Eclectic Environment
Jacklyn Loquidis and Jason Hamric won the Green Home Giveaway and get a makeover in keeping with their already artsy, eco-friendly lifestyle.
RESOURCES:
- Nature’s Tap: Rainwater barrel Alagasco: Tankless water heater
- Pro Energy: Home energy audit
- ToTo: Dual flush toilet
- Portera Landscaping: Sustainable landscaping
- LifeStyle Organizing Services: Home organizing and green cleaning
- Gotgreenkits.com: Green cleaning supplies
- Grow Alabama: Organic vegetable boxes
- Green home remodeling consulting: Emmit Stallworth of Alpha Homebuilders and Rob Stephenson of Stephenson Construction LLC
- Other My Green Home Giveaway sponsors, who donated funds to support the contest, were presenting sponsor Alabama Telco Credit Union, Green Building Focus and Realtor Jessica Escott.
By Laura McAlister Photos by Miller Mobley
When Jacklyn Loquidis heard about My Green Birmingham’s Fall 2009 Green Home Giveaway, she thought her “little hobbit house” in East Lake would be a perfect candidate. It’s an older home in the heart of Birmingham, and she and her husband, freelance photographer Jason Hamric, are dedicated to living green.
“The environment and green initiatives are important to me in my job,” says Loquidis, an interior designer for Cohen, Carnaggio and Reynolds. “It’s also important to me at home. We’re constantly looking for ways to green our house.”
My Green Birmingham Founder Natalie Kelly says the couple’s Spanish-style cottage stood out from the pool of 130 entries. “When we read the Loquidis-Hamric essay, they had already taken some very big steps into greening their home. I think that’s what we liked most. We felt they were really passionate about it,” Kelly says.
Loquidis and Hamric have lived in their East Lake home for about two years. Built in 1928, the house was designed by the same architects who designed Homewood’s Hollywood houses and has the same Spanish bungalow look.
Loquidis encourages green living in her work and blog, so she said it was important to the couple to set an example with their first home. They made their own rain barrels, purchased a hybrid car and a composter, which they use to fertilize their garden. The Green Home Giveaway added even more green features to the three-bedroom, one-bath home.
The makeover started with an energy audit by Pro Energy Consultants. The audit identified spots where insulation was missing and cracks in windows, then provided the couple with information on weather-proofing the house.
Then came one of the couple’s favorite additions to their home: the dual-fl ush toilet. “I never thought I’d be so excited about a toilet,” says Loquidis.
Provided by ToTo, the dual-flush toilet offers two flushes—one that uses 1.6 gallons a fl ush, for solids, and another that uses .9 gallons, for liquids. In addition to conserving water, the dual-flush toilet also will help the couple save on their water bill. In fact, many of the changes made during the green makeover will save the couple money in the long run, Loquidis says.
Other costs and energy savers for the home include a tankless water heater, which heats water instantly, donated by Alagasco. A 65-gallon Moby rain barrel, installed by Nature’s Tap, will also save the couple on their water bill. The barrel collects rainwater that can be used for outdoor watering without tapping into the city’s water supply.
Jennifer Jones of LifeStyle Organizing Services organized the house. The idea was to introduce creativity in “friendly ways to help save money, and at the same time make their home comfortable, functional and beautiful,” she says.
Jones says in reorganizing the house, they were able to reuse and rearrange items the couple already owned to give the home a new feel. “In doing so, this made each room look totally different.” The company also cleaned the house using all-natural cleaning products.
Loquodis describes her style as mid-century modern. “I love anything from the 1950s.”
The home is decorated with artwork from friends and her husband. The living room is a mix of modern art and furniture with antiques, while the dining room is more traditional, and the sunroom, the couple’s favorite space, is “ultra modern,” Loquidis says.
Landscaping was the final step. Andy Portera of Portera Landscaping chose drought-tolerant plants that are easy to maintain but also complement the style of the house. Those included frost-proof gardenias, New Dawn Climbing roses, chives and rosemary.
The greening of the Loquidis-Hamric home took more than two months, but Loquidis says it was worth it. “Everyday has been like Christmas,” she says. Kelly says she hopes it’s just the start of bringing awareness to the importance of going green. My Green Birmingham is planning another green makeover giveaway in the fall.
“My Green Birmingham is really dedicated to helping Birmingham turn into a more eco-friendly city,” she says. “I wanted to use this as a learning tool for getting people to think about how they can green their home. Whether it’s a giveaway or articles on the website, my goal is always to help Birmingham move forward. That’s what it’s about. I hope more people will get on board and take the green challenge.”
To learn more about My Green Birmingham and upcoming contests, visit mygreenbirmingham.com.
