LEED for Homes Illinois

Brandon Weiss of Weiss BD is the latest builder to show that green remodeling can be affordable and doable.  His recent gut renovation of a foreclosed home in Elgin, IL recently became the world’s first project to earn both LEED Platinum and NAHB Emerald Remodel certifications.

During the Remodel

The home features new windows, thorough insulation, water efficient fixtures, and high attention to indoor air quality in creating an affordable comfortably green home.

After Green Renovation

What was truly remarkable about this project is that it is an affordable gut rehab of a foreclosed home that is now the world’s first NAHB Emerald Remodel and LEED Platinum project.  Even better, it was done on spec and is for sale at a price comparable to other “flipped” foreclosed homes in the market area. Yet it’s performance was dramatically improved and the builder is offering interesting seller incentives such as paying for the first year’s natural gas bills for the home’s buyer.

Learn more about this remarkable project by viewing its LEED project profile.

Chicago Magazine recently profiled a gut rehab home that achieved LEED Platinum certification, and included a photo tour of the home along with affordable green home remodel. View details at the Chicago Magazine online blog.

See this home for yourself at our tour on May 5!

Chicago’s green consumer magazine, Mindful Metropolis, released their January issue with an article focusing on the first prefabricated LEED home in the city of Chicago.  The project, which AES toured in December, is the focus of a two-page cover story discussing the evolution of prefab homes as an affordable green alternative.  The magazine has an interview with the architecture team of Jeff Sommers and Kate Votava, of Square Root Architecture, and their plan to replicate prefab homes across Chicagoland. Download the full article.

Another Chicago project was recently in the news, filmed by the ABC (Channel 7) News team. Tom McGrath’s Elemental Building is a gut-rehab project transformed into a high-end LEED Platinum home right in the heart of Bucktown. The project’s first move was to build a solar garage that could provide power for the construction team, and has some innovative reuse of materials.  Watch the video.

Have a newsworthy project you’re working on?  Be sure you’re on our Project List page and send us information.

Chicago’s Yannell residence has gained a lot of notoriety as the first “net-zero” home in the city – capable of producing as much energy as it consumes. Yet another home on Chicago’s far northwest side, the Helenowski Residence, has joined the prestigious ranks of ultra-green LEED Platinum homes. In fact, it’s one of the highest overall point totals ever achieved for a LEED-certified home.

Net-Zero LEED Platinum Home - Zukas Photography

This incredibly energy-efficient home was actually a gut-rehab of Read more » »

On a cold February day, Alphonso Peluso from Vertex Architects LLC, laughed when asked about his motivations for pursuing LEED certification. “We were doing all of the right things anyway, so we figured why not get LEED-certified as well?” Read more » »