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Expert Interview Series: Sean Sullivan of Living Stone Construction About the Appeal and Durability of Green Homes

Expert Interview Series: Sean Sullivan of Living Stone Construction About the Appeal and Durability of Green Homes

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Sean Sullivan, the president of Living Stone Construction, is an award-winning builder who specializes in designing and building high-performance green homes in Asheville, North Carolina. We recently spoke with Sean to learn more about today’s green homes and why they are becoming more popular among home buyers.

Tell us a bit about your background. Why did you decide to concentrate on building green homes?

My father was a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps. After he ascended the leadership ladder and finished taking command of different air bases, he began teaching TQM (Total Quality Management) and later formed his own consulting company. I learned not only from his teachings, but also those of others like W. Edwards Deming who said, “It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best.”

So when we first heard that there was a rating system coming to western North Carolina for ENERGY STAR and Greenbuilt-certified homes, we immediately signed up. We simply believe that if you are going to do something, do it right.

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The 2016 Southern Living Inspired Home: A mountain home at one with its setting

The 2016 Southern Living Inspired Home: A mountain home at one with its setting

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By Charles Richardson
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A timeless setting
The first thing you notice about French Broad Crossing (FBC) is the exquisite Western North Carolina setting: pure, pristine, secluded, and in perfect harmony with the lush, densely forested hills that form a natural amphitheater of majesty and timeless beauty. Residents here liken it “to living in one’s own national park,” yet it’s just a short drive from the dynamic city of Asheville, NC. Indeed, much of the land at FBC is permanently preserved, held in conservation to prevent further development. Families are drawn to an idyllic living experience that can be passed down to future generations, in the same undisturbed state that exists today. It is here, against the backdrop of ancient rolling mountains and the mighty French Broad River—third oldest river in the world according to geologists—that the new 2016 Southern Living Inspired Home will reside.

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107 Raccoon Run, Marshall NC – Southern Living Inspired Home

107 Raccoon Run, Marshall NC – Southern Living Inspired Home

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$850,000 • 3 Bed, 3 Bath • 2,100 sq/ft • (828) 669-4343 • 70% Complete • License #49058 • www.LivingStoneConstruction.com

“The Water’s Edge is a classic example of how to design+build mountain living to maximize views. This home works for anyone, but especially those who are looking for style.”

Special Features:

A Southern Living model home
Universally designed for main level living and aging-in-place
Master bath wet room with undermount tub
Beams, wainscoting, millwork and built-ins
Second floor suite with adjacent reading loft and ‘ready-to-finish’ basement
Incredible great room with wall of glass and over-sized slider doors
Covered back porch with fireplace and incredible mountain views!
An Energy-Star and Greenbuilt NC certified home

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Entry-level Homes Making a Comeback

Entry-level Homes Making a Comeback

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Submitted by Sean D. Sullivan, Living Stone Construction Inc.

Entry Level HomeWaist size. College tuition. Kidney stones. Many things in life don’t get better as they grow bigger. Often times, the best things comes in small(er) packages.

In recent years, the tiny-home trend has taken that philosophy to the extreme. But it hasn’t quite caught on with mainstream America. The overwhelming majority of home buyers still prefer to own an abode with ample space in which to live, relax and entertain.

The median size of homes built in 2015 was bigger than ever, and the portion of those homes with four or more bedrooms grew to 47 percent. But so far in 2016, the median home size appears to have reached a plateau, leveling off after several years of gradual growth.

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221 View Ridge Parkway, Leicester NC 28748

221 View Ridge Parkway, Leicester NC 28748

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Community: Blue Mist Farms – 11 Farm Cove Lane, Leicester NC 28759
Status: Land/Home Package
Price: starting at $487,000
Contact: Heather Wheatley 828.335.0735

Gorgeous, craftsman pre-construction home by award winning Living Stone Construction in Asheville’s hidden gem: Blue Mist Farms! This universally designed home boasts a quaint craftsman architectural feel and is also incredibly energy efficient construction. It works well for families of all size & ages. Open floor plan, 9′ ceilings, Energy Star rated, NC Green Built! BMF features pool, clubhouse, tennis court, breathtaking views for miles and less than 20 minutes to downtown AVL! Must see!

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The Alexis – 21 Talking Rock Lane, Leicester NC 28748

The Alexis – 21 Talking Rock Lane, Leicester NC 28748

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Community: Blue Mist Farms – 11 Farm Cove Lane, Leicester NC 28759
Status: Land/Home Package
Price: starting at $499,000
Contact: Heather Wheatley 828.335.0735

Gorgeous, craftsman pre-construction home by award winning Living Stone Construction in Asheville’s hidden gem: Blue Mist Farms! This universally designed home boasts a quaint craftsman architectural feel and is also incredibly energy efficient construction. It works well for families of all size & ages. Open floor plan, 9′ ceilings, Energy Star rated, NC Green Built! BMF features pool, clubhouse, tennis court, breathtaking views for miles and less than 20 minutes to downtown AVL! Must see!

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Rhodo Reno – A Case Study In Right Size Design

Rhodo Reno – A Case Study In Right Size Design

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Sean and Laura SullivanThe Rhodo Reno
A case study in “Right Size” Design
By Sean Sullivan, AMB, CGP, CAPS

My wife (Laura) and I decided to buy a 1960’s rancher in downtown Black Mountain to renovate for ourselves. We liked the feel of downtown and wanted to be close in to the lake, park, pool and center of town. We had our work cut out for us though since the home hadn’t been touched in nearly 40 years!
The 900sf shack sat on a crawl space situated nicely on a corner lot near the golf course. Believers in making all things beautiful, and the desire to give every home we touch “curb appeal”, we first nailed down the floor plan. We wanted to keep as much of the original structure as possible, leaving the two exterior door locations, existing room layouts (virtually the same), as well as leaving the original location of the hallway and common bath. Because we had to combine the two end bedrooms into a master suite, we needed to design a small addition on the back to replace the lost bedroom and give the home a proper kitchen.
We enlisted the help of an architect partner to help create the new style, passive solar design, and get the exterior elevations just right. After that was nailed down, we set out to make this the most efficient use of space we could create. Since most of our clients end up building homes larger than they had originally intended (due to having lower levels on sloping lots), we wanted to show what it meant to “right size” a home.

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Custom Alexandra for Christine Dowd

Custom Alexandra for Christine Dowd

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Alexandra model in Thoms EstateChristine Dowd knew what she didn’t want in a house. She didn’t want what she had, which was a house she’d built whose finishes were so rough she ripped a sweater on a door frame.
What she wanted was a beautiful new house in Thoms Estate, a north Asheville enclave of good taste and friendliness that had a couple of lots she liked. She was out there looking at them one day when a couple who lived beside one of the lots invited her in to look at the home that Living Stone Construction had built for them. Christine loved it (and she loved the couple).
“They graciously showed me around their home,” she said. “They loved their house. It was so well designed. You could tell that someone had taken a lot of time to get all the details right. When I walked out of their beautiful home, even though I’d contemplated other builders, I’d made up my mind to go with Living Stone.”
And so Christine, recently retired as a presenter for Apple, went to see Sean Sullivan at Living Stone Construction, a builder of green and energy-efficient homes whose work continues to win awards for design, function and price points.

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Sean and Laura renovate their Black Mountain home

Sean and Laura renovate their Black Mountain home

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Rhodo RenoLaura and Sean Sullivan decided to put Living Stone Construction’s design-and-build process to the test when they renovated their home in Black Mountain.

Sean, owner of Living Stone, and Laura, owner of ID.ology Interior Design, wanted to see how well their in-house process works for the many clients the award-winning team attracts. They bought an older home in a venerable neighborhood and treated themselves as clients.
Through work that raised the roof and added square footage in back, the Sullivans confirmed that Living Stone’s meticulously thought-out process makes renovating an existing home or building a new one as easy for clients as possible.

“I would say that we confirmed that our process does work,” Sean said. “It works very well. And we learned some things along the way to improve the process of our clients going forward.”

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Six Ways To Make Your House Plan Energy Efficient

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Submitted by Sean D Sullivan, President, Living Stone Construction Inc.
Few things in life can be as exciting — and equally daunting — as building a new house. Throughout the design and construction process, there are multitudes of decisions to consider that will affect the final cost.

“Final cost.” It’s a phrase we associate with the sum total of all the labor and material costs that go into building a new house. But in reality, the final cost of your new house will continues to tally up long after you move in. Perhaps we should think of it as your home’s ongoing cost.

Of course there will be maintenance, taxes, neighborhood association fees and the like, but the main contributor to your home’s ongoing cost will be its consumption of energy. With that in mind, here are six practical ways to help minimize the future ongoing costs of your new house before it’s even built.

1. Choose High-Performance Windows and Solar Screens

One of the most effective ways to cut your home’s energy consumption is to install high-performance windows. Be sure to select windows with spectrally selective glazing or qualified films that “bounce

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A SECOND National Award for Living Stone Construction

A SECOND National Award for Living Stone Construction

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Best In American Living Award
On January 20th, 2016 Living Stone Construction will be presented a BALA Award (Best in American Living) for “One-of-a-Kind Custom or Spec Home, 2501-3000 sq. ft.” for the Pritchard Hardin Residence, which will take place this week at the NAHB International Builders Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Living Stone has won many awards on both the state and local levels however, this BALA award is the company’s second national honor.

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IRON SHARPENS IRON: Sean Sullivan leads NCHBA to a very successful 2015

IRON SHARPENS IRON: Sean Sullivan leads NCHBA to a very successful 2015

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By Mike Carpenter, NCHBA Executive Vice President & General Counsel

Sean Sullivan’s theme was “iron sharpens iron”. He carried this message in his travels to every corner of the state during his tenure as 2015 President of the North Carolina Home Builders Association (NCHBA). Like iron sharpening iron, Sean strongly believes in the value that NCHBA imparts to its members, both professionally and personally, arises from active participation in the multitude of opportunities that the association offers. This belief is firmly grounded in his personal experience as a member and he freely shares his story both to educate and motivate others.

Sean first became exposed to NCHBA during his tenure on the leadership ladder of his local association in Asheville. He quickly recognized the value that NCHBA brought to his business not only from formal educational opportunities but also from informal networking with other builders who weren’t directly competing with his business. Sean recounted on many occasions how his business volume dramatically increased, and continues to do so, as he put into practice those things he learned by and through his NCHBA involvement. By utilizing his own story as an example, he urged others to become involved—and many have followed his lead.

During 2015, Sean expertly juggled the responsibilities of his rapidly growing business with the duties of NCHBA President and made both a success. He was significantly aided in achieving this result by his delightful wife, Laura, who is a talented design professional in her own right. In addition to Laura’s support, he has a great employee team which he nurtures by exposing them to NCHBA events like the 21st Century Building Expo and Conference. He also received solid support from his excellent Senior Officer team which Sean would be the first to credit with helping him cover the bases.

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