Tommy Williams Homes

We were awarded three Aurora Awards during the Annual Industry Gala at the 2010 Southeast Building Conference/Green Building Show in Orlando. We won for our Zero Energy Home in Longleaf Village here in Gainesville. We won Aurora's in the following categories:

Celebrate with the whole family!

 Make these charming tin can herb pots and watch them grow all summer long! This project not only recycles, it creates new life, and is a great Earth Day craft. Your child can watch her plants grow for months to come and be proud that she created the container that holds them.

What you'll need:

How to make it:

1. Completely wash and dry aluminum can. If necessary, sand off any rough edges from opening of can.
2. Turn can upside down. Parent should use screwdriver or other pointed object to poke holes in the bottom of the can. Use a hammer to tap the end of the screwdriver to make the holes.
3. Paint outside of can with one coat of gesso. Let dry completely.
4. Paint can in the desired color, repeat coats if needed.
5. Decorate however you like. Use a thin paint brush for long lines, dip the end of the paint brush into paint for polka dots.
6. Decorate with stickers if desired.
7. In a well-ventilated area, spray the outside of the completed can with acrylic sealer spray. Let dry.
8. Place enough rocks or pebbles in the bottom of the can to form a single layer.
9. Add enough potting soil to fill the can two-thirds full.
10. Remove potted herb from its container and transplant into the can.
11. Fill edges with remaining potting soil, gently pat down so that plant is firmly in the can but not compacted so much that it’s too tight.
12. Place can on a plate (to catch any water drainage) and add some water to the newly planted herbs.
13. Paint craft stick whatever color you like. Allow to dry.
14. Cut a piece of thin cardboard into a small rectangle (about 1.5 x 3 inches) using pinking shears.
15. Paint both side of the cardboard with gesso, let dry.
16. Glue the rectangle to the top of the craft stick.
17. Use a black permanent marker to write the herb name onto the rectangle.
18. Insert your plant marker into the soil, being careful not to crush any roots along the way.
19. Place your new garden in a sunny window and remember to water them!

Tips:

• A 4-inch potted plant will be enough to make 2-3 vegetable sized cans (15 oz) or one larger tomato sauce type can (28 oz).
• This is a great project to teach kids about growing plants, especially edible ones. Take this opportunity to visit your local library and check out a book on simple container gardening or gardening with kids.
• Keep the kids involved, be sure they take care of “their” plant. Have them water their plant and show them how to check to see if the soil is too dry or just right by gently touching the soil surface with their finger.
• Eat these herbs! Your kids will light up when they get to pinch off a basil leaf to add to your spaghetti sauce.

Information from Kaboose

To RSVP click here: Ginney@TommyWilliamsHomes.com

 On Monday, 1/25,  ECS-Solar will fire up the solar panels on Florida's first, true Zero-Energy, production home.   The  homes is now complete - save for a few touch ups & cleaning.  

November 13, 2009 - We broke ground on our 2nd zero energy home and our 1st "entry-level" zero energy home.  This home is in our Belmont neighborhood.  It will be priced around $249,000 and after all of the rebates and tax credits the net price shouild be around $210,000.   $210,000 of for a true "Net Zero Energy Home"... unbelievable.  This home will be in our spring parade in April of 2010 but is, of course, for sale now. 

Thanks to everyone who came out to support and learn about our Net Zero Energy homes.  Special thanks to Bosshardt Title who brough some fabulous desserts and to Alarion Bank who provided a most delicous lunch from Fresco Neighborhood Italian restuarant (highly recommended).

Here's a link to the news coverage of the event from our local ABC affiliate WCJB TV-20:

www.wcjb.com/news/5445/zero-energy-solar-homes

Hello.  Is this thing on?

Welcome to the Zero Energy Blog: My name is Todd Louis.  I am the Vice President of Tommy Williams Homes.

This is the first post and the first picture for the first blog about the first "zero-energy" production home by America's first Zero-Energy production builder!  Ta-Dah!!!

o.k. so it doesn't look different than any other home.  But it is! (or, at least, it will be!)  When this home is finished and some lucky homeowner moves in, their annual electric bill will be: $0.00, Zip, Zero, Zilch, NADA!  And the best thing of all?  This is only the beginning.  This home, "The Galloway", is just the first in Tommy Williams line of Zero Energy homes. 

This model is a 3 bedroom, 21/2 bath plus a study and about 2250 heated and cooled square feet.  But, soon we will have others! 

We hope this is a watershed. I believe it is.  I think, and I hope, as we all do here at TWH, that in our lifetime, we will see the day when every new home is built this way.  And why not?

Peace,

Todd