Building Green
Longtime green builder builds energy efficiency with ease by Janelle Guthrie Communications Director
Martha Rose has a vision: A future where ALL new homes are healthy to live in and produce as much or more energy than they consume. A board member of the Skagit/ Island Counties Builders Association (SICBA), Rose of Martha Rose Construction says building healthy and energyefficient homes at an affordable cost is not only viable, it’s the right thing to do. And when you visit her job sites, you can see how she does it. Net-zero, solar-powered, livework units Rose lives and works out of one of the homes she built in Abbot’s Alley near downtown SedroWoolley in Skagit County. It’s one of six townhomes that make up her community of solar-powered live-work units. When she started construction of the community, she had a lofty goal: Meet the requirements of the US Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home program while building units priced comparably to other entry-level housing in Skagit County. The end result? Six units with Home Energy Rating System scores of -13 for the roughly
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1,800-sq. ft. homes. The homes, equipped with a full solar array already installed, sold for $377,500 in 2019. The project epitomizes Rose’s philosophy and her passion.
The ‘house as a system’ “Forty-five years ago, I believed the Washington State Energy Codes were rigorous enough,” Rose said. “Compared to the East Coast, and even Portland, our state was leading the pack.