Questions & Answers

What is the first step towards living in a house built to green standards?

If you are reading this, then you have already taken it!  The next step is to contact us and discuss your particular situation and needs.  If you already have plans or are currently working with an architect to develop plans, we can provide the necessary expertise to ensure drawn and specified to high-performance green standards.  If you don't have design, we can work with you to develop a design you love and have total confidence in.

How long does it take to build a home?

This largely depends on the size and complexity of the systems integrated within the home.  Other factors such as permitting, weather and in-stride design changes can also cause delays.  A greenbuilt house, however, does not take any longer to build than a conventional house.  This can mean anywhere from six to twelve months from breaking ground to occupancy.

Do all your homes have to be built to either LEED for Homes or EarthCraft House standards?

Not necessarily, although we do encourage our homeowners to consider registering their homes for these programs.  At a minimum, we require our homes to be EnergyStar qualified. 

Do you provide design services?

We can provide design services through third-party contracts.  We prefer to be involved early in the design process.  Homeowners obviously need to understand how design elements of their home will affect their budget.  As a builder, we are in the best position to provide homeowners continous feedback on estimated construction costs from concept design to construction set plans. 

Do you have lots ready to be built on?

We currently do not have an inventory of lots.  We can work with homeowners, however, to find suitable lots and ensure their investment is well-made.  Many factors should be considered with lot location, such as farmland classification, proximity and relationship to natural resources, and access to urban infanstructure.

Do you have homes available ready for purchase?

We do not.  Greenbuilding is definitely a holistic process - one that is designed around the homeowner, their environment and how the two will interact over the life of the house.  Speculative building restricts the ability to fully realize that process.

Will we have to change the design we want if we decide to build it green?

Almost any home design can be built green, within reason.  (A 10,000 s.f. house, for example, can be built according to sustainable construction standards, but the design is questionable due to its sheer size!)  Our role as greenbuilder is to identify critical areas of the construction documents in need of correction or improvement, and then work with the homeowners to find the right balance between design elements they want in their homes and the sustainable principles they want to live with.

Does greenbuilding cost more than standard building?

Greenbuilding does tend cost more than production building, where homes are built to minimum code standards and developers maximize economy of scale with respect to land costs.  However, compared to normal custom building, where homeowners buy their own land to build on, it typically does not cost more.  This is where we can add value to the design process!  During design and pre-construction phases, we help homeowners select design elements that provide them best value in terms of their budget and lifestyle. 

Is it possible to set a price range before getting started?

Yes, there are basically two ways to do this.  One way is for the homeowner to provide a design where costs are estimated and the budget developed accordingly.  If the homeowner does not have a design, we work with them to develop a basic design with enough detail to work up an estimate.  The other way is for the homeowner to set a budget and a design is developed to meet it, or revise an existing design -- if necessary -- to meet the budget.