The Heppner Residence is an example of extreme do-it-yourself green renovation. This existing 100 year-old wood frame single family home is being rebuilt by Tim and Charles Heppner, two brothers, with Tim acting as architect and performing most construction work himself. The Heppner brothers are seeking Energy Star and Chicago Green Homes certification for their new home.

This is a small developer’s first foray into green multifamily housing, and is a great example of a newer developer that recognizes how green building differentiates their product. These three green buildings make this little corner in Humboldt Park one of the greenest in Chicago! This project is seeking Chicago Green Homes certification. This isn’t a demonstration project with exotic features, but does include nearly all of the increasingly-standard features on green buildings, such as high-efficiency mechanical equipment, low-VOC and recycled content materials. It also includes the all-important layer of continuous insulation (to eliminate thermal bridging), which it is often so difficult to convince developers of this housing type to do.