Green building now
Plenty of builders are using green techniques today — and they're taking it very seriously. For example, Christopherson Homes, which puts up approximately 300 homes per year in northern California, has earned Build It Green's "GreenPoint Rated" certification. Amy Christopherson Bolten, director of community relations, says Christopherson's homes employ a variety of green techniques:
- Dual-flush toilets
- Low-VOC paints
- Formaldehyde-free insulation
- Forest Stewardship Council-certified lumber, which comes from forests managed with sustainable methods
- 2x6 wall studs, which allow the studs to be spaced farther apart to save lumber wood and make the walls thicker to allow for more insulation
- Ventilation systems wrapped and sealed to prevent heat and air conditioning from leaking out
"Now we can show our customers how much they'll save in energy costs based on our specifications," Christopherson Bolten says.
Hurdles still present
Being green isn't always easy, though. For example, FSC-certified lumber can be problematic. "It's hard to get, and it's expensive, about 20 to 30 percent more than regular lumber," says Christopherson Bolton, who estimates that building green adds a few thousand dollars in costs to each house.
Training subs to build to green specs can be a challenge, too. Then there's the fact that many homebuyers still don't know what green building is. "The public still seems to be on a learning curve with it," Christopherson Bolten says.
That learning curve appears to be on the upswing, though. With consumers hyper-sensitive to energy costs while becoming more environmentally conscious in general, most observers agree that green is the color of the future for builders and buyers, alike. "The builders in our program aren't just a couple of custom-home guys in a fringe market. They're mainstream builders," says Southface's Creech. "Eventually, I think the home-buying public is going to demand that their homes be built this way."
Joe Bousquin writes for both consumer and trade publications in the home, construction and real estate industries. A former senior writer at TheStreet.com and staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, he has also contributed to the New York Observer, Kiplinger's Personal Finance and Men's Journal.
