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HOME GREEN HOME
GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL EDUCATES, MOTIVATES
BUILDERS AND CONSUMERS
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By Bill Beggs
Jr.
With scores of specs to consider, from the shingles to the subflooring
and windows up, down and all around, building “green” can be daunting
for even the most seasoned residential builder. And since each item
on a green building checklist typically requires more of the “long
green” to complete, builders must be adept at explaining features
and benefits so that home buyers understand just what they’re paying
for, whether it’s reducing energy costs for now or increasing resale
value for later.
A burgeoning regional green building initiative, derived from a
program of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), was
designed to offer builders information on products and practices
developed to help build homes to a higher standard, in areas such
as environmental friendliness and energy efficiency. Since last
October’s Gateway Builders Show and Conference, the Home Builders
Association (HBA) of Greater St. Louis has been fine-tuning its
residential “green” building program.
But first they closely studied what had been set in motion at the
national level by a stakeholder group of nearly 60 builders, environmentalists,
government agencies and product manufacturers who’d helped develop
the NAHB green building guidelines. Then a group of St. Louis area
builders—nucleus of the region’s Green Building Council—modified
the guidelines to provide St. Louis builders with a tool kit for
practical green building approaches applicable to St. Louis’ geography
and climate.
Matt Belcher of Belcher Homes, who helped break ground for the local
initiative and chairs the council, says going green is a win-win
for builders and buyers. The latter generally don’t want to be burdened
with the details, which can be where the devil is for companies
interested in becoming involved.
“The customers I’m building for don’t know all that’s involved in
it, but they want the energy savings, the intrinsic health quality,
the durability,” says Belcher. “The cookie, the reward, is that
you’re not putting a strain on natural resources.”
Green
home built by Matt Belcher of Belcher Homes.
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Owners of green homes can reap benefits including utility savings,
improved indoor air quality and less overall maintenance. Builders
can tailor the guidelines to the needs of a home buyer as the residence
is designed and built, with an eye toward saving energy and reducing
waste, both during and after construction.
The Green Building Council provides technical and marketing expertise
to help local builders utilize the national guidelines and support
the construction of green homes across the region. To that end,
says Caitlyn Peel, a vice president with the HBA, the association
will be sponsoring green building sales training not only for builders,
but for anyone else who needs to become acquainted with the concept,
including realtors and estimators.
Meanwhile, the council has been growing like a weed, from its core
group of six builders last fall to around 43 members by late May,
expanding to include architects, lenders, insurance people and others
with diverse roles and interests in the industry.
“We receive one or two applications every couple of days,” Peel
points out.
What’s more, the organization has been working with Laclede Gas
Co. to implement a third-party verification process that ensures
homes constructed as part of the program adhere to the guidelines
initiated by the NAHB.
Tom Schultz at Laclede, one of the go-to guys from the outset, emphasizes
that the guidelines company engineers helped develop certainly have
raised the bar. Though stringent, they aren’t intended as obstacles,
but as standards to reach. New homes may be awarded a bronze, silver
or gold rating—and a representative placard—that certifies the level
of compliance reached. But it’s important to note that the program
is voluntary, above and beyond any state or federal requirements.
“This has gained momentum on its own,” Schultz says. “You don’t
have to mandate doing the right thing.”
With a squad of the utility’s engineers having helped develop the
standards here, one might not be surprised that they comprise a
10-page document listing dozens of specs in seven sections, from
“Lot Design, Preparation and Development” to “Global Impact.”
The end result of the rigorous process dedicated to designing and
building a green home is a residence that from the street looks
not a whole lot different than the next-door neighbor’s place. Schultz
notes, tongue slightly in cheek, that a residence achieving Bronze,
Silver or Gold status isn’t necessarily subterranean, nor is it
a unique solar house that attracts drive-by gawkers.
“It’s healthy, it’s a better building—and it’s a little more invisible,”
he says.
Laclede’s teams make three or four visits to the construction site—which,
as Schultz points out, raises the level of accountability. Many
of the green specs are under wraps—behind the walls, under the floor,
in a tighter seal between the garage and living space. Schultz has
personally observed the painstaking attention to detail that crews—Belcher’s,
for one—apply during the process.
“He caulks everything!” Schultz exclaims. “Those are the types of
things we inspect for that the homeowner doesn’t even see.”
The lion’s share of the projects (at press time, Belcher was involved
in a half-dozen) are new construction, which means going green from
start to finish. But rehabs are as much a part of residential life
in the Gateway City as humidity in the summertime. Peel cites one
project, a four-family residence in the City that fits into the
“retrofit” category. This is where the classic environmental battles
may be fought, against lead paint, asbestos and other building materials
whose potential dangers weren’t widely known decades ago. Sometimes,
unfortunately, an original strategy doesn’t pan out for builder
or buyer; (re)construction may be too costly, thus the purchase
price prohibitive.
Belcher took on a project in the Kirkwood area, a few bungalows
that wound up to be too far gone to be restored and had to be razed.
But they weren’t simply bulldozed. Key elements of Belcher’s approach
can be found in the second section of the Green Building Council
guidelines, “Resource Efficiency.” To wit: “Disassemble existing
buildings (deconstruction) instead of demolishing.” Also, “Reuse
salvaged materials, where possible.”
Although the structures were in terrible shape, Belcher says, windows
and doors were fit enough for donation to Habitat for Humanity.
Shingles were set aside to be carted off to be ground up for reuse
in asphalt paving.
Since going green, Belcher has cut waste by two-thirds: “That’s
two more dumpsters I don’t have to dump. Sure, that keeps it out
of the landfill—but I don’t have to pay for it, either.”
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Typical
Specs for Building 'Green'
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There
isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach for building a home to
“green” standards. Consider that one may be nestled into a
heavily wooded lot, while another towers over newly planted
saplings that provide no shade at all. Still, a few Green
Building Initiative guidelines may apply to nearly any new
construction or rehab project. For instance, the builder may
be able to:
Minimize Solar Heat Gain
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Position the structure so the longest walls and
most of the windows face north and south
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Position infrequently used rooms, such as storage
spaces and service areas, on the west side to act
as buffers from the sun
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Maximize
Natural Light and Ventilation
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Ensure that most rooms have windows on two walls
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Position windows for cross ventilation
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Create
a Cool Shell
- Use
light-colored surfaces for walls and roofing
- Choose
metal, concrete or wood roofing, which absorb less
heat than asphalt shingles
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Ensure
Efficient Heating and Cooling
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Install a programmable thermostat
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Install ceiling fans in major rooms
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Use
Efficient Appliances and Lights
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Use Energy Star rated appliances
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Install task lighting to reduce the need to light
whole rooms
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Choose
“Green” Materials
- Use
renewable and sustainable lumber for framing, doors
and flooring
- Use
materials with recycled content (e.g. carpet, insulation,
siding, roofing, flooring, countertops, outdoor
decking)
- Use
non-volatile, bio-based paints, adhesives and cleaning
products
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