Real Estate Investing

I always thought of log homes as one of the least eco-friendly building options around. But one web site actually says they can be eco-friendly too. In fact, log homes are “actually the most natural, organic and environmentally sustainable dwelling in the history of homebuilding,” the web site states. Of course, the web site belongs to PrecisionCraft Log & Timber Homes, not exactly an unbiased source. But Timber Homes is not alone in their approach. There are a lot of log home companies currently stressing the eco-friendliness of the building material, not surprising since eco-friendliness is all the rage.

Regardless, PrecisionCraft has a wealth of ideas on eco-friendly building. These are basic, common sense ideas, not the more expensive ones like tankless hot water heaters and photovoltaic panels.

- Use eaves, porches and awnings. This can not only increase the life of your windows, but can help cool your house by shielding the windows from direct sunlight.

- Placement of your home on the lot. Consider such characteristics of the land like slope, which could impact your building design. Also, when choosing a location, try to shield your home from the hot afternoon sun.

- Keep vaulted ceilings to a minimum. This is a tough one because vaulted ceilings are all the rage and often used as a selling point in home ads. However, not only is it wasted space, but it is also more air to heat or cool.

- Choose your windows carefully. The effects of windows placed in certain locations can be significant. For example, a large, unprotected window on a home’s west side is letting in ample heat from the afternoon sun. This is one reason clerestory windows are so popular. They project natural light from up high, but are too small and narrow to allow much heat to pass through.

- Add a cool pantry or root cellar. This strategy simply increases the shelf life of many products. It could also be useful for the person wanting to get into growing and canning their own vegetables, always an eco-friendly idea.

By the way, kudos to PrecisionCraft Log & Timber Homes for teaming up with Mountain Architects and others to found the annual Green Log Home & Lifestyle Awards. Now there’s something you don’t see a lot of log home companies doing.

So I received a press release yesterday about the weeHouse. Though not a particular fan of press releases (chalk it up to my newspaper background), this I had to share. Alchemy Architects is offering the weeHouse and its appearance is pretty amazing. I’d move into one tomorrow, but my husband is a different story.

Anyway, the web site states that building costs per square foot is about 20 percent less than a traditional custom home. Of course, pricing depends on things like building size and how much customization the buyer requests on the existing prefab model, but the web site is saying $125 to $200 per square foot.

Though hesitant to associate the esteemed name of architecture great Frank Lloyd Wright to these “good, cheap and fast” weeHouses, that’s really what these designs resemble. They are like building blocks laid next to each other or stocked atop each other, with cool features like floor-to-ceiling windows. These homes have a very retro, art deco feel that make you just want to slap some Eames chairs on the front porch and call it done.

I like weeHouses for three reasons:

1) They look cool, and what’s not to love about that boxy Frank Lloyd Wright style?

2) They are eco-friendly. Of course, the houses can be customized to any buyer’s green wishes, but the company tries to use low-emitting paint and other green-certified materials at least. Of course, the very nature of prefab housing is eco-friendly because the product is built in one location instead of trucking laborers and materials all over the place. As for Alchemy Architects, they try to operate a paperless company as much as possible, also good for the environment. All relevant info is posted on their web site.

3) These houses are smaller and more streamlined, yet still appear functional. This from Alchemy Architects’ web site:

We hope to offset the suburban trend towards overbuilding by instilling value in modern yet efficient living.

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan just said in an interview Sunday with George Stephanopoulos that the housing market would take a while to become buoyant again, but that it would happen when builders stopped overbuilding. For this reason and because of growing concern over the earth’s condition, prefab is the massive wave of the future. And weeHouse is one example of just how exciting that can be. As more people learn the new truth about prefab housing and break out of their long-held preconceived notions, prefab is bound to catch on tremendously.

Eco-friendly building design and construction is expected to make up at least 20 percent of all new construction by 2009. There has been extensive coverage of how much money homeowners can save on monthly utilities costs if they build an eco-friendly home. But how much is the one-time capital cost? The answer may surprise you.

According to a 2003 study of 33 LEED-certified office and school buildings in California, the average premium cost per project was less than two percent per square foot. The level of LEED certification greatly affects the premium construction cost per square foot, because higher levels involve more complex features like solar energy panels.

The California study, summarized on Buildings.com, breaks down the average premium cost per LEED certification level. The eight buildings at the lowest LEED-certification level had an average cost premium of less than 1 percent. The 18 silver buildings averaged a 2.1-percent cost premium, while the six gold buildings had an average premium of 1.8 percent. The single platinum building was at 6.5 percent.

“More and more buildings can be built at the LEED-certified level for little or no cost premium,” says Greg Kats, author of the California study. “You can easily get at least half-way to certified at a zero-cost premium.”

Kats warns homebuilders to beware of “glued-on green.” That is the decision to tack on eco-friendly options like low-emitting paint or recycled carpet in the middle of the project. Eco-friendly building works best when it is planned out well from the beginning, Kats says.

Homebuilders should also beware of “greenwash.” These are products put out by companies who don’t really practice green principles on a daily basis, but merely want to make a buck off a product whose eco-friendliness is questionable at best. These types of companies market green products to ride the current trend, but don’t necessarily have the earth as a top priority.

Ultimately, with a little research and planning, basic eco-friendly features like Low E windows, recycled carpet and extra insulation can be integrated into your new home with nominal, if any, extra cost. Why not, considering your helping the earth and saving money on a monthly basis in the long run.