Apr 02 2009
Green and gorgeous
This month, we’re all abuzz here at Herlong & Associates because our company is featured in the April issue of Coastal Living magazine.
The Sullivan’s Island house belongs to owner Steve Herlong and his wife, Susan, and is part of a feature on living green on the beach. Taking inspiration from a local lighthouse that had been destroyed by a hurricane in the 1800s, Steve and Susan designed a 4,200-square-foot house with a lighthouse tower facing the water, spectacular views and a comfortable feel – all created in an eco-friendly manner.
You can check out the article on the Coastal Living Web site and see the amazing photos of this home.
With a dream of being an architect since the sixth grade, Steve is inspired by Charleston’s history, open spaces and water views. His home is a combination of that history – with its tribute to a 19th-century lighthouse – and the amazing ocean vista that flows into the house through its large windows and open porches.
Even though the house has several green features, many are tucked away and are an example of how architectural design can incorporate green and gorgeous.
As pointed out in the magazine article, the living room has a cypress, V-groove, barrel-vaulted ceiling, but what’s behind the ceiling is a closed-cell spray foam insulation that seals the home and helps regulate the temperature. Low VOC paint was used in the house along with reclaimed wood countertops in the kitchen and light-colored steel that extends about 2 feet beyond the walls of the house to create shade for the windows below.
“To me, green architecture means designing an efficient and enduring house,” Steve says in the article. “It just takes a different way of thinking.”
