With 300 new-home sales in just over two years, Tributary at New Manchester, a 1,475-acre live/work/play community with a small-town feel, has established itself as one of the best-selling and most talked about communities in metropolitan Atlanta.

“Our commitment to the EarthCraft House program has been critical to our success,” declares Rick Mildner, Tributary's chief operating officer and general manager. He explains that EarthCraft construction, with its emphasis on economical, healthy homes that protect the environment, is prominent among features drawing buyers to this new master-planned community just outside Atlanta's city limits at the eastern edge of Douglas County.

The seven-year-old EarthCraft House program, developed by the Southface Energy Institute and the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, received a significant boost with Tributary's commitment to certify all of its builders and homes. The 3,000 new residences to be built there represent the largest application of the EarthCraft House Program in metro Atlanta.

That commitment and the resultant sales pace have focused the industry's eyes on Tributary. This summer, Tributary was the first all-EarthCraft community to host the prestigious luxury-home show, The Street of Dreams. For many of the 35,000 visitors to the show, it provided a first look at how the EarthCraft House program works.

Training and Oversight

Using stringent guidelines — for heating/ventilation/air conditioning systems, duct work, insulation, erosion control, and window/door openings, among others — the voluntary EarthCraft House program provides builders with training and construction oversight for all sizes and types of new homes that will deliver lower operating costs.

Although builders can choose the EarthCraft approaches best suited to their plans, they must submit worksheets stating which measures they plan to incorporate.

“Each builder's worksheet is detailed and must be verified by an EarthCraft House inspector,” Mr. Mildner says. He regards the EarthCraft House program as especially appropriate to a cutting-edge development such as Tributary. Here, walkable neighborhoods have wide, tree-lined sidewalks, community spaces allow residents to enjoy wireless Internet connections, and a full-time activities director presides over indoor diversions at activity centers as well as outdoor sports.

Convenient to downtown Atlanta, the airport, and the Vinings/Galleria area, Tributary's rolling acres are adjacent to the Chattahoochee River and the 2,500-acre Sweetwater Creek State Park. Its small-town development plan includes swimming pools, tennis courts, fitness centers, nature trails, neighborhood parks and playgrounds as well as planned retail and office space.

EarthCraft Construction Always in Style

“Our styles include pre-1940s Coastal, Colonial Revival, Classic Revival, Arts and Crafts and Victorian as well as more traditional suburban designs,” says Mr. Mildner. “The beauty of EarthCraft construction is that healthy, energy-efficient homes are compatible with every home style. Here at Tributary, we prove that environmentally advanced technologies can go hand in hand with beautiful homes.”

Tributary's array of nature activities — walking, mountain biking, fly fishing, kayaking and even camping — also appeals to buyers who embrace the EarthCraft concept.

“I am also a believer,” declares Dan O'Dwyer, president of O'Dwyer Homes, now building in River Banks, Tributary’s second neighborhood. “EarthCraft construction is the wave of the future, not only for the benefit of consumers, but also for the marketability of homes and enhanced reputation of builders.

“We think it offers customers an excellent opportunity to live in an environmentally friendly home that enables them to save on energy bills over a long period of time.”

Like Mr. O'Dwyer, builders who have already become certified feel well positioned to do good business, as the Southface Energy Institute expects its EarthCraft House Program to penetrate 10 percent of the Atlanta new-home market by 2008. By then or sooner, its reach may include other markets.

EarthCraft Builds Sales

Bryan Cohen joined the builder team at Tributary at New Manchester. Learning that the developer required EarthCraft House certification, he took the course.

“I found EarthCraft an interesting program in and of itself,” says Mr. Cohen, president of Touchstone Homes and a board member of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association.

Now that he is building EarthCraft homes in Tributary's River Banks neighborhood, Mr. Cohen finds the inspection process rigorous but, in the end, worth the effort.

“I think it drives sales. The neighborhood is being marketed to buyers who appreciate what we are doing here.”

There’s another, more subtle element to the attraction, says O'Dwyer Homes' Dan O'Dwyer, who has been an EarthCraft builder for several years: “Tributary, surrounded by rivers and streams, has such an institutional emphasis on nature that it provides a wonderful synergy for a program like EarthCraft. It's a great hand-in-hand concept.”

For Paul Zachos, president of custom builder Hillcrest Homes, EarthCraft was a natural fit: “I took the training in order to build at Tributary. Even after 15 years as a builder, I learned techniques that contribute to better houses,” he says.

Mr. Zachos, who is building in The Village at Tributary, likes the sponsored products that include Integrity Windows and Doors, Whirlpool ENERGY STAR appliances and Thermax sheathing.

“Take Integrity, for example. The product exceeds building-code requirements. It is a tighter window that saves people money. Besides that, the appearance and aesthetics are superior.”

Tributary Residents See EarthCraft Benefits

Tributary is ideal for Frank Banich. A new homeowner at Tributary, it didn't take him long to notice the improved air quality and real cost savings in his EarthCraft house.

“There's a lot less dust and it is easier to keep the inside of the house clean,” said Mr. Banich, whose home is in The Village, Tributary’s first neighborhood. The cost savings have also been a big plus. “My electric bills in the cold months were running almost $1,200 a month in my previous house, compared to maybe $80 in my new home at Tributary.”

Steve Herzlieb, another Tributary homebuyer, echoes those sentiments. As a Southface Energy Institute inspector for the EarthCraft House Program, he fully understands its benefits and wanted a certified home.

“I believe in what I do and, beyond that, there was Tributary and the amenities, neighborhood layout and lifestyle it offers. As our toddler grows up, there will be lots for him to do here.” Look for more information about Tributary and EarthCraft House at:

• Tributary at New Manchester: www.TributaryGA.com
• EarthCraft House: www.EarthCraftHouse.com
• Southface Institute: www.Southface.org