How to Build a Green Home
by Viv Weinkauf
Look at you, building your own house! How cool is that? And as someone who cares about your impact on the environment, you'll likely position this new house in a place where you can enjoy natural beauty, compliments of Mother Earth.
What about the products that go into that house? Chances are you've seen some dynamic cork flooring that would look great, and you're interested in considering solar panels as a good option for your energy source. Have you thought about the walls? What about the insulation? Did you give your doors any thought? How about the plumbing system?
In today's world, obtaining unique building products from nearly anywhere isn't a big problem as long as they can pass Customs and get here. Certain companies specialize in bringing in products that are made with the environment in mind and they import from Brazil and Africa and India and locations that cater to producing materials from renewable resources. When you buy something made from oak, you're also supporting products that take decades (sometimes centuries) to grow again...not really renewable in today's language. But bamboo grows wild and fast...that's one reason it's so very popular with those of us who want to build "green." Even LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified architects can't always sway a client from choosing off-the-shelf, readily-available products with all their logical arguments about being environmentally-conscious. As of this point in time, renewable building products still hold a higher price than non-renewable products and cost, as everyone knows, is the driving force behind most residential design.
So, how do you begin the building process after you've bought your land?
Start by writing out all your ideas about what you'd like to see in your house. Don't hold back...put them all down, even the things you think could never be achieved. Perhaps you want the house to maintain a constant 67° F, winter and summer. Maybe you want your shower to essentially clean itself. You may want to use an outdoor oven throughout the year or have your front walk clear itself of snow.
Now, jot out a little sketch of your new house. Show approximately where you'd like the various rooms to be, how you'd like to see the flow of the house, where you'd like the sunshine to come in and at what time of the day. Think about this sketch over a week and modify it as you think of new things you'd like to see.
Call a LEED-certified architect in your part of the universe and make an appointment to just talk. Go in with your ideas and your sketch. You should be prepared to expose what you believe your building budget is going to be, and this should be the total you're willing to pay for the entire process, excluding the land you already own. You should also have a schedule...an approximate date on which you'd like to move into your new house. And you should ask them for a fixed price quote to go through the Design Development and Construction Document process, all the way to having a full set of plans and specifications.
Your costs, as the builder, will include the cost of a county or city permit which can be substantial. In addition, you may have to bring utilities from some distance...from their closest termination point to your project site. You will have to fund geotechnical reports and tests to determine water sources, if you're not on the city system. You'll have to have inspections throughout the process which could be a cost you'll have to factor into your budget. The contractors who do the work will need sets of drawings and copies of the specifications; your cost should include these documents. Now, all of these things might run 20-30% of your budget. What remains should have at least 10% taken out for probable change orders and the balance should be your beginning construction budget.
As an example, let's consider that you started with $500,000 for your overall budget. You'll spend approximately $150,000 on architectural fees, all the tests, running utilities to the site, inspections, and plans for the subcontractors. You now have $350,000, of which you're going to reserve $35,000. for possible change orders, leaving $315,000 as the amount the building should cost. Building "green" is more expensive than non-renewable building and as such, you should use an average square foot price of $250.00 per square foot which would allow you to design and build a "green" house of approximately 1,260 square feet.
Now, you may think a house that size would be too small for you but consider: if you build a house that meets all of your needs, makes use of renewable resources, and fits within your budget for a beautiful and well-designed result, does the size really matter that much? You can always add on at some point in the future and using materials that are specifically known as "green" materials is a great payback for compromising on the size.
If you can visit Boston in November, you might want to attend the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/ ) to learn more about renewable building resources. In May, 2009, the National Association of Home Buildings (NAHB) is sponsoring a national "green building" conference in Dallas
(http://www.nahb.org/conference_details.aspx?conferenceID=59) which will highlight various products now available for residential construction. And West Coast Green is sponsoring an exhibit and conference on September 27 at the San Jose Convention Center (http://www.westcoastgreen.com/about/) which is open for residential day tickets.
Your new house is going to be beautiful, you know. And you'll breathe easier knowing you built it responsibly...and GREEN.