Building Your Home Green

Today is St. Patrick's Day, a day that is synonymous with green. We wear green today to avoid being pinched for some reason... St. Patrick himself used a green three-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish of his time.

What does that have to do with building a green home? Nothing. But I had to mention it considering today is St. Patrick's Day.

I did go to the "Build Your New Home Green" seminar this past Friday at the Home & Garden Show. This seminar was presented by Michael Strong of Brothers Strong, Inc. and GreenHaus Builders, Inc. from Houston, Texas. He is a Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR), Graduate Master Builder (GMB), and Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS).

The two gentlemen seated behind him in this picture are Mark Bostic of Square One Design Service and Joseph Gilmore of Gilmore Consulting Services.

During this seminar, Mr. Strong facilitated a conversation about how green home construction is defined. At the meeting were homeowners interested in building green, homeowners interested in remodeling green, and a couple of builders including myself. Topics included site placement, reducing landfill waste during construction, radiant barrier sheathing, insulation, more efficient hvac systems, dual flush toilets, non-potable rainwater systems, tankless water heaters, buying material within a 500 mile radius to reduce greenhouse gases, low-VOC paint, solar energy, etc.

Mr. Strong pointed out that the system in place in Houston is very similiar to the Build Green Greater Columbia system. The program is based on the NAHB Green Home Guidelines which uses a checklist with points assigned to different areas. Some homes can be "greener" than others so there is a Bronze, Silver, and Gold designation based on the total number of points. Strong also pointed out that homeowners in Houston realize building green could cost them more upfront, but they will also save on utility bills for the life of the home - not to mention they will be making a more positive impact on their environment.

Green homes are becoming more talked about - and they are being built right here in South Carolina. Just yesterday, Megan Sexton of The State paper wrote an article titled "A Green Dream" about a new green home in the Lowcountry. This home is the first green home built by HGTV and it achieved a Gold certification. Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, even created a Dilbert strip just for the Green Home!

You can learn all about this Green Home on HGTV's Green Home web site. A one hour special on the home will also be aired on HGTV at these times:

• March 23, 2008 9:00 PM ET/PT
• March 24, 2008 1:00 AM ET/PT
• April 04, 2008 10:00 AM ET/PT
• April 06, 2008 5:00 PM ET/PT
• April 22, 2008 10:00 AM ET/PT
• May 04, 2008 5:00 PM ET/PT

We'll keep learning more about green home construction and we'll be ready to build a green home for you when you're ready.

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