When Gail and Chuck Maxwell purchased a lot on Fayetteville’s Mount Sequoyah, they knew they had found the perfect place to build their dream home. They also knew they wanted the process and structure to be environmentally responsible and innovative, including the home’s open floor plan kitchen. Luckily, they already knew the right person to help carry out this mission—LEED-accredited designer and longtime friend, Missi Walker. Working together, the trio perfected the recipe for a green kitchen.
Apartment Living Goes Green
Built in the late 1960s, the four building apartment complex near the University of Arkansas campus in downtown Fayetteville was a testament to its time, complete with dark paneling, shaggy carpeting, closed off rooms and dank kitchens and baths. When new owners purchased the property in 2010, the 96-unit complex was in dire need of an update.
Despite the condition of each apartment, the complex was structurally sound, and the downtown locale offered all the benefits of urban living, with easy access to campus and the Fayetteville trail system, as well as shops and restaurants. “There was tremendous potential here to renovate these units in an economically feasible way and create a healthy, sustainable setting,” says Jeremy Hudson, partner in MC3 Multifamily real estate management and one of the developers of the property. “We saw an opportunity to make this a truly green apartment complex and offer a style of living that didn’t exist here.”
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Eco Options
Marvin’s Low-E II with Argon windows reduce heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter. Barton’s, locations statewide; Butterfield Windows & Doors, Fayetteville; C.J. Horner and Company, Hot Springs; Ditta Door & Hardware, Jonesboro; Greenfield Millworks, North Little Rock; Harry G. Barr Co., Fort Smith, Springdale; Kaufman Lumber, Little Rock; Marchant Building Center, Mountain Home; Pine Creek Lumber, Hindsville; Plymouth Building Products, North Little Rock; Ridout Lumber, locations statewide; SCI Millwork, Harrison
“So many energy-efficient options exist now that homeowners can enjoy beautiful new windows designed to match their old ones, or choose a whole new look with larger sizes and easy operation.”
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Renewed Resources
1. Mercury glass bottles converted into hanging lanterns for votive candles. Box Turtle, Little Rock
2. Baskets made from recycled men’s shirts and clothes hangers. The Green Corner Store, Little Rock
3. Tap water bottle purchases help provide safe drinking water for children, with a portion of the retail price donated to the United States Fund for UNICEF. Vesta’s, Little Rock
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On the Road… Arkansas
At Home with Steve Wilson
Occupation: Public Affairs Coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. I’ve been with the commission for 33 years, and in this capacity since 1996.
Best known for: My love of introducing people to the outdoors. I love telling stories about nature and how the natural world works. I try to live up to my “Wildman” name—which actually came about when I worked on the Project WILD Program and there were several other Steve Wilsons at the commission, so it was a way to identify me.
Lives in: A 2,400-square-foot, triple-wide manufactured home on nine acres of land west of Little Rock. It has a Jacuzzi bath, a back porch, and plenty of space for my wife and me and our black lab dog. What else does a guy need?
My favorite part of my house is: The yard. We have eight bird feeders, deer stands and archery targets. I love mowing the grass, and I have a camo-patterned lawn mower; when I saw it, I knew I had to have it.
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Summer Sizzle
Lakeside Living, Redefined
At Home in Arkansas: Tell us the backstory on how this family of four from Little Rock created this retreat on Greers Ferry Lake.
Scott Paterek: They were originally drawn to the land, which has a dock and a beautiful view of the lake. They built a custom home on it, and then two years later the tornadoes that went through this part of the state destroyed it and they subsequently re-built.
AHIA: How damaging was the tornado?
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Serenely Chic
At Home in Arkansas: How did the waterfront locale influence your design? It’s equal parts serene, modern and chic.
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A Floating Garden
“A garden should be a nice place to visit year-round,” says Mark Gibson of Green Thumb Garden Center in Little Rock, which he helms with his sister, Marlene Murphy. As specialists in water gardens containing aquatic plants and fish, they have a creative and unique solution for season-less beauty: floating island planters. Comprised of a buoyant foam base that holds potting soil and plants, a floating island ensures there’s something alive and green in outdoor spaces even when land plants begin to wane, from the peak of summer to the dead of winter.
A floating island is surprisingly easy to build and maintain, and is ideal for anyone with a pond or area of water that needs some attention. And in a koi or fish pond, its benefits extend to providing shade and protection for fish, and oxygenating and purifying the water as well.
Here’s how to create your very own floating garden:
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