Solar-Powered Kirkwood Home Sprawls Across One Story

Solar panels are hardly standard on Atlanta homes these days. While sustainability is en vogue, few developers are seeing green in green design. But Rick Baggenstoss and his real estate development company Nice House, LLC are attempting to forge ahead with designs both visually and environmentally sensitive. And now with work wrapped up on his latest project in Kirkwood, buyers have the chance to experience that heightened sense of awareness for $459,000. In the realm of environmental consciousness, the four-bedroom, two-and-1/2 bathroom house features an array of 14 solar panels as well as salvaged materials incorporated inside. While the listing touts the home as "anything but cookie-cutter," the photo of the front makes the claim hard to believe — the grey one-story home with asphalt shingles and cheap-looking windows hollers "cut-rate suburban subdivision." But inside, the finishes are top-quality with tall baseboards, gleaming hardwood floors, marble-clad bathrooms, five-panel doors and tray ceilings in many rooms, all spread across 2,900 square feet on one floor. Urban sustainability is a good thing, but urban suburb-banality is not. Do the home's features outweigh its curb appeal?

· 170 Clay St [Realtor.com]