One of a kind sustainable construction project
This weekend was full of anticipation and completed, what could be called “full-circle-excitement come to fruition” for those who have been keeping tabs on the GreenSpur construction team. Not so long ago, I brought word to you about the incredible opportunity that Mark Turner and his concept team were working on regarding a fully sustainable, green-built home constructed of Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPS) and reclaimed materials.
This project is the first of its kind and is hopefully going to be one of many that will be replicated internationally as a model of sustainable construction that meets the needs of a true nest.
Flying into the Nest
Minimalism, with a true rustic elegance is what you find peering out at you as you make your way up the steep, curving drive to the Delaplane OneNest home set atop a perfect hill overlooking the foothills of the Shenandoah mountains. It is almost as if someone has called in the gentle fog to hover just at the top of the treeline for intrigue, mystery and sultry ambiance to pull you into the site. Recall those mystical tendrils of smoke that lure… that is what pulls you here…to something new and exciting.
Before you get to the site, strategically placed communal fire pits with site-found logs are hissing, popping and generating that delightful campfire smell and then there is that house. With the elevation of a classic barn marrying a contemporary sanctuary, OneNest sits there among newly planted native river-birch trees, nestled in yet peeking out. The patina of the tin a deliberate match to the brick-red rust of the seamed and painted hardi-plank that covers the SIPS.
The standing seam metal roof line is a delicate yet masculine balance to the reclaimed history that is woven into this home through the use of wood paneling straight from past cabin quarters of the John Marshall property. The facade wouldn’t be complete without the mirror image of floor to ceiling windows flanking a steeple like fireplace that is masoned in stone harvested directly from the site. Usable porches galore. Panoramic views of the fog rolling on and on across the pits and valleys of the foothills while the cows come home. A matching barn is just beyond the main house that has an awning wide enough for a classic riding tractor. Classic is right. This is just the exterior.
Getting Cozy on the inside
Delivering more inside, OneNest’s vaulted ceilings are welcoming and open, leaving one to be baffled by the thought that this space is one-thousand square feet. It could be thousands more; the trompe l’oeil affect of the grande windows to the view beyond pulls the eye out and into the distance. The living room has very functional usable built-ins and is open to the stunning kitchen with a wonderful amount of storage. The fantastic use of counterbalanced Connecticut-style pull down lanterns is just one more ‘trick of the eye’ and fun for the gorgeous space and means to draw the eye up to the loft space above which is the master suite.
Past the kitchen, a full bath, well appointed and glowing is to the left, and storage to the right. Beyond that, windows, again floor to ceiling brighten the space and pull in the outdoors while highlighting the spiral staircases to go up and up into the nest. Before heading up, a nosy poke into the crawl space reveals some more smart design, wine-cellar in the crawl built from galvanized metal buckets and wine-racks; a good use of space in an otherwise unusable crawl!
The second floor is home to the lofted main bedroom, which has a lovely view of the great wide yonder and can be conveniently enclosed with thoughtful curtains; wrapped around the far right of the bedroom is a little nook- great for reading, a dog-friend or maybe some lovely indoor plants for creating a nice indoor air quality. The master spa-bath is impeccable with an egg-shaped soaker tub, walk-in shower complete with rain head and well, it is simple, yet stunning. Plus, there is a fireplace above the bath. Nice… I
n the central stairwell, up once again, the next level houses the guest room with incredibly functional use of space, reclaimed wood and a sumptuous bathroom which is just incredibly well done. This OneNest space is an unbelievable four stories of beautiful, reclaimed, green living space built to help the owner truly nest in, living in what they need.





Nesting as a Trend
Why OneNest? Business partner, Arian Lewis, stated “this is something that can be replicated in any country across the world. I’m currently talking with contacts in Malaysia to see about using our concept houses there.”
Lewis is the partner based out of the Oxford England team, who has been working on outreach to developing nations. These homes can be built anywhere. They are sustainable and don’t have to take up a lot of space or resources. Minimal or luxury finishes can be put into them and the product can be built an a relatively small amount of time.
Mark Turner, the brainchild behind GreenSpur and the OneNest project, said when asked what the biggest take away should be for the project, “Well, this was absolutely a labor of love and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I wanted to do something different that other builders weren’t doing and that would change the way things were being built in the construction industry.” He has proved it once before when he built a net-zero house on Capitol Hill, now he has done it again with the OneNest project’s first completed home, built in 100 days in Delaplane, VA.
Turner reminds us all that “OneNest is the context of everything in one world- a natural resting place.” Mark has also been quoted, “When I think about designing and building PLACE, I am inspired by Stegner’s quote, ‘There it was, there it is, the PLACE where during the best of our lives friendship had its home and happiness its headquarters.’ This 1000 SF OneNest Project is our team’s best attempt to capture this spirit. We are using radical approaches in design, materials and building science to capture that simple notion that we all universally yearn for: ‘happiness its headquarters.'” I love this about this team, they are so grounded in their since of duty to balance and harmony with nature, life and the elements.
What is Next for OneNest
Looking at their mission, Delaplane was a lovely place to select for the first part of this project’s journey. Just off of John Marshall Highway in historic wine country, this may be an idealistic “happiness headquarters.” The first OneNest will be open for extended stays as well as events for the next six months to continue to the conversation within the community and beyond about this intriguing and passionate design and building concept.
Where do you think we’ll see more of these beautiful, sustainable creations across the States and internationally? Start the conversation by making the visit.
Jack Leblond
April 28, 2009 at 8:59 am
As a veteran and former city council person, my initial reaction was “if you want to live here, you can say the pledge!”
However – after thinking a bit, reading the history of the pledge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance) and learning how it started as one man’s wish for children and slowly morphed into a tool for conformists to use against those that are different from them in any number of ways.
I do feel pretty strongly though that people can only have one country. If you choose to move somewhere, get a job, buy property, have children etc – that is your country now.
BawldGuy
April 28, 2009 at 10:45 am
At some point we, as Americans need to look some of these folks in the eye, and remind them they knew who we were and what the rules were when they came here. Then remind them WHY they came here.
Sarah Cooper
April 28, 2009 at 10:52 am
Lisa, I remember the first time I said the Pledge with my child in public. Her eyes went wide when she realized Mommy knew the words to something she thought of as “from her school” – and then she looked around and all the other adults knew it, too. Suddenly it clicked with her, it wasn’t about school, it was something that united all Americans.
I can understand a HOA meeting wanting to start with that feeling of unification. I’m not sure that I understand the problem with saying it, unless there is someone of another nationality who lives there and is offended. Personally I would enjoy listening to another country’s pledge to soak up some culture, even if I didn’t say it myself.
Jim Rake
April 28, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Lisa – Good questions & congrats on your willingness to step into the HOA ring and do battle.
Suppose, I’d begin by asking what responsibilities come with home ownership. Are there any? To own a piece of American soil, does it come with any cost, other than the price of the property?
Should it?
Is pledging allegiance to the country or its’ flag necessarily against a religious or ethnic belief? Not one I’m familiar with.
Lastly, since no specific God is identified in the pledge, what is there to oppose? For those who believe there is no God, there would seem to be no problem either.
With property ownership comes responsibility, plain and simple. And, by the way, when these homeowners have (legal)problems with their land/property, whose court system are they going to petition for relief?
Obviously, the only one available, and probably the only one they have faith in to fairly respond to their petition – the U.S Court system.
Mark Eibner
April 28, 2009 at 3:20 pm
we’re at it again Can Patriotism Be Exclusionary?: Get out of your feed reader and comment on t.. https://tinyurl.com/daggnd
sheilabragg
April 28, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Can Patriotism Be Exclusionary?: Get out of your feed reader and comment on this post- we PROMISE that the ShamW.. https://tinyurl.com/daggnd
Lisa Sanderson
April 28, 2009 at 3:53 pm
RT @Just posted: Can Patriotism Be Exclusionary? (here’s the right link, sowwy https://agentgenius.com/?p=11923)
Daniel, The Real Estate Zebra
April 28, 2009 at 2:37 pm
No offense intended to you or your HOA, Lisa, but stuff like this is precisely why HOA’s rarely get anything accomplished; or when they do, it has been accomplished for twice the cost as it could have been done.
Say the pledge, don’t say the pledge, who cares? The pledge has nothing to do with the tasks that an HOA is charged with.
I live in a LARGE HOA, and I see the same thing happen here, too. Folks are so worried about non-essential junk that the stuff that really NEEDS to get done, doesn’t.
Have someone make a motion to eliminate the pledge, second it (or not), discuss it, and vote. Then, move on to more important stuff.
While the Pledge of Allegiance might be appropriate fodder for our elected government officials, HOA members and directors have things far more important to their organization that should be receiving attention.
Saying or not saying the pledge before meetings will do nothing to the membership dues, the facilities maintenance, or the value of property.
That being said, kudos to you for serving on your HOA board. You are a much braver person than I!
Real Estate Feeds
April 28, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Can Patriotism Be Exclusionary?: Get out of your feed reader and comment on this post- we PROMISE that the ShamW.. https://tinyurl.com/daggnd
Lisa Sanderson
April 29, 2009 at 8:19 am
Jack: I keep going back and forth on this too…definitely a tough question to answer.
Bawldguy: Not sure the ‘rules’ include the Pledge, hence the question. But I do get your point.
Sarah: I *love* experiencing other cultures & customs. One of the great things about our country is that we’re allowed to express them!
Jim: Great point about the legal system. Thanks for adding to the conversation.
Lisa Sanderson
April 29, 2009 at 9:08 am
Thank you, Daniel! HOA leadership is an awesome experience and I highly recommend it.
I understand your concern that sweating the small stuff might distract from the real job of the Board, but I don’t find that to be the case. As a matter of fact, paying attention to the things that are important to the members has allowed us to grow our volunteer base, a major accomplishment! The challenge is to find ways of addressing these ‘small’ requests while keeping priorities where they should be. It can and does work for us.
If your Board is not able to prioritize and get the right things done, you should definitely consider running!! 😉
James Malanowski
April 29, 2009 at 11:39 am
If there are HOA members that decide they will not/cannot recite the pledge for whatever reason, fine. They have that choice. Why should their choice crush the choice of others?
Last I checked, this is still the USA and we have a pledge to recite. I won’t recite the Mexican pledge when I visit Mexico, but I sure won’t complain that others are doing so.
The folks in your HOA choose to live here … They need to learn how to deal with it.
People need to get over the whole politically correctness BS and grow a spine.
Lisa Sanderson
April 29, 2009 at 2:01 pm
@SarahWV Thanks for your comment yesterday…I *so* agree about the soaking up some culture thing! https://agentgenius.com/?p=11923
Sarah Cooper
April 29, 2009 at 2:03 pm
@LisaSanderson You made me think, it was an excellent question. https://agentgenius.com/?p=11923
Missy Caulk
April 29, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I would have had a hissie fit!!
I am so sick of this attitude and political correctness. I would have quit and walked out on the spot. If it is your tradition then it should not be stopped.
There are few things that get me riled up but this one does. I’ll come back later IF I calm down.
Heather Barr
April 30, 2009 at 4:55 pm
“Is pledging allegiance to the country or its’ flag necessarily against a religious or ethnic belief?”
No, pledging to the American flag is a symbol that you’re proud to be an American citizen. It does not mean you’re a proud property owner.
“I won’t recite the Mexican pledge when I visit Mexico.” Neither would I. But US property owners are not always visitors. Nor are they always citizens.
Refraining from saying the pledge at an HOA meeting isn’t “political correctness”. There is simply no connection between reciting the US pledge and being a property owner who exhibits pride of ownership and respect for your HOA and neighbors.
If your HOA wants to demonstrate specific sentiments at the beginning of the meetings, perhaps it would be better to ask each person present to try to say something they love about your community.
James Malanowski
April 30, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Okay, then when I go and visit the ranch in Mexico that my wife and I own, I will not complain when others recite the Mexican pledge … Jeez, talk about splitting hairs.
This is a very “PC” topic. The connection is that if an assembly of people decide to open their meeting with the Pledge then others who do NOT wish to recite it have the right not to just as the others have the right TO recite.
The bottom line is, recite or don’t recite … Just don’t base your decision on a person being uncomfortable because they’re not American or they don’t like America, or whatever their reasoning is. They can step outside for the 30 seconds it takes to get through it if it bothers them that much.
If people are offended by the US Pledge (or US anything for that matter) maybe they shouldn’t be owning property, residing, visiting, or anything else.
Since when is patriotism wrong or unacceptable? The respect for my HOA and my neighbors is exhibited by my recognizing their right to be in the same country as I am and I don’t bash them for not reciting our Pledge, singing our anthem, or anything else that would have them dishonor THEIR homeland.
Again I say, if there is someone in the room so uncomfortable that they would try and limit my right to recite our Pledge then THEY should leave the room.
BawldGuy
April 30, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Simply put, we’re becoming a nation of 10 year old girls.
James Malanowski
April 30, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Amen.
Oops, that response might be construed as religious.