Frequently
Asked Questions
Q. How
can I keep the costs of sustainable construction low?
A. One of the basic premises
of sustainable design is resource efficiency. Meeting
the goal of using less material inherently tends to reduce the materials cost of a
project. Materials costs are only a portion
of project costs, however. Labor costs often
can be a significant component of a project’s total cost, and labor costs may
escalate if the project architect and/or builder is being asked to work with systems or
materials that are unfamiliar. To help
prevent this problem, look for building industry professionals with experience or
certification in sustainable design and construction.
Most importantly, remember that
the key to sustainable construction is holistic design.
Taking a comprehensive approach to design will reveal opportunities for savings
that otherwise might have been missed. For
example, if a home is designed and constructed to have very low air infiltration, and very
good insulation, a smaller, less expensive heating system might be used. Similarly, water-efficient fixtures might justify
a smaller water heater, or natural ventilation could allow the omission of air
conditioning. A holistic design approach is
vital in identifying these types of significant savings opportunities.
Q. What
if my architect and builder aren’t familiar with sustainable design?
A.
If the competitive bidding process, or ongoing working relationships, dictate that
you use an architect and builder who aren’t familiar with sustainable design, it may
be worthwhile to hire a green building consultant to participate in the design process and
create project specifications that detail specific practices and materials to be used on
the project. Additionally, you can encourage
your building industry professionals to participate in continuing professional education
opportunities specific to green building. A
small sample of the available programs includes: EnergySmart
builder certification, U.S. Green Building Council LEED rating system training, Super Good
Cents training, and the National Green Building Conference sponsored annually by the
National Association of Home Builders Research Center and other industry leaders. Finally, both you and your project team can take
advantage of the many excellent online resources for sustainable design and construction. Information, services, and sources for house
plans can all be located online. Some sources are listed and linked in the Resources section of this
website.
Q. How
do I know that new technologies will perform as well and last as long as conventional
building practices?
A. People
often are unwilling to adopt a new way of building because it is unfamiliar, or because
they worry that it is unproven and could fail. Fortunately,
sustainable design has a long and successful history.
Some of the features of sustainable design, such as natural ventilation or passive
solar orientation, have been in practice since ancient times. Other, more modern innovations like heating and
cooling system design have been repeatedly tested and proven in demonstration structures
and in private homes. Sophisticated computer
modeling can help predict how building systems will perform as an integrated unit.
Regarding
specific building materials, it is important to check and see that new products have been
independently tested and meet national codes and standards.
An extended warranty is not always a sign of product durability.
Some of the
more sustainable building products and assemblies have been tested by research
institutions such as the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory, the National
Association of Home Builders Research Center, or the national laboratories of the U.S.
Department of Energy. Success in this type of
independent testing is often a good indication that a new building technology will not
only perform as well as conventional practices, but most likely far better than old,
inefficient building methods.
Q. How
can I include sustainable design in an existing building plan or a project
in progress?
A.
Sometimes developers use the same home plans repeatedly, in order to save
costs, or they only decide to incorporate sustainable features after a
project is already underway. The best potential for both cost and resource
savings is at the outset of a project. When a holistic design process is
used, extra investments in some features of a home can be balanced with
cost savings in other areas. Later in the process, additions or changes to
the design usually cost more. There are some actions that can be included
late in a project's development, however, that make the project more
sustainable without increasing its cost too much. HomeASTA has
created a list of low-cost and no-cost options that can be incorporated in
projects in progress. Download a printable PDF version of Low-Cost/No-Cost
Options for Sustainable Homes or call the HomeASTA hotline
at 1.866.367.6228 to request a copy.
Also, as an example of last-minute sustainability, see a report from the
St. Paul Neighborhood Energy Consortium on a commercial building project
in Minnesota that was modified to be more sustainable. Green
Buildings: Adding Environmental Features to Construction Projects Late in
the Design Phase is available online as a PDF.
Q. What
kind of affordable projects are already implementing sustainable design principles?
A. During
the past several years, many affordable housing developers have become interested in
applying sustainable design. Some
international and national organizations and national and state government agencies have
focused on developing guidelines that can be applied to many projects. These include Habitat for Humanity
International’s Environmental Initiative and Global Green USA’s Greening
Affordable Housing Initiative. The PATH
program (Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing) has produced both online and
printed references directed at affordable, yet innovative, housing construction. The Wisconsin Energy Bureau conducted a project
that evaluated the application of affordable renewable energy systems to homes.
Some cities and local housing
authorities also have become involved in promoting sustainable design in affordable
housing, through programs, regulations, and actual building projects. In Austin, Texas, all affordable housing built
with City funds must meet a green standard. San
Antonio, Texas, is planning to adopt a similar requirement.
Finally, some affordable housing
developers and builders simply have their own commitment to community and environmental
sustainability, and have taken the initiative to build exemplary affordable and
sustainable homes and developments. These
include both for-profit and nonprofit developers across the country.
More information on specific projects can
be found in the Case Studies
section of the site, and links to information on groups with initiatives or programs
appear in the Resources
section of the site.
Q. Where
can I purchase recycled building materials?
A. One
common challenge to including recycled and resource-efficient building materials in a
project is knowing what products are available and how to obtain them. Fortunately there are some online directories and
published references that offer an idea of the wide range of products available today. The Resources section of the site
contains links to several building material directories that list more sustainable
materials options.
Many recycled and
resource-efficient building materials are now distributed nationally by major building
supply chains, or through the supply chains of major building product manufacturers. If the local building supplier does not stock a
particular product, ask if it can be ordered. Sometimes
manufacturers will offer product discounts the first time a product is used in a new
market, which can help offset the effort of placing a special order.
Q. Is
it possible to insure and resell a sustainably designed home?
A. Yes. In fact, meeting the standards of green building
programs can be an indication to lenders of the quality of a home’s construction. The major housing financier Fannie Mae has
developed a program that recognizes sustainable design of homes. This vote of endorsement from a major national
financing entity has helped set a strong precedent of approval for loans on
sustainably-designed houses. Some lenders may
even offer special loan rates for energy-efficient homes or houses located adjacent to
public transportation.
Similarly, insurance companies
may recognize the benefits of a sustainably-built home in terms of durability and disaster
resistance.
Finally, surveys of home buyers
consistently indicate a desire for energy-efficient homes with good indoor air quality. Brisk sales in green developments at all income
levels indicate that the resale value of a sustainably designed home will be good. Village Homes, a solar housing development in
California, often is cited as an example of the resale value of sustainable design. Twenty years after the development was created,
houses there command a higher resale value than comparable houses, and even houses with
more amenities, in nearby communities.
Q. How
can salvaged building materials be included in new construction?
A. Some
developers and builders steer away from using salvaged building materials in affordable
projects because it can be difficult to plan for the incorporation of materials that are
not standard sizes, and to coordinate the availability of salvaged materials with the
construction schedule. Projects that make
the extra effort to include reused salvaged materials, however, often obtain remarkably
high-quality materials at especially low cost.
The Case Studies section of this
site documents several building projects that successfully reused salvaged building
materials. Often, processing and reinstalling
salvaged materials can be labor intensive, and when this is the case, the salvaged
materials may be best incorporated in building projects than use volunteer labor, or in
which the future occupant is required to contribute sweat equity.
Reusing salvaged structural
materials can be complicated, but there are many good opportunities for reuse of
non-structural materials. Just a few examples
of reusable materials are cabinets, doors, some windows, brick for patios, bathtubs, wood
flooring, and former structural lumber reused for trim.
Many, many more options for reuse of salvaged building materials are possible.
Q. Are
natural materials good for affordable housing?
A. Over the past
few years there has been increasing interest in “natural” building,
including earthen materials such as adobe, earth blocks and rammed earth,
as well as straw bale building, cob, and a variety of other traditional
indigenous and new alternative building methods. Some of these building
methods offer a potential for affordability because walls can be
constructed largely by unskilled labor. Some truly affordable homes have
been built using indigenous and natural materials, usually in situations
where there is plenty of access to low-cost or volunteer labor. However,
it is important to remember that the cost of wall systems is actually only
a small percentage of the cost of a house; dwarfed by the cost of interior
finish materials and components such as windows and doors. A natural wall
system alone can’t make a house affordable, and in fact, matching
exterior finishes, roof framing, and foundations to unusual wall systems
can be unexpectedly costly.
Another important factor
to keep in mind is the footprint of the house. Most of the emerging
alternative building systems are characterized by thick walls. These thick
walls provide either the thermal resistance (R-value) or the thermal mass
that keep the houses at a comfortable temperature. However, these thick
walls also mean that the house has a large “footprint” on the lot,
relative to the usable interior living space. This presents a significant
obstacle to the effective use of most natural building technologies on
small urban lots. In some situations, though, natural alternative building
materials may be worthy of consideration because of their typically low
environmental impact, low embodied energy, and suitability for rural sites
where it may be difficult to access conventional building materials. In
addition, homes built from some natural materials can be quite energy
efficient, and also may provide options for people who have particular
chemical sensitivities to more processed building products.
Q.
Will using less material in construction make a house seem “cheap?”
A. Sometimes
builders or their field carpenters are reluctant to apply
material-efficient building methods like advanced framing or shear panel
siding without sheathing, because they are used to building with extra
materials to create a sturdy-appearing structure.
However, don’t be easily frightened away from building systems
that can save significant materials, energy and money. Advanced framing
and other Optimum Value Engineering practices have been documented and
studied since the early 1970s, and have proven themselves strong and
durable means of building houses. Many test results are available to
verify the performance of these systems. It is also important to note that
using advanced framing reduces the amount of lumber creating thermal
bridges within a wall, allowing more insulation space and improving the
energy efficiency of a house.
One consideration for
using advanced framing is choosing a siding or exterior finish material
that can span the distance between studs. By
selecting a package of structural and finish materials that are compatible
with one another and following guidelines for advanced framing, sturdy and
functional houses can be constructed. Optimum Value Engineering, applied
not just in walls, but also in foundations, floors, roofs, and interior
partitions and finishes, has been found to decrease not only the materials
costs of construction, but also the labor cost, making it an ideal
practice for affordable, sustainable housing construction.
Q.
How do accessibility and sustainability relate?
A. Many affordable
housing developers are interested in building accessible homes, to comply
with the Americans with Disabilities Act or to serve a population with
special needs. Accessibility, or universal design, can contribute to a
home's sustainability, as well, because it means that homeowners or
occupants can stay in a home over time as their needs change. By including
aspects of universal design in a home from the time of its construction,
the expense and material waste of future modifications can be avoided.
Design details like wider doors, accessible baths, and buildings on grade
can make houses more livable today and for the future. Meanwhile, adding
blocking during construction to support later installation of grab bars is
an easy way to make a home adaptable to its future occupants.
For more information on
Universal Design, see the following resources:
The Center for Universal Design
Making
Homes Accessible: Assistive Technology and Home Modifications
Directory of Accessible Building Products
Residential Remodeling and Universal Design: Making Homes More Comfortable and
Accessible (HUD)
Q.
What is a "healthy house?"
A. Broadly
speaking, a healthy house is one that does not make its occupants sick due
to chemicals within the home. Specifically, the design and construction of
a healthy house addresses the constituents of the materials used and the
quality of indoor air. American Lung Association has created a Health
House program that provides guidelines and standards for construction
of houses that promote good indoor air quality and occupant health.
Meanwhile, some individuals experience negative reactions to products
commonly used in buildings. Different people are affected by different
products, so individual product testing may be needed in some instances,
to identify irritant or allergenic products so that they can be avoided in
construction. For more information on healthy houses, indoor air quality,
and chemical sensitivity, see Healthy
Houses & Non-Toxic Materials (PDF), a reference to organizations,
books, websites and services.
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