(Photos by Katie Meyer for WSB)
So what constitutes a “Green Home“? WSB contributor Katie Meyer checked out another stop on the West Seattle leg of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild‘s Green Home Tour during its second and final day today (here’s the stop we made on Day 1).

This one was Mighty House Construction‘s project in Sunrise Heights, a few blocks east of the mini-business district with West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor), Café Osita, John’s Corner Deli (with the cow on the roof), etc. Speaking of the roof – top photo is a “scalable” solar-panel system designed and installed by West Seattle’s own Solar Epiphany. Katie reports it’s a grid designed to hold several frames of four panels each; one panel is in place now, but Mighty House’s Laura Elfline says more are planned over the next six-plus months. Also a work in progress, the back yard, with an ongoing conversion away from the old-fashioned water-guzzling, chemical-tempting lawn mode:

More ahead:

Energy-efficiency improvements were showcased at several places in this home (whose official tour page is here), including radiant-heat ceiling panels, which can be painted to blend right in, as in the photo above. Also discussed: “air-sealing,” a testing procedure to find air leaks inside a home so they can be plugged, reducing dust as well as improving the retention of heat/coolness, whatever’s seasonally appropriate. Renewable materials were incorporated into the home. And this tour stop was one of two with workshops during the tour weekend as well as displays from local sustainability advocates. Elfline (photo right) told WSB that more people visited on day 2 than day 1, and prospects look good for an encore tour next year. (Meantime, this house still has more work ahead – not just expanding that rooftop solar installation, but also interior work including removing bedroom carpet.)