With Earth Day as a major focus of the April Community Connection, we would like to recognize CenterStone Communities, the real estate development company who brought us Harmony at CenterStone Estates a newer development in Fontana, and the only one to currently offer residents a solar powered single family home.

Marketing itself as an environmentally responsible community, that makes it easy to live green, CenterStone Communities offer home buyers an opportunity to start from scratch and put their best feet forward to try to lessen the burden we, and our home activities, have on the environment.  As the honored city selected to be the home of the 56-home community, Fontana has become a model for others to follow.

“Fontana is a progressive, all-American city, well located, with good schools, and Fontana is a city that sets the bar high in quality development standards,” explains Hal Woods, president of CenterStone Communities.  When asked if future home building will look greener, the prediction is positive.

Woods says, “Green communities will be commonplace within a few years. Why wouldn’t you purchase a home that is 30 to 40% more efficient than homes built just a few years ago?” 

As for the Harmony development and the changing economy, Woods adds, “We have some of the best housing product in the area; however, with so much uncertainty in the economy, the new home consumer has been frozen in their tracks until recently when the market started improving dramatically over the last 30 days,” adds Woods.                 

For those who have chosen to watch and wait on the market but want to increase their own home efficiency right now, Woods has the following suggestion: “Take advantage of the current federal and state tax incentives for upgrading your energy efficiency.”

Those interested in finding out more about Harmony might enjoy a little ‘inside scoop’ on the model features.

“Our new home community, Harmony, has many popular advantages.  First we do not just build ‘big box’ square footage.  We design our homes with little wasted space, maximum efficiency, and architectural ambiance,” says Woods adding, “Our green features list is very extensive and well orchestrated to create a state of the art ‘hybrid’ home. The three model floor plans meet a broad spectrum of the new homebuyer demand.”

“The Plan One is a single story and is sought after by move down buyers and all retirees. Our Plan Two is the family home and the Plan Three meets the demand of the extended family with its large, fully contained apartment like guest suite downstairs. Lastly, solar, solar, solar!  People love to reduce their energy costs. I invite everyone to visit our models and watch our meters spin backwards,” adds Woods.

The homes at Harmony range in style from 2,222 to 3,378 square feet and include energy saving designs that may be up to 17% more energy efficient than a normal home.  Some of the amenities include:

• 2.3 kilowatt solar electric system
• Radiant roof barrier system with attic ventilation
• Sustainable wood products
• Low VOC Eco-friendly paints and cabinet finishes
• High efficiency hot water heaters
• Energy Star appliances
• Water conserving plumbing and weather smart irrigation