Warmington Homes

When the Status Quo Just Won't Do

By Russ J. Stacey

There's no question about it. Green is in.

Eco friendliness and energy efficiency are the ways to go these days. An Inconvenient Truth, former Vice President Al Gore's documentary on global warming, made over $24 million at the box office, auto makers are rolling hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles off assembly lines like never before and the home building industry is setting new standards for building homes that leave a cleaner "environmental footprint."

On the forefront of this green revolution is Warmington Homes California and their newest residential development, Vantage of Palo Alto, the Peninsula's largest solar-powered residential community.

The homes' nearly 20 energy-efficient features are crowned &mdash literally and figuratively &mdash by rooftop solar panels that power a 2-kilowatt photovoltaic electrical system. Palo Alto had requested that Warmington Homes include the solar panels as an optional feature, but the home builder decided that, since extensive research and planning had already been completed, they would include them as a standard feature in each home. They are so efficient that homeowners could potentially see negative power bills, according to Cheryl O'Connor, Warmington Homes' Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Other green features in the "Eichler-inspired" homes at Vantage of Palo Alto include energy-efficient appliances and windows, tankless on-demand water heaters, the use of recycled construction materials and drought-resistant landscaping. Pricing starts in the mid-$800,000s for the two- to three-bedroom Vantage townhomes, ranging up to approximately 1,605 square feet.

The homes at Vantage were judged by Green Points, a rating system developed by Alameda County (www.greenpointrated.org). A score of 50 is the minimal requirement; Vantage of Palo Alto received 110 total points, far exceeding the "Gold Level Status."

Product development is important to Warmington Homes California, and the builder spends a great deal of advance time and planning on design to ensure that the architectural elements of a residential project meet the expectations of the buyer's profile. Special care had to be taken since Vantage was built near both a commercial area (Google, Yahoo and Sun Microsystems are located nearby) and a traditional neighborhood known as East Meadow.

"Our location here in Palo Alto is ideal because of its incredible presence in the heart of world-renowned Silicon Valley. The city offers exceptional schools and an unsurpassed quality of life. The adjacent East Meadow neighborhood helped define and inspire Vantage's architecture. It's contemporary with clean lines," O'Connor said. Expansive windows and corner glass are prominent in all Vantage homes and that helps to bring the outside in, fitting right in with the Eichler-like neighborhood and casual California lifestyle.

And going with a green program is as contemporary as it gets for a home builder such as Warmington. Green homes are becoming increasingly commonplace in communities as home buyers begin to appreciate the added value to their investment and the beneficial impact on the environment. At the beginning of Vantage's embryonic stage 24 months ago, such an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient approach was considered forward thinking. Now, many home builders have witnessed Warmington's sales success at Vantage and are considering implementing similar green and sustainable features in their own new home communities.

Building quality homes for eight decades, Warmington Homes California has solidified its reputation as a premier home builder with innovative designs and well-constructed homes in a variety of price ranges and architectural styles.

But it was the home builder's enduring emphasis on excellence, health, quality of life, energy costs and dwindling natural resources that led Warmington to embrace the green building practices at Vantage of Palo Alto.

"The city of Palo Alto was very receptive to implementing a resourceful and comprehensive green building program here at Vantage," O'Connor said. "We have a great relationship with the city, and local officials have been very supportive of this community."

"Warmington Homes went above and beyond what the city of Palo Alto had suggested be included at Vantage from a solar energy perspective," said Lindsay Joye, City of Palo Alto Utilities Solar Programs engineer. "Rather than simply offering the 2-kilowatt photovoltaic system as an option for home buyers, Warmington went even further and decided to include the solar panels as a standard feature on every home."

O'Connor said the home builder views the Vantage project as a "superb opportunity to put into place, on a large scale, all the best green building practices and features that we'd been evaluating for several years."

Warmington Homes California is currently building new home neighborhoods in San Jose, Hayward, Alameda, Brentwood and Sacramento. Warmington also has a strong presence in Southern California and Las Vegas, NV. The company considers the Bay Area and Southern California as locations for tremendous future growth.

And the home builder considers their dedication to ingenuity as a key factor for that growth. "Many buyers are looking for the green aspects," O'Connor said. "It's a huge benefit and it's unique. It sets Vantage and Warmington apart from the competition."

Warmington Homes' community, Vantage of Palo Alto, is located at 928 East Meadow Drive in Palo Alto, CA 94303. Call (650) 856-0257 or visit warmingtonhomesca.com for more information.

"Our location here in Palo Alto is ideal because of its incredible presence in the heart of world-renowned Silicon Valley."

September 2007 Builder Architect Edition Issue

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