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RECENT ADDITIONS
A Home Filled with Hope
Since 2001 the combined efforts of a custom builder and a group of professional decorators have annually created a show house to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The resultant homes have been incredible showcases highlighting major builders, vendors and decorators in the Triangle and brought $1.5 million for blood cancer research, patient and family support groups, patient education programs and much more.

Water Wise Landscaping: Introduce Xeriscaping to your gardening Vocabulary
The recent drought left its mark on the landscapes of the Triangle. Lack of rain, coupled with watering restrictions left manicured yards with brown lawns and withering shrubs. Whether you are developing a new landscape or renovating an existing one, there are solutions that can not only go a long way toward ensuring drought survival, but will also yield a landscape that is less expensive and time consuming to maintain.

A PERFECT PARADOX
This home on Lake Drive is named “Magnolia,” but could very well be dubbed “Steel Magnolia” instead. Architecturally, it’s a perfect representation of the antebellum South, with its columned front porch, circular drive, floor-to-ceiling windows, expansive fireplaces and crystal chandeliers. But this traditional home’s Southern charm is surrounded by the very latest in technology and modern day amenities.

Bath Renovations: Refresh and Renew
The bathroom is one of the most important rooms in the house to its homeowners. Having a bathroom that fits your needs is sure to make life a bit more enjoyable. Read on to learn about four featured bathrooms, where the homeowners remodeled their own special space to their unique specifications. Also see the bathroom designs that are specifically made for man’s best friend.

All About Baths
A white porcelain stool and the simple luxury of privacy has always been enough to command the euphemism “throne room.” But today’s bathrooms—complete with a unified design theme, natural stones, striking hardware and indulgent, spa-like comforts—bring the bathroom to the level of real elegance.

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Green Home Tour Branches out to Cover the Triangle


By Leigh Scott

Green TourOn May 3 and 4, 2008, the Third Annual Green Home Tour expanded to become a Triangle-wide event. 

This year’s tour had 40 entries, more than double the number in last year’s event,  and the entries were spread across six counties in the Triangle area. 

Homes on the tour were located as far east as Zebulon, as far south as Holly Springs, as far west as Graham, and as far north as Hillsborough. 

This free, self-guided event was organized by the Green Home Builders of the Triangle, which is a joint project of the Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties and the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County. 

The emphasis of the Green Home Tour was on the technical details of construction, and some of the homes on tour were only partially complete so that attendees could see materials and techniques that would otherwise be hidden behind the walls. 

Green features that were showcased on the tour ranged from A to Z (or almost, anyway), starting with Advanced Framing and going all the way to Xeriscaping.  Of course, many of the green homes on the tour looked just like traditional subdivision houses, because builders can incorporate green technologies into homes of any style, and exotic features such as solar panels are not required to make a house green.  Still, the tour offered attendees the chance to see those kinds of features, too.  Tour homes also represented a wide range of styles and price points, because the event included affordable and entry-level houses as well as high-end, luxury custom homes.

Although the event is over for this year, detailed information about the homes can still be found on the tour website:  www.TriangleGreenHomeTour.com.