Comments on: USA Today Writer Building Falls Church ‘Dream Green House’

By: Mike Nichols, Falls Church

Mike Nichols, Falls Church — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:17:45 +0000

Just my two cents as one of the owners building the green house on Grove Ave — every one of the City staff who was involved in the review of the plans, on-site inspections, etc. has been quick, efficient, helpful, and encouraging. Our experience has been exceptionally positive dealing with the City, and we’re very grateful for their professionalism and expertise!

Great discussion, thanks, Falls Church Times, for facilitating this!

By: Andy Rankin (Falls Church)

Andy Rankin (Falls Church) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:02:36 +0000

Can you cut down trees without a permit?

Some of the trees they took down had to go (in order to put up a new house) – one of the trees was practically touching the existing house. There were a couple of trees on the back of the lot that I was surprised that they removed.

I’m sure the City will require them to put in an underground storage tank to help deal with storm water – not that that’s the same thing as trees, but it’s something.

By: Gordon Theisz, CITY of Falls Church

Gordon Theisz, CITY of Falls Church — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:45:56 +0000

Said house will be on N. Virginia, just down the street from Brian. The design is totally out of character with the other houses on the street. Brian’s house fits. Beyond taste, the owners bought on a street that is a forest and then took down trees ahead of the permitting process (can’t do that once you apply for a permit). Taking down trees is not a very green thing to do. Other famed green homes in town are significantly larger than the one they replaced. Being energy efficient itself is one thing, but if the new home consumes more energy then the one it replaces, then it is not an improvement. There is more to being environmental than energy efficiency and walkability. Water management in the city is a major issue and as a city we have made it our goal to slow the loss of our tree canopy. Taking down trees before permitting is a tactic used by developers to get around the FCC tree ordinance. Score so far minus one for the new resident.

By: Andy Rankin (Falls Church)

Andy Rankin (Falls Church) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:03:18 +0000

I’d be surprised if Ms. Koch isn’t recycling a lot of the debris from the old house. Many builders are doing this now – even when they’re not building a “green” house – because it’s expensive to have all the debris hauled off to the dump.

Also, these older houses are not very efficient and while there are options for updating them I think it reasonable to consider how much more efficient the new structure will be when thinking about the issue of whether or not it’s environmentally good to rip down an existing structure.

As for it being “ramshackle” or not – according to Merriam Webster I think the building in question might qualify: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ramshackle – I’m not anti-old house (my house is over 130 years old) but the house being torn down in this case doesn’t appear to be of high quality.

I’m not sure what to say about Ms. Koch’s past transgressions with McMansions – live and learn I guess.

By: Michael Slonim, Falls Church City

Michael Slonim, Falls Church City — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:01:20 +0000

Kudos to Ms. Koch on building a green home and doing it in FCC! We’ve been very good at building inefficient, poorly designed houses for the last half century…I’m happy to see this trend slowly reversing as documented by Ms. Koch in USA Today. One suggestion…look at the possibility of harnessing “gray water” from you diswasher, sinks, washing machines, tubs/showers for use in toilets and as an option for gardening (two hose faucets – potable and gray). While this would be cost prohibitive in existing houses, it seems to me it could be done (easily??) in a new green build. Good luck!

By: Neil Shawen, City of Falls Church

Neil Shawen, City of Falls Church — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:00:16 +0000

As someone who lives in one of Ms. Koch’s “ramshackle” houses, I can’t help but question the wisdom and ecological sensitivity of admitted McMansion dwellers (did they build that charmer too? – by living in one they certainly supported that lamentable trend) who buy a lot and tear down the existing house to build a new one amidst self-promoting fanfare. Where do the tons and tons of
rubble go, anyway? As she chronicles her expenses and habitat adventures, it seems as if Ms. Koch is more friendly to the economy than to the ecology.

By: Lynn Wagner in Falls Church City

Lynn Wagner in Falls Church City — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:20:11 +0000

This home is on N. Virginia Avenue. A lot of trees have already been removed from the property.

By: Michael A. Sponseller

Michael A. Sponseller — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:47:02 +0000

So great to see the Koch family right-sizing their housing options and pushing the issue of sustainability with their new home. Being a custom builder, we’re very familiar with the pains of new construction, especially on a single-house basis. Finding a builder comfortable with progressive and green design can be a challenge, but once the process is complete, the feeling of accomplishment from designing and building your own home will be unparalleled. As an Energy Star certified builder with on-staff LEED AP, we’d be happy to help out and answer any questions we can. http://www.fusioncustomhomes.com.

By: Andy Rankin (Falls Church)

Andy Rankin (Falls Church) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:46:03 +0000

The City should (and can) be efficient with the permitting process. Some permit issues have time components build in (x days for public review, etc.) and others are actually outsourced to third parties – which can add time – but many should be pretty quick. In my experience, the key is to not rely on the builder to know or understand the permit process. Builders use “waiting on permits” as an excuse sometimes – make sure they really are waiting on them instead of waiting to submit for them.

Also, I think builders are used to working with much larger organizations (Fairfax and Arlington Counties, for example) and don’t realize that a couple of strategic phone calls can make a big difference in Falls Church.

As for the location, I recognize that house but I assume if the writer/builder wanted people to know the exact location she would have published it.

By: Gerald Pressman (City of Falls Church)

Gerald Pressman (City of Falls Church) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:38:28 +0000

THE “GREEN” HOME IS IN THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH. THE CITY GOVERNMENT HAS DECIDED TO SPEND TAX PAYER MONEY ON A CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH.

WOULD IT BE TOO MUCH TO ASK THE FALLS CHURCH (CITY) TIMES TO USE FALLS CHURCH CITY WHEN WRITING ABOUT ITEMS THAT ARE IN THE CITY?

FALLS CHURCH IS AN AREA IN FAIRFAX COUNTY THAT IS 7 TIMES THE SIZE AND 10 TIMES THE POPULATION OF THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH. THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH IS 2.2 SQUARE MILES, WITH IT’S OWN CITY GOVERNMENT, POLICE DEPARTMENT AND AWARD WINNING SCHOOLS.