Solar townhouses wave the green flag

1831 Lincoln Street

A new pair of townhouses at 1831 Lincoln St in Evanston is joining Chicago’s green construction wave. The two townhouses, one of which has already sold, are chock full of eco-friendly materials and are set up to be both low-maintenance and energy-efficient.

The remaining three-bedroom unit has four floors and checks in at about 2,800 square feet. Aside from appointments like plasma hookups, Italian kitchen cabinets, three full balconies, a rooftop deck and wet bar, a steam bath, and a two-car heated garage, here is a laundry list of the building’s earth-loving attributes:

  • Bamboo flooring throughout the living room, stairs, and master bedroom
  • Slate-floor passive heating system warmed by the sun in winter and kept cool by wooden canopies in the summer
  • Gas fireplace that uses outside combustion to obtain oxygen, which conserves heat loss
  • Kitchen featuring a bamboo butcher block and recycled-glass countertops
  • Bathroom with countertops made from recycled paper
  • Hot water entirely heated by rooftop solar panels
  • Wired for photovoltaic (i.e., capable of producing a voltage when exposed to radiant energy) power
  • Rooftop deck made from recycled tires
  • Building fully insulated with blown-in rockwall insulation
  • Yard landscaped with no-mow grass and native plants to cut down on mowing and watering

In addition, the building is located one block from a Metra station and shops, restaurants and other necessities. The building represents a step forward in commitment to green building in Chicago, says Reebie Ryan, of Weichert, Realtors, which is marketing the project. “A lot of people are putting in bamboo floors and calling it green,” she says. “This is about as green as you can get.” The building is set to be completed in the next three to four weeks. Weichert has the property listed for $1,049,000.

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