Real Estate Investing

I attended a seminar earlier today - it was an information pitch if you will about a local builder / developer who has gone green.  To say you’re going green means that you truly have to start your planning before you ever break ground. 

Sometimes people change their logos or image to say they’re going green, but unless certain criteria are met, they’re simply ”Greenwashed.”  Not unlike “brainwashed,” greenwashed is when someone convinces you that they’re something they’re not.

Beginning in October 2008, The Jones Company of Tennessee has made the commitment that every house they build and put under contract will be certified green at the bronze level AND Energy Star rated.  Basicaloly, they’re putting their money where their mouths are through third-party, non-biased inspections done both through the NAHB National Green Building Program (the National Association of Home Builders) and through the Energy Star program.  The NAHB is providing the first ANSI certified inspections, completed by the American National Standards Institute.  To meet *those* standards, the new homes must reduce the impact on human health and environment through stages:

• Better siting (lot layouts)
• Design
• Construction
• Operation
• Maintenance, and
• Waste Removal

In the design stage, the builder may place windows across from each other in order to pull in outside air flow during warmer weather.  The homes may have big awnings and overhangs so the house will remain cool in the summer.  Or when a residential lot is being readied, as many large trees as possible remain to allow shade.  When it comes to the maintenance stage, a homebuyer is educated about the upkeep necessary to maintain a green home.  Caulking must be checked regularly, or a floor should be vacuumed and the home should be cleaned.

There are specific NAHB requirements for builders wanting to be certified as “green”:

Lot Design, Preparation and Development

Define the goals and role of the company to ensure that green practices are correctly interpreted when building a home.  For example, the pieces of a house frame come in specific sizes. The home should be designed so that the wood in the frame is measured exact to minimize scrap pieces.

Resource Efficiency

Again, this falls into material management and waste management in the advance framing is planned.  In addition, pre-cut or preassembled systems are used so that walls and other materials can simply snap into place (five days) rather than stick built which would take up to two weeks to DRY-IN a home.  It is more expensive to order from a manufacturer, but each piece is inspected before it leaves the factory ensuring against warped boards and other damaged wood.

The Jones Company also recycles up to 70 percent of its waste material including concrete, metal, drywall, brick, and lumber.  The concrete is hauled away and crushed, then re-used as gravel.

Energy Efficiency

Windows are upgraded to Low E which shades fromheat in the summer, but allows heat to come in during the winter - depending on the outside temperature.  In addition, lighting and appliances are brought in that are energy efficient and all homes have programmable digital thermostats so when the home is empty, the heat is turned down but when occupied it’s turned back up.  In addition, the homes are tested with the duct blaster test.  Here’s a YouTube video to show how that’s done.

Also, all outlets in the home are caulked and sealed, and all weather stripping is tight.

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about additional requirements needed to have a certified green home.