Sol Austin is featured in an article in the July issue of Metropolitan Home, penned by Karrie Jacobs (former Dwell editor) entitled “The New Village Green”. The article looks at four sustainable developments around the country. Our thanks to Karrie for her kind words about the project.
More progress this past week with all of the rough mechanicals finishing up, exterior siding complete and paint. Color is difficult, but we are pretty happy with the way these turned out. We are gearing up for an open house event Thursday, July 23rd. We should have the first five homes complete by then, and another 8-10 under construction. Phase two is scheduled for completion in November.
Sol received a great write up in the Austin American Statesman Business section in today’s Sunday paper written by Shonda Novak:
Lots of progress this last week with windows going in, metal roofs going on and siding install beginning. We are also gearing up to start phase two, which will be another 6 or 7 houses. Look for an open house before the end of June.
Progress continues at a fantastic clip. In the past week we have finished framing on all five houses, as well as rough mechanical. Rough plumbing and electric is about 50%, and we have put down the first coat of concrete sealer on the floors.
If the rest of my life was happening this efficiently, I would be very happy. Things are moving along at an impressive clip. We have two houses completely framed, with rough hvac in one, and two more houses have begun framing.
After a good long period of leaning on our shovels, we are underway with construction of the first five homes at Sol. Working in our favor is the availability of subcontractors, which is going to significantly expedite our construction schedule (first homes to be done in July/August). Illustrated in red below are the homes currently under construction, with some identifying arrows showing where the photos were taken from:
Current homes under construction at Sol
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
If you have been thinking about it, now is the time to act. Why:
• 4.5% 30 year mortgage rates (historically low)
• $8000 Federal Tax Credit for first time homebuyers (talk that this may be available at closing!)
• a two-year rate buydown for the next six homebuyers
• other additional tax credits for renewables/energy efficiency, contingent upon you tax situation
For more information email: info@solaustin.com
Sol and ma hit the front pages of the NY Times today (digital version: www.nytimes.com) with a write up in former Dwell editor Allison Arieff’s design blog (arieff.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/saving-the-suburbs-part-2/).
A big thanks to Allison for being a supporter of urbanism and Austin architecture.
Wednesday, February 18th, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm we will be holding an informational meeting regarding the project at Southwest Key, just around the corner from the property, at 6002 Jain Lane. Learn more about the project from the Architect, as well as helpful information from the lender and realtor on financing and our limited time offer for interest rate buydowns for the next six buyers.
Downloand the pdf flyer:
If you have questions email: info@solaustin.com
Welcome. In this forum we will track the progress of the project, provide news and information and post supplementary images. We are currently working on the finishing touches of our website and it should be up within the next few weeks.
Web address: www.solaustin.com
(currently there is just a registration page up, the full site will be in up in a couple weeks)
Inquiries: info@solaustin.com
SOL (Solutions Oriented Living), the first true NET ZERO* energy community of its kind, is currently underway in Austin and we’re exited to include you on this initial information update!
(*A net zero energy building produces as much energy as it uses over the course of a year. Net zero energy buildings are designed to be extremely energy efficient and have low energy requirements. To meet the remaining energy needs, net zero energy buildings use renewable energy generated on site, in this case photovoltaic panels.)
The SOL timeline:
Conceived nearly two years ago, SOL has benefited from rigorous research, a comprehensive building design process, and extensive community planning. During this time, SOL’s 5.5 acres have been rezoned and subdivided into 38 lots and a community park.
Over the Summer of 2008 we saw the end of design and beginning of construction for 11 original home designs to be showcased at SOL,, and we expect to begin construction in October.
Availability and Pricing:
The first zero energy homes at SOL will be available in the Spring of 2009. Currently 8 of the 40 homes are presold to our community partner, The Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation. 24 of the remaining 2 and 3 bedroom homes (1100-1800sf ) are available for purchase at preconstruction prices ranging from the 200’s to mid 300s.
The remaining 8 homes have been reserved at an affordable price for income-qualified buyers. To find out if you qualify for these specially priced units contact Mark Rogers at 512.479.6275.
Coming Soon:
In the Coming months we’ll be launching our website www.solaustin.com. It will provide design and building performance data, events surrounding the project, as well as sales and pricing information. We’ll send another update to let you know when it’s launched.
If you would like more details on floor plans, pricing or just have any other questions, feel free to contact us.
Brad Deal
Project Manager
KRDB
512.374.0946 x 30i
info@ solaustin.com