"Buyers wanting to upgrade to a new home but who are concerned about the subsequent tax increase should consider renovating existing homes. These buyers can reduce their environmental footprint and gain substantial long-term tax savings. Sarasota is ripe with renovation opportunities.”

-Grant Castilow

'Green' Rebuilding Business Starts in Sarasota

Sarasota Herald Tribune | November 20, 2006

Steve Ellis and Grant Castilow have some eco-friendly ideas.

Their newly formed MyGreenBuildings LLC will rebuild existing homes to the latest green standards and practices, using sustainable, renewable materials as well as energy-efficient components and designs.

The partners see green in being green, not just for themselves, but also for their clients. In addition to being cool and politically correct, it may also be cheaper than usual construction.

Ellis is a recycling expert, and Castilow is a general contractor with rehabilitation expertise. The company aims to use energy-efficient design to help offset home maintenance costs into the future -- which should bode well for retirees who plan to stay put.

MyGreenBuildings will rebuild, incorporate additions and remodel for clients seeking "efficiency, grace and elegance in their domicile," says Ellis.

The venture focuses on a four-mile radius in central Sarasota, encompassing the downtown cultural epicenter and the beaches. MyGreenBuildings will rebuild, incorporate additions and remodel for clients seeking "efficiency, grace and elegance in their domicile," according to its Web site mygreenbuildings.com.

Currently, MyGreenBuildings is turning a postwar two bedroom-one, bath Spanish cottage into a 2,000-plus square foot three-bedroom, three-bath luxury home that's energy-efficient.

The project is being developed with local sustainable design experts using green products, energy-efficient systems and recycled products, as well as architectural elements from Sarasota Architectural Salvage.

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