According to the US Green Building Council, “Generally, green homes are healthier, more comfortable, more durable, and more energy efficient and have a much smaller environmental footprint than conventional homes.”

Sustainable properties are the future of the real estate industry. Consumer demand, residential builders, federal government incentives, and local government policy are making this happen. Many consumers, real estate professionals, and property owners are taking steps towards greening their properties.

Residential Demand

As the green building movement gains momentum, so does the consumer demand for greener properties. Two-thirds of consumers are paying attention to green homes and buildings; they recognize the link between green properties, cost savings and healthy living.

Consumers also understand the long-term investment and savings associated with greener homes. Homebuyers who ranked energy efficiency as “very important” purchased homes that had a median price $12,400 higher than those who ranked it “somewhat” or “not important.” Help your clients green their homes and their lifestyles by earning NAR’s Green Designation today!

Commercial Demand

Government incentives and policies are increasing the number of green commercial buildings and retrofits as well. Nearly 25% of all new construction projects in the U.S. are LEED-registered. Additionally, the number of states with green building policies, standards, legislation, and programs increased from 13 to 31 between 2005 and 2008 (Green Outlook Report, McGraw Hill Construction 2009). Help your clients prepare for the future by earning NAR’s Green Designation.

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Geared mostly toward commercial construction, the article pointed out that even six short years ago, green buildings were generally regarded as interesting experiments but unfeasible in the real world. Since then, hundreds of studies have proven the financial advantages of green buildings (residential and commercial), from reduced construction costs to lower operating costs. There have also been studies that show employers with green buildings experience significant workforce benefits, including better employee attraction and retention, lower absenteeism and improved productivity.

Even so, there are still some persistent myths that keep some in the residential construction industry from accepting that green building is proven effective and here to stay.

Myth #1: Green building is too expensive.
This is a very common misconception. Although it has been debunked many times in the past, it still lingers. “A lot of the high-profile green projects that get builders’ attention are very high-end, and that’s one reason this myth is still around,” says Alex Wilson, president of BuildingGreen Inc. in Brattleboro, Vt. and executive editor of Environmental Building News. “But the simple fact is that there are plenty of strategies for inexpensive green building, from right-sizing the structure to optimal value engineering to reducing waste, among many others.”

Myth #2: Green building is all about material selection.
Wilson says that in the past, people equated green building with using “green materials” such as those with high recycled content, low embodied energy, no VOCs, etc. And while he says that is an important part of constructing a green building, it is still a small part of the big picture. “Other factors such as site selection and energy performance are very important as well,” says Wilson. “People are beginning to gain a greater understanding that green building is a systems approach to the entire construction process.”

Myth #3: Green building products don’t work as well.
Wilson points to low-flow toilets and fiberglass insulation as typical products that continue to get a bad rap. People still think that 1.6 gallon-per-flush toilets don’t work, even though the fixtures were mandated for all new construction more than a decade ago, and that inhaling fiberglass fibers can lead to cancer. “By and large, new green products work as well if not better than traditional products,” he says.

Myth #4: Green Products are hard to find.
Okay, there is some truth to this one; some green products are not manufactured nationwide and can be hard to purchase in some parts of the country. But the number of green products and systems that are available has grown exponentially over the past few years to the point where there are literally hundreds—if not thousands—of mainstream green products. BuildingGreen Inc. publishes two comprehensive directories (GreenSpec and Green Building Products) with performance data and contact information on just about every green product imaginable.

Myth #5: Green homes are “weird” or “ugly.”
No, you don’t have to build a yurt or geodesic dome and mount huge rows of solar panels to be green. The fact is that many of today’s green homes are virtually indistinguishable from “typical” homes. And if you do want to go with solar power, “There are many ways to integrate PV [photovoltaic] panels that both attractive and effective,” says Wilson.

Myth #6: Building a green home is too complicated.
Ron Jones is the owner of Sierra Custom Builders in Placitas, N.M., and a founder and executive editor of Green Builder magazine. In his many talks around the world on green building, he still has to address this myth. “This is a business that is about common sense, and a lot of green building is very fundamental,” he says. “It all begins with a tight building envelope; the rest of it is not very exotic or akin to rocket science.”

Myth #7: To get into green building, you have to sign up for some sort of program or third-party certification.
While programs such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED and the American Lung Association’s Healthy House are terrific at garnering exposure and furthering the green movement, builders don’t have to get involved with them to build green. “Those programs are great at supplying templates and roadmaps,” says Jones. “But green building is really about one project at a time and a builder’s and owner’s will to make a better choice.”

Myth #8: It’s an all-or-nothing proposition.
Jones says there is often a tendency to separate construction professionals into two groups: good guys (those who build only green) and bad guys (those who don’t build green at all). “That’s not true,” Jones says. “I bet there are plenty of people employing green technologies and techniques who may not even know it. I’d bet just about any builder or manufacturer in this country is doing something for green building.”

Rob Fanjoy is the former editor of Smart HomeOwner magazine and former senior editor of Professional Builder. He lives in Ypsilanti, Mich., where he is using green techniques and materials to remodel his home.

Green Builders Houston, Texas

In the city of gas, no-zoning and laissze-faire developers, local eco-sensitive construction will get the Houstonist’s attention. So, when we recently spotted this article in Dwell Magazine, we just had to share the good news with as many Houstonians as possible.

Matt and Tina Ford seem to have figured out a way to make eco-friendly design both attractive and affordable. Having built in the Houston area for a few years under their company Esplanade Homes, the Fords recently sought a way to provide eco-friendly and energy efficient living at a reasonable cost. Shade House, a sleek new 8 unit condo in the Heights, designed and built by the Fords under their new company Shade House Development, is living (standing) proof of their efforts. By smartly combining concrete walls, strategically placed air ducts and a heat reflective barrier akin to one used by NASA, the Fords were able to significantly reduce the air-conditioning needs of each unit. But they didn’t stop merely at energy consumption. To reduce construction costs the Fords used a large percentage of recycled material in the interior – old basketball court floors from neighborhood schools being only one example.

Is this the beginning of a new eco-development trend in Houston? Well, we’re not sure yet. But we’re happy to say that Shade House has been so successful that Tina and Matt have already begun work on the next one.

For more information visit www.shadehousedev.com