BOULDER - A 12-home infill project in North Boulder will feature all-electric homes that likely will be LEED Platinum certified.

Developer Ron Monahan and partner Terry Britton have completed the first of the homes in SpringLeaf situated at the northwest corner of Poplar Avenue and Broadway within the Forest Glen neighborhood.

SpringLeaf, when completed, will feature six single-family homes and six town homes offering 11 floor plans. The homes will range in size from 2,300 square feet to approximately 4,000 square feet, and each town home will have about 2,800 square feet of space.

The homes will draw on solar and geothermal energy and be built with sustainable products and designed to be near net-zero energy homes.

"We wanted to take SpringLeaf in the green direction as far as we could," said Monahan, a licensed contractor in Boulder for 19 years, who has a variety of projects to his credit to include new homes and renovations of historic homes. Over the years he's been developing ways to create more efficient homes.

 Britton got the green bug when he lived off the grid on a boat for several years.

"I learned how to live efficiently and wanted to make an efficient house appealing," he said. And they both wanted to build energy-efficient homes without going overboard on the price. Monahan said they are hoping to keep the cost less than $200 per square foot.

The project was approved for 18 units, but Monahan and Britton opted to reduce that number to 12 so every home could take advantage of southern exposure.

"With fewer units we were able to access the sun for every home," said George Watt of George Watt Architecture in Boulder, who is designing the homes and the neighborhood.

 "We'll have a 9.9 kilowatt grid-tied photovoltaic system to power the homes that will feature all-electric appliances and use electricity to power the heat pumps in the geothermal systems," he said. The system should produce more energy than the home uses, Watt said.

The solar panels are designed into the roof structure, requiring a closer look to detect them.

In addition to the homes, Watt designed a common pocket park made of sandstone from Lyons. It acts as a filter for stormwater collected from an adjacent road and paved driveways.

Monahan and Britton bought the land, 1.75 acres, for $1.42 million in 2005. They assembled a team - including Boulder companies George Watt Architecture, Silver Lining Builders, Namaste Solar Electric and Blue Valley Energy - to construct the first house at 3979 Spring Leaf Lane.  

It has 3,880 square feet of living space plus a 500-square-foot garage. Listing price is $1.2 million.

Green features include advanced framing techniques, FSC-certified composite and recycled lumber, low-VOC interior finishes, fiber-cement exterior siding, and sustainable countertops and flooring.

Energy features include Energy Star appliances, energy-efficient windows made by Serious Materials Inc., formerly Boulder-based Alpen Windows Inc., programmable thermostats, a heat recovery ventilation system and 5-inch closed-cell foam insulation.

"The smart framing allowed us to use less wood and more insulation and maintain the structural integrity of the home," Monahan added.

During the construction process the builders conducted energy and performance tests on all the systems. Watt said receiving LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council should be a paperwork formality and expects to receive the certification in six to eight weeks.

"This first house came out better than expected," Britton said. "The air-quality is easy to control, good for people who suffer from allergies or asthma, and the added insulation makes the home feel better."

 Watt commends Monahan and Britton for their dedication to the goal of a LEED Platinum neighborhood.

 "Ron and Terry carried this vision for four or five years. That takes fortitude."

More in the works

The duo has received permits for two other projects in Boulder, Cunningham Farm and 645 Arapahoe.

Cunningham Farm will have three home sites at the base of the foothills and adjacent to Boulder County open space, and 645 Arapahoe will have two town houses on Boulder Creek including roof-top decks with 360-degree views.

Monahan has a much larger project under way in Aiken, S.C. The Ridge at Chukker Ridge will have 270 green-built homes on a wooded and gently rolling land with views of horse pastures, a spring-fed pond and a nature preserve.