We are proud to announce that Newcomer's personal home on Pulaski Heights is the first home in Athens to earn a LEED Platinum Certification, The U.S. Green Building Council's highest designation. Her home is only the seventh in Georgia to receive LEED Platinum certification.

The custom home was designed and built by Newcomer to incorporate modern design ideas but also remain sensitive to the architectural context of her historic, in-town neighborhood. To do this, she designed a deceptively compact front façade for the 2,632-square-foot home, blending strong horizontal and vertical modern lines with the traditional gabled form and large front porch indicative of the neighborhood’s cottages.

The side elevation reveals shotgun-style length – another Southern tradition that also allows natural passive ventilation. Tennessee fieldstone, stucco and white clapboard siding echo the native and traditional materials used in many of Athens’ oldest homes.

“As much as I love modern aesthetics, we didn’t want to build something alien to the neighborhood,” says Newcomer. “So I borrowed signature characteristics of the cottage vernacular to envelope a contemporary living space that fits our lifestyle.”

Happy New Year!

There is a plethora of info available on the event and a great blog that profiles some of this year's vendors at www.athensindiecraftstravaganzaa.com. The market features the handmade work of many local artists and crafters!

The Georgia Sculptors’ Society is hosting The Inaugural Pulaski Street Art Crawl on Saturday, October 8, 2011 from 5:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M. Pulaski Street artists and businesses are opening their venues to the public to showcase Athens artists. The Pulaski Street Art Crawl will start at ARTini’s Art Lounge, culminating at Pints and Paints featuring the Georgia Sculptors’ Society’s Juried Art Exhibition. The Pulaski Street Art Crawl is an opportunity for Athens artists, business owners, and patrons to come together and engage in cultural discourse while boosting Athens' respective businesses and art community. Food for the juried show will be provided by Last Resort Grill and The Grit! Admission is free and open to the public.

Click HERE for more info!

But something shocking is happening to demand for electricity in the Age of the Gadget: It's leveling off.

Over the next decade, experts expect residential power use to fall, reversing an upward trend that has been almost uninterrupted since Thomas Edison invented the modern light bulb.

In part it's because Edison's light bulb is being replaced by more efficient types of lighting, and electric devices of all kinds are getting much more efficient. But there are other factors.

New homes are being built to use less juice, and government subsidies for home energy savings programs are helping older homes use less power. In the short term, the tough economy and a weak housing market are prompting people to cut their usage.

As a result, many families can expect their monthly bills to remain in check, even if power prices rise. For utility executives, who can no longer bank on ever-growing demand, a major shift is under way: They're finding ways to profit when people use less power. Click HERE for full story from The Associated Press...

It was just announced yesterday that Acheson and Bam! man Emeril Lagasse will join the show's original judges, Gail Simmons, Padma Lakshmi and head judge Tom Colicchio for the Emmy-winning show's ninth season.

Acheson came in fifth earlier this year when he competed on Top Chef Masters, a spin-off show where well-known chefs compete for their favorite charities. His one-liners and personality on the show obviously garnered the attention of the show's producers.

The ninth season started filming in June and will take place in Austin, San Antonio and Dallas.

Heirloom Cafe and Fresh Market, another great adaptive reuse project, just opened in the Boulevard Historic District. You've probably read about the cafe in some of our previous blogs. The owner, Jessica Rothacker, rehabbed the old Amoco station at 815 N. Chase Street. You can read all about her endeavor and check out her menu at www.heirloomathens.com.

Their selection is great for DIY projects! See New Urban and Tarzan's gallery HERE. Look out for our new blog series on DIY projects for your home. Next up, a Reclaimed Antique Heart Pine Entryway Table. Stay tuned!

The Right Setting

Typical air-conditioning settings for a programmable thermostat at different times of day:

• 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. = 75 degrees
• 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. = 80 degrees
• 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. = 75 degrees
• 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. = 80 degrees