Built Green is the New Buzzword in Seattle/Eastside Real Estate

At my monthly networking meeting, Forum XXII, we heard from the Seattle Master Builder's Association about the Built Green program.

http://www.builtgreen.net/index.html

The website had a lot of terrific information about sources for "built green" materials, architects, builders, remodelers, and building standards. "Built green" is our new real estate buzzword. There is a growing emphasis on environmentally friendly building and the use of sustainable materials.

Our listings in the Multiple Listing Service will soon be able to reflect the "built green" status of a home. If a home is listed as "built green", the builders will have had to follow certain standards to achieve this status. "Built green" homes can range from a 2 star to a 5 star level. If a home is built to the 4 or 5 star standard, which has stringent requirements, all of the construction and materials must be independently verified. Certificates are issued to homes that meet these standards. In the future, home buyers will be able to search on line for "built green" homes.

Of the 10,000 new construction homes built in King County last year, only 15-18 were certified as the star 5 "built green" homes, the most stringent level of "built green" homes. Most of these homes were built by a builder in Seattle, Michele Rose.

Most homes categorized as "built green" are built to the 3 star level. Quite a few homes in Issaquah Highlands meet this standard. The Dwelling Company built a number of "built green" homes in the Highlands.

Some of the other builders mentioned who have built some "green" homes were Bennett Homes, www.bennetthomes.com. Bennett Homes is known for "built green" homes in Suncadia, on the other side of the Cascades. Other local builders range from some of the larger builders, such as Camwest, www.camwest.com and Chaffey Homes, www.chaffeyhomes.com, to high end custom builders such as Bender Chaffey, www.benderchaffey.com.

Some thoughts about building green:

Materials can be somewhat more expensive for "built green" homes, however, the cost savings for energy efficiency usually more than compensates for the initial building cost. Check out this website on federal tax credits for energy conservation:

http://www.dsire.org/

Other thoughts:

If you start from the get-go when building a home, it is far cheaper to build green than to start doing some add-ons.

Hardwood floors and other hard surfaces, such as tile. stay cleaner than carpet. It was recommended that main living area be finished with hard surfaces because many people wear shoes throughout their home. Shoes bring in all kinds of contaminents.

Ventilation has become so tight the air in homes can become stale and is not fresh.

The gasses from glues used during standard construction can be emitted for up to 30 years after construction.

These thoughts sure make one want to think of a healthy "built green" home!