Real Estate Blog - To Clear Up Some GREEN Confusion

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To Clear Up Some GREEN Confusion

Watching Green Grow The other day I wrote The Difference Between a High Performance Home and a Green Built Home. Honestly, I did not expect the response I got from it. Before I go any further here, I just want to say one thing. The point of that post was to be able to understand the difference between a home that is advertised as either a High Performance Home or Green.

You will find a wide variety of homes..with a variety of different features.. for a variety of different reasons. The features you will find on these types of homes lies solely with the person building it. Whether that be the buyer or builder. People have different reasons for taking a step toward being GREEN. I just wanted to touch on this subject.

If you notice the Poll that I have going on this page, It asks "What would your main reason be for Building a Green or Sustainable home?" These are typically the underlying reasons. This is where you are going to see different features in homes. It's not because it is a different style of home or one is better than the other, it's simply the passion is behind the motivation. (Sort of like asking a seller what their motivation is to sell. Ultimately they want to move, but it might be for different reasons.)

So, to help clear up a little confusion, I am going to go through these main points. Again, you will find people that want more than one of these but you will probably find that they lean more to one than another.

Because it's Healthier- People that have Allergy and Asthma symptoms, or just want a healthier Indoor Air Quality. Not necessarily building because of Green aspects. Here are a few features:

Whole House HEPA Filter
Low VOC Paints (less toxic fumes and allergens)
Special Carpets or Flooring (same thing. There is some nasty stuff in carpet like Formaldehyde)
Building Materials that do not gain moisture as much as wood, fiberglass insulation, and sheetrock. (Less of a chance for mold and mildew)

Because it will help the Environment- People that want to do their part in reducing GreenHouse Gases..a true Green Building. Here are a few features:

Rain Water Harvesting
Manufactured Woods
Recycled Flooring
Solar Panels
Recycled Insulation
GeoThermal Units
Dual Flush Toilets (You have the option for a "small flush" or a "big flush")

Because of the Energy Efficiency- People that are Dollar Driven and are willing to invest in a future with lower utility bills. Here are a few features:

Higher R-Value Insulation
Thicker/Concrete Exterior walls
Higher SEER A/C and Heat Units
Solar Panels
Tankless Water Heaters
Gas Appliances
Dual Flush Toilets (Ultimately reduce the water bill)
Metal roof

Because I need a quieter home- People that live near a Freeway, Airport, Shopping Centers. Here are a few points that you also saw in Energy Efficiency:

Higher R-Value in attic and walls
Thicker/Concrete exterior walls

So, here we have it. To prevent Greenwashing a TRUE Green Built home should have a minimum number of features from the "To Help The Environment" section. If you mix enough of these together, you may not have that many Recycled or GREEN Products, but you would ultimately put off less GreenHouse Gases. This would be considered a system..but I'll leave that for another post. I hope this was able to clear up any confusion.

Posted by Stephanie Edwards-Musa, Realtor ® Spring/Woodlands, TX Real Estate on 07/21/2007 10:53 AM

Comments (29)

green homes, greenwashing, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, greenhouse gases

Originally posted at: Realtor ®-The Woodlands Real Estate : To Clear Up Some GREEN Confusion

29 Comments on To Clear Up Some GREEN Confusion

JUL

2007

Our next home will be a custom built true "Green" home. For now - we've started with the purchase of a Saturn Vue Hybrid as a "green" vehicle.

Hi Tony, that's great! I think my next car will be a Hybrid. If they haven't come out with something better by then. :) New stuff seems to come out daily.

I try to use Green materials on all my fixers. It is just a good feeling to know your doing what you can to help keep the planet.

I noticed that our carpet sheds some and I think that's what I'm dusting up all over. What kind of carpet do I look for? My hubbie's got a Saturn Vue...but it's not a hybrid.

Hi Marcus, that's great! Helps out the utility bills too!

Hey Sally, the best thing to do is get rid of carpet and vinyl flooring. The vinyl, at least in the past, had asbestos in it and the glues/adhesives are not that good either. A wood or other tile is good. Helps the allergies too. Next home I think I want all tile. If I had known all of this 2 years ago when I replaced my carpet I would have done laminate wood or something.

Stephanie,

Nice list featuring the categories from your poll. My husband's grandfather used to collect all the rainwater from his gutters in a large tank he then used to water plants with - he did that years ago to save on his water bill. I love the ones that are good for the environment and your pocketbook at the same time.

Hi Rita, ultimately together the homes do both. Even if it's not a GREEN product the home would have a smaller footprint. I like those too. :) The Rainwater systems are starting to get attention here. Especially since we have been getting so much rain.

Thank you for clearing up a lot of these questions in your post. A green house is the way of the future. I believe it is the responsible choice. Katerina

Great post Stephanie! You may want to rethink the hybrid car. I have one and am wouldn't invest in one again... Cost vs. return isn't that great, especially when the a/c is running which is most of the time in the Woodlands!

Hi Katerina, I agree. Even if Homes don't go completely green, Raising the bar for builders is always a good thing. :)

Thanks Chris, Really? I was thinking about finding a recent used one where the cost was less. I don't buy brand new anyhow. I made that mistake once. :) I'll keep looking.

Thanks Stacey.

Stephanie--Thanks for sharing your knowledge on the subject...Really helpful for those new to the subject. Here is an interesting note...On rain water collection; I was at an exhibit on Pompeii and homes built nearly 2000 years ago were built with pools to collect rainwater off of the roofs of the homes for the family's water supply...I find it interesting that we are just "learning" to do this today.

Stephanie great overview of green ideas for the home. I have been reading about them for years and when we get a home I plan to use as many as I can. The healthier home is the biggest pull for my family with the impact on the environment coming in a close 2nd. The cost savings doesn't even come into play; I just want my family healthy.

Stephanie - Another winning post about green homes. I am just beginning to learn about it. I like the health and enviromental aspect of green homes. The savings is a bonus!

Hi Teri, Isn't that amazing how even back then they did this. It is not really something new here but, from my understanding (I could be wrong), there were issues on how sanitary the water would be. Now, with the Greywater System it is filtered and sounds pretty good actually. I found out last week, all in one day, about 2 separate instances where people are going to do this...just around The Woodlands. I am going to have to find out if any one in Houston is actively doing this and write a post on it. Thanks for stopping by Teri.

Thanks Ashley, The health aspect of Green Homes is amazing. I'm glad this was helpful.

Thanks Paula, Those two items are winning in my poll right now. Believe it or not.

NICE-NICE-NICE Stephanie!! You're my "source" for GREEN-ER LIVING!! Thanks!

Thanks Susie!

Stephanie!! Great blog. I live "green" and am just now making contacts for "green" building so this blog and others you have written are a great resource! I know some people want carpet in their homes which is why I wrote that blog about carpet made from plastic bottles....some older relatives insist because of arthritis that carpet is what they must have. Do you know of any other companies making carpet from recycled materials?

Thanks Pamela, I really don't know of companies that do that. I should do some research. Carpet is BAD stuff. I had mine replaced 2 years ago and they filled a trash bag (not a huge one) with sand that was under the old carpet. It was NASTY! Imagine what was IN the carpet. Yuck. I am going to have to find that post of yours. Thanks for stopping by!

JUL

2007

I beleive we all should think of what we do and how it effect our selves and others. How we build our homes should be thought out very carefully.

Stephanie,

I look forward to your future post on this subject. As I mentioned in my comment on your previous post I am trying to learn as much as I can about this subject, since I might be getting the opportunity to work on a true green project. I especially like the health aspect of green building.

Pamela - check out the carpet MOHAWK is making from recycled pop bottles -- interesting. Shaw is also going green. I don't know much about the products but can get more information from Standale Interiors if you're interested.

Stephanie! Keep up the great work! I'll miss you while I'm gone!

Hi Daniel, I agree. There are so many factors that come in to play when building that often go unmentioned. Like Indoor Air Quality. It's a biggie.

Hi Jennifer, I hope it works out for you..the green project. I will keep posting away! :)

Thanks Mary for the links and the compliment. I need to learn more about the recycled carpets.

You post the question;"What would your main reason be for Building a Green or Sustainable home?"
For me first is because is health friendly... more and more people suffer (knowingly or unknowingly) from all kind allergy, or another, mainly because our environment is poluted and unhealty.

Hi Arina, you are so right. there are so many pollutants that it is unreal.

This list is very helpful. I can see posing questions to clients about what is important to them -- and then making suggestions to accomplish those goals. Having this checklist is very useful -- This kind of approach will work for almost every type of buyer. Thanks for the clarification.

Thanks Joan, I will eventually write more details about each topic. For now, just hitting a few points to help people understand.

JUL

2007

It's not because it is a different style of home or one is better than the other, it's simply the passion is behind the motivation. It's all about educating the consumer and some times the professional.

JUL

2007

Thanks Dena, you are right.

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