Like most Hamptonites, KDH loves to pour over pictures of haute Hamptons homes ~ whether it’s a mansion on Meadow Lane, a perfect Montauk whaling cottage, or a Victorian farmhouse in Water Mill. Here’s a buzzworthy newcomer to the market: 324 Wainscott Harbor Road, a LEED Gold Status [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] home which sits on a flag lot boasting 5,000 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, a detached garage with recreational room above, a pool house, and heated gunite pool set on 2 acres with room for tennis.

LEED for Homes is a voluntary rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) which promotes the design and construction of high-performance homes. A LEED home is designed to save energy, water, and therefore money [a minimum of 20% more efficient than a home built to code]. A LEED home also provides a healthy environment for families, and data has shown that green and efficient buildings often sell for more, and in less time, than non-green buildings.

The builders behind the project are Ferguson Design & Construction, a woman-owned business located in Sagaponack. Sarah Ferguson is President and Kim Kakerbeck and is Vice President. Sarah shares, “Overall, it’s just the right thing to do and we think we’ve hit it at the right time,” said Ferguson. “People are finally paying attention to this sort of thing — for political, personal and environmental convictions, not to mention monetary!” “We have friends who are builders who used to make fun of us with our build better, build green theme. Now we’re seeing them put in green features,” states Kakerbeck.

Sarah adds, “For the homebuyer, LEED is like the nutrition label that demonstrates in measurable terms that a home incorporates efficient techniques and features, and that the final product has been third party-verified and performance tested.”

To sum it up this house has received the following certifications:

Department of Energy (DOE) Challenge Home – 2013 winner
LEED for Homes – Gold (only reason the house didn’t win Platinum rating is due to it’s large size)
Energy Star 3.0
Environtmenta Protection Agency (EPA) Indoor airPlus
Environtmenta Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense
HERS Index: 43 (compared to a non-efficeint home which would be 100 – 130 HERS index)

Here are some of the excellent Eco-Features of 324 Wainscott Harbor Road:

House outfitted for solar panels

Radiant heat in basement floor as well as all bathrooms in main house

Highly insulated keeping….home warm in winter and cool in summer

Windows are highly efficient (triple pane/argon gas) and made by Marvin

HVAC system complies with Energy Star 3.0 – the latest standard
Air exchange system to keep air quality pure

Insulated home-run plumbing system (water heats faster and easier to maintain)
Tankless hot water heater

All appliances, kitchen and bath fixtures, many ceiling light fixtures, bathroom and ceiling fans are Energy Star and/or meet WaterSense requirements

House equipped with a state of the art alarm and monitoring system allowing homeowner to adjust heat or AC remotely. Camera so you can view the living room/kitchen area remotely. Keyless lock system to the basement that can be locked or unlocked remotely or a pin number punched in to gain access. A light can be turned on/off remotely

3 gas fireplaces – among the most efficient on the market….made in New Hampshire and can function even when the power goes out!

Kitchen countertop is Silestone and endorsed by the US Green Building Council.

Kitchen cabinets and den paneling are made with reclaimed 200 year-old barn board
Pool is equipped with highly energy efficient heater and filter systems
Select furniture made out of 200 year-old barn board

***Corcoran Exclusive – Elaine Stimmel & Jonathon Milioti

http://www.corcoran.com/hamptons/Listings/Display/2543892#WebID=11680