The end of our posts....for now

The previous post has a few more photos of our completed project. I have also done a before/after photo montage. I hope what comes across is that you can use reclaimed, recycled or alternative materials and still look good....even great.  Going green doesn't mean sacrificing style.  In fact, since this is such an emerging market a lot of resources are being used to come up with some really cool looking stuff.  It's capitalism at its best...what will be the next IT material?  

We have officially been in our house for almost 2 months now.  Still loving it and glad we embarked upon our adventure.  It is amazing how much time I have now that it is over.  Some final notes.....

Our front yard landscaping will be totally xeriscape.  A local community college (not the one where we got our floors) is using our project as their case study in xeriscape.  Hopefully we'll get some great designs at the end of the semester and can implement them in the spring of 2009.  The website for Cuyamaca College Xeriscape Institute is http://www.thegarden.org

We will receive some free trees from a program that San Diego County has promoting shade on homes.  All we had to do is attend a class on how to correctly plant and maintain trees and in a few weeks, they will be delivered to our house---free!  The program has lost its funding for 2009, but keep checking the website because you never know.  http://www.sdreo.org/ContentPage.asp?ContentID=38&SectionID=31

We have had 2 bills from SDG&E (local utility) and we are quite pleased with the savings we've incurred.  We only pay for gas during the year and that ran us 9.00 the first month and 5.00 the second month.  Our electric bill is paid once a year, but so far, we are in the positive since it has been good sun months.  That will help us during the fall and winter.  He hope to get close to breaking even....we'll see!  It is great that we don't have to pay for gas heat though!  Glad we went electric with that.