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February 2011

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Building Green

Once only a dream for a few well-off customers, a home that is built in a way that honors its environment and owners is now a reality for most prospective home buyers. 

"Green building" practices are being used nationwide by a growing number of environmentally conscious companies who also are well aware of the "bottom line". 

If you are considering a new home, realize that YOU are the agent for change in the industry.  Your questions and insistence on smarter building practices will, over time, cause the industry to offer new alternatives  and better homes.  Market forces at work!

Major areas to research would be:

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Picking a home builder for your green home project:

In my view, there are three stages of home builder to be aware of when it comes to a green commitment to your project:

Stage 1: They're doing pretty much what they've always been doing but have been approached by some vendor reps who've sold them on some new materials, etc. The temptation to "greenwash" is very high and easily seen through by knowledgable homebuyers.

Stage 2: They decide as a company to do some research and seek out new building materials and practices and, to the degree to which $$ impact allow, make some fundamental changes in their traditional approach to homebuilding.  The company marketing should reflect the thought process at the management level and the concrete steps being taken to incorporate green.  It's important to note that knowledgeable homebuyers would still not consider this builder a "green homebuilder".

Stage 3: They make a commitment at the mission level to embark on a comprehensive re-evuation of their materials and practices, bring in progressive architects to guide them, and begin to envision totally different communities & dwellings.  These builders (especially as they can point to completed projects) have the ability to market themselves as having "gone green" because they really have.  The company culture has changed.

As you might imagine, there are a lot of Stage 1s and Stage 2s around, mostly somewhere between 1 and 2.  These companies have to be honest with themselves and the knowledgable public and market themselves appropriately.

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