Construction Business Owner, March 2008

Editor’s Note: This is the final of three articles on practical, cost-effective, green building techniques by Jeff Binder of greenbuildingblocks.com.

A few months ago, we set out to identify a few sustainable building techniques that actually save builders’ budgets. We came up with fifteen.

But not every practice will cost more. Some, in fact, cost less, and that is the point. Green building is a continuum and exploring some of these techniques is a good place to start.

There are, of course, good reasons to build sustainably other than saving money. It’s simply more efficient, in terms of materials and resources. It makes business sense to change the perception in some quarters of builders and developers as despoilers of the planet. And yes, building greener does help save the planet.

Plus, the market is shifting, as you’ll see in our first cost-cutting idea. Homeowners are now looking for sustainable (or “high-performance”) homes, which makes this category the brightest segment of an industry that could stand to look on the bright side.

1. Build Smaller Houses

A 2004 nationwide National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) survey reported that 67 percent of homeowners would prefer a smaller house with high quality products and amenities over a larger house with fewer amenities. That figure was up from 41 percent in 2000.

Angie’s list, a home-improvement reference service, surveyed 7,700 members and found that 67 percent felt their home was just the right size—and that 47 percent lived in a home under 2,000 square feet.

So why are we still building McMansions, that cost more to heat and cool, clean, maintain—and pay taxes on? Many homeowners, intimidated by the idea of resale, buy homes that don’t suit them. Yet 77 million aging boomers are becoming empty-nesters and are ready to downsize. The concept of what makes a resellable property is downsizing along with that market.

The commanding paradigm is moving away from “bigger is better,” and toward the idea of building a house for the three bears—one that’s just right-sized. Consider this: Sarah Susanka’s books (the first was The Not So Big House in 1998) that began the downsized housing trend have sold over a million copies.

There’s a growing interest in smaller developments that emphasize connections between inhabitants. Cottage housing places more, but smaller, homes on a lot surrounding a common or community garden. Putting a smaller home in that kind of context positions it for greater buyer interest and justifies greater density.

How much can you save? That depends on what level of amenities you want to include, but if you are able to quote per-square-foot costs to homeowners, you could use those same numbers to calculate your own savings for a house with a smaller footprint.

2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

There are a number of environmental advantages to using recycled building materials. Building a 2,000 square foot home generates just under a half a ton of waste. Recycling materials from an existing home, recycling agency or salvage yard saves costly trips to the landfill.

Recycling also promotes local re-use, which means shorter hauls and less use of fossil fuels in the shipping of materials. It could also save significant money if you know where to look.

Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores are retail outlets that sell used and surplus building materials at far less than you’re spending now. Bookmark all the sites listed in the sidebar, and become a salvage-yard browser. It makes you the stand-out builder in your market.

One of the best sites—www.build.recycle.net, offers sections for used brick and block, lumber and wood, plumbing materials and fixtures, doors and windows, electrical and lighting items, heating and cooling equipment and “other used building materials,” in addition to a section on used construction equipment.

Granted, recycling (or “freecycling” if you find the right source) may be best suited to smaller builders, but you’d be surprised at what you can find in large quantities on the open market.

 

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