Highlights from Triangle Green Home Tour in Briar Chapel

In case you didn't get a chance to attend the recent Triangle Green Home Tour, we thought it might be helpful to highlight some of the innovative, high-performance features that were on display in the "Madison" entry by Homes By Dickerson in Briar Chapel:

• Nest Learning Thermostat: 89% of programmable thermostats waste energy - about $173 a year, on average - because most people don't bother to program them. The Nest, on the other hand, learns what temperatures you like and builds a schedule automatically. The device can also sense when you're away from home, and turns itself down when you're gone. You can even connect to it from a smartphone. By programming iteself, the Nest can save up to 20% on your heating and cooling bills. See a demo of how the device works.
  
  
• Solar-Ready Option: Homes By Dickerson now offers its customers the option to add a solar power system during the construction of their home. In the event a homeowner is not quite ready to invest in renewable energy, they offer the option to make the home "solar ready" by installing a dedicated electrical circuit and conduit for future solar panels.
  
  
• Tankless Water Heater: natural-gas, tankless water heaters provide an endless supply of hot water. Unlike traditional tank-style water heaters that heat and reheat water all day long, even when you're sleeping or away from home, tankless units save money on your energy bill by heating water only when needed. Since they are a fraction of the size of their larger predecessors, they also save valuable space. With a life expectancy of up to 20 years, they last twice as long as traditional water heaters. They also provide homeowners peace of mind by eliminating the concern of flooding due to a ruptured tank.
  
  
• Advanced Framing: there was a great demo in the garage that showed how 2x6 exterior walls and advanced framing techniques allow for additional formaldehyde-free insulation to be installed, and how these work in tandem with radiant barrier roof sheathing and ZIP System air and moisture infiltration barrier to improve efficiency.
  
  
• Sealed & Conditioned Crawl Space: the builder installed a see-thru floor to demonstrate the use of a sealed and conditioned crawl space, which provides a controlled environment for more efficient operation of cooling and heating systems in addition to several other benefits.
  
  
• Independent Testing & Certification: a third-party (Southern Energy Management) conducted performance testing in order award Energy Star and NAHB green certifications.
  
  

This green-certified home is currently listed for sale at $494,900. If you would like to schedule a showing, please contact Peter Winkler at 919-360-1285 or Jennifer Winkler at 919-593-3662.

View the Tour

Briar Chapel Open House Weekend

There are over 40 homes open for viewing in Briar Chapel this weekend (April 27-28). To find these homes, you can either stop by the information center and pickup a copy of the map below, or follow the directional signs throughout the neighborhood. If you do come out, be sure to see the "Madison" at 688 Bennett Mountain Trace (Lot 77) and then head over to 371 Tobacco Farm Way and say hello!

 

Northwood High School Ranked 6th in NC

Congratulations to Northwood High School, which was recently ranked the 6th best high school within North Carolina by US News & World Report. 

Briar Chapel is located in the Chatham County School district. Residents currently attend Perry Harrison Elementary, Margaret Pollard Middle, and Northwood High Schools. Woods Charter School is another popular option with residents, which is located on-site and ranked in the Top 50 Best Public High Schools in the United States.

Briar Chapel Residents Enjoy Award-Winning Cuisine Nearby

The residents of Briar Chapel certainly get to enjoy their fair share of great, award-winning cuisine around the Triangle area.

In January, Durham and its food scene were catapulted into the national spotlight when Southern Living magazine named it the South's Tastiest Town. Durham has more than seven hundred restaurants, which are all within a 15-45 minute drive from Briar Chapel. Of these, 52 independently-owned restaurants have been recognized on a regional or national level.

Back in November, Fearrington House Executive Chef Colin Bedford was acclaimed both regionally and nationally for his sophisticated Southern cuisine, and named Grand Chef by Relais & Châteaux. In his four years as executive chef, Bedford has maintained the Fearrington House Restaurant’s AAA Five Diamond award and also helped Fearrington earn acclaim that includes being ranked one of the top hotel food destinations in the world by Condé Nast Traveler in 2012. Bedford is one of only 21 Grand Chefs in the United States. Fearrington House is about a mile from the entrance to Briar Chapel.

Most recently, Chapel Hill's Lantern Restaurant was nominated for the 2013 James Beard award in the Outstanding Restaurant category, and is a semifinalist for this prestigious award. Chef/owner Andrea Reusing was named Best Chef in the Southeast in 2011. Lantern is located about eight miles from Briar Chapel.

8th Annual Triangle Green Home Tour April 13-14 & 20-21

The 8th Annual Triangle Green Home Tour starts today! This free, self-guided event will feature over 30 entries, and will be held on April 13-14 and 20-21, 2013 from Noon to 5pm.

As always, the tour will allow you to examine a number of green building features in a wide variety of homes in all styles and price points -- ranging from Habitat for Humanity and entry-level homes to custom luxury entries.

This year, Briar Chapel will have seven homes on the tour, which are listed below. However, it is important to remember that ALL homes in Briar Chapel are required to be green-certified upon completion. So, if there is a particular home for sale that you like that's not on the tour, Jennifer Winkler would be happy to arrange a private showing for you. Give her a call at 919-593-3662.

• 688 Bennett Mountain Trace (Homes By Dickerson)
• 502 Bennett Mountain Trace (Forever Home)
• 23 Sagebrush Trail (Forever Home)
• 102 Owen Towne Road (Saussy-Burbank)
• 69 Summersweet Lane (Saussy-Burbank)
• 22 Tobacco Farm Way (Saussy-Burbank)
• 45 Serenity Hill Circle (M/I Homes)

To learn more about the tour, visit www.TriangleGreenHomeTour.com. Otherwise, Peter Winkler has some extra tour guides if you need one - just stop by his office at 371 Tobacco Farm Way in Briar Chapel. You can also view a virtual list of homes on the tour by downloading the iPhone or Android app.

Woods Charter School Ranked in Top 50 Public High Schools

Woods Charter School, one of the schools here in Briar Chapel, made the list of Top 50 Public High Schools in the U.S.

This public, charter school offers a challenging preparation for attendance at university, with an emphasis on character development. The school has a long history of strong student performance as measured by state testing, AP pass rates, and SAT and ACT scores. The school is often recognized for its small class sizes, close student-teacher relationships, and a caring school community.

Awards, Rankings, and Alumni:

• Rated among the Top 200 High Schools by the Washington Post
• 52% of faculty have advanced degrees
• North Carolina Honor School of Excellence
• 90% of seniors enrolled in AP courses

Homes By Dickerson Inventory Homes

In case you don't have time to build a home from scratch, there are still plenty of opportunities for you to find a home in Briar Chapel. You may consider a resale, such as the one we posted recently, or one of the new inventory homes being built by a member of the builder team.

Since Homes By Dickerson was just selected as the "Builder of the Month" by Newland (the developer of Briar Chapel), we thought it was appropriate to highlight a list of their inventory homes. This is in addition to the 15 pre-sale homes they're in the process of building to customer’s specifications.

Move-in Ready!

• Millhaven: 1856 Briar Chapel Pkwy, Lot 473
  3br, master down, 2.5ba, 2004sf, $305,000 (MLS#1858126)
• Jackson II: 1878 Briar Chapel Pkwy, Lot 475
  4br, master up, 3ba, 2285sf, $310,000 (MLS#1858128)

Ready in April

• Finley: 1862 Briar Chapel Pkwy, Lot 474
  3br, master up, 2.5ba, 2000sf, unfinished 3rd, $304,900 (MLS#1863917)
• Oberlin Ranch: 463 N. Serenity Hill Cir, Lot 617
  3br, master down, 2ba, 2000sf, $310,800 (MLS#1866886)
• Finley: 444 Tobacco Farm Way, Lot 621
  3br, master up, 2.5ba, 2000sf, unfinished 3rd, $311,950 (MLS#1867217)
• Madison: 688 Bennett Mountain Trace, Lot 77
  4br, master down, 4ba, 3201sf, $494,900 (MLS#1861951)
  Green Home Tour Entry

Ready in May

• St. James: 699 Bennett Mountain Trace, Lot 92
  5br, master down, 4.5ba, 3559sf, $533,900 (MLS#1866914)

Ready in June/July

• Oberlin Ranch: 2154 Briar Chapel Pkwy, Lot 483
  3br, master down, 2ba, 2000sf, $315,250 (MLS#1875933)
• Montclair: 335 Dark Forest Dr, Lot 15
  4br, master down, 3.5ba, 2900sf, $422,135 (MLS#1867118)
• Oakmont: 649 Bennett Mountain Trace, Lot 91
  4br, master down, 3.5ba, 3511sf, $534,900 (MLS#1873524)

If you would like to schedule a showing of any of these homes, or would like more information on other available homes in Briar Chapel, please call Jennifer Winkler at 919-593-3662.