I Am Eastside

The award ceremony, which was held at the new Hyatt Hotel on 8^th and Olive, was a prelude to the Built Green Conference held at the Seattle Convention Center.  The atmosphere was lighthearted and jovial. The event, which was sponsored by Puget Sound Energy, offered drinks and hors d’oeuvres inside the luxurious Hyatt ballroom.

“I thought [the ceremony] went great,” said Mike Vowels, whose Stewardship Remodeling took home the Remodel Under $100K Award.  “There was a good turnout. We got to meet people in the industry from all around the state.  It was a top notch, classy production.”

Stewardship Remodeling is quickly becoming one of the Northwest’s leaders in remodeling strategies.  Their focus on efficient and green remodeling has earned a rating of 3-stars in the Built Green ™ program.  The unique vegetated roof systems and forested site work, which include bog-gardens and rain-gardens that filter and store rainwater run-off, set them apart from other green remodeling projects.

“[The award] is a big deal to us,” said Vowels.  “It’s a real green badge of approval.”

This is the company’s second award for remodeling after they received the Building Industry Association of Washington, Remodeling Excellence Award in 2008.

Grey Lundberg received one of the four Pioneer Awards which acknowledges individuals for their achievements in green advocacy and advancement in the industry.  His self-titled Grey Lundberg Inc. specializes in custom building and remodeling of luxury large family homes in the Greater Seattle and Eastside regions.  The company emphasizes using products and building systems that are healthy, energy efficient, and are less harmful to the environment.

The Pioneer Award adds to a long list of accomplishments which includes an Award of Merit “Sustainable Built Green Home” Best in the West Gold Nugget Awards in 2008, Seattle Street of Dreams: Best in Show in 2007, and a National Association of Home Builders Best in American Living Award in 2006

The Cottage Company received the Commercial Development Award for their custom home communities.  The Seattle based company, which have three completed clusters of homes in Redmond and Kirkland, dedicates themselves to building simple and innovative homes inside small residential communities.

The Cottage Company’s Eastside communities have had previous success in the Northwest area.  The Danielson Grove community in Kirkland received the AIA National Housing Award in 2007, while the Conover Commons Cottages in Redmond won an Honor Award by Sunset Magazine as best “New Community” in 2006.

For more information on these local businesses, visit their websites, http://www.universalandgreen.com/home.php, http://www.cmihomes.com/, and http://www.cottagecompany.com/.