Greenville, SC - April 22, 2011 - DHEC recognized Sally Nicholson and O'Leary-Cole, Inc. with a 2011 Earth Day Award.

When Sally Nicholson decided to build her dream home, she wanted to avoid wasting energy or harming the earth. Nicholson turned to O'Leary-Cole, Inc. to help her achieve these lofty goals. Nicholson and O'Leary Cole worked together to craft Nicholson's dream home while meeting and exceeding the requirements for EnergyStar and Earth Craft platinum certification.

To achieve platinum Earth Craft certification, O'Leary-Cole used 2"x6" walls with lcynene spray foam insulation and also sealed the crawl space. The house was properly oriented with south facing windows to take advantage of passive solar design. The solar electric system will provide the majority of electricity needed to meet Nicholson's power requirements. They also implemented native, drought tolerant landscaping and installed a rainwater harvesting system. During the construction phase, O'Leary Cole made sure that 100% of the metal waste, cardboard waste, plastics, drywall and shingles were recycled instead of going to a landfill. The wood waste was mulched and used for erosion control. The house also features locally built concrete countertops, sink and shower stall made with recycled glass and fly ash.

In the end, the project proved that it's possible to build your dream home and still be sustainable. For Nicholson and O'Leary-Cole, the 2011 Earth Day Award is just a bonus. Their real satisfaction comes from a job both well and sustainably done.

ABOUT O'LEARY-COLE, INC. - O'Leary-Cole Inc. is a fully insured and longstanding active member of the Home Builders Association of Greenville. Owner Trey Cole has been a licensed residential builder in South Carolina since 1984, working as both designer and builder. Cole works closely with clients to design a living space that supports their personal lifestyle and interests and that ties gracefully with the building lot, existing structures and surrounding neighborhood. O'Leary-Cole has many return clients, and much of their new business comes from client referrals.