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We try and make a point of not talking about it when we get in the paper but today’s write up was not about us it was about the people who signed up to come help build with earth at the Good project yesterday. And I want everyone who came out to know that we think you are the best!

You can all come by in 50 years and see the earth benches you helped build standing strong!

Here is the terrific article in the Bee today.

Levi

I got this email from Stephanie our coordinator at USGBC.

“I am extremely pleased to present the Stage 2 Final Review for LEED for Neighborhood Development Pilot project #10101868 Good which awards your project 43 points and a “Certified” rating. Congratulations! This is an impressive accomplishment.”

Hooray!

This has been an enlightening process to be involved with a world changing organization like the USGBC. We are very excited that we have been able to be part of the pilot. What is really cool is all of the verifiable good that a LEED ND certification will bring. We have a walkable neighborhood, transit lines right around the corner, parks, we can throw rocks at downtown, the houses are sustainable and use less resources and we are being recognized for it. Thanks to Greenbuilt Consulting for all of the work in making sure we stuck to our guns on this one.

Micah

I am going to be over at the GOOD project tonight from 5-6 for an open house. If you’ve been itching to take a look and want to swing by after work we will be there!  Here is a link to the Google Map

Levi

Just a reminder that there are a few spaces left in the building with earth class this Saturday. Don’t forget to sign up!

When:  Saturday August 23rd from 9AM - 2 ish
Where: GOOD - 5th and B Streets in West Sacramento
Cost: $10 Per person
Food: Lunch included

All you need to do is send an email Steve@ljurban.com and let him know you are interested.

Levi

Michael Zwahlen the incredible photographer from Living in Urban Sac contacted us a few weeks ago and offered to go shoot the Good project. I love his work and have been following him for the past few years so getting an opportunity to have him photograph something we built was an honor.

I got the disk in the mail a few days ago and finally got the pictures uploaded onto a slideshow. You can see it here.

Levi

One of my favorite things to do is get all muddy and sandy with my kids at the beach, so when I heard that we might be able to get
dirty without driving for two hours I was naturally intrigued.

On Saturday, August 23 Brian from Urban Earth Solutions is going
to be teaching a class at the Good project on how to build earth
structures. On the site there are three big oak trees and under
them we are going to build benches in the plaza that are made
out of earth bags as the core and then surrounded with cob
and earthen plaster. How fun does that sound?

When: Saturday August 23rd from 9AM - 2 ish
Where: GOOD - 5th and B Streets in West Sacramento
Cost: $10 Per person
Food: Lunch included

If you have been looking for a place to throw some mud around
then this is the class for you. There are only a limited number of
spaces available and they are going to fill up fast so be sure to
get your spot by emailing Steve@LJUrban.com.

Levi

As promised we are trying to hold more open houses at the Good project. I know that several of you asked that we do one this weekend so we are going to be there tomorrow (Saturday) from 1-6. We will be showing off the nearly completed homes in the first phase.

Also I wanted to share a bit of good news I got on the mortgage side today. I just found out that the XS units can be as low as $1365 Per month with a 10% down payment and only $200 more with nothing down. Finally a break in all the mortgage madness we have been hearing about.

Here is a map to Good.

See you there!

“Your Blog will never replace a billboard and a few guys dancing on the corner with a sign.” It was not the first time we heard the statement, but hearing it from a 30 year veteran with countless thousands of homes under his belt I must admit it was a bit of a blow. Our marketing has always been anything but normal and on more than one occasion we have been asked to lunch only to be lectured on the “way things are”. There is something about a system that has worked for 30 or 40 years that makes the people in it feel opposed and often insulted by the mention of change. LJ Urban is that change and we are standing up for a new way because this change is long overdue. Gone are the days of billboards and focus groups and in their place is a real time conversation between people who collectively stand for something better. The result is delivery of a product that is end to end what it should be.

We have had a series of dinners over the last two months where we invited fellow Eco-Urbanists to come together and talk about what its going to take to get Sacramento to be one of the shining few cities that takes up the call to build a more sustainable and livable core. We used the Good project as a backdrop and discussion point. From those dinners we got all kinds of ideas, many of which are being implemented already. Simple things like the walls getting a slightly different finish and the color changing on the tile to bigger things like the fact that higher mortgage payments are making it harder for people to get in the door. They proposed that we lower prices in the first phase which will move in the buyers waiting on the sidelines and keep things moving while the mortgage market smooths out its issues. I think we all get a bit myopic and dig our heads in the sand when we have a big project going and its easy to forget that outside opinions are priceless.

My point is this no matter what you sell you have to stop thinking of yourself as a marketer or a sales person and start thinking of your job as a conversationist, or even better, a listener. Things change and people are not always where you think they are. No amount of market statistics or studies can compensate for conversations with real people about what is going on today.

The new prices are in the downloadable PDF and here:

Lot 21 - XS  -   298,000

Lot 22 - S    -   409,000

Lot 23 - XS  -   SOLD

Lot 24 - S    -   SOLD

Lot 25  - XS -   319,000

We are still in “pre-opening gear” since the first phase is still not complete, so we have not had very many open houses. I am sorry to those who wanted to get into the units but have not yet had a chance.

We are doing an open house this Saturday August 2nd from 2-6. Come by if you have not had a chance to see inside. We are going to be touring the nearly finished “Small” units as well. And yes we will be listening….

Levi

We have a very cool countertop in our Good project called Paperstone. I was wary at first just for the simple fact that it is made from paper. Well I do think my concern is unfounded. We have had 5 or 6 pretty serious dinner parties in the kitchen now and the counters look great, like they did when they were installed. Anyway a friend sent me this article today about granite countertops. Being the construction guy at LJ, I get lots of questions about products and whenever people are telling me that they are putting granite in their remodeled homes, I always remind them that it is cheap for a reason. Usually the reason is because it came from China, but now I have a whole new argument to not recommend it.

The question of why you do what you do seems to be bouncing around the nether regions of my head lately, I have to be honest that when things get challenging I ask the question more often than when life rolls out the red carpet.   

So I have decided that today, for as much my benefit as yours, I am going to try and put into words why I get up in the morning and do what I do. It’s the list of things that make me want to push harder into life and make a difference in the world.

The center of everything in my life
Is it just me or do we all seem to have this thing about work and our careers that we think it’s the be all end all? I have to say that for me the real meat of who I am and what I do in life is after I get home from work when I walk in the door, kiss my wife and hug my three beautiful children. That is where the real, raw, core of who I am rests.

I like making cities better and dreaming of new ways to build places for people to live but I would give it all up in a second if it came before my family. My wife is awesome and my kids are some very cool little people that I love to be with.

The other thing I have found in life that is worth fighting for is adoption. Ruth, our youngest, is 17 months old and the sweetest little thing I have ever met. We adopted her last year and its one of the more rewarding things we have done in life.

We learned in the process that there are so many kids that need homes and never get adopted. The foster care system is no place for kids to spend their formative years and the shortage of willing families is a tragedy. If any of you ever want to know anything about adoption, call me and I will drop everything to talk with you and help you figure out how to adopt. I can assure you there is nothing better I could be doing with my time. [Read more →]