available for purchase in February.
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Dual Flush Toilets

One simple way to save water is with a dual flush toilet. This one, the “Persuade” by Kohler, has a standard flush of 1.6 gallons plus an optional flush of 0.8 gallons — cutting water use in half.

To word this delicately, for most of our flushes, the 0.8 gallon option will be adequate. This will save a large amount of water annually. List price for the white one is about $360. Not too bad.
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theJADE — coming soon!

I’m making progress on theJADE, our second plan series. This plan will be slightly larger at 1,392 sq ft and have 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. It will be oriented with preferred south to the side, rather than the rear. It will have all of the same sustainability features and options with a few new ones (we’re learning all the time).

Still simple, still trying to change our way of thinking.
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sustainability goes beyond houses

Sustainability involves every aspect of our lives. So while our houses are important, we should also realize that saving a sheet of paper here, saves a tree somewhere and reduces how much rainforest gets cut down and that affects the livelihood of the family in South America and on and on. 

The Earth is a closed system — nothing ever truly “goes away” (like garbage and waste). 
One big item is water. Many people in the world don’t have access to clean drinking water. Not only do our houses affect this (through using dual flush toilets or water-saving faucets), but water saved here can mean clean water somewhere else. 
As Americans, we are blessed with abundance. I came across a website recently that had a powerful message. As we are in this Advent Season, check out the Advent Conspiracy at www.adventconspiracy.org

Merry Christmas!
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Feedback and Questions

I’m curious — what are YOUR thoughts on sustainability? What do you think of our blog and our website? What else would you like to see and what would you like to discuss? I’m open to suggestions for topics.