Oregon Coast Real Estate Blog – Living on the Oregon Coast

The lush coastal vegetation is not the only thing green here on the Oregon Coast.  In my twenty years of residence and real estate practice, I have enjoyed watching our special environment move in a very Eco friendly direction.  Residents are taking part in the Green revolution by recycling, re-using and making do.

One of the most prominent displays of the Green movement in Newport is the construction of the Regatta Condominiums on Yaquina Bay. The builders selected insulated concrete form (ICF) construction (using the Amvic Building Sytsem) rather than more typical stick-built construction. This is the first major construction project on the Coast using this technique.  ICF uses recycled steel rebar and steel studs, recycled concrete componets and a state of the art siding material. This “skin” (ORO Coating) is comprised of ground up vehicle tires, marble dust and pigment. This amazing surface never requires painting, is impervious to our maritime climate and is attractive to boot. With the coastal climate in mind, the Regatta’s high tech windows and doors are designed to withstand sustained gale force winds as well as having an extended life. 

In addition to the high-tech structural design of The Regatta, the developers focused on long-term energy savings. The high insulation value of the concrete construction and the in-floor radiant hot water heat, coupled with a heat recovery system, keep costs low — for the life of the building. The engineers anticipate the cost to heat each 2000 square foot system will average $300 per year or $25 per month.  And in addition to helping keep costs low, the heat recovery system brings each unit pre-heated and filtered incoming air — a wonderful quality-of-life measure. One more bonus: on demand hot water lowers the cost of heating hot water, reduces the amount of water you waste “running” the tap until hot water arrives, and assures you’ll never worry about running the diswasher and shower at the same time.

Following the trend nationwide, this development selected a hardwood surface for the majority of the flooring in the Regatta’s units. The engineered wood flooring is comprised of tropical hardwoods bonded to a recycled wood base over a recycled mat.  These hard surfaces provide beauty, durability, and improve air quality because there are fewer places for dust and dirt to hide.  Get yourself a Swiffer (my daughter’s FAVORITE tool for cleaning her hardwood floors) and even the most allergic member of your family will be happy to come for a visit.

 The overall design theme of The Regatta is to provide luxury living with a conscience. You’ll feel good about your investment — and your ogoing expenses. From very reasonable home owner association fees at $100 per month, to your low energy bills, to a nearly maintenance-free exterior –this project just makes sense.  The Regatta is engineered to be a 200 year building. Our “throw away society” is on the verge of a new paradigm: we’re all seeking smarter, more efficient, more responsible ways.  The new benchmark is an Eco-friendly project like the Regatta — and it’s ready for occupancy! Call for an appointment to see or stop by one of my weekend open houses.