How to Find Your Eco-Builder

Home buyers in Texas are increasingly growing interested in a green-built  home.

If you are looking for an eco-builder, here are some tips to guide you in your search.

1. Get educated - by learning what green building is, what is a green-built home, what are some of the green building practices for your climate zone. Once you have done a bit of research, it will make your search for an educated eco-builder much easier.

2. Communicate clearly -by expressing to your builder what is important to you so that you both determine if you are a good match for each other. Don’t forget to follow your gut-feelings when selecting your builder. Because building your home is a journey of several months, you want to work with people whom you feel comfortable with.

3. Ask questions -and more questions! A professional builder will provide clarifications to technical terms. It is important to understand what these terms mean and ask if you don’t. The only silly question is the one that is not asked. A knowledgeable eco-builder will provide you the answers you need to know. And he will tell you what will work and not work in the climate zone he/she builds.

4. Find an organized builder - who provides his/her clients with homeowner education prior, during and post-c0nstruction. A green home is built differently based on building science principles and climate zone considerations to create a comfortable space for its occupants year-round. A high-performance home requires lower maintenance, and you need to know exactly what you need to do and when. An organized builder will have a system in place to provide homeowner education.

5. Define what is important to you - and focus on the value that you are looking for. You may find that re-directing the additional expense of upgraded granite tops for your kitchen to improve the home’s insulation adds more value to your investment in the long run. Certain luxuries can wait. Ripping out sheetrock walls to install a better insulation in the future can be a huge expense. It is recommended to focus on the structure, its durability, efficiency and comfort that it can bring while giving up a little luxury at the beginning. Pricey luxuries over comfort is a choice that homeowners need to make. Luxuries can always be added with creative cost-effective ways in later years.

6. Search the websites - of potential builders you’re considering. Great builders provide content-rich websites that clearly state what they do and why they do it.

7. Find your match - in a builder who builds to your ideas and style. Builders have specific customer markets. Find a the builders that resonate with your ideas, your style and your particular energy-efficiency requirements.

8. How to get started? -

• First, make a list of your needs, wants, must-have’s; i.e., comfort, energy savings, utilities savings, low-voc everything.

• Second, draw a simple sketch of your home needs and find a plan that matches close to this. Focus on what is important and consider having rooms that serve multiple purposes. For example, ask yourself if you really need a formal living and a formal dining. Most homes that have these two rooms just take up space and hardly ever get used. Listen to your builders about their concerns for building the style of heme that you want for the lot and climate zone that you’re in. The builder should share with you some alternatives and modifications that would be needed to take advantage of such things as passive solar, avoiding windows in the west wall of the home.
• Third, educate yourself on green building strategies specific to your climate zone.

Let me know how this helped you! Feel free to comment.

Resource

White Paper:  Thinning the Herd – How to pick the best eco-builder

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