Building a house is a lot of work. Building green is even more work because of
the challenge of finding and analyzing the product to go into the house and the
design issues on the front end.
The key is to find resources to help, hopefully like EcoLumina.org, and
knowledgeable professionals who know what green building is all about.
We found for example that almost every builder, architect and designer we
talked to claimed to know green building, or at least "have an interest" in the
subject. Ask plenty of questions and you will quickly find which ones actually
know what they are talking about.
Here are some questions to ask:
Builder:
What kind of training they have had in green building?
What do they consider to be green building?
It is important that they embrace energy efficiency at the same time have an
understanding of sustainability
What green organizations are they affiliated with and what green certifications do they have?
What certifications that they can offer?
This will vary by region, some common ones are: LEED for homes, EarthCraft
house, Energy Star, etc...
Ask to see a list of green projects they have completed and ask to speak with some of their green clients.
Who certifies the houses they build?
Do they focus on indoor air quality when they choose products?
Asks for some examples.
Do they use bio-diesel machinery?
What type of reused, reclaimed materials do they offer as options?
Are they sensitive to trying to save as many trees as possible when doing site work?
Do they know how to use grey water?
What types of renewables are they able to use?
Architect:
Landscape Designer
What plants do they like to use that are native to the area?
What plants have they used that are drought tolerant?
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