Hammers and nails are flying as construction has begun on the 2010 Idea Living Home in Dahlonega, Georgia. The Show Home at Achasta is a 3,200 square foot paired home in the Fairway Village.

The home overlooks the 10th and 18th fairways of the Achasta golf course. It features state-of-the-art sustainable building techniques and materials and high-quality construction by New Leaf Homes by Reynolds. Our sustainable interiors and exterior consultant is Johnna Barrett with Sustain House.

While the benefits of enhanced sustainable architecture are widely understood, most consumers and builders are unaware of the healthy choices that can be made with sustainable interiors. Here are a few ways that we plan to incorporate these sustainable features into this year’s Ideal Living Home at Achasta.

In recent years, granite has become the standard for countertop composition in home interiors. What most builders and consumers don’t know is that granite isn’t an environmentally sustainable material. There are limited granite resources and its extraction requires mining. An on-going debate of whether or not granite emits radon makes it an unattractive choice for those looking for healthy and sustainable interiors as well.

Thanks to sustainable advancements, we now have beautiful alternatives to granite countertops. These alternative countertops are made from recycled sources such as glass, recycled paper, and other recycled material. These sustainable countertop alternatives are not only beautiful but are also extremely durable.

The Ideal Living Home will also feature carpets made from two different types of recycled materials. One will be a PET product made from recycled bottles and the other will be an Anso Nylon which is made from recycled carpet. Due to the strength of its fibers, the carpet can be recycled over and over again as an alternative to being dumped.

Engineered hardwood floors will be used throughout the home. These floors are considered sustainable and healthy for multiple reasons. The top layer of the floor will be sourced from a company dedicated to sustainable forestry, while the inner core will be made of composite material using recycled byproducts from lumber companies.

The Ideal Living Home’s sustainable construction will blend perfectly with Achasta’s commitment to natural preservation and the North Georgia Mountains.

For more information visit www.achasta.com or call (888) 988-6222.